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Finite tree-based decoding of low-density parity-check codes

Eric T. Psota

Published Jan 1, 2010• 3 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

Low-density parity-check codes are commonly decoded using iterative message-passing decoders, such as the min-sum and sum-product decoders. Computer simulations demonstrate that these suboptimal decoders are capable of achieving low probability of bit error at signal-to-noise ratios close to capacity. However, current methods for analyzing the behavior of the min-sum and sum-product decoders fails to produce usable bounds on the probability of bit error. Thus, the resulting probability of bit error when using these decoders remains largely unknown for signal-to-noise ratios beyond the reach of simulation. For this reason, it is worth considering alternative methods for decoding low-density parity-check codes. New methods for decoding low-density parity-check codes, known as finite tree-based decoders, are presented as alternative decoders for low-density parity-check codes. The goal of the finite tree-based decoders is to achieve probability of bit error comparable to that of the min-sum and sum-product decoders, while allowing for computationally tractable performance analysis. Finite tree-based decoding requires the construction of finite trees derived from the Tanner graph of the low-density parity-check code. The resulting size of the finite trees allows for current analytical techniques, such as deviation bounds and density evolution, to be used to predict the probability of bit error of finite tree-based decoding of short-to-moderate length low-density parity-check codes. Simulation results show that finite tree-based decoders are capable of outperforming current iterative decoders at high signal-to-noise ratios. Examples are also given where finite tree-based decoding provably approaches maximum-likelihood performance as the signal-to-noise ratio grows large. A new method is also presented for lower bounding the minimum distance of low-density parity-check codes. This new lower bound is used as a cost criteria for the construction of low-density parity-check codes with both large girth and minimum-distance properties. Codes generated with this new construction technique are shown in simulations to outperform codes generated with the progressive edge-growth algorithm, using both iterative decoding and finite tree-based decoding.

