DATA DECODING METHOD AND DEVICE IN COMMUNICATION AND BROADCAST SYSTEM

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a communication method and system for converging a 5.sup.th-Generation (5G) communication system for supporting higher data rates beyond a 4.sup.th-Generation (4G) system with a technology for Internet of Things (IoT). The present disclosure may be applied to intelligent services based on the 5G communication technology and the IoT-related technology, such as smart home, smart building, smart city, smart car, connected car, health care, digital education, smart retail, security and safety services. Further, the present disclosure relates to decoding of a turbo code in a communication system including long term evolution (LTE), and to efficiently implement a method, procedure, and device for receiving and decoding a signal transmitted in a mobile communication system.

Claims

1. A method performed by a receiving device of a communication system comprising: determining whether decoding on an estimated bit sequence has failed; determining, based on the decoding being determined to be unsuccessful, whether to perform a post-processing based on whether a code parameter satisfies a specified condition; identifying, based on the post-processing performance determined to be performed, one bit index corresponding to the specified condition; and performing decoding of an external concatenated code based on a modified bit sequence in which the bit corresponding to the identified one bit index in the estimated bit sequence is inverted.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the code parameter includes at least one of a code dimension, a code length, and a code rate.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the modified bit sequence is converted to 0 based on a bit corresponding to the identified one bit index in the estimated bit sequence being 1, and converted to 1 based on a bit corresponding to the identified one bit index in the estimated bit sequence being 0.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the specified condition is any one of values in which the code dimension is specified.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the specified condition is a code dimension being any one of specified values and a code rate being equal to or greater than a specified threshold value.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one bit index is determined by the code dimension

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one bit index is 40, based on the code dimension being 48; wherein the one bit index is 57, based on the code dimension being 72; wherein the one bit index is 72, based on the code dimension being 80; wherein the one bit index is 66, based on the code dimension being 88; wherein the one bit index is 105, based on the code dimension being 120; wherein the one bit index is 152, based on the code dimension being 160; and wherein the one bit index is 200, based on the code dimension being 208.

8. A receiving device of a communication system comprising: a transceiver; and at least one processor; wherein the at least one processor is configured to: determine whether decoding on an estimated bit sequence has failed; determine, based on the decoding being determined to be unsuccessful, whether to perform a post-processing based on on whether a code parameter satisfies a specified condition; identify, based on the post-processing performance being determined, one bit index corresponding to the specified condition; and perform decoding of an external concatenated code based on a modified bit sequence in which the bit corresponding to the identified one bit index in the estimated bit sequence is inverted.

9. The receiving device according to claim 8, wherein the code parameter includes at least one of a code dimension, a code length, and a code rate.

10. The receiving device according to claim 8, wherein the modified bit sequence is converted to 0 based on a bit corresponding to the identified one bit index in the estimated bit sequence being 1, and converted to 1 based on a bit corresponding to the identified one bit index in the estimated bit sequence being 0.

11. The receiving device according to claim 8, wherein the specified condition is any one of values in which the code dimension is specified.

12. The receiving device according to claim 8, wherein the specified condition is a code dimension being any one of preset values and a code rate being equal to or greater than a specified threshold value.

13. The receiving device according to claim 8, wherein the one bit index is determined by the code dimension

14. The receiving device according to claim 13, wherein the one bit index is 40, based on the code dimension being 48; wherein the one bit index is 57, based on the code dimension being 72; wherein the one bit index is 72, based on the code dimension being 80; wherein the one bit index is 66, based on the code dimension being 88; wherein the one bit index is 105, based on the code dimension being 120; wherein the one bit index is 152, based on the code dimension being 160; and wherein the one bit index is 200, based on the code dimension being 208.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of certain embodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0021] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example configuration of a wireless communication system according to embodiments;

[0022] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example configuration of a device for performing communication in a wireless communication system according to embodiments;

[0023] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of encoding a concatenated turbo code according to embodiments;

[0024] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example configuration of a turbo encoder configured to perform an encoding operation of a turbo code according to embodiments;

[0025] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a part of a generation matrix configured when a code dimension is 160 and a code length is 204 in a 3GPP (3.sup.rd generation partnership project) LTE(long term evolution) turbo code system according to embodiments;

[0026] FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating a performance degradation in an AWGN (additive white Gaussian noise) channel when a code dimension is 160 and a code length is 204 in a 3GPP LTE turbo code system according to embodiments;

[0027] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example configuration of a decoder of a concatenated turbo code according to embodiments;

[0028] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example operation of a turbo code decoder operated according to embodiments; and

[0029] FIG. 9 is a graph illustrating a performance gain obtained according to embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Hereinafter, various example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0031] In describing the various embodiments, a description of the technical contents that are well known in the art to which this disclosure belongs or are not directly related to the disclosure may be omitted. This is to convey the gist of the present disclosure more clearly without obscuring the gist of the present disclosure by omitting unnecessary description.

[0032] Advantages and features of the present disclosure, and a method for achieving them, will be more apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail together with the accompanying drawings. However, the disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described below, and may be implemented in various different forms, the various embodiments are provided to inform those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. Throughout the disclosure, the same reference numerals refer to the same components.

[0033] In the disclosure, it may be understood that each block of processing flowchart drawings and combinations of flowchart drawings may be performed by computer program instructions. Since the computer program instructions may be mounted on a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, or a processor of other programmable data processing equipment, the instructions performed through the computer, or the processor of other programmable data processing equipment may generate a means of performing the functions described in flow block(s). Since the computer program instructions may be stored in a computer available or computer readable memory, which may be directed to a computer or other programmable data processing equipment, to implement a function in a particular manner, the instructions stored in the computer-available or the computer-readable memory may produce manufactured items including an instruction for performing the function described in flow block(s). Since computer program instructions may also be mounted on computers or other programmable data processing equipment, the instructions may provide steps for executing the functions described in flowchart block(s), wherein the instruction performs a series of operation steps on the computer or the other programmable data processing equipment to generate a process executed by a computer, thereby performing the computer or the other programmable data processing equipment.

