Variable-rate punctured convolutional coding over fading mobile communication channels

In this paper a method of keeping the bit error rate (BER) constant and optimizing the transmission efficiency of a digital mobile communication system using variable-rate convolutional coding is introduced. Regardless of the fluctuation of the received signal due to fading effects, the BER can be kept constant by changing the code rate R and obtaining different degrees of correction capabilities. In this paper a computer simulation model of a digital mobile communication system is also introduced. Rate Compatible Punctured Convolutional codes (RCPC codes) are used to provide the rate variation. An improvement in the average transmission efficiency(/spl eta//sub av/) by about 35% is obtained with six kinds of codes with rates (R=1/2, 6/11, 6/10, 6/9, 6/8, and 6/7) and keeping the BER at 10/sup -3/.