On Superregular Matrices and Convolutional Codes with Finite Decoder Memory

In this paper, we present explicit code constructions for a family of (n,k,δ) convolutional codes with optimum distance profiles. The family of convolutional codes is obtained from sets of jointly superregular matrices. For the case of finite decoder memory, we evaluate the performance of the constructed codes in terms of both symbol loss probability and symbol delay. We then present a combinatorial method to calculate the exact symbol loss probability and symbol delay for each symbol individually. We compare the symbol loss probability for two specific systematic convolutional codes for the cases where the sink has infinite or finite memory. Finally, we compare the performance of our convolutional codes with optimum distance profile and random based convolutional codes.