Encoding / decoding method and device for staircase code including overlapping part in wireless communication system

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an encoding / decoding method and device for a staircase code including an overlapping part in a wireless communication system. A method for encoding a staircase code according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method being performed by a transmission device, comprises the processes of: transmitting, to a reception device, encoding-related configuration information including information indicating an overlapping part or a start point of interleaving in at least one layer of the staircase code; and transmitting, to the reception device, a staircase code word generated by performing row-wise encoding or column-wise encoding using an element code in each layer of the staircase code.

Description

Encoding / decoding method and device for staircase codes including overlapping portions in wireless communication systems

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a communication method and device using a staircase code in a wireless communication system.

[0002] Looking back at the evolution of wireless communication over successive generations, technologies have primarily been developed for human-facing services such as voice, multimedia, and data. With the commercialization of 5G (5th-generation) communication systems, an explosive increase in connected devices is expected to be connected to communication networks. Examples of networked objects include vehicles, robots, drones, home appliances, displays, smart sensors installed in various infrastructures, construction equipment, and factory equipment. Mobile devices are expected to evolve into diverse form factors, including augmented reality glasses, virtual reality headsets, and holographic devices. In the 6th-generation (6G) era, efforts are being made to develop improved 6G communication systems to connect hundreds of billions of devices and objects and provide diverse services. For this reason, 6G communication systems are often referred to as "beyond 5G."

[0003] The 6G communication system, expected to be realized around 2030, will have a maximum transmission speed of terabytes per second (i.e., 1,000 gigabits per second) and a wireless latency of 100 microseconds (μsec). In other words, compared to 5G, the transmission speed in a 6G communication system will be 50 times faster, while the wireless latency will be reduced to one-tenth.

[0004] To achieve these high data rates and ultra-low latency, 6G communication systems are being considered for implementation in the terahertz band (e.g., from 95 gigahertz (GHz) to 3 terahertz (THz)). Compared to the millimeter wave (mmWave) band introduced in 5G, the terahertz band is expected to experience more severe path loss and atmospheric absorption, making it more crucial to ensure signal reach, or coverage, in this band. Key technologies to ensure coverage include radio frequency (RF) components, antennas, new waveforms that offer better coverage than OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing), beamforming, and multiple antenna transmission technologies such as massive multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO), full-dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antennas, and large-scale antennas. In addition, new technologies such as metamaterial-based lenses and antennas, high-dimensional spatial multiplexing using orbital angular momentum (OAM), and reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) are being discussed to improve the coverage of terahertz band signals.

[0005] In addition, in order to improve frequency efficiency and system network, 6G communication systems are developing full duplex technology that utilizes the same frequency resources for uplink and downlink at the same time; network technology that integrates satellites and high-altitude platform stations (HAPS); network structure innovation technology that supports mobile base stations and enables optimization and automation of network operation; dynamic spectrum sharing technology through collision avoidance based on spectrum usage prediction; AI-based communication technology that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) from the design stage and internalizes end-to-end AI support functions to realize system optimization; and next-generation distributed computing technology that realizes services with complexity that exceeds the limits of terminal computing capabilities by utilizing ultra-high-performance communication and computing resources (mobile edge computing (MEC), cloud, etc.). In addition, efforts are being made to further strengthen connectivity between devices, further optimize networks, promote softwareization of network entities, and increase the openness of wireless communications through the design of new protocols to be used in 6G communication systems, the implementation of hardware-based security environments, the development of mechanisms for the safe use of data, and the development of technologies for maintaining privacy.

[0006] Research and development of these 6G communication systems are expected to enable a new level of hyper-connected experience through the hyper-connectivity of 6G communication systems, which encompass not only connections between things but also connections between people and things. Specifically, 6G communication systems are expected to enable services such as truly immersive extended reality (Truly Immersive XR), high-fidelity mobile holograms, and digital replicas. Furthermore, services such as remote surgery, industrial automation, and emergency response, which are provided through enhanced security and reliability, will find application in diverse fields such as industry, healthcare, automotive, and home appliances.

[0007] Staircase codes are being studied as one of the encoding methods that can be used in next-generation communication systems, such as the aforementioned 5G and 6G communication systems. Staircase codes were first proposed in the field of optical communications in 2012, and at the time, they were introduced as codes that could guarantee excellent performance at very high code rates, using the Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (BCH) code as a component code. Staircase codes are known to have very excellent performance, with a difference of only 0.56 dB from the theoretical performance limit of a bit error rate (BER) of 10-15, especially when based on hard decision decoding (HDD).

[0008] The present disclosure provides a method and device for encoding / decoding a staircase code including an overlapping portion in a braid scheme in a wireless communication system.

[0009] The present disclosure provides a method and device for encoding / decoding a staircase code including an overlapping portion using interleaving in a wireless communication system.

[0010] The present disclosure provides a method and device for encoding / decoding in which information bits are located in an overlapping portion of a staircase code in a wireless communication system.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for encoding a staircase code performed by a transmitting device in a wireless communication system includes the steps of transmitting encoding-related setting information including information indicating a starting point of an overlapping portion or interleaving in at least one layer of the staircase code to a receiving device, and the steps of transmitting a staircase code word generated by performing row-by-row encoding or column-by-column encoding using element codes in each layer of the staircase code to the receiving device.

[0012] In addition, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a transmitting device for performing encoding of a staircase code in a wireless communication system includes a transceiver, and a processor configured to transmit, to a receiving device through the transceiver, encoding-related setting information including information indicating a starting point of an overlapping portion or interleaving in at least one layer of the staircase code, and to transmit, to the receiving device through the transceiver, a staircase code word generated by performing row-by-row encoding or column-by-column encoding using element codes in each layer of the staircase code.

[0013] In addition, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a receiving device for performing decoding of a staircase code in a wireless communication system includes a transceiver, and a processor configured to receive encoding-related setting information including information indicating an overlapping portion or a starting point of interleaving in each layer of a staircase code from the transmitting device through the transceiver, receive a staircase code word of the staircase code from the transmitting device through the transceiver, and perform row-by-row decoding or column-by-column decoding in each layer of the staircase code based on the overlapping portion or the starting point of interleaving to restore information bits.

[0014] Figure 1a is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a square matrix-based staircase code.

[0015] Fig. 1b is a diagram for explaining an encoding method using a square matrix-based staircase code of Fig. 1a.

[0016] Figure 2a is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a non-square matrix-based staircase code.

[0017] Figures 2b and 3 are drawings for explaining an encoding method using a non-square matrix-based staircase code of Figure 2a.

[0018] Figure 4 is a diagram for explaining a decoding method using a square matrix-based staircase code.

[0019] Figure 5 is a diagram for explaining a decoding method using a non-square matrix-based staircase code.

