Minimum-distance decoding of binary convolutional codes

The paper considers four novel decoders that come close to achieving minimum-distance decoding of convolutional codes, but without requiring nearly as much storage or nearly as many operations per received data symbol as does the Viterbi-algorithm decoder. The methods of operation of the decoders are first described and the results of computer simulation tests are then presented, comparing the tolerances of the decoders to additive white Gaussian noise with that of a Viterbi-algorithm decoder. Four different rate¿¿-binary convolutional codes and three different distance measures are used in the tests.