[0034] Each block may also indicate a module, a segment, or part of a code including one or more executable instructions for executing a specific logical function(s). It should also be noted that in various embodiments, it is possible for the functions mentioned in the blocks to occur out of order. For example, two blocks shown one after another may actually be performed substantially simultaneously, or it is also possible that blocks are sometimes performed in reverse order according to the corresponding function.

[0035] In the disclosure, the term ‘˜unit’ may refer to a software or a hardware component such as FPGA, or ASIC, and ‘˜unit’ performs certain roles. However, ‘˜unit’ is not limited to software or hardware. The ‘˜unit’ may be configured to be on an addressable storage medium or to play one or more processors. Accordingly, ‘˜unit’ includes components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, processes, functions, properties, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuit, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables, as an example. Components and functions provided within ‘˜units’ may be combined into a smaller number of components and ‘˜units’ or further separated into additional components and ‘˜units’. In addition, components and ‘˜units’ may be implemented to play one or more CPUs in a device or secure multimedia card.

[0036] Hereinafter, various example embodiments will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the same components are indicated by the same reference numbers in the accompanying drawings. In addition, it should be noted that the drawings of the present disclosure are provided to aid in the understanding of the present disclosure, and the present disclosure is not limited to the form or arrangement illustrated in the drawings. In addition, detailed descriptions of well-known functions and configurations that may obscure the gist of the present disclosure may be omitted.

[0037] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example configuration of a wireless communication system according to various embodiments. FIG. 1 may be a part of a devices or nodes using a wireless channel in a wireless communication system, and illustrates a transmission end 110 and a reception end 120. FIG. 1 illustrates one transmission end 110 and one reception end 120, but may include a plurality of transmission ends or a plurality of reception ends. In addition, for convenience of description, in the present disclosure, the transmission end 110 and the reception end 120 are described as separate objects, but functions of the transmission end 110 and the reception end 120 may be changed. For example, in the case of an uplink of the cellular communication system, the transmission end 110 may be a terminal, and the reception end 120 may be a base station. In the case of a downlink, the transmission end 110 may be a base station and the reception end 120 may be a terminal. In the case of a side link, both the transmission end 110 and the reception end 120 may be terminals.

[0038] In various embodiments, the transmission end 110 may generate a codeword by encoding information bits based on the turbo code, and the reception end 120 may decode a received signal of the codeword based on the turbo code. For example, the reception end 120 may effectively decode a signal encoded with a turbo code by performing post-processing based on whether turbo decoding is successful and a code parameter (code dimension, code length, code rate).

[0039] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example configuration of a device for performing communication in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments. For example, the configuration illustrated in FIG. 2 may be understood as the configuration of the reception end 120. Terms such as ‘˜unit,’—er′ used hereinafter refer to units for processing at least one function or operation, which may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0040] Referring to FIG. 2, the device may include a communication unit (e.g., including communication circuitry) 210, a storage unit (e.g., a memory) 220, and a control unit (e.g., including processing and/or control circuitry) 230.

[0041] The communication unit 210 may include various communication circuitry and perform functions for transmitting and receiving signals through a wireless channel. For example, the communication unit 210 may perform a conversion function between a baseband signal and a bit string according to a physical layer standard of the system. For example, when transmitting data, the communication unit 210 may generate complex symbols by encoding and modulating a transmission bit string. In addition, when receiving data, the communication unit 210 may restore the reception bit string through demodulation and decoding of the baseband signal. In addition, the communication unit 210 may up-convert the baseband signal into a radio frequency (RF) band signal, and then transmit the RF band signal received through an antenna, and down-convert the RF band signal into the baseband signal through the antenna.

[0042] To this end, the communication unit 210 may include various communication circuitry including, for example, a transmission filter, a reception filter, an amplifier, a mixer, an oscillator, a digital to analog converter (DAC), an analog to digital converter (ADC), and the like. In addition, the communication unit 210 may include a plurality of transmission/reception paths. Furthermore, the communication unit 210 may include at least one antenna array including a plurality of antenna elements. In terms of hardware, the communication unit 210 may include a digital unit and an analog unit, and the analog unit may include a plurality of sub-units according to operating power, operating frequency, and the like. In addition, the communication unit 210 may include a decoding unit to perform decoding according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0043] The communication unit 210 may transmit and/or receive a signal as described above. Accordingly, the communication unit 210 may be referred to as a ‘transmission unit’, a ‘reception unit’, or a ‘transceiver’. In addition, in the following description, transmission and reception performed through a wireless channel are used as meaning including the processing as described above performed by the communication unit 210. In addition, when the device of FIG. 2 is a base station, the communication unit 210 may further include a backhaul communication unit for communication with other network objects connected through a backhaul network.

[0044] The storage unit 220 may include, for example, a memory, and store data such as a basic program, an application program, and setting information for the operation of the reception end 120. The storage unit 220 may include a volatile memory, a nonvolatile memory, or a combination of a volatile memory and a nonvolatile memory. In addition, the storage unit 220 may provide stored data according to a request from the control unit 230.

[0045] The control unit 230 may include various processing and/or control circuitry and control overall operations of the device. For example, the control unit 230 may transmit and receive a signal through the communication unit 230. Also, the control unit 230 may record or read data in the storage unit 220. To this end, the control unit 230 may include at least one processor or a microprocessor, or may be a part of the processor. According to various embodiments, the control unit 230 may control the device to perform operations according to various embodiments to be described later.

[0046] A turbo code may refer, for example, to a code generated by concatenating two convolution codes in parallel, and an encoding process of the turbo code will be briefly described below for understanding the present disclosure.

[0047] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of encoding a concatenated turbo code according to various embodiments.

