Flexible unequal error control codes with selectable error detection and correction levels

Abstract

Unequal Error Control (UEC) codes provide means for handling errors where the codeword digits may be exposed to different error rates, like in two-dimensional optical storage media, or VLSI circuits affected by intermittent faults or different noise sources. However, existing UEC codes are quite rigid in their definition. They split codewords in only two areas, applying different (but limited) error correction functions in each area. This paper introduces Flexible UEC (FUEC) codes, which can divide codewords into any required number of areas, establishing for each one the adequate error detection and/or correction levels. At design time, an algorithm automates the code generation process. Among all the codes meeting the requirements, different selection criteria can be applied. The code generated is implemented using simple logic operations, allowing fast encoding and decoding. Reported examples show their feasibility and potentials. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.