[0020] FIG. 6 is a drawing for explaining a braiding encoding method for a step code according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] FIG. 7 is a drawing showing an example of a change in a staircase structure according to a braiding encoding method for a staircase code according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] FIG. 8 is a drawing for explaining a method for indicating a starting point of an overlapping portion in a braiding encoding method for a step code according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are drawings for explaining an encoding method using interleaving in a step code according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 11a is a diagram illustrating an encoding method for indicating a starting point of an overlapping portion / interleaving in a step code performed in a transmitting device of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] FIG. 11b is a diagram illustrating a decoding method referring to the starting point of an overlapping portion / interleaving in a step code performed in a receiving device of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example configuration of a communication device in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] The operating principles of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. In the following description of the present disclosure, detailed descriptions of related known functions or configurations will be omitted if they are deemed to unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the terms described below are defined based on the functions of the present disclosure and may vary depending on the intent or custom of the user or operator. Therefore, their definitions should be based on the overall content of this specification.

[0028] For the same reason, some components in the attached drawings are omitted or schematically depicted. Furthermore, the dimensions of each component do not entirely reflect its actual size. Identical or corresponding components in each drawing are assigned the same reference numbers.

[0029] The advantages and features of the present disclosure, and methods for achieving them, will become clearer with reference to the embodiments described below in detail with the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below and may be implemented in various different forms. The various embodiments are provided to ensure that the present disclosure is complete and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art, and the present disclosure is defined solely by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the specification.

[0030] At this time, it will be understood that each block of the processing flow diagrams and combinations of the flow diagrams can be performed by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be installed in a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing equipment, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing equipment create a means for performing the functions described in the flow diagram block(s). These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer-available or computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to implement the functions in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-available or computer-readable memory can also produce a manufactured item that includes an instruction means for performing the functions described in the flow diagram block(s). Since the computer program instructions may be installed on a computer or other programmable data processing device, a series of operational steps may be performed on the computer or other programmable data processing device to create a computer-executable process, and the instructions that cause the computer or other programmable data processing device to perform the steps for performing the functions described in the flowchart block(s) may also provide steps for performing the functions described in the flowchart block(s).

[0031] Additionally, each block may represent a module, segment, or portion of code that contains one or more executable instructions for performing a specific logical function(s). It should also be noted that in some alternative implementation examples, the functions described in the blocks may occur out of order. For example, two blocks depicted in succession may actually be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on their respective functions.

[0032] The term "~unit" used in various embodiments of the present disclosure refers to a software or hardware component, and the "~unit" performs certain roles. However, the "~unit" is not limited to software or hardware. The "~unit" may be configured to reside on an addressable storage medium and may be configured to regenerate one or more processors. Thus, as an example, the "~unit" includes components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. The functionality provided within the components and "~units" may be combined into a smaller number of components and "~units" or further separated into additional components and "~units." In addition, the components and "~units" may be implemented to regenerate one or more CPUs within a device or a secure multimedia card. Additionally, in various embodiments of the present disclosure, '~bu' may include one or more processors.

[0033] In this disclosure, phrases such as “A and / or B”, “A or B”, “at least one of A and B”, “at least one of A or B”, “A, B, or C”, “at least one of A, B, and C”, and “at least one of A, B, or C” can each include any one of the items listed together in that phrase, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as “first”, “second”, or “first” or “second” may be used simply to distinguish the corresponding component from other corresponding components and do not limit the corresponding components in any other respect (e.g., importance or order).

[0034] In embodiments of the present disclosure, a user equipment (UE) may be a terminal, a mobile station (MS), a cellular phone, a smartphone, a computer, or any other electronic device capable of performing a communication function. In addition, a base station (BS) is a network entity that performs resource allocation to a UE, and may be at least one of a Node B, an eNB (eNode B), a gNB (gNode B), a wireless access unit, a base station controller, or a node on a network.

[0035] Furthermore, the various embodiments of the present disclosure described below may be applied to other communication systems having similar technical backgrounds or channel configurations. Furthermore, the various embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to other communication systems with some modifications, as determined by a person skilled in the art, without significantly departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0036] In specifically describing various embodiments of the present disclosure, the communication system may utilize a wireless communication system, and for example, may utilize a 5G communication system based on the 5G communication standard (NR (New RAN)) proposed by 3GPP (3rd generation partnership project long term evolution), a wireless communication standard standardization organization. In addition, it may be applied to other communication systems with similar technical backgrounds with slight modifications within a range that does not significantly deviate from the scope of the present disclosure, and this may be possible at the discretion of a person skilled in the technical field of the present disclosure. For the convenience of the following description, some terms and names defined in the 3GPP standard may be used. However, the present disclosure is not limited by the above terms and names, and may be equally applied to systems conforming to other standards.

[0037] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a staircase code will first be described. The staircase code can be viewed as a type of product code that has the characteristics of both a block code and a convolutional code. This can be easily understood through the structure of the staircase code. In the staircase code, a single level of stairs is formed by sequentially stacking M codewords of the same length encoded with a preset element code (e.g., a low density parity check (LDPC) code, a linear code including a polar code, etc.) as a row / column vector to create a matrix.

[0038] And if the rightmost M columns / rows of the codewords that make up the staircase code are regarded as rows / columns, and new information bits are added to each row and encoding is performed with the element code in the same way, a layer composed of new M codewords can be formed. Afterwards, when forming the next layer of the staircase code, the same operation is repeated in reverse, and if this process is repeated k times, the number of layers, a staircase code with k layers can be generated.

[0039] Here, double encoding is performed on the M overlapping rows (or columns) of each adjacent layer of the staircase code, and through individual decoding at each layer, the hard decision estimate value in the case of hard decision decoding, or the log likelihood ratio (LLR) value in the case of soft decision decoding (SDD), is transferred to the overlapping part of the adjacent layer, so there is a decoding error rate performance gain through this. In addition, the staircase code is a code that has the advantage of being able to completely parallelize the decoding of codewords corresponding to each row of a specific layer, and can also parallelize the decoding of non-adjacent layers as needed, so that the tradeoff between the error rate performance and the decoding delay can be adjusted during decoding.

[0040] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 1A to 4, a method for encoding / decoding a staircase code based on a square matrix or a non-square matrix will be described. [Table 1] below defines the parameters referenced in the description of the staircase code.

[0041] [Table 1]

[0042]

[0043] First, the above-described staircase code can be expressed by dividing it into two forms: a staircase code based on a square matrix and a staircase code based on a non-square matrix (or fat matrix). In the following disclosure, the square matrix constituting the staircase code when encoding in a transmitting device is denoted as “A”, and the non-square matrix is ​​denoted as “B”. In addition, the square matrix constituting the staircase code when decoding in a receiving device is denoted as “X”, and the non-square matrix is ​​denoted as “Y”. In the following embodiments, in the square matrix-based staircase code, the first layer includes an initial matrix and one square matrix, and each layer of the remaining layers includes an overlapping portion with the previous layer (e.g., a square matrix) and one square matrix. In a non-square matrix-based staircase code, the first layer includes an initial matrix and one non-square matrix, and the remaining layers include an overlapping portion with the previous layer (e.g., a square matrix) and one non-square matrix. If the overlapping portion is regarded as one matrix, each layer in a square matrix or non-square matrix-based staircase code can be understood as including two matrices. In addition, the number of matrices included in each layer of the remaining layers in a square matrix or non-square matrix-based staircase code can be one or more. If the number of matrices included in each layer is one, the matrix can be understood as including the overlapping portion.