[0048] An information bit sequence b∈ of a length ‘A’ to be transmitted is illustrated. Here, F.sub.2 is a binary field. This information bit sequence ‘b’ may be a part of the entire information bits to be transmitted, or the entire information bit sequence. In a general concatenated turbo code system, the information bit sequence c∈ may be encoded with an outer code 310 prior to turbo coding to generate a turbo coded input bit sequence of length K. Here, K is referred to as the code dimension of the turbo code. For example, in the 3GPP LTE system, two types of CRC codes are selectively used depending on whether code block segmentation is performed, and the two types of CRC codes generate a CRC parity bit of 24 bits in common. In other words, in this system, the code dimension K becomes A+24. A turbo encoder may receive an input bit sequence c of the code dimension K encoded with the outer code, and encode it with a turbo code (320) to generate the codeword bit sequence e ∈ of the code length N, and then transmit it by performing modulation, channel interleaving, and the like.

[0049] The length of the input bit sequence of the turbo code (including the parity bit of the outer concatenated code) may refer, for example, to the code dimension, and the symbol is written as K. The length of the output bit sequence of the turbo code, for example, the codeword bit sequence, may refer, for example, to the code length, and is written as N symbolically.

[0050] Hereinafter, a turbo encoding process will be described in greater detail based, by way of non-limiting example, on the turbo code used in the 3GPP LTE system [TS36.212].

[0051] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example configuration of a turbo encoder configured to perform an encoding operation of a turbo code according to embodiments.

[0052] The turbo encoder 320 may include a mother coding unit 400 for creating a codeword corresponding to a mother code and a rate matcher 401 for adjusting the codeword to a codeword corresponding to a target encoding rate.

[0053] The turbo encoder generates four bit sequences x, z, z′, z′ using an encoder of two convolutional codes with the input bit sequence c. The convolutional code used here may be classified as a recursive systematic convolutional (RCS) code, and the two encoders will be referred to as a first RCS encoder 420 and a second RSC encoder 421, respectively. In general, the two RSC encoders are identical and receive different inputs and produce different output sequences. The RSC encoders are usually implemented with a linear feedback shift register (LFSR). The LTE turbo coding system is implemented as an RSC encoder in which the number of LFSR registers m is defined as 3.

[0054] The first RCS encoder 420 may generate two sequences x∈ and x∈ of length K′ based on the input bit sequence c∈. Herein, the length K′ is greater than the code dimension K. Herein, x is a systematic bit sequence including c, and z is a parity bit sequence generated by the first RSC encoder. The RSC encoder performs zero-tail termination to match the initial state and the final state to zero on a trellis diagram, and specifically, it is a process of generating additional bits by inputting 0 as much as m, the number of LFSR memories. As a result of this zero-tail termination, the length K′ of x and z becomes K+m. In detail, c is mapped to the first K bits in the systematic bit sequence x=(x.sub.0, x.sub.1, . . . x.sub.K+m−1). In other words, for i∈{0, . . . , K−1}, x.sub.i←c.sub.i. The last m bits x.sub.K, x.sub.K+1, . . . , x.sub.K+m−1 are generated by zero-tail termination of the first RSC encoder. The parity bit sequence z is also generated considering up to the last m 0-bit inputs.

[0055] The second RSC encoder 421 may generate two sequences x′∈ and z′∈ of length K′ based on the bit sequence c′∈ obtained by interleaving (change the order of the bits according to the set rules) (410) the input bit sequence c. The second RSC encoder 421 performs the operations in the same way as the first RSC encoder 420, except only c′ which is a result of interleaving of the input bit sequence. Similarly, the length K′ of x′ and z′ becomes K+m. The first K bits of the systematic bit sequence x′ generated by the second RSC encoder are also generated by directly mapping of c′, and the last m bits are generated by zero-tail termination. Accordingly, the first K bits of the systematic bit sequence generated by the first RSC encoder and the second RSC encoder are the same sequence only different in order, and the last m bits are distinguished from each other.

[0056] The trellis termination unit 430 combines x, z, x′, z′ generated by the two RSC encoders to generate a codeword corresponding to the mother code. As described above, x and x′ may include the same elements, except for the last m bits generated by zero-tail termination, only different in order. Thus, the total number of significant bits is 3(K+m) bits in m and m bits generated by the trellis termination of x′, totaling 3K+4m bits. Since it is m=3 in the LTE turbo code system, it becomes a total of 3K+12. In the trellis termination unit, the first K bits of each of the three sequences m are used as a base bit sequence, and an operation of attaching 4m bits generated by zero-tail termination is performed according to established rules, following the three base bit sequences. Based on this, three subblock bit sequences d.sup.(0), d.sup.(1), d.sup.(2) are generated. The length of each sub-block bit sequence is written as D and becomes D=K+(4m/3). In the LTE turbo code system, D=K+4. These sequences are transmitted to the code rate adjustment unit 401 and are used as a code sequence of a mother code that generates a bit sequence of a length to be finally transmitted.

[0057] Each of the sub-block bit sequences d.sup.(0), d.sup.(1), d.sup.(2) is interleaved by a predetermined (e.g., specified) rule. This process is referred to as sub-block interleaving 440, 441, and 442. In the LTE turbo code system, d.sup.(0), d.sup.(1) is interleaved with the same rule (440 and 441), and d.sup.(2) is interleaved with the modified rule (442). The sub-block interleaving process initiates by storing the input d.sup.(i) (i=0, 1, 2) in a rectangular buffer in a row-first manner. At this time, the number of columns C of the rectangular buffer to be used is fixed to 32, and the number of rows R, is determined as the smallest number that the buffer can include all the bits of d.sup.(i), that is R=┌D/C┐. The size of the rectangular buffer is to be written as K.sub.π, which becomes K.sub.π=R×C=┌D/C┐×C. Since the size K.sub.π of the rectangular buffer is equal to or greater than the length D of the input bit sequence d.sup.(i), the elements in the first K.sub.π−D column of the first row are filled with NULL values to fill the difference. And from the next column, the bits of d.sup.(i) are sequentially filled in a row-priority manner. The process may be modified by placing a shift for d.sup.(2). When the rectangular matrix is filled in this way, the columns of the rectangular matrix are mixed in a given order, which is called inter-column permutation. After mixing the columns of the rectangular matrix, the final output sequence is generated by reading the elements from the buffer in a column-first manner. The process may be implemented using an actual rectangular matrix, or may be implemented by immediately calculating and mapping an index of a bit in consideration of such a process. A bit sequence obtained by interleaving each subblock bit sequence d.sup.(0), d.sup.(1), d.sup.(2) by the process is written as v.sup.(0), v.sup.(1), v.sup.(2).

