Optimal sequence estimation for convolutionally coded signals with binary digital modulation in ISI channels

Decoding convolutional codes with binary digital modulation in intersymbol interference (ISI) channels is studied. The receiver structure is a whitened matched filter (WMF) whose transfer function is determined by the ISI channel. Decoding of the output sequence can be performed in two steps or one step. The two-step decoding first decodes the ISI corrupted coded sequence back to the ISI free coded sequence which is then decoded back to the uncoded message sequence. For one-step decoding, the entire encoder-channel-receiver system is modeled as a new encoder with combined memory length of the memory lengths of the original encoder and the channel, and followed by a weighted summation mapping from the binary symbols to real number symbols. The weighting coefficients are determined by the channel characteristic. In both two-step and one-step decoding, the Viterbi algorithm (VA) is used to perform the maximum likelihood decoding. Decoding error probability and complexity of both methods are analyzed, simulated and compared.