Turbo code interleaver with near optimal performance

1. A method for constructing an interleaver for interleaving blocks of indexed data having indices, the blocks having a varying length, the method including the steps of:

providing a set of parameters, the values of which being based on a desired interleaver size; and

constructing, based on said set of parameters, an interleaver comprising a family of one or more permutations of the indexed data X(t) and having a variable length.

2. An interleaver manufactured in accordance with the method set forth in claim 1 .

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said constructing comprises:

determining an index for said interleaver based on said parameters;

if said index is within a range of said desired interleaver size, using said index as a selected index for said interleaver;

if said index is outside a range of said desired interleaver size, discarding said index and selecting another index as said selected index based on said parameters; and

using said selected index to construct said interleaver.

4. An interleaver manufactured in accordance with the method set forth in claim 3 .

5. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

providing a turbo encoder consisting of two or more constituent encoders connected together, wherein the interleaving is performed by the turbo encoder.

6. An interleaver manufactured in accordance with the method set forth in claim 5 .

7. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

providing a turbo code encoder comprising two or more constituent code encoders connected together and to said interleaver; and

turbo encoding the indexed data after the interleaving by said interleaver of the turbo code encoder.

8. An interleaver manufactured in accordance with the method set forth in claim 7 .

9. A method for interleaving blocks of indexed data, the blocks having a variable length, the method comprising:

providing a basic interleaver having a length greater than or equal to a length of a said block of indexed data, said providing including:

filling rows of said basic interleaver using said indexed data;

permuting said indexed data in each of said rows; and

permuting said indexed data in each column of said basic interleaver;

reading interleaved index data from said basic interleaver on a column by column basis; and

discarding indices generated by said basic interleaver which are greater than said length of said block of indexed data.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein:

said permuting of said indexed data in said each column of said basic interleaver occurs before said permuting of said indexed data in said each row of said basic interleaver.

11. A method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein:

said indexed data in said each row are permuted differently from each other.

12. A method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein:

said indexed data in said each column are permuted differently from each other.

13. A method for interleaving blocks of indexed data, the blocks having a variable length, the method comprising:

providing a basic interleaver having a length greater than or equal to a length of a said block of indexed data, said providing including:

filling rows of said basic interleaver using said indexed data;

permuting said indexed data in each of said rows; and

interchanging the columns of said permuted indexed data;

reading interleaved index data from said basic interleaver on a column by column basis; and

discarding indices generated by said basic interleaver which are greater than said length of said block of indexed data.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein:

said indexed data in said each row are permuted differently from each other.