Concatenated Channel Coding for Wireless Link Throughput

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing channel coding techniques for wireless communication face challenges in efficiently managing error correction and channel estimation, particularly in frequency-selective channels, which leads to increased complexity and reduced performance.

Innovation Solution

A concatenated coding scheme is implemented, comprising an outer error-correcting code and an inner error-correcting code, where the inner codeword length is adapted based on the channel coherence of the wireless communication channel, enabling joint channel estimation and decoding with reduced complexity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If a single error-correcting code is used for channel coding, then the coding structure is simple, but the performance in frequency-selective channels deteriorates and complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecoding structure complexityVSAvoidcommunication performance
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the channel coding into two segments: an outer error-correcting code applied to the entire data block, and an inner error-correcting code applied to segmented portions of the outer codeword. This segmentation allows the system to achieve better performance in frequency-selective channels by adapting the inner code to channel coherence properties, while maintaining a manageable overall structure through the hierarchical organization of coding layers.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If the inner codeword length is increased to maintain coding gains, then coding performance improves, but the complexity of joint channel estimation and decoding increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecoding gainVSAvoidjoint channel estimation and decoding complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes the inner codeword length dynamic by adapting it to the channel coherence properties. The inner code is designed with a codeword length that matches the channel coherence block size, allowing the system to maintain coding gains for larger code blocks when channel conditions permit, while reducing complexity when channel coherence is limited. This dynamic adaptation enables the system to optimize the trade-off between coding gain and processing complexity based on actual channel conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Productivity

If pilot overhead is reduced to improve link throughput, then communication efficiency improves, but channel estimation accuracy deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelink throughputVSAvoidchannel estimation accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The inner error-correcting code acts as an intermediary that enables accurate channel estimation with reduced pilot overhead. By incorporating the inner code structure into the channel estimation process (joint channel estimation and decoding), the system can extract channel information more efficiently from the coded data, reducing the need for dedicated pilot symbols while maintaining estimation accuracy. This intermediary coding structure bridges the gap between reduced pilot overhead and maintained estimation accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP4557644A1Concatenated channel coding
Publication Date: 2025.05.21 NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY
  • EP4557644A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4557644A1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2B
  • EP4557644A1 patent drawingFigure 2C~2D

AI summary

According to an example aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus configured to perform an outer encoding of data based on an outer error-correcting code to obtain an outer codeword, perform an inner encoding of segments of the outer codeword based on an inner error-correcting code to obtain inner codewords, wherein a codeword length of the inner error-correcting code is based at least in part on a channel coherence of a wireless communication channel through which the data are to be sent, and perform a transmission through the wireless communication channel based at least in part on the inner and outer encoding.