[0044] Figure 1a is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a square matrix-based staircase code.

[0045] Referring to Fig. 1a, a square matrix is ​​a matrix in which the number of rows and the number of columns are the same, and Fig. 1a illustrates a staircase code based on a square matrix with a number of layers (k) of 5. Referring to Fig. 1a, a staircase code composed of, for example, 6 square matrices (A0, A1, A2, A3, A4, A5) having a size of M×M is illustrated, but if the number of matrices is 3 or more, a staircase code including overlapping portions can be formed. The number of layers, 5, is merely an example and may be 2 or more. In the example of Fig. 1a, two square matrices (A0, A1) form a first layer (110) in the staircase code, two square matrices (A1, A2) form a second layer (120), and in the same manner, a staircase code having multiple layers (or tiers) of a third layer, a fourth layer, and a fifth layer can be formed. And the first layer and the second layer have overlapping parts of A1, and the second layer and the third layer have overlapping parts of A2. In the same way, other layers may also have overlapping parts. In the staircase code, the decoding reliability can be improved through the overlapping parts. In the staircase code, the first matrix (or initial matrix) (A0) can be filled with, for example, all elements of the matrix with values ​​of 0 (or predetermined values) and can indicate the starting point of the staircase code. Since the staircase code based on a square matrix such as Fig. 1a has low complexity in encoding / decoding, a transmitting device and a receiving device using the staircase code can be implemented with low complexity.

[0046] Fig. 1b is a diagram for explaining an encoding method using a square matrix-based staircase code of Fig. 1a.

[0047] In the example of FIG. 1b, the first layer (110) of the staircase code includes a matrix (A0) (111) of size M×M and a matrix (A1) of size M×M. All elements of the matrix (A0) have, for example, a value of 0 (or a predetermined value), and the matrix (A1) includes an information portion (112) and a parity portion (113). The information portion (122) is filled with new information bits. For example, the parity portion (113) may be filled through row-wise encoding for each of the five rows of the first layer (110). That is, encoding is performed row-by-row using element code C, such as LDPC code, polar code, BCH code, etc., for the information bits of each row of the matrix (A0) and matrix (A1) of the first layer (110), to generate parity bits, and the parity bits are filled in the corresponding row of the parity part (113).

[0048] In the example of FIG. 1b, the second layer (120) of the staircase code includes a matrix (A1) (121) of size M×M and a matrix (A2) of size M×M. The second layer (120) includes the matrix (A1) and the matrix (A2), and the matrix (A1) corresponds to an overlapping portion of the first layer (110) and the second layer (120). The matrix (A2) of the second layer (120) includes an information portion (122) and a parity portion (123). The information portion (122) is filled with new information bits. For example, the parity portion (123) may be filled through column-wise encoding for each of the five columns of the second layer (120). Encoding using element code C, such as LDPC code, polar code, BCH code, etc., is performed column-by-column on the information bits of each column of the matrix (A1) and matrix (A2) of the second layer (120) to generate parity bits, and the parity bits are filled in the corresponding column of the parity part (123).

[0049] As described above, the encoding method using a square matrix-based staircase code is performed by alternating row-wise encoding or column-wise encoding in units of layers consisting of two square matrices, for example, and one square matrix is ​​overlapped between adjacent layers. In the case of the square matrix-based staircase code, the code length N of the element codeword in each layer consisting of two matrices C is simplified to twice M, and the number of information bits K Ccan be simply calculated as (2M-r). r is the number of parity bits of the element codeword. As a generalized example, in the above square matrix-based staircase code, the two matrices constituting each layer can be referred to as the first matrix and the second matrix, and when n is 2 or greater, the first matrix in the n-th layer overlaps the second matrix in the n-1th layer, and the first matrix in the n+1th layer overlaps the second matrix in the n-th layer.

[0050] Figure 2a is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a non-square matrix-based staircase code.

[0051] Referring to Fig. 2a, a non-square matrix is ​​a matrix in which the number of rows and the number of columns are different, and Fig. 2a illustrates a staircase code based on a non-square matrix with a layer number (k) of 5. Referring to Fig. 2a, for example, a staircase code is illustrated consisting of a first matrix (initial matrix) (B0) of size M×M and a plurality of non-square matrices (B1, B2, B3, B4, B5) of size M×(NM) or (NM)×M. However, if the number of matrices constituting the staircase code is 3 or more, a staircase code including an overlapping portion between adjacent layers can be formed. In Fig. 2a, a first layer (210) of the staircase code includes a matrix (B0) and a matrix (B1), a second layer (220) includes at least a portion (201) of the matrix (B1) and a matrix (B2), and a third layer includes at least a portion of the matrix (B2) and a matrix (B3). Also, the second layer (220) may include at least a portion (201) of the matrix (B1) and the matrix (B2), and the third layer may include at least a portion (202) of the matrix (B2) and the matrix (B3). In the same manner, a staircase code having multiple layers (or tiers) of the fourth layer and the fifth layer may be formed. In Fig. 2a, the first layer (210) and the second layer (220) have overlapping portions (201) corresponding to at least a portion of the matrix (B1), and the second layer (220) and the third layer have overlapping portions (202) corresponding to at least a portion of the matrix (B2). In the same manner, other layers may also have overlapping portions. In the staircase code, the decoding reliability can be improved through the overlapping portion(s).

[0052] In Fig. 2a, the overlapping portion assumes an example having a size of M×M. In the staircase code, the first matrix (initial matrix) (B0) may be filled with, for example, all elements of the matrix having values ​​of 0 (or predetermined values), and may indicate the starting point of the staircase code. Since the staircase code based on a non-square matrix as in Fig. 2a has low complexity in encoding / decoding, a transmitting device and a receiving device using the staircase code can be implemented with low complexity. As a generalized example, the two matrices constituting each layer in the staircase code based on a non-square matrix may be referred to as a first matrix and a second matrix, and the second matrix uses a non-square matrix. When n is 2 or more, the first matrix in the n-th layer overlaps at least a portion of the second matrix in the n-1th layer, and the first matrix in the n+1th layer overlaps at least a portion of the second matrix in the nth layer. And, the first matrix (initial matrix) of the staircase code and the first matrix corresponding to the overlapping portion when n is 2 or greater can use square matrices. As an optional embodiment, it is also possible to configure at least one of the first matrix (initial matrix) and the first matrix corresponding to the overlapping portion as a non-square matrix.

[0053] FIG. 2b and FIG. 3 are drawings for explaining an encoding method using a non-square matrix-based staircase code of FIG. 2a.

