Patent ID: 7107513

Claim:
A method of decoding time division multiplexed data including a plurality of data streams convolutionally encoded with different coding rates and modulated using any one of BPSK, QPSK, and 8PSK , the method comprising: decoding, using a Viterbi decoding algorithm, a first data stream that is included in the time division multiplexed data and modulated using any one of 8PSK and QPSK; decoding, using the Viterbi decoding algorithm, a second data stream that is included in the time division multiplexed data and modulated using any one of QPSK or BPSK; and initializing, after completion of the decoding of the first data stream and before performing the decoding of the second data stream, a path metric that has been calculated before the completion of the decoding of the first data stream, except when both the first data stream and the second data stream are modulated using QPSK.