Reduced-state Viterbi equalization using state partitioning

A reduced-state sequence estimator for linear dispersive channels is described. The technique is based on partitioning the set of all possible channel states in a way that defines a trellis with fewer states resulting in reduced complexity. The outcome of the new technique results is a generalization of trellises previously obtained in Duel-Hallen and Heegard. While the approach in Duel-Hallen and Heegard results in power of two-state trellises, the new technique generates trellises with an arbitrary number of states. Therefore, the set partitioning approach described in the present paper provides a better performance/complexity tradeoff. The Viterbi algorithm (VA) is used to search for the best path through the reduced state trellis