On adaptive decision-feedback equalization of intersymbol interference channels in coded modulation systems

Recently, Eyuboglu (1988) has shown that adaptive noise-predictive decision-feedback equalization (DFE) can be combined with coded modulation to achieve high-speed data transmission by periodic interleaving. In this paper, we present a new method of adaptive DFE with periodic interleaving for coded modulation systems. The method is an improved version of that proposed by Eyuboglu, where the deinterleaving operation is performed on a vector-by-vector basis, instead of a sample-by-sample basis. Unlike the original system in which the linear equalizer's coefficients can be adjusted only with hard decisions from the threshold detector, the improved structure updates the coefficients of both the linear equalizer and the noise predictor based on soft decisions from the most likely path in the soft decoder. The improved system achieves better error-rate performance than the original with a little increase in hardware complexity. As compared to another improved design reported by Zhou et al. (1990), the new structure also gains advantages in error-rate performance, hardware complexity, and throughput delay.