A Class of Burst Error-Correcting Array Codes