Turbo Code Block Segmentation for FEC Size Matching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Turbo coding and decoding systems face challenges in efficiently matching large concatenated transport blocks to available FEC block sizes, leading to increased padding of filler bits and complexity, especially when the input block size exceeds the maximum FEC block size supported by the system.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for segmenting the concatenated transport block into segments of equal size based on available non-contiguous FEC block sizes, using either a single FEC block size or two adjacent sizes to minimize filler bits and reduce the number of segments, while determining the number of segments and FEC block sizes using simple logic circuitry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the input block size is increased to improve error correction performance, then the error correcting capability is improved, but the device complexity and processing delay increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides a large concatenated transport block into multiple smaller segments, each of which can be independently encoded with a turbo code of maximum FEC block size. This segmentation approach allows the system to maintain high error correction performance by processing data in manageable chunks, while avoiding the complexity and delay associated with encoding entire large blocks as single units. The segmentation is achieved through inserting filler bits to pad segments to the required FEC block size.
2Reliability
If the interleaver size is increased to improve code performance, then the error correction performance is improved, but the processing delay increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the large transport block into smaller units that match the maximum FEC block size, the patent enables parallel processing of multiple segments. This reduces the overall processing delay compared to processing a single large block sequentially, while still achieving good error correction performance through the turbo coding of each segment with an optimized interleaver size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts the number of segments and filler bit insertion based on the relationship between the input block size and the maximum FEC block size. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to optimize processing delay by processing smaller segments in parallel when possible, while maintaining performance by adjusting segment boundaries and filler bit positions according to the specific data size being transmitted.
3Device complexity
If the maximum FEC block size is limited to reduce complexity and delay, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ability to handle large transport blocks efficiently deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a segmentation mechanism that divides large concatenated transport blocks into multiple smaller segments, each sized to match the maximum FEC block size supported by the turbo code. This allows the system to maintain low decoder complexity by using fixed-size turbo codes, while efficiently handling arbitrarily large transport blocks through parallel processing of multiple segments. The segmentation is managed by inserting filler bits to pad each segment to the required size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal encoding framework that can handle any transport block size by combining a fixed maximum FEC block size with dynamic segmentation. The same turbo code implementation with maximum block size Kmax can universally process any input size by adjusting the number of segments and filler bit insertion, eliminating the need for multiple different code implementations and maintaining encoding efficiency across varying data sizes.
4Adaptability or versatility
If filler bits are inserted to pad segments to FEC block size, then the encoding compatibility is improved, but the number of filler bits increases complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary segmentation and filler bit insertion before the actual turbo encoding process. By pre-processing the data to create properly sized segments with appropriate filler bits, the system simplifies the main encoding operation and makes the filler bit management transparent to the core turbo code implementation. This preliminary action ensures that the encoding process receives data in the correct format without requiring complex real-time adjustments during encoding.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for turbo coding and decoding is provided herein. During operation, a concatenated transport block (CTB) of length X is received and a forward error correction (FEC) block size KI is determined from a group of available non-contiguous FEC block sizes between Kmin and Kmax, and wherein Kmin≦KI<Kmax and wherein KI is additionally based on X. The concatenated transport block of length X is segmented into C segments each of size substantially equal KI. An FEC codeword for each of the C segments is determined using FEC block size KI; and the C FEC codewords are transmitted over the channel.