[0054] In Fig. 2b, the first layer (210) of the staircase code includes a matrix (B0) (211) of size M×M and a matrix (B1) of size M×(NM). All elements of the matrix (B0) have, for example, a value of 0, and the matrix (B1) includes an information portion (212a or 212b) and a parity portion (213a or 213b). Fig. 2b (a) illustrates a case where the size of the parity portion (213a) is larger than that of the information portion (212a), and Fig. 2b (b) illustrates a case where the size of the information portion (212b) is larger than that of the parity portion (213b). The information portion (212a or 212b) is filled with new information bits. For example, in the first layer (210), the parity portion (213a or 213b) can be filled in through row-wise encoding for each of the five rows. Reference numeral 21 indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 2b illustrates a boundary line of the overlapping portion of the first layer (210) and the second layer (220). In the matrix (B0) and the matrix (B1), encoding using an element code C, such as an LDPC code, a polar code, or a BCH code, is performed row-by-row for the information bits of each row to generate parity bits, and the parity bits are filled in the corresponding row of the parity portion (213a or 213b). In addition, as in the example of FIG. 2b, in the overlapping portion between adjacent layers in the staircase code, a case where information bits and parity bits are mixed (FIG. 2b (b)) and a case where only parity bits exist (FIG. 2b (a)) can be considered.

[0055] For convenience of explanation, the example of Fig. 3 shows an encoding method performed in the second layer (220) of a staircase code, assuming that the size of the parity portion (213a) is larger than the information portion (212a), as in the example of (a) of Fig. 2b. The method of Fig. 3 can be equally applied to the example of (b) of Fig. 2b. Referring to Fig. 3, the second layer (220) of the staircase code includes at least a portion (201) of a matrix (B1) and a matrix (B2) having a size of (NM)×M. At least a portion (201) corresponding to the overlapping portion of the first layer (210) and the second layer (220) in the staircase code is a matrix having a size of M×M, and the matrix (B2) includes an information portion (222) and a parity portion (223). The information portion (222) is filled with new information bits. For example, in the second layer (220), the parity part (223) can be filled in through column-wise encoding for each of the five columns. Encoding is performed column-by-column using an element code C, such as an LDPC code, a polar code, or a BCH code, for the information bits of each column of the overlapping part (201) and the matrix (B2), to generate parity bits, and the parity bits are filled in the corresponding column of the parity part (223). The overlapping part (201) can be virtually rotated by, for example, 90 degrees when encoding together with the matrix (B2). As described above, the encoding method using a staircase code based on a non-square matrix is ​​performed by alternating row-wise encoding or column-wise encoding, and at least a portion of the non-square matrix is ​​provided as an overlapping part between adjacent layers.

[0056] In the present disclosure, for the non-square matrix-based step code, only the relationship between M and r in [Table 1] is sufficient for N C Wow K CSince it is not possible to express the number of information bits of the element codeword and the code length of the element codeword, the number of information bits of the element codeword and the code length of the element codeword are displayed separately. And in the case of the step code based on the square matrix, N C Wow K C may not be indicated separately.

[0057] In the example of Fig. 3, the encoding method using a non-square matrix-based staircase code is specifically explained. First, the elements of the initial matrix (B0) of size M×M can be filled with 0, meaning that no information is loaded, or information bits can be filled. In the case of a square matrix-based staircase code, the matrix is ​​filled in all layers. Although it is composed of square matrices of size M×M, in the case of a non-square matrix-based staircase code, the initial matrix (B0) of the first layer is composed of a square matrix of size M×M, and the remaining matrices in each layer of the staircase code are can be composed of non-square matrices of size M×(NM) or (NM)×M.

[0058] Step 1: Matrix B that constructs the step code i First, to form (i=1, 2, …, k) B i A total of M(NMr) information bits can be inserted into the left (NMr) columns by row or column, or in any method or order, where r is the number of parity bits. The example in Fig. 3 is a matrix B i It is assumed that row-by-row encoding is performed in matrix B, although not shown in Fig. 3. i Column-wise encoding can be performed in which case the encoding operations in steps 2 and 3 below are performed on the matrix B in step 1 above. i The opposite operation can be performed when row-by-row encoding is performed.

[0059] Step 2: Then, for each row, the matrix B of the previous layer i-1By treating the M bits corresponding to the overlapping portion (201) as information bits and performing encoding using the element code C on the total (Nr) information bits including the newly inserted (31) information bits (222), r parity bits (223) can be generated in units of columns or rows. By applying the corresponding operation equally to all rows, a new staircase (or matrix) can be generated.

[0060] Step 3: From the second layer onwards, the operations can be divided into two according to the stair index i. For example, if i is even, the matrix B of the previous layer i-1 The rightmost M columns can be virtually rotated 90° counterclockwise. That is, the overlapping portion can be formed by rows with the rightmost column at the top. Based on the matrix composed of M rows thus created, the matrix B is located on the right. i The operations of steps 1 and 2 above can be performed to generate a new layer matrix B generated in this way. i The matrix B of the previous layer of the existing structure before performing the virtual rotation i-1 It is pasted at the bottom of the rightmost M columns. In addition, if the index i of the layer is even, since the previous layer is a layer that performed row-by-row encoding, the first row of the next layer can be configured from the rightmost M columns of the previous layer for encoding in the next layer, and the total M columns of the previous layer can be rotated in order to become the M rows of the next layer.

[0061] If the layer index i above is odd, the matrix B of the previous layer i-1 Matrix B on the right side of the bottom M rows based on iThe operations of steps 1 and 2 above can be performed to generate . When the layer index is i, row-by-row encoding can be performed on the lowermost M rows of the previous layer (i-1), in which case operations such as 90-degree rotation are not required.

[0062] Step 4: If the operations of steps 1 to 3 described above are repeated a total of k times, a staircase code consisting of k layers can be generated.

[0063] The encoding method using the overlapping portion and virtual rotation in steps 1 to 4 above can be applied in the same manner to a square matrix-based staircase code.

[0064] In the case where no information is loaded in the initial matrix B0 of the first layer from the codeword of the staircase code generated in the above manner, the codeword obtained by reading all bits of the matrix B1 excluding the initial matrix B0 in the first layer and the matrices (B2, B3, …) in the remaining layers as row or column vectors regardless of the order can be defined as the final codeword. As an optional embodiment, in the case where the initial matrix B1 in the first layer contains information bits, all matrices (B0, The codeword obtained by reading all bits of B1B2, B3, … as a row or column vector regardless of the order can be defined as the final codeword. This definition can be applied to both square matrix-based step codes and non-square matrix-based step codes.

[0065] In the following description of the present disclosure, for convenience, it is assumed that the initial matrix B0 does not contain information bits and is filled with, for example, values ​​of 0.

[0066] [Table 2] below shows the code rate (R) of the element codeword in the non-square matrix-based step code mentioned above. C ) and the total code rate (R) of the staircase code tot) is an example.

[0067] [Table 2]

[0068]

[0069] For non-square matrix-based staircase codes, the total code length N of the codewords tot can be calculated as kM(NM), and for square matrix-based step codes, it is in simpler form kM 2 can be expressed as kM(Nr) for non-square matrix-based step codes or kM(Mr) for square matrix-based step codes. In the case of square matrix-based step codes, the code rate is the code rate of the element codeword. and total code rate Comparing them, it can be seen that the code rate of the element codeword is higher. In other words, if the code rate of the entire codeword of the staircase code is increased, the code rate of the element codeword increases to a larger value, which has a great impact on the performance of the element code.

