Alion Science and Technology Corporation

Kenneth Kahle Roberts

Michael A Maiuzzo

Units of forward error correction (FEC) encoded bits each represent a one-bit data value and include correctness bits that together reflect a probability that the one-bit data value represented by the unit is correct. The units of FEC encoded bits are decoded by using the correctness bits to perform soft-decision convolution decoding on the units of FEC bits. Subsequences of units that are prone to erroneous soft-decision convolution decoding are detected by determining, whether the distribution of quality bits indicate the units are below a threshold level of correctness, and by comparing characteristics of that distribution to a given set of characteristics predetermined to be prone to result in incorrect decoding. Among the symbols produced for block decoding, symbols that correspond to units that were in detected subsequences are flagged or tagged for erasure during subsequent soft-decision block decoding.

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Queen Anne, MD, United States of America

Kenneth Kahle Roberts