Comparison of Distributed LDPC Coding Schemes for Decode-and-Forward Relay Channels

In order to approach the theoretical limit of the decode-and-forward strategy for the half-duplex relay channel, distributed LDPC coding schemes have been proposed. In these schemes, the code applied at the source should be decodable at the relay to yield correct parity bits. With the help of the parity bits the destination should also be able to estimate the transmitted information correctly. For successful decoding the distributed coding scheme has to be designed jointly, requiring a high design complexity. As an alternative a distributed LDPC scheme based on puncturing is investigated, which requires only the design of one mother code. In this paper we compare three different approaches for designing distributed LDPC codes with respect to their performance and their design complexity.