[0070] Figure 4 is a diagram for explaining a decoding method using a square matrix-based staircase code.

[0071] The square matrix-based staircase code can be encoded using the encoding method of Fig. 1b as described above, and can be decoded using the decoding method of Fig. 4. Decoding can utilize decoding using the element code C of the LDPC code, polar code, BCH code, etc. used during encoding.

[0072] First, it is assumed that the transmitting device encodes and transmits a staircase code composed of a plurality of square matrices (A0, A1, A2, A3, A4, A5) having a size of M×M using a staircase code based on a square matrix with a layer number (k) of 5, as in the examples of FIGS. 1a and 1b. The receiving device can receive / obtain a staircase code composed of six square matrices (X0, X1, X2, X3, X4, X5) having a size of M×M, as in FIG. 4 (a). At this time, if the initial matrix (A0) has a value of 0 (or a predetermined value), for example, what is actually received by the receiving device is a staircase code of five square matrices (X1, X2, X3, X4, X5), and the receiving device fills the initial matrix (X0) of the staircase code with a value of 0 (or a predetermined value) like the initial matrix (A0). The receiving device can decode information bits by performing row-wise decoding on the matrices (X4, X5) of the fifth layer in step 401, column-wise decoding on the matrices (X3, X4) of the fourth layer in step 402, and alternately performing row-wise decoding or column-wise decoding on the third layer to the first layer in steps 403 to 405 in the same manner as in (b) of FIG. 4. In addition, as an optional example, it is also possible to decode information bits by alternately performing row-wise decoding or column-wise decoding in the reverse order from the first layer to the fifth layer.

[0073] Figure 5 is a diagram for explaining a decoding method using a non-square matrix-based staircase code.

[0074] A non-square matrix-based staircase code can be encoded using the encoding method of Fig. 3 as described above, and can be decoded using the decoding method of Fig. 5. Decoding can utilize decoding using the element code C of the LDPC code, polar code, BCH code, etc. used during encoding.

[0075] First, it is assumed that the transmitting device encodes and transmits a staircase code composed of a first matrix (initial matrix) (B0) of size M×M and five non-square matrices (B1, B2, B3, B4, B5) of size M×(NM) or (NM)×M, as in the examples of FIG. 2a to FIG. 3, based on a non-square matrix with a layer number (k) of 5. The receiving device can receive / acquire a first matrix (initial matrix) (Y0) of size M×M and five non-square matrices (Y1, Y2, Y3, Y4, Y5) of size M×(NM) or (NM)×M, as in (a) of FIG. 5. At this time, if the initial matrix (B0) has, for example, a value of 0 (or a predetermined value), what is actually received by the receiving device is a staircase code of five non-square matrices (Y1, Y2, Y3, Y4, Y5), and the receiving device fills the initial matrix (Y0) of the staircase code with a value of 0 (or a predetermined value) like the initial matrix (B0). As shown in (b) of FIG. 5, the receiving device performs row-wise decoding on the matrices (Y4, Y5) of the fifth layer in step 501, column-wise decoding on the matrices (Y3, Y4) of the fourth layer in step 502, and in the same manner, alternately performs row-wise decoding or column-wise decoding on the third layer to the first layer in steps 503 to 505 to decode the information bits. Additionally, as an optional example, it is also possible to decode information bits by alternately performing row-by-row decoding or column-by-column decoding in reverse order from the first layer to the fifth layer in Fig. 5 (b).

[0076] Due to the structural characteristics of the above-mentioned staircase code, overlapping portions with adjacent layers occur in the M rightmost columns for all layers. In the overlapping portion of the above-mentioned staircase code, extrinsic information, i.e., reliability calculated by the decoder, is exchanged between adjacent layers, and through this extrinsic information, it is possible to improve decryption performance or provide additional protection to the bits of the overlapping portion.

[0077] However, when a systematic linear code is adopted as the element code, the information bits tend to be on the left side of the element codeword or scattered within the element codeword, so that only parity bits tend to exist in the rightmost M columns of each layer. This has a relatively greater impact on the error rate performance compared to the parity bits, and it means that the overlap, or protection, occurs not for the information bits that actually determine whether an error has occurred, but for the parity bits. In fact, in the case of LDPC (low density parity check) codes, as can be seen in the Tanner graph based on the parity-check matrix (PCM), there are relatively more check nodes connected to the variable nodes corresponding to the information bits than to the variable nodes corresponding to the parity bits. This means that in the staircase code, when saturated external information calculated from adjacent layers is shared with the variable nodes corresponding to the information bits, the decoding ability can be relatively improved compared to the opposite case. In this way, overlapping, or protection, occurs in the portion corresponding to the parity bits in the step code, which may result in decryption performance degradation compared to overlapping occurring in the information bits.

[0078] The present disclosure proposes a method for encoding a staircase code such that the overlapping portion of the staircase code is located in the portion where information bits are allocated, rather than in the portion where parity bits are allocated, thereby enabling additional protection for information bits and improving decoding performance. This method of the present disclosure can be implemented in, for example, two ways.

[0079] The first method is to change the structure of the staircase code itself by performing so-called braid coding, which changes the overlapping portion in each layer of the staircase code from the rightmost M columns of the layer to the middle part of the layer (e.g., from the M-th column to the NM-2-th column).

[0080] The second method applies interleaving, which alters the positions of the information bits and the parity bits in the rightmost M columns in each layer of the staircase code. This maintains the typical overlapping structure of the staircase code, but positions the information bits in the rightmost M columns. This provides additional protection for the information bits in the overlapping portion. Consequently, the overall error rate performance can be improved by improving the decoding performance of the information bits.

[0081] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a braiding encoding method for a step code according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0082] Referring to (a) of Fig. 6, the i-th layer of a general staircase code is a matrix (B') having a size of M×M. i-1 ) and a matrix (B) with size M×(NM) i ) can be composed of. The i-th layer also includes an overlapping portion (610) with the i+1 layer. The overlapping portion (610) is fixed to the M rightmost columns in the i-th layer. The M element codewords of the i-th layer are represented by a matrix (B' i-1 ) with M information bits and matrix (Bi ) contains a total of K information bits as a combination of new information bits, and the transmitting device performs row-by-row encoding using an element code C, such as an LDPC code, a polar code, or a BCH code, for the K information bits in each row to generate r parity bits and fills the corresponding row of the parity part with the parity bits. In each layer of the i-th layer, a total of N are generated through row-by-row encoding. i An element codeword consisting of encoded bits is generated. However, in a general staircase code structure where the overlapping portions in each layer of the staircase code are filled with parity bits, as in the example of Fig. 6 (a), additional protection of the information bits becomes vulnerable.

