In this note we introduce the concept of group convolutional code. We make a complete classification of the minimal $S_3$-convolutional codes over the field of five elements by means of Jategaonkar's theorems.
Rosenthal et al. introduced and thoroughly studied the notion of Maximum Distance Profile (MDP) convolutional codes over (non-binary) finite fields refining the classical notion of optimum distance profile, see for instance [18, p.164]. These codes have the property that their column distances are maximal among all codes of the same rate and the same degree. In this paper we aim at studying this fundamental notion in the context of convolutional codes over a finite ring. We extensively use the notion of p-encoder to present upper-bounds on the column distances which allow to introduce the noti…
An important class of codes widely used in applications is the class of convolutional codes. Most of the literature of convolutional codes is devoted to con- volutional codes over finite fields. The extension of the concept of convolutional codes from finite fields to finite rings have attracted much attention in recent years due to fact that they are the most appropriate codes for phase modulation. However convolutional codes over finite rings are more involved and not fully understood. Many results and features that are well-known for convolutional codes over finite fields have not been full…
A general method for constructing convolutional codes from units in Laurent series over matrix rings is presented. Using group ring as matrix rings, this forms a basis for in-depth exploration of convolutional codes from group ring encoding, wherein the ring in the group ring is itself a group ring. The method is used to algebraically construct series of convolutional codes. Algebraic methods are used to compute free distances and to construct convolutional codes to prescribed distances.
We propose a decoding algorithm for a class of convolutional codes called skew BCH convolutional codes. These are convolutional codes of designed Hamming distance endowed with a cyclic structure yielding a left ideal of a non-commutative ring (a quotient of a skew polynomial ring). In this setting, right and left division algorithms exist, so our algorithm follows the guidelines of the Sugiyama's procedure for finding the error locator and error evaluator polynomials for BCH block codes.
MDS convolutional codes have the property that their free distance is maximal among all codes of the same rate and the same degree. In this paper we introduce a class of MDS convolutional codes whose column distances reach the generalized Singleton bound at the earliest possible instant. We call these codes strongly MDS convolutional codes. It is shown that these codes can decode a maximum number of errors per time interval when compared with other convolutional codes of the same rate and degree. These codes have also a maximum or near maximum distance profile. A code has a maximum distance pr…
Maximum Distance Separable (MDS) convolutional codes are cha- racterized through the property that the free distance meets the generalized Singleton bound. The existence of free MDS convolutional codes over Z p r was recently discovered in [26] via the Hensel lift of a cyclic code. In this paper we further investigate this important class of convolutional codes over Z p r from a new perspective. We introduce the notions of p-standard form and r- optimal parameters to derive a novel upper bound of Singleton type on the free distance. Moreover, we present a constructive method for building gener…
Convolutional codes are constructed, designed and analysed using row and/or block structures of unit algebraic schemes. Infinite series of such codes and of codes with specific properties are derived. Properties are shown algebraically and algebraic decoding methods are derived. For a given rate and given error-correction capability at each component, convolutional codes with these specifications and with efficient decoding algorithms are constructed. Explicit prototype examples are given but in general large lengths and large error capability are achievable. Convolutional codes with efficient…
Differential Convolutional Codes with designed Hamming distance are defined, and an algebraic decoding algorithm, inspired by Peterson-Gorenstein-Zierler's algorithm, is designed for them.
Cyclicity of a convolutional code (CC) is relying on a nontrivial automorphism of the algebra F[x]/(x^n-1), where F is a finite field. If this automorphism itself has certain specific cyclicity properties one is lead to the class of doubly-cyclic CC's. Within this large class Reed-Solomon and BCH convolutional codes can be defined. After constructing doubly-cyclic CC's, basic properties are derived on the basis of which distance properties of Reed-Solomon convolutional codes are investigated.This shows that some of them are optimal or near optimal with respect to distance and performance.
We construct a family of (n,k) convolutional codes with degree δin {k,n-k} that have a maximum distance profile. The field size required for our construction is of the order n^{2δ}, which improves upon the known constructions of convolutional codes with a maximum distance profile. Our construction is based on the theory of skew polynomials.
After a discussion of the Griesmer and Heller bound for the distance of a convolutional code we present several codes with various parameters, over various fields, and meeting the given distance bounds. Moreover, the Griesmer bound is used for deriving a lower bound for the field size of an MDS convolutional code and examples are presented showing that, in most cases, the lower bound is tight. Most of the examples in this paper are cyclic convolutional codes in a generalized sense as it has been introduced in the seventies. A brief introduction to this promising type of cyclicity is given at t…
A class of one-dimensional convolutional codes will be presented. They are all MDS codes, i. e., have the largest distance among all one-dimensional codes of the same length n and overall constraint length delta. Furthermore, their extended row distances are computed, and they increase with slope n-delta. In certain cases of the algebraic parameters, we will also derive parity check matrices of Vandermonde type for these codes. Finally, cyclicity in the convolutional sense will be discussed for our class of codes. It will turn out that they are cyclic if and only if the field element used in t…
Maximum distance profile codes are characterized by the property that two trajectories which start at the same state and proceed to a different state will have the maximum possible distance from each other relative to any other convolutional code of the same rate and degree. In this paper we use methods from systems theory to characterize maximum distance profile codes algebraically. Tha main result shows that maximum distance profile codes form a generic set inside the variety which parametrizes the set of convolutional codes of a fixed rate and a fixed degree.
In this paper, we study convolutional codes with a specific cyclic structure. By definition, these codes are left ideals in a certain skew polynomial ring. Using that the skew polynomial ring is isomorphic to a matrix ring we can describe the algebraic parameters of the codes in a more accessible way. We show that the existence of such codes with given algebraic parameters can be reduced to the solvability of a modified rook problem. It is our strong belief that the rook problem is always solvable, and we present solutions in particular cases.
Noncatastrophic encoders are an important class of polynomial generator matrices of convolutional codes. When these polynomials have coefficients in a finite field, these encoders have been characterized are being polynomial left prime matrices. In this paper we study the notion of noncatastrophicity in the context of convolutional codes when the polynomial matrices have entries in a finite ring. In particular, we need to introduce two different notion of primeness in order to fully characterize noncatastrophic encoders over the finite ring Z_{p^r}. The second part of the paper is devoted to i…
In this paper convolutional codes with cyclic structure will be investigated. These codes can be understood as left principal ideals in a suitable skew-polynomial ring. It has been shown in [3] that only certain combinations of the parameters (field size, length, dimension, and Forney indices) can occur for cyclic codes. We will investigate whether all these combinations can indeed be realized by a suitable cyclic code and, if so, how to construct such a code. A complete characterization and construction will be given for minimal cyclic codes. It is derived from a detailed investigation of the…
The main results of this paper are twofold: the first one is a matrix theoretical result. We say that a matriz is superregular if all of its minors that are not trivially zero are nonzero. Given a a times b, a larger than or equal to b, superregular matrix over a field, we show that if all of its rows are nonzero then any linear combination of its columns, with nonzero coefficients, has at least a-b+1 nonzero entries. Secondly, we make use of this result to construct convolutional codes that attain the maximum possible distance for some fixed parameters of the code, namely, the rate and the Fo…
We investigate the notion of cyclicity for convolutional codes as it has been introduced by Piret and Roos in the seventies. Codes of this type are described as submodules of the module of all vector polynomials in one variable with some additional generalized cyclic structure but also as specific left ideals in a skew polynomial ring. Extending a result of Piret, we show in a purely algebraic setting that these ideals are always principal. This leads to the notion of a generator polynomial just like for cyclic block codes. Similarly a control polynomial can be introduced by considering the ri…