[0058] Collecting v.sup.(0), v.sup.(1), v.sup.(2) obtained by sub-block interleaving through the process and accumulating them in a virtual circular buffer is called a bit collection 450. The size K.sub.w of the circular buffer is K.sub.w=3K.sub.π. First, the bits of v.sup.(0) are stored sequentially from position 0 of the circular buffer. Each bit of v.sup.(1) and v.sup.(2) is extracted by interlacing in order and stored in the circular buffer. In this way, a circular buffer sequence w of length K.sub.w is completed. In this case, a limited buffer may be operated in consideration of the performance of the terminal/equipment, and this case is referred to as limited-buffer rate-matching (LBRM). In this case, it may be readjusted to a sequence closer to the target length by adjusting the circular buffer sequence w. The length of the finally determined circular buffer sequence is referred to as and when the LBRM is used, it becomes N.sub.cb<K.sub.w. Otherwise, it is N.sub.cb=K.sub.w.

[0059] N bits to be transmitted are selected from the last given circular buffer sequence w, it is called bit selection or circular buffer rate-matching (CB-RM) (460). When a redundancy version (RV) rv.sub.idx in consideration of hybrid automatic repeat-and-request (HARQ) is received from a higher layer operation, a starting position k.sub.0 is determined from where to read the circular buffer. k.sub.0 may be directly received instead of rv.sub.idx from a higher layer. Bits are sequentially extracted from the determined starting position k.sub.0 of the circular buffer sequence w. The NULL value generated in the subblock interleaving is skipped, and when the end of the circular buffer sequence w is reached, the pointer is readjusted to the first index to extract the bit. Since this process reads while cycling the w sequence, it is called a virtual circular buffer. The final codeword bit sequence e∈ is generated by creating N bits to be transmitted through this series of operations, based on this, a post-process such as modulation and channel interleaving is performed to transmit a signal.

[0060] The codeword bit sequence e of arbitrary length N may be obtained from the encoding input sequence c of the given length K by the series of turbo encoding processes. The final target code rate becomes R=K/N. As described above, in the case of the LTE taboo code system, when LBRM is not used, the mother code length is 3K+12, and the code rate of the mother code is R′=K/(3K+12), about ⅓. When the target code rate {circumflex over (K)} is greater than the mother code rate R′, some bits of the generated codeword are not transmitted. By generating the codeword bit in this way, but not transmitting it, reducing the length of the code is called puncturing, bits that are not transmitted are called punctured bits. On the other hand, when the target code rate {circumflex over (K)} is less than the mother code rate R′, some of the generated code word bits are selected and transmitted more than once in the CB-RM process. Increasing the code length by selecting and transmitting some or all of the code bits of the mother code generated in this way more than once is called repetition.

[0061] In the present disclosure, a situation in which the target code rate {circumflex over (K)} is high (the code length N is smaller than 3K+12) and a plurality of codeword bits generated from the mother code are punctured is considered. When a plurality of codeword bits are punctured, the characteristics of the mother code, which were considered when designing the system, are changed. Therefore, an unexpected problem occurs, and in the present disclosure, the following problems are to be found and addressed.

[0062] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a part of a generator matrix {circumflex over (v)} configured in an example of an LTE turbo code system according to embodiments. The generation matrix G∈ defines linear transformation from a given encoded input bit sequence (vector) c to a codeword bit sequence (vector) e. In other words, when the series of encoding processes are performed, the conversion of e from c can be defined by Equation 1 below.

e=cG  [Equation 1]

[0063] In Equation 1, c and e are expressed as row vectors of length K and N, respectively. Although the turbo code are not usually defined using the generation matrix G, the generation matrix G may be simply obtained by setting the input vector to one-hot vector (a vector with a value of 1 for only the designated position and zero for all others) and observing the output vector, when the turbo encoding system as described above is given. The generation matrix G obtained by the process is useful for checking the characteristics of the code because it reflects all the actions performed by the turbo code (encoding, encoding rate adjustment, interleaving, and the like).

[0064] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a part of a generation matrix configured when a code dimension is 160 and a code length is 204 in a 3GPP LTE turbo code system according to embodiments.

[0065] For example, FIG. 5 illustrates a sub-matrix of a part corresponding to rows 148 to 155 of the generation matrix G∈ when the code dimension is 160 and the code length is 204. Herein, it should be noted that indexes of row and column are determined based on zero-based numbering in which the first element is mapped to the 0th index. In this code, the target code rate is very high as

[00001]$R=\frac{160}{204}=0.7843,$

and 288 bits are punctured in the mother code of 160×3+12=492 to obtain codeword bits with a code length of 204. As described above, when a plurality of code word bits of the mother code are punctured due to the high code rate, the characteristics of the mother code considered during the design are deformed, and an unexpected problem may occur. This unexpected problem may be identified from the generation matrix G of FIG. 5. When observing the generation matrix G including the parameters, in the row 152th, only one column that is element “1” is exist, and the value of all other columns is element “0”. This may refer, for example, to the 152th bit among the bits of the encoding input bit sequence c not being involved in generating any parity bit. This may refer, for example, to the 152th bit not obtaining extrinsic information from any other bit in the process of iterative decoding of the turbo code. In other words, even when turbo encoding, 152th bit of c remains uncoded due to excessive puncturing, and the performance of the turbo code is determined solely by how much of this single bit is damaged in the channel. For example, even when i−1 bits among K bits of c are normally estimated by decoding of the turbo code, the entire decoding may fail due to one uncoded bit.

