A BP-NN Decoding Algorithm for Polar Codes

Polar code is selected for the 5-th generation of wireless communication standard. Meanwhile, with the demand of low latency in 5G and great success in deep learning area, neural network decoder (NND) becomes a promising candidate for future decoder. However, NND is currently only feasible for very short code lengths. In this paper, we proposed a belief propagation-neural network (BP-NN) algorithm for polar codes based on partitioning. The core of our algorithm is replacing subblock of belief propagation (BP) decoder with NNDs, and using BP decoding framework to connect them. In addition, we also introduce a weight function to complete the message propagation process. Simulation results show the proposed algorithm reduces the decoding delay compared to the traditional BP algorithm and have a well bit error rate (BER) performance. At the same time, it also suitable for long polar codes.