Algorithmic construction of trellis codes

An algorithmic approach is proposed whereby long convolutional codes of rate r_c=k/n can easily be constructed for any chosen signal constellation in signal space. These algorithms are iterative, and in each step a number of candidate codes are found which locally maximize the distance (Hamming or Euclidean) between the codewords. The result is not necessarily a free-distance-optimizing code. However, since the construction complexity can be chosen, optimal codes are quite frequently found. The codes ae constructed such that a rapid growth of the column distance is achieved. A method of combining two codes into a single code of twice the constraint length is also presented