[0066] FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating a performance degradation in an AWGN channel when a code dimension is 160 and a code length is 204 in a 3GPP LTE turbo code system according to embodiments.

[0067] For example, FIG. 6 illustrates performance in an additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel of the LTE turbo code of the code dimension 160 and the code length 204 described in FIG. 5. As modulation techniques, quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) is considered, and as turbo decoding algorithms, approximated low-complexity max-log-MAP, which is typically used, and high-complexity but optimal log-MAP are considered. The quality of a channel is measured by the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and herein, it is expressed as E.sub.s/N.sub.0 obtained by dividing the energy of the modulation symbol by the power spectral density of the noise. In addition, the bit error rate (BER) at each E.sub.s/N.sub.0 when the bits are transmitted without any processing through QPSK modulation, that is, when not encoded, are also shown. As shown in FIG. 6, it may be confirmed that the performance of the two decoding algorithms for the turbo code is bound to the BER curve of one bit, even when the SNR, which is the quality of the AWGN channel, increases. This is a serious problem, and it indicates that encoding using a turbo code at the transmitter and performing complex iterative decoding at the receiver does not produce any gain because of a single bit.

[0068] In order to address the above problem, it is confirmed whether the above-described “problem in which the encoding input bit is not encoded” occurs in a combination of all code dimensions and code lengths of the 3GPP LTE turbo codes. For example, it constructs a generation matrix for the given code parameters (code dimension, code length, code rate), and identify the existence of a row with only one column with element “1”. It should be noted that this confirmation process is not actually performed in the operation of the present disclosure, but is a one-time pre-work for designing a system in which an embodiment of the present disclosure is performed. In other words, in performing an embodiment of the disclosure, the receiver may not actually perform an operation of identifying whether a specific encoding input bit is not encoded, and may perform decoding on the premise that the result of the corresponding confirmation process is known in advance. Table 1 below shows the code dimension K, the code length N, and a code rate R=K/N depending on that, in which the above-described “problem that coding input bit is not encoded” occurs in the LTE turbo coding system. In addition, when the problem occurs, an index of bits that remain unencoded is also described. Herein, the bit index is described based on zero-based numbering in which the first element is mapped to index 0.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Code Code Code Uncoded Dimension.sup.K Length.sup.N rate .sup.R bit index 48 52 0.9231 40 48 53 0.9057 40 48 54 0.8889 40 48 55 0.8727 40 48 56 0.8571 40 48 57 0.8421 40 48 58 0.8276 40 48 59 0.8136 40 48 60 0.8000 40 48 61 0.7869 40 48 62 0.7742 40 48 63 0.7619 40 48 64 0.7500 40 48 65 0.7385 40 72 76 0.9474 57 72 77 0.9351 57 72 78 0.9231 57 72 79 0.9114 57 80 84 0.9524 72 80 85 0.9412 72 80 86 0.9302 72 80 87 0.9195 72 80 88 0.9091 72 80 89 0.8989 72 80 90 0.8889 72 80 91 0.8791 72 80 92 0.8696 72 80 93 0.8602 72 80 94 0.8511 72 80 95 0.8421 72 80 96 0.8333 72 80 97 0.8247 72 80 98 0.8163 72 80 99 0.8081 72 80 100 0.8000 72 80 101 0.7921 72 80 102 0.7843 72 80 103 0.7767 72 80 104 0.7692 72 80 105 0.7619 72 80 106 0.7547 72 80 107 0.7477 72 88 92 0.9565 66 88 93 0.9462 66 88 94 0.9362 66 88 95 0.9263 66 120 126 0.9524 105 120 127 0.9449 105 120 128 0.9375 105 120 129 0.9302 105 160 167 0.9581 152 160 168 0.9524 152 160 169 0.9467 152 160 170 0.9412 152 160 171 0.9357 152 160 172 0.9302 152 160 173 0.9249 152 160 174 0.9195 152 160 175 0.9143 152 160 176 0.9091 152 160 177 0.9040 152 160 178 0.8989 152 160 179 0.8939 152 160 180 0.8889 152 160 181 0.8840 152 160 182 0.8791 152 160 183 0.8743 152 160 184 0.8696 152 160 185 0.8649 152 160 186 0.8602 152 160 187 0.8556 152 160 188 0.8511 152 160 189 0.8466 152 160 190 0.8421 152 160 191 0.8377 152 160 192 0.8333 152 160 193 0.8290 152 160 194 0.8247 152 160 195 0.8205 152 160 196 0.8163 152 160 197 0.8122 152 160 198 0.8081 152 160 199 0.8040 152 160 200 0.8000 152 160 201 0.7960 152 160 202 0.7921 152 160 203 0.7882 152 160 204 0.7843 152 160 205 0.7805 152 160 206 0.7767 152 160 207 0.7729 152 160 208 0.7692 152 160 209 0.7656 152 160 210 0.7619 152 160 211 0.7583 152 160 212 0.7547 152 160 213 0.7512 152 208 217 0.9585 200 208 218 0.9541 200 208 219 0.9498 200 208 220 0.9455 200 208 221 0.9412 200 208 222 0.9369 200 208 223 0.9327 200 208 224 0.9286 200 208 225 0.9244 200 208 226 0.9204 200 208 227 0.9163 200 208 228 0.9123 200 208 229 0.9083 200 208 230 0.9043 200 208 231 0.9004 200 208 232 0.8966 200 208 233 0.8927 200 208 234 0.8889 200 208 235 0.8851 200 208 236 0.8814 200 208 237 0.8776 200 208 238 0.8739 200 208 239 0.8703 200 208 240 0.8667 200 208 241 0.8631 200 208 242 0.8595 200 208 243 0.8560 200 208 244 0.8525 200 208 245 0.8490 200 208 246 0.8455 200 208 247 0.8421 200 208 248 0.8387 200 208 249 0.8353 200 208 250 0.8320 200 208 251 0.8287 200 208 252 0.8254 200 208 253 0.8221 200 208 254 0.8189 200 208 255 0.8157 200 208 256 0.8125 200 208 257 0.8093 200 208 258 0.8062 200 208 259 0.8031 200 208 260 0.8000 200 208 261 0.7969 200 208 262 0.7939 200 208 263 0.7909 200 208 264 0.7879 200 208 265 0.7849 200 208 266 0.7820 200 208 267 0.7790 200 208 268 0.7761 200 208 269 0.7732 200 208 270 0.7704 200 208 271 0.7675 200 208 272 0.7647 200 208 273 0.7619 200 208 274 0.7591 200 208 275 0.7564 200