[0083] Referring to (b) of FIG. 6, the i-th layer to which the braiding encoding method of the present disclosure is applied is a matrix (B') having a size of M×M. i-1 ) and a matrix (B) with size M×(NM) i ) can be composed of. The i-th layer also includes an overlapping portion (620) with the i+1 layer. The overlapping portion (620) is a matrix (B i ) can be located in M ​​columns within the information portion containing new information bits. The overlapping portion (620) is also a matrix (B i ) can be included in other parts besides the information part. The M element codewords of the i-th layer are included in the matrix (B' i-1 ) with M information bits and matrix (B i) includes a total of K information bits as a combination of new information bits, and the transmitting device performs row-by-row encoding using an element code C for the K information bits in each row to generate r parity bits and fills the parity bits in the corresponding row of the parity part. An element codeword composed of a total of N encoded bits is generated through row-by-row encoding in each layer of the i-th layer. In a staircase code structure in which the overlapping portion (620) in each layer of the staircase code is filled with information bits, as in the example of (b) of FIG. 6, additional protection for the information bits can be provided.

[0084] As in the example of Fig. 6, in the structure of the staircase code, rather than fixing the overlapping portion to the M columns on the far right of each layer, the degree of freedom can be given to the staircase code structure so that the information bits in each layer can be located in the M columns where they belong. In this case, as a method of determining the M columns corresponding to the overlapping portion, it may also be possible to experimentally collect information bits that are vulnerable to error and assign the corresponding bits to the overlapping portion.

[0085] Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a change in a staircase structure according to a braiding encoding method for a staircase code according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 7 illustrates that a staircase code according to the present disclosure has a structure similar to a braid.

[0086] Referring to Fig. 7, a non-square matrix-based staircase code having, for example, a number of layers (k) of 5 is illustrated. Referring to Fig. 7 (a), reference numerals 701 to 705 correspond to overlapping portions in each layer of the staircase code. For example, a staircase code is illustrated that is composed of a first matrix (initial matrix) (B0) of size M×M and a plurality of non-square matrices (B1, B2, B3, B4, B5) of size M×(NM) or (NM)×M. In Fig. 7 (a), the first layer of the staircase code includes the matrix (B0) and the matrix (B1), and at least a portion of the matrix (B1) includes an overlapping portion (701) to which information bits are allocated. The second layer includes the overlapping portion (701) of the matrix (B1) and the matrix (B2), and the third layer includes the overlapping portion (702) of the matrix (B2) and the matrix (B3). In the same way, the 4th layer and the 5th layer may also include overlapping portions (703, 704) to which information bits are allocated. In (a) of Fig. 7, the structure of the staircase code exemplifies the case where each of the overlapping portions (701 to 705) is located M columns from the starting column of the matrices (B1, B2, B3, B4, B5) in the corresponding layer. Referring to (b) of Fig. 7, reference numerals 711 to 715 correspond to overlapping portions in each layer of the staircase code. In (7) of Fig. 7, the structure of the staircase code exemplifies the case where each of the overlapping portions (711 to 715) is located M columns from a position a predetermined number of columns away from the starting column of the matrices (B1, B2, B3, B4, B5) in the corresponding layer. Information indicating the starting point where the overlapping portion is located in each layer of the staircase code may be provided from the transmitting device to the receiving device through signaling.

[0087] FIG. 8 is a drawing for explaining a method for indicating a starting point of an overlapping portion in a braiding encoding method for a step code according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0088] In FIG. 8, the transmitting device can signal to the receiving device information indicating a starting point where an overlapping portion (801, 802, 803, or 804) consisting of, for example, M columns is located in each layer of the staircase code. For example, in the example of FIG. 8, the starting point (t) can indicate one of four positions of t0, t1, t2, t3 (811, 812, 813, 814) using 2-bit information. When information of 2 or more bits is used as information indicating the starting point (t), a more detailed position can be indicated as the starting point (t). Information indicating the starting point of the above-mentioned overlapping portion may be included in the configuration information (control information) transmitted by the transmitting device to the receiving device, and if it is determined that there is no significant change in the method applied depending on the communication system environment and the target scenario, the configuration information (control information) may be transmitted from the transmitting device to the receiving device using Radio Resource Control (RRC), or if there is a need to change the method applied adaptively, using a combination of at least one of Downlink Control Information (DCI) and MAC-CE (Medium Access Control-Control Element). The bit sequence of the information indicating the starting point (t) of the above-mentioned overlapping portion may be expressed as, for example, “OverLapForStair”, and when the bit sequence is “00”, t=t0, when it is “01”, t=t1, when it is “10”, t=t2, and when it is “11”, t=t3, respectively. At this time, the starting point t of each overlapping portion x refers to the information of the bit index where the overlapping part starts, which can be expressed as in [Table 3] below. In [Table 3] below, when t=t3, the position of the overlapping part is the same as that of the general staircase code structure in which the overlapping part is located in the M columns from the rightmost side of the i-th layer.

[0089] [Table 3]

[0090]

[0091] In each layer of the staircase code, the transmitter and receiver can perform encoding / decoding operations on the staircase code, respectively, depending on the starting point of the overlapping portion. In the case of the transmitter, when encoding the staircase code, if the encoding of a specific layer is completed, the bit information from the t-th column to the t+M-1-th column of the current layer can be transmitted / processed in order to encode the next layer. At this time, in the next layer, the encoding process can be continued by rotating the corresponding bit information, for example, 90 degrees clockwise / counterclockwise. The receiver receives information indicating the starting point of the overlapping portion from the transmitter, and after confirming the position of the starting point of the overlapping portion in advance, when performing decoding of a specific layer, it can receive external information from the t-th column to the t+M-1-th column of the previous adjacent layer and perform decoding.

[0092] The starting point of the overlapping portion in each layer can indicate the index of a specific column where the overlapping portion starts, as in the example above. As in the example in [Table 3] above, the leftmost column, 25%, 50% points in the codeword of a specific layer, or the rightmost M columns in the same structure as a general staircase code can be indicated as the N-2M+1 point of the overlapping portion. The overlapping portion in each layer is exemplified as reference numbers 801, 802, 803, or 804. As an optional embodiment, it is also possible to indicate the starting point of the overlapping portion including specific M columns that are effective in improving the error rate performance through the overlapping portion experimentally. The starting point of the overlapping portion in each layer can be different.

[0093] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for indicating a starting point of an overlapping portion is to indicate the index of a specific column where overlapping occurs as the starting point of the overlapping portion, as in the example of [Table 3] mentioned above. This method does not cause additional complexity in the transmitting and receiving devices, but can provide additional protection for information bits other than parity bits, and as a result, improved decoding performance can be expected. In addition, as an optional embodiment, information bits other than parity bits can be positioned in the overlapping portion of each layer using interleaving (interleaver) without changing the structure of the staircase code, as in the example of FIG. 7.

[0094] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an encoding method using interleaving in a step code according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. According to the embodiment of FIG. 9, substantially the same effect as the braided encoding method can be achieved without changing the structure of the step code as in the example of FIG. 7.

