Patent ID: 7975212

Claim:
A sequential decoding method, comprising: (a) providing a decoding diagram, the decoding diagram including a plurality of paths and a plurality of nodes representing a message sequence passing there-through when the message sequence is encoded, the paths being between the nodes, each of the paths being corresponding to a codeword; (b) placing an origin node of the decoding diagram into an open stack; (c) calculating metrics of a plurality of successor paths extended from an end node of a smallest metric path in the open stack according to a received signal; (d) deleting the smallest metric path in the open stack; (e) placing the successor paths into the open stack; (f) determining whether the smallest metric path in the open stack reaching a terminal node of the decoding diagram, wherein when smallest metric path in the open stack reaches the terminal node of the decoding diagram, the codeword corresponding to the smallest metric path is output, otherwise the procedure returns to step (c); and (g) determining whether the codeword corresponding to the smallest metric path in the open stack being incorrect, wherein when the codeword corresponding to the smallest metric path in the open stack is incorrect, the smallest metric path in the open stack is deleted and the procedure returns to step (c).