[0069] In the disclosure, it is confirmed that the following features are present by analyzing the exhaustively identified results for the LTE turbo coding system as shown in Table 1. The code dimension K is one of the seven values {48, 72, 80, 88, 120, 160, 208}. In addition, the above problem occurs only when the code rate R is about 0.75 or more. When the code dimension K is the same, the index of non-encoded bits is always determined the same regardless of the code length N and the code rate {circumflex over (K)}. For example, a bit index that is not encoded with respect to the code dimension K is determined as shown in Table 2 below.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 code dimension .sup.K Uncoded bit index 48 40 72 57 80 72 88 66 120 105 160 152 208 200

[0070] As described above, a problem in which some bits are not coded in a specific code parameter is observed, and a situation in which such a shape caused some problem in an actual environment is confirmed. Embodiments of the disclosure provide a method for addressing the above problem at a level that hardly increases the complexity and introduction of new components compared to existing systems.

[0071] Iteration decoding performed for a turbo code will be briefly described.

[0072] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example configuration of a decoder for a concatenated turbo code according to embodiments.

[0073] The receiver obtains a log likelihood ratio (LLR) for the codeword bits of the mother code by processing the transmitted signal with demodulation, derate matching, or subblock deinterleaving. A demodulation, derate matching, or subblock deinterleaving performed by the receiver, may be understood as an inverse process that pairs with demodulation, derate matching, or subblock deinterleaving performed by the transmitter. And LLR is a value obtained by taking the log of the ratio of the probability for a given observation (received symbol, etc.) under the condition that bit values are 0 and 1. For example, for bit x.sub.i, the LLR value λ(x.sub.i) in the presence of y as a result of observation in a given receiver is defined as Equation 2 below.

[00002]$\begin{array}{cc}\lambda \left(x_i\right)=\log \frac{\mathrm{Pr}\left(y.Math.x_i=0\right)}{\mathrm{Pr}\left(y.Math.x_i=1\right)}& \left[\mathrm{Equation}2\right]\end{array}$

[0074] When x.sub.i is perforated in the above equation, λ(x.sub.i) becomes zero because the receiver cannot obtain any information about x.sub.i. When XXXXX is iterated more than once, the entire LLR can be obtained by combining each generated LLR based on the observation result of the iterated bits (combining, in this case, the addition of LLRs).

[0075] The receiver obtains the LLR sequence Λ(x), Λ(z), Λ(x′), Λ(z′) for the four bit sequence x, z, x′, z′ for the mother code generated by the turbo encoder of the transmitter through the above series of operations. For example, Λ(x) is configured with (λ(x.sub.0), λ(x.sub.1), . . . λ(x.sub.g+m−1)), and also, Λ(z), Λ(x′), Λ(z′) is obtained in the same format. The turbo decoder 700 operates by inputting these four LLR sequences. The turbo decoder 700 may include two internal maximum a posteriori (MAP) decoders, each referred to as a first MAP decoder 710 and a second MAP decoder 711. The first MAP decoder 710 is used to process bit sequences x and z generated by the first RSC encoder 420 of the transmitter, and the second decoder 711 is used to process bit sequences x′ and z′ generated by the second RSC encoder 421 of the transmitter.

[0076] The two MAP decoders alternately perform iteration operations, and such iteration decoding can operate as many as a predetermined maximum number of iterations (maximum iteration). Each iteration decoding is configured with a series of sequence of component operations. For example, in an embodiment, one iteration decoding is configured in the order of (first MAP decoding—second MAP decoding—hard decision—decoding of an external concatenated code). Here, the hard decision 740 is a process of obtaining ĉ, which is an estimate of the encoding input bit sequence c, based on the MAP decoding result. Since the estimation ĉ is a code word of the concatenated external code, the validity of the estimation ĉ may be determined by performing decoding (750) of the external concatenated code (e.g., CRC code). When the estimated ĉ passes a inspection through decoding of the external concatenated code such as a CRC code, it is determined that decoding is successful and decoding is stopped. On the other hand, when ĉ estimated for each iteration decoding up to the maximum number of iteration decoding does not pass the inspection through decoding of the external concatenated code, it is determined that decoding has failed.

[0077] In configuring each iteration decoding, hard decision and external concatenated code decoding may be performed after the first and second MAP decoding. In this case, one iteration decoding may include a series of processes (first MAP decoding—hard decision—decoding of external concatenated code—second MAP decoding—hard decision—decoding of external concatenated code). In this case, when the decoding after the first MAP decoding is successful, the decoding may be terminated immediately without performing the second MAP decoding.

