Variable-length to fixed-length conversion of minimum-redundancy codes

Abstract

Apparatus for converting the codewords of variable-length minimum-redundancy codes into corresponding fixed-length characters. The conversion process employs a two-step mapping wherein a codeword is first converted into a fixed-length integer, and then the integer is used to index a table of fixed-length characters. The apparatus for achieving this two-step mapping comprises table storage, summation circuitry, compare/combine circuitry, and control circuitry. The table storage holds two tables, a first table containing the fixed-length characters and a second table whose values uniquely identify the variable-length code. The compare/combine circuitry and the summation circuitry accept as input the successive bits of a codeword to be converted into its corresponding fixed-length character. As the successive codeword bits are received, the summation circuitry operates on elements of the second table to calculate successive values of a weighted sum and an unweighted sum. The compare/combine circuitry uses the successive values of the weighted sum to isolate the bits comprising the codeword. This codeword is then combined with the weighted sum and the unweighted sum to provide a fixed-length integer, and the integer is used to index the table of fixed-length characters.