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Low-density parity-check codes are commonly decoded using iterative message-passing decoders, such as the min-sum and sum-product decoders. Computer simulations demonstrate that these suboptimal decoders are capable of achieving low probability of bit error at signal-to-noise ratios close to capacity. However, current methods for analyzing the behavior of the min-sum and sum-product decoders fails to produce usable bounds on the probability of bit error. Thus, the resulting probability of bit error when using these decoders remains largely unknown for signal-to-noise ratios beyond the reach of simulation. For this reason, it is worth considering alternative methods for decoding low-density parity-check codes. New methods for decoding low-density parity-check codes, known as finite tree-based decoders, are presented as alternative decoders for low-density parity-check codes. The goal of the finite tree-based decoders is to achieve probability of bit error comparable to that of the min-sum and sum-product decoders, while allowing for computationally tractable performance analysis. Finite tree-based decoding requires the construction of finite trees derived from the Tanner graph of the low-density parity-check code. The resulting size of the finite trees allows for current analytical techniques, such as deviation bounds and density evolution, to be used to predict the probability of bit error of finite tree-based decoding of short-to-moderate length low-density parity-check codes. Simulation results show that finite tree-based decoders are capable of outperforming current iterative decoders at high signal-to-noise ratios. Examples are also given where finite tree-based decoding provably approaches maximum-likelihood performance as the signal-to-noise ratio grows large. A new method is also presented for lower bounding the minimum distance of low-density parity-check codes. This new lower bound is used as a cost criteria for the construction of low-density parity-check codes with both large girth and minimum-distance properties. Codes generated with this new construction technique are shown in simulations to outperform codes generated with the progressive edge-growth algorithm, using both iterative decoding and finite tree-based decoding.
Many classes of high-performance Low-density parity check codes are based on parity check matrices composed of permutation sub matrices. The emulation-simulation framework further allows the algorithm and implementation to be iteratively redefined to improve the error floor performance of message passing decoder. Log-Like hood-Ratio (LLR) based Belief-Propagation (BP) algorithm is presented for Low Density Parity Check codes. Numerically accurate representation of check node update computation used in LLR-BP decoding is described. The implementation of Sum-Product algorithm (SPA) within Low Density Parity Check Code (LDPC) decoder is described in this paper and the correction term is used to improve the decoding performance of min-sum algorithm (MSA). Quantization and log-tanh function approximation in sum-product decoder strongly affect which absorbing set dominates in error floor region. For LDPC decoder, bit error rate (BER) decreases with increase in the signal to noise ratio.
Low-density parity-check codes (LDPC) can have an impressive performance under iterative decoding algorithms. In this paper we introduce a method to construct high coding gain lattices with low decoding complexity based on LDPC codes. To construct such lattices we apply Construction D', due to Bos, Conway, and Sloane, to a set of parity checks defining a family of nested LDPC codes. For the decoding algorithm, we generalize the application of max-sum algorithm to the Tanner graph of lattices. Bounds on the decoding complexity are derived and our analysis shows that using LDPC codes results in low decoding complexity for the proposed lattices. The progressive edge growth (PEG) algorithm is then extended to construct a class of nested regular LDPC codes which are in turn used to generate low density parity check lattices. Using this approach, a class of two-level lattices is constructed. The performance of this class improves when the dimension increases and is within 3 dB of the Shannon limit for error probabilities of about 10-6. This is while the decoding complexity is still quite manageable even for dimensions of a few thousands
This paper proposes a new finite precision iterative decoder for low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes. The proposed decoder, named Sign-Preserving Min-Sum (SP-MS), significantly improves the decoding performance compared to the classical Offset Min-Sum (OMS) decoder when messages are quantized onq=2q=2q=2, 3, or 4 bits. The particularity of the SP-MS decoder is that messages cannot take the 0 value, and can fully benefit from theqqqbits of precision. The optimization of the SP-MS decoder is investigated in the asymptotic limit of the code length using density evolution (DE). Our study shows that 3-bit SP-MS decoders can achieve the same error-correcting performance as 5-bit OMS decoders, and 2-bit SP-MS decoders outperform 3-bit OMS decoders. The finite-length simulations confirm the conclusions of the DE analysis for several LDPC codes. Our SP-MS decoder shows a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) gain up to 0.43 dB, with a memory/wire reduction of up to 40%, compared to the OMS decoder. Moreover, the SP-MS decoder converges faster and uses fewer iterations than the OMS decoder, with an improvement of up to 83.3% of the average decoding throughput. On an FPGA, the SP-MS decoder reduces resource utilization by up to 56% compared to the OMS decoder.
Low Density Parity Check Codes (LDPC) give groundbreaking performance which is known to approach Shannon's limits for sufficiently large block length. Historically and recently, LDPC have been known to give superior performance than concatenated coding. In the following paper, a proposal to modify the standard Min-Sum (MS) algorithm for decoding LDPC codes is presented. This is done by introduction of a difference to sum ratio factor, κ in the check to bit node updating process. The algorithm is further extended by implementing hard decision of the Bit-Flipping (BF) algorithm over the soft decision of MS algorithm. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithms are effective in imparting a better performance in terms of a lower bit error rate (BER) at medium to high signal to noise ratio (SNR) when compared to the traditional MS algorithm while adding fair amount of complexity.
This dissertation presents a systematic exposition on finite-block-length coding theory and practice. We begin with the task of identifying the maximum achievable rates over noisy, finite-block-length constrained channels, referred to as (ε, n)-capacity Cεn, with ε denoting target block-error probability and n the block length. We characterize how the optimum codes look like over finite-block-length constrained channels. Constructing good, short-block-length error-correcting codes defined on sparse graphs is the focus of the thesis. We propose a new, general method for constructing Tanner graphs having a large girth by progressively establishing edges or connections between symbol and check nodes in an edge-by-edge manner, called progressive edge-growth (PEG) construction. Lower bounds on the girth of PEG Tanner graphs and on the minimum distance of the resulting low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes are derived in terms of parameters of the graphs. The PEG construction attains essentially the same girth as Gallager's explicit construction for regular graphs, both of which meet or exceed an extension of the Erdös-Sachs bound. The PEG construction proves to be powerful for generating good, short-block-length binary LDPC codes. Furthermore, we show that the binary interpretation of GF(2b) codes on the cycle Tanner graph TG(2, dc), if b grows sufficiently large, can be used over the binary-input additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel as "good code for optimum decoding" and "good code for iterative decoding". Codes on sparse graphs are often decoded iteratively by a sum-product algorithm (SPA) with low complexity. We investigate efficient digital implementations of the SPA for decoding binary LDPC codes from both the architectural and algorithmic point of view, and describe new reduced-complexity derivatives thereof. The unified treatment of decoding techniques for LDPC codes provides flexibility in selecting the appropriate design point in high-speed applications from a performance, latency, and computational complexity perspective.
Ever since the publication of Shannon's seminal work in 1948, the search for capacity achieving codes has led to many interesting discoveries in channel coding theory. Low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes originally proposed in 1963 were largely forgotten and rediscovered recently. The significance of LDPC codes lies in their capacity approaching performance even when decoded using low complexity sub-optimal decoding algorithms. Iterative decoders are one such class of decoders that work on a graphical representation of a code known as the Tanner graph. Their properties have been well understood in the asymptotic limit of the code length going to infinity. However, the behavior of various decoders for a given finite length code remains largely unknown.An understanding of the failures of the decoders is vital for the error floor analysis of a given code. Broadly speaking, error floor is the abrupt degradation in the frame error rate (FER) performance of a code in the high signal-to-noise ratio domain. Since the error floor phenomenon manifests in the regions not reachable by Monte-Carlo simulations, analytical methods are necessary for characterizing the decoding failures. In this work, we consider hard decision decoders for transmission over the binary symmetric channel (BSC).For column-weight-three codes, we provide tight upper and lower bounds on the guaranteed error correction capability of a code under the Gallager A algorithm by studying combinatorial objects known as trapping sets. For higher column weight codes, we establish bounds on the minimum number of variable nodes that achieve certain expansion as a function of the girth of the underlying Tanner graph, thereby obtaining lower bounds on the guaranteed error correction capability. We explore the relationship between a class of graphs known as cage graphs and trapping sets to establish upper bounds on the error correction capability.We also propose an algorithm to identify the most probable noise configurations, also known as instantons, that lead to error floor for linear programming (LP) decoding over the BSC. With the insight gained from the above analysis techniques, we propose novel code construction techniques that result in codes with superior error floor performance.