[0095] Referring to (a) of Fig. 9, the i-th layer of a general staircase code is a matrix (B') having a size of M×M. i-1 ) and a matrix (B) with size M×(NM) i ) can be composed of. The i-th layer also includes an overlapping portion (901) with the i+1 layer. The overlapping portion (901) is located in the M columns on the rightmost side of the i-th layer. Parity bits generated by performing row-by-row encoding or column-by-column encoding using element codes for the i-th layer can be filled in the overlapping portion (901). Thereafter, as shown in (b) of FIG. 9, the parity bits of the overlapping portion (901) are converted into a matrix (B i ) can be positioned in the information portion (911) and interleaving can be performed by positioning the information bits in the information portion (911) in the overlapping portion (912). At this time, the position of the overlapping portion (912) including the interleaved information bits is the same as the position of the overlapping portion (901) including the existing parity bits.

[0096] As described above, by interleaving the positions of the parity bits in the overlapping portion with the next adjacent layer and the information bits at the leftmost end of the layer in a specific layer (or the i-th layer) of the staircase code, the protection effect obtained from the overlapping portion can be applied to the information bits. This interleaving is called braid-shaped interleaving.

[0097] In the example of Fig. 9, it is also possible to signal the setting information (control information) from the transmitting device to the receiving device, using the method described in the example of Fig. 8, to inform the starting point t of the M information bit columns whose positions are to be mixed with the M rightmost columns to which interleaving is applied.

[0098] In an optional embodiment, when applying the interleaving method of FIG. 9, unlike the braiding encoding method described in FIGS. 6 to 8, a collision may occur in a part where the positions are mixed depending on the length N of the element code. However, the collision can be prevented by adding a specific condition for detecting such a collision to the above-mentioned setting information (control information). For example, if the starting point t to which the interleaver is to be applied is determined as in the example of [Table 3] through the bit sequence of the above-mentioned “OverLapForStair”, A collision may occur if certain conditions are satisfied. In this case, t x Collisions can be prevented by setting =t0, or by indicating / using a starting point other than t0.

[0099] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an encoding method using interleaving in a step code according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0100] Referring to Fig. 10, as an example, a staircase code based on a non-square matrix with a layer number (k) of 4 is illustrated. Reference numbers 1001, 1002, and 1003 correspond to overlapping portions in each layer of the staircase code. Reference numbers 1011 to 1014 illustrate information portions including parity bits whose positions have been changed through interleaving in the staircase code structure. For example, a staircase code composed of a first matrix (initial matrix) (B0) of size M×M and a plurality of non-square matrices (B1, B2, B3, B4) of size M×(NM) or (NM)×M is illustrated. In addition, parity bits generated by performing row-by-row encoding or column-by-column encoding using element codes in each layer of the staircase code can be filled in the overlapping portion of each layer. Thereafter, the transmitting device can perform interleaving to place the parity bits of the overlapping portion (1001) in the information portion (1011) of the matrix (B1) and place the information bits that were in the information portion (1011) in the overlapping portion (1001). Similarly, the parity bits of the overlapping portions (1002, 1003) can be placed in the information portions (1012, 1013) of the corresponding layer through interleaving.

[0101] In the embodiments of the present disclosure described above, by applying the braiding coding method or braid-shaped interleaving of the staircase code, the protection effect that can be received through the overlapping portion of each layer can be generated in the information bits, thereby improving the decoding performance. In addition, since the braiding coding method changes the structure of the staircase code itself, no additional complexity is generated in the transmitting and receiving devices using the staircase code. When using the braiding-shaped interleaving, it can be selectively used even in the general staircase code structure, and decoding performance can be expected to be improved.

[0102] FIG. 11A is a diagram illustrating an encoding method for indicating a starting point of an overlapping portion / interleaving in a step code performed in a transmitting device of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The encoding method may be performed using at least one of the embodiments of FIGS. 6 to 10. The step code of FIG. 11A may be applied to both a square matrix-based step code and a non-square matrix-based step code.

[0103] Referring to FIG. 11A, in step 1101, the transmitting device may transmit encoding-related configuration information (control information) including information indicating a starting point of an overlapping portion / interleaving in each layer (or at least one layer) of a staircase code (e.g., “OverLapForStair” as described above) to the receiving device. In addition, the configuration information (control information) may include at least one of the parameters in [Table 1], or information indicating / indicating the at least one parameter, or information corresponding to the at least one parameter. If the transmitting device and the receiving device have previously stored or know the starting point of the overlapping portion / interleaving of the staircase code, step 1301 may be omitted. In addition, the encoding-related configuration information (control information) may be transmitted as a combination of at least one of RRC information, DCI, and MAC-CE. In step 1102, the transmitting device may transmit a staircase code codeword generated by performing row-wise encoding or column-wise encoding using element codes in each layer of the staircase code to the receiving device. At this time, if the encoding-related setting information (control information) includes information indicating a starting point of interleaving, after the transmitting device performs row-by-row encoding or column-by-column encoding, the transmitting device can perform braid-shaped interleaving in each layer (or at least one layer).

[0104] FIG. 11b is a diagram illustrating a decoding method referring to the starting point of an overlapping portion / interleaving in a step code performed in a receiving device of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The decoding method may be performed using at least one of the embodiments of FIGS. 6 to 10. The step code of FIG. 11b may be applied to both a square matrix-based step code and a non-square matrix-based step code.

[0105] Referring to FIG. 11B, in step 1111, the receiving device may receive encoding-related configuration information (control information) including information indicating a start point of / interleaving in each layer (or at least one layer) of the staircase code from the transmitting device. In addition, the configuration information (control information) may include at least one of the parameters in [Table 1], or information indicating / indicating the at least one parameter, or information corresponding to the at least one parameter. If the transmitting device and the receiving device have previously stored or know the start point of the overlapping portion / interleaving of the staircase code, the step 1301 may be omitted. In addition, the encoding-related configuration information (control information) may be received as a combination of at least one of RRC information, DCI, and MAC-CE.

[0106] In step 1112, the receiving device can receive the step code code word of the step code from the transmitting device. Then, in step 1113, the receiving device can perform row-by-row decoding or column-by-column decoding on each layer of the step code based on the starting point of the overlapping portion / interleaving to restore the information bits. At this time, if the encoding-related setting information (control information) includes information indicating the starting point of the interleaving, the receiving device can perform deinterleaving or restore the corresponding information bits according to their original positions based on the starting point of the interleaving.

[0107] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a communication device in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication device may be a transmitting device performing the above-described step code encoding method or a receiving device performing the above-described step code decoding method. Furthermore, the communication device of FIG. 12 may be either a base station or a terminal.

[0108] The communication device of FIG. 12 may include a processor (1201), a transceiver (1203), and a memory (1205). The processor (1201), the transceiver (1203), and the memory (1205) of the communication device may operate according to the encoding / decoding method of the staircase code described in the embodiments of FIGS. 1A to 11B. However, the components of the communication device are not limited to the examples described above. For example, the communication device may include more or fewer components than the components described above. In addition, the processor (1201), the transceiver (1203), and the memory (1205) may be implemented in the form of a single chip.

