An improved one-pointer traceback method

Traceback schemes used in Viterbi decoders can be categorized into multi-pointer and one-pointer methods. A traceback scheme using one-pointer method has been shown to be better than the one using multi-pointer method in terms of memory size and latency. We propose an area efficient traceback method which is based on the one-pointer scheme. The proposed method can be implemented by using only two single-port memory banks. In comparison with traditional methods, lower power consumption and smaller area occupation are required for the proposed method.