[0078] In addition, the maximum number of iterations can be defined by subdividing the maximum number of half-iterations. For example, one time of the first MAP or second MAP decoding and the subsequent process accordingly are defined as half-iteration, and the maximum value for such a process may be defined in advance. Half-iteration may refer, for example, to performing one of the first and second MAP decoding and subsequent processes (hard decision and decoding of external concatenated codes). When the number of maximum half-iterations is designated as an odd number, the first MAP decoding and subsequent processes are completed, and the decoding is terminated.

[0079] A decoding of the hard decision and the external concatenated code may not be performed every full iteration or every half iteration. For example, it may be considered to reduce the number of operations and complexity by performing hard decision and decoding of external concatenated code every full iteration of a specific period (period is greater than 1), or every half iteration.

[0080] An operation in which the two MAP decoders alternately perform decoding in the turbo decoding process will now be briefly described. The first MAP decoder 710 receives Λ(x), Λ(z) as an intrinsic LLR sequence and Γ.sub.2.fwdarw.1 corresponding to the extrinsic LLR sequence from the second MAP decoder. In the first iteration decoding, all element LLRs of Γ.sub.2.fwdarw.1 are initialized to 0, and since the second iteration decoding, a meaningful extrinsic LLR generated by the second MAP decoder is input. The first MAP decoder generates extrinsic LLR Γ.sub.1.fwdarw.2 to be delivered to the second decoder based on these three LLR sequences Λ(x), Λ(z), Γ.sub.2.fwdarw.1. As interleaving 410 is performed between the inputs of the first RSC encoder 420 and the second RSC encoder 421 in the transmitter, the order of the extrinsic LLRs generated by the first MAP decoder is changed through the same interleaving process 720, and Γ′.sub.1.fwdarw.2 is generated and transmitted to the second MAP decoder.

[0081] The second MAP decoder 711 receives Λ(x′), Λ(z′) as an intrinsic LLR sequence, and receives the extrinsic LLR sequence Γ′.sub.1.fwdarw.2 from the first MAP decoder generated as described above. The second MAP decoder generates an extrinsic LLR Γ′.sub.2.fwdarw.1, which is to be transmitted to the second decoder, based on the three LLR sequences Λ(x′), Λ(z′), Γ′.sub.1.fwdarw.2. Likewise, the extrinsic LLR generated by the second MAP decoder is reordered through deinterleaving 730 which is an inverse process of the interleaving 720, and Γ.sub.2.fwdarw.1 is generated and transmitted to the first MAP decoder.

[0082] In the hard decision 740, a posteriori LLR (AP-LLR) is generated by first, combining Γ.sub.1.fwdarw.2 generated by the intrinsic LLR sequence AAA, the first MAP decoder, and Γ.sub.2.fwdarw.1 generated by the second MAP decoder. Herein, the generated AP-LLR is related to the encoding input bit sequence c, and the length is K. Based on the obtained AP-LLR, ĉ, which is an estimate for the encoding input bit sequence c, is generated. In this process, each LLR is compared with 0 based on Equation 2, and when the LLR value is greater than 0, the bit value is estimated as 0, and when the LLR value is less than 0, the bit value is estimated as 1. When the LLR value becomes 0 in a fixed-point implementation, the bit estimate is determined in a predetermined manner.

[0083] In the decoder (750) of the external concatenated code, the validity of the ĉ is determined by decoding the estimated encoding input bit sequence ĉ obtained by the hard decision 740 based on the concatenated code. In LTE and general turbo code systems, CRC codes are used as external concatenated codes. In the decoding of the CRC code, when the check sum is calculated based on the structure of ĉ and the given CRC code, and its value is 0, it is determined that ĉ has no error. Conversely, when the value is not 0, it is determined that ĉ has an error. When it is determined that there is no error, the turbo decoder terminates the decoding and outputs ĉ as the correct estimation. When it is determined that there is an error, the turbo decoder continues to perform MAP decoding. This process is performed up to a predetermined number of maximum iteration decoding or up to a number of maximum half-iteration decoding is performed.

[0084] In an embodiment, when the turbo decoding finally fails, post processing based on Table 1 or Table 2 may be performed. As described above, in certain code parameters (code dimension, code length, and code rate) where puncturing largely occur, one bit remains uncoded in c, and the bit is very vulnerable to errors because it is not protected by turbo code. As shown in FIG. 6, even when i−1 bits among the K bits that make up c are estimated normally by the turbo code, one bit that is not protected may cause the entire decoding to fail. In an embodiment, when the decoding is likely to fail due to the above problem, a method for performing CRC inspection again by inverting one corresponding unencoded bit (flip, converting bit value 0 to 1 and 1 to 0) is disclosed. As previously described in Table 1 or Table 2, since a condition in which a problem occurs and an index of a bit not encoded under the condition may be identified in advance by examining all combinations of code dimensions and code lengths in the LTE turbo code system, the operation of the present disclosure may be simply realized without any additional operation.

[0085] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating example operations of a turbo code decoder operated according to various embodiments.

[0086] The decoder may perform the decoding operation of the turbo code described above with reference to FIG. 7 (801). In the case of identifying whether decoding is successful or unsuccessful by decoding the external concatenated code (802), when the estimated ĉ is determined to be free of errors, immediately, it is determined that decoding is successful and terminated (810). On the other hand, when it is determined that decoding has failed, it is determined whether to perform post-processing, unlike the conventional decoding immediately terminated (803). Determination of whether to perform the post-processing is made based on the code parameter (code dimension, code length, code rate). According to an embodiment, whether to perform the post-processing may be determined based on any one of the following conditions or a combination of one or more conditions based on the previous analysis. [0087] in case that the code dimension K is one of the seven values {48, 72, 80, 88, 120, 160, 208} [0088] in case that the code dimension K is one of the seven values {48, 72, 80, 88, 120, 160, 208} and the code rate R=K/N is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold [0089] The threshold value for the code rate may be a common value determined regardless of the code dimension K. [0090] The threshold value for the code rate may be a separate value determined according to the code dimension K. [0091] in case that the code dimension K is one of the seven values {48, 72, 80, 88, 120, 160, 203} and the code length is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold [0092] The threshold value for the code length may be a common value determined regardless of the code dimension K. [0093] The threshold value for the code length may be a separate value determined according to the code dimension K.

