MINIMUM DIMENSION CREDIT PAYMENT NETWORKS FOR FEC ITERATIVE CODEFICIERS AND METHOD OF INSTRUCTION

摘要

The invention relates to an interconnection network for forward error correction encoders and decoders, including N input terminals, N output terminals, and M stages. Each stage includes switching elements having input pins and output pins. The input pins of the switching elements of the first stage are connected to the input terminals, and the output pins of the switching elements of the last stage are connected to the output terminals. The input and output pins of the switching elements of immediately successive stages are connected in a hardwired fashion so as to form a plurality of interconnection sub-networks for routing respective input values from respective output pins of the switching elements of the first stage to respective input pins of the switching elements of the last stage. The interconnection network is operable to route, on the basis of routing commands applied to the switching elements, N input values received at the N input terminals through the M stages and the interconnection sub-networks to provide, at the N output terminals, N output values corresponding to, or circularly shifted with respect to, said N input values received at the N input terminals. Additionally, M denotes a number of given submultiples of N whose product is equal to N. Each stage is associated with a respective submultiple of said M given submultiples of N, and includes Si switching elements, each having smi respective input pins and smi respective output pins, wherein Si=N/smi, wherein smi denotes the respective submultiple associated with the stage, and wherein i denotes the stage and is a positive integer comprised between one and M.