Abstract: A hybrid decoding algorithm for low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes based on the soft-decision iterative decoding method and the erasure decoding method is proposed. If a decoding error is detected when the maximum iteration number of the soft-decision iterative decoding is reached, a decision is made on each bit whether it is zero or one or an erasure according to the cumulative reliability of the bit in the iterative process. Then the decision result is decoded with erasure decoding. Simulation results on random LDPC codes with moderate length indicate that the proposed hybrid decoding algorithm outperforms the traditional soft-decision iterative decoding algorithm at the expense of little average complexity increases by suitably setting the maximum iteration number of the iterative decoding in the hybrid decoding algorithm.

Key words: low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes, hybrid decoding, iterative decoding, erasure decoding