[0109] The transceiver (1203) is a general term for the receiver and transmitter of a communication device, and can transmit and receive signals with the counterpart communication device. At this time, the transmitted and received signals may include at least one of control information and data. In addition, the transceiver (1203) may receive a signal, output it to the processor (1201), and transmit the signal output from the processor (1201). In addition, the transceiver (1203) of FIG. 12 may include an RF transmitter that up-converts and amplifies the frequency of a transmitted signal, and an RF receiver that low-noise amplifies and frequency-downconverts the received signal. In addition, the transceiver (1203) may receive a signal, output it to the processor (1201), and transmit the signal output from the processor (1201) to the counterpart communication device via a network. The memory (1205) may store programs and data necessary for performing the encoding / decoding method of the staircase code described in the embodiments of FIGS. 1A to 11B. The memory (1205) can store control information or data included in a signal acquired from the communication device. The memory (1205) can be configured as a storage medium or a combination of storage media, such as a ROM, a RAM, a hard disk, a CD-ROM, and a DVD. In addition, the processor (1201) can control a series of processes so that the communication device can operate according to at least one of the embodiments of FIGS. 1A to 11B. The processor (1201) can include at least one processor.

[0110] The methods according to the embodiments described in the claims or specification of the present disclosure may be implemented in the form of hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. If implemented in software, a computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs (software modules) may be provided. The one or more programs stored in the computer-readable storage medium are configured for execution by one or more processors within an electronic device. The one or more programs include instructions that cause the electronic device to execute the methods according to the embodiments described in the claims or specification of the present disclosure.

[0111] These programs (software modules, software) may be stored in random access memory, non-volatile memory including flash memory, read only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disc storage devices, compact disc-ROMs (CD-ROMs), digital versatile discs (DVDs) or other forms of optical storage devices, magnetic cassettes, or may be stored in memories formed by a combination of some or all of these. In addition, each configuration memory may include multiple copies. The above program may be stored on an attachable storage device that is accessible via a communication network such as the Internet, an intranet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a storage area network (SAN), or a combination thereof. This storage device may be connected to a device performing an embodiment of the present disclosure via an external port. Additionally, a separate storage device on the communication network may be connected to a device performing an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0112] In the specific embodiments of the present disclosure described above, components included in the disclosure are expressed in the singular or plural form, depending on the specific embodiment presented. However, the singular or plural expressions are selected to suit the presented situation for convenience of explanation, and the present disclosure is not limited to singular or plural components. Components expressed in the plural form may be composed of singular elements, or components expressed in the singular form may be composed of plural elements.

[0113] While the detailed description of this disclosure has described specific embodiments, it should be understood that various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of this disclosure should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be defined not only by the scope of the claims described below, but also by equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. In a method for encoding a step code performed in a transmitting device in a wireless communication system, A process of transmitting encoding-related setting information including information indicating a starting point of an overlapping portion or interleaving in at least one layer of the above-mentioned staircase code to a receiving device; An encoding method comprising a process of transmitting a code word of a staircase code generated by performing row-by-row encoding or column-by-column encoding using element codes at each layer of the staircase code to a receiving device.

2. In paragraph 1, The above step symbol has a braided structure with multiple layers, Information indicating the starting point of the above overlapping portion includes bit sequence information where the overlapping portion consisting of a plurality of columns is located in at least one layer, An encoding method wherein the above overlapping portion includes at least one of information bits and parity bits.

3. In paragraph 1, Information indicating the above starting point is an encoding method that indicates the starting point of the overlapping portion or the interleaving in each layer of the above staircase code.

4. In paragraph 2, The above-mentioned overlapping portion is an encoding method in which a fixed number of columns are located from the leftmost column of the matrix into which new information bits are inserted in each layer of the above-mentioned staircase code.

5. In paragraph 2, An encoding method in which the above-mentioned overlapping portion is located in a predetermined number of columns from a column corresponding to the starting point in a matrix in which new information bits and at least one of the above-mentioned parity bits are inserted in each layer of the above-mentioned staircase code.

6. In paragraph 1, The above staircase symbol has a structure in which the overlapping portion is located in a set number of columns on the far right of each layer, In the at least one layer, the parity bits of the overlapping portion are interleaved with the information bits in the corresponding layer, and the information indicating the start point of the interleaving includes bit sequence information indicating the start point of the information bit string to which the interleaving is applied in the at least one layer. An encoding method wherein the above overlapping portion includes at least one of information bits and parity bits.

7. In paragraph 1, An encoding method in which the above encoding-related control information is transmitted to the receiving device using a combination of at least one of RRC (radio resource control) information, DCI (downlink control information), and MAC-CE (medium access control-control element).

8. In a transmitting device that performs coding of a staircase code in a wireless communication system, Transmitter and receiver; and Transmitting encoding-related setting information including information indicating a starting point of an overlapping portion or interleaving in at least one layer of the above-mentioned staircase code to a receiving device through the transceiver, A transmitting device including a processor configured to transmit, to a receiving device through the transceiver, a code word of a step code generated by performing row-by-row encoding or column-by-column encoding using element codes at each layer of the step code.

9. A transmitter according to claim 8, adapted to operate according to any one of the methods of claims 2 to 7.

10. In a receiving device that performs decoding of a staircase code in a wireless communication system, Transmitter and receiver; and Receive encoding-related setting information including information indicating the starting point of overlapping portions or interleaving in each layer of the staircase code from the transmitting device through the transceiver, Receive the step code code word of the step code from the above transmitting device through the above transceiver, A receiving device including a processor configured to restore information bits by performing row-by-row decoding or column-by-column decoding at each layer of a staircase code based on the starting point of the overlapping portion or the interleaving.

11. In Article 10, The above step symbol has a braided structure with multiple layers, Information indicating the starting point of the above overlapping portion includes bit sequence information where the overlapping portion consisting of a plurality of columns is located in at least one layer, A receiving device wherein the above overlapping portion includes at least one of information bits and parity bits.

12. In paragraph 10, A receiving device that indicates the starting point of the overlapping portion or the interleaving in each layer of the staircase code, wherein the information indicating the starting point is a receiving device.

13. In paragraph 11, The above-mentioned overlapping portion is a receiving device located in a fixed number of columns from the leftmost column of the matrix into which new information bits are inserted in each layer of the above-mentioned staircase code.

14. In paragraph 11, A receiving device in which the above-mentioned overlapping portion is located in a predetermined number of columns from a column corresponding to the starting point in a matrix in which new information bits and at least one of the above-mentioned parity bits are inserted in each layer of the above-mentioned staircase code.

15. In paragraph 10, The above staircase symbol has a structure in which the overlapping portion is located in a set number of columns on the far right of each layer, In the at least one layer, the parity bits of the overlapping portion are interleaved with the information bits in the corresponding layer, and the information indicating the start point of the interleaving includes bit sequence information indicating the start point of the information bit string to which the interleaving is applied in the at least one layer. A receiving device wherein the above overlapping portion includes at least one of information bits and parity bits.

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