[0094] It should be noted that the condition for determining whether to perform post-processing is not limited to the above embodiment and may be determined in various forms. The decoder determines whether post-processing is performed through such condition inspection (804) and when the condition is not satisfied, immediately determines that the decoding has failed and terminates a series of processes (809). When the condition is satisfied, the bit index to invert the bit is determined according to the code dimension K as shown in Table 2 (805). As described above, it should be noted that the bit index of Table 2 is described as zero-based numbering. Based on the bit index to invert the bit being determined, a modified estimated bit sequence ĉ′ĉ is obtained (806) by inverting the bits of the corresponding index (converting bit 0 to 1 and bit 1 to 0) from the ĉ finally obtained in turbo decoding (801). And the modified estimated bit sequence ĉ′ is decoded by an external concatenated code (e.g. decoding of CRC code) again (807). When it is determined that there is no error in the ĉ ′ through this additional decoding (808), the ĉ′ is output as the final result and the decoding success is reported (810). When it is determined that there is an error in the ĉ, it is finally reported that decoding has failed (809). An estimated bit sequence to be output when decoding fails may be determined by a predetermined rule.

[0095] According to an embodiment, the decoder determines the position of the bit to be inverted deterministically for a given code dimension without performing any arithmetic operation to find the bit index to be inverted.

[0096] In addition, in an embodiment, an operation for finding the index to be inverted may be performed completely separated from the turbo decoder. In an embodiment, since any information and results generated by the turbo decoder are not utilized, the operation may be performed completely separately.

[0097] In addition, an embodiment generates a single modified estimated bit sequence. Since a plurality of assumptions are not considered, it is unlikely that any incorrect bit sequence may pass through a CRC inspection or the like, and thus the present disclosure has an advantage in terms of final error-detection capability.

[0098] FIG. 9 is a graph illustrating performance improvement according to an embodiment applied, in the situation of FIG. 6. The experimental environment is the same as that described with respect to FIG. 6, and only improved performance according to various embodiments is additionally shown. To achieve the same block error rate (BLER), the SNR (E.sub.s/N.sub.0) is required about 3 dB less.

[0099] According to an embodiment, a method for performing turbo decoding includes: receiving a transmitted signal; generating input of turbo decoding such as LLR from the transmitted signal; performing decoding of a turbo code based on the input of the LLR or the like; determining whether decoding succeeds or fails based on a CRC code concatenated or the like in the middle step of decoding or the last step of decoding; determining whether to perform post-processing according to a code parameter (a code dimension, a length, or a parameter related thereto) based on determining that decoding has failed based on the concatenated CRC code or the like; and performing post-processing according to the code parameter based on determining to perform post-processing. The post-processing performed according to the code parameter is a process of performing an inspection with a CRC code or the like again by flipping at least one or more bits, in the bit sequence that performed the inspection through concatenated CRC code obtained from the decoding of the turbo code, and the position of the bit to be flipped is determined based on the code parameter.

[0100] According to an embodiment, a device for performing turbo decoding includes: a device for receiving the transmitted signal; a device for generating an input of turbo decoding such as an LLR, from the transmitted signal; a device for decoding a turbo code based on the input such as the LLR; a device determining whether decoding succeeds or fails based on a CRC code concatenated or the like in the middle step of decoding or the last step of decoding; a device determining whether to perform post-processing according to a code parameter (a code dimension, a length, or a parameter related thereto) based on determining that decoding has failed based on the concatenated CRC code or the like; and a device for operating a sub-processor according to a code parameter based on determining to perform sub-processing. The post-processor performed according to the code parameter is a device for performing an inspection with a CRC code or the like again by flipping at least one or more bits, in the bit sequence that performed the inspection through concatenated CRC code obtained from the decoding of the turbo code, and the position of the bit to be flipped is determined based on the code parameter. Although it has been described above that the turbo decoding device is configured to include a plurality of devices, it should be noted that the device for performing each operation may be implemented as an individual device or may be implemented as one device to perform all of the operations.

[0101] The methods of the present disclosure may be implemented in the form of hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0102] When implemented in software, a computer-readable storage medium or computer program product storing one or more programs (software modules) may be provided. One or more programs stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or computer program product are configured for execution by one or more processors in an electronic device. One or more programs include instructions for causing an electronic device to execute methods according to embodiments.

[0103] Such a program (software module, software) may be stored in a non-volatile memory including random access memory and flash memory, Read Only Memory (ROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), magnetic disc storage device, Compact Disc-ROM (CD-ROM), Digital Versatile Discs (DVDs), other forms of optical storage, or magnetic cassette. Alternatively, it may be stored in a memory configured with a combination of some or all of them. In addition, a plurality of each configuration memory may be included.

[0104] In addition, the programs may be stored on communication networks such as the Internet, Intranet, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WLAN), or storage area network (SAN), and attachable storage devices that may be accessed through a communication network including a combination thereof. The storage device may access a device performing an embodiment of the present disclosure through an external port. In addition, a separate storage device on the communication network may access a device performing an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0105] In various embodiments of the present disclosure described above, elements included in the present disclosure are expressed in the singular or plural according to the specific embodiments presented. However, the singular or plural expression is appropriately selected for the context presented for convenience of description, and the present disclosure is not limited to the singular or plural element, and even when a element is expressed in plural, it may include a singular, or even when a component is expressed in a singular, it may be include a plurality.

[0106] While the disclosure has been illustrated and described with reference to various example embodiments, it will be understood that the various example embodiments are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. It will also be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the true spirit and full scope of the disclosure, including the appended claims and their equivalents. It will also be understood that any of the embodiment(s) described herein may be used in conjunction with any other embodiment(s) described herein.