Patent ID: 8196007

Claim:
A receiver for iterative-diversity reception of data transmitted by respective concatenated convolutional coding (CCC) from first and second vestigial-sideband amplitude-modulation (8-VSB) transmitters each transmitting using a respective radio-frequency (RF) carrier wave modulated in accordance with portions of its said respective CCC, each said respective CCC encoding randomized data that have been subjected to transverse Reed-Solomon (TRS) forward-error-correction (FEC) coding and subsequent lateral block coding for detecting reception errors caused by impulse noise, each said respective CCC formed from a respective one-half-code-rate outer convolutional code and a subsequent one-half-code-rate inner convolutional code combined within a respective two-thirds-code-rate 12-phase trellis code, said respective RF carrier waves being of different frequencies associated with respective broadcast channels, data encoded within each said portion of said CCC being transmitted at least once by said first 8-VSB transmitter and each time being transmitted again by said second 8-VSB transmitter after a first prescribed delay interval, respective ones of said transmissions of each said portion of said CCC by said first and second 8-VSB transmitters that encode the same data being arranged so as to be interleaved in time, said receiver comprising: a demodulating unit connected for receiving said modulated RF carrier waves from said first and second 8-VSB transmitters and demodulating said modulated RF carrier waves for generating reproductions of at least selected ones of said portions of said CCC transmitted by said first 8-VSB transmitter and reproductions of said portions of said CCC transmitted by said second 8-VSB transmitter; a differential-delay-compensation unit connected for delaying said reproductions of said portions of said CCC transmitted by said first 8-VSB transmitter, thus to generate delayed reproductions of said portions of said CCC transmitted by said first 8-VSB transmitter that are temporally aligned with said reproductions of said portions of said CCC transmitted by said second 8-VSB transmitter that encode corresponding randomized data; a first turbo decoder connected for recovering respective first sets of successive soft data bits from said delayed reproductions of said portions of said CCC transmitted by said first 8-VSB transmitter; a second turbo decoder connected for recovering respective second sets of successive soft data bits from said reproductions of said portions of said CCC transmitted by said second 8-VSB transmitter; a first information-exchange unit connected for exchanging decoding information between said first turbo decoder and said second turbo decoder; and a first hard-decision unit connected for generating a first set of hard data bits responsive to each of said successive soft data bits in said first sets of thereof, thus to reproduce said TRS FEC coding.