1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to a low density parity check (LDPC) code that is used to correct errors occurring over a wireless channel, and, more particularly, to an LDPC code that is applicable to a digital broadcasting system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Current terrestrial television (TV) broadcasting generates co-channel interference across an area within a distance that is three times a service radius, and thus the same frequency cannot be reused in the area within the distance that is three times the service radius. An area in which the same frequency cannot be reused is called a white space. Spectrum efficiency significantly deteriorates due to the occurrence of a white space.
Accordingly, there arises a need for the development of a transmission technology that facilitates the elimination of a white space and the reuse of a frequency with an emphasis on reception robustness in order to improve spectrum efficiency.
In response to this, the paper “Cloud Transmission: A New Spectrum-Reuse Friendly Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting Transmission System” published on September of 2012 in IEEE Transactions on Broadcasting, Vol. 58, No. 3 proposes a terrestrial cloud transmission technology that facilitates reuse, does not generate a white space, and makes the construction and operation of a single frequency network easy.
Using this terrestrial cloud transmission technology, a broadcasting station can transmit the same nationwide content or locally different content over a single broadcasting channel. However, for this purpose, a receiver should receive one or more terrestrial cloud broadcast signals in an area in which signals transmitted from different transmitters overlap each other, that is, an overlap area, over a single frequency network, and then should distinguish and demodulate the received terrestrial cloud broadcast signals. That is, the receiver should demodulate one or more cloud broadcast signals in a situation in which co-channel interference is present and the timing and frequency synchronization between transmitted signals are not guaranteed.
Meanwhile, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 2013-0135746 entitled “Low Density Parity Check Code for Terrestrial Cloud Transmission” discloses an LDPC code that is optimized for terrestrial cloud transmission and exhibits excellent performance at low code rate (<0.5).
However, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 2013-0135746 is directed to a code length completely different from an LDPC code length used in the DVB broadcast standard, etc., and does not teach a specific LDPC encoding method.