Analytical Tools for the Design of Space-time Convolutional Codes

Space-time convolutional codes have shown considerable promise for providing improved performance for wireless communication through combined diversity and coding gain. However, systematic design procedures for space-time convolutional codes have not yet been developed. To date, the few existing example space-time codes have been developed using hand design. Systematic design procedures are presented here, which are based on a few theorems addressing necessary and suucient conditions on space-time codes which achieve maximum diversity gain. Other theorems provide methods for calculating and bounding coding gain. A new simple, but highly useful, measure of coding gain is also suggested which can augment existing measures. The use of a possible design procedure is illustrated and new codes are provided which outperform all existing space-time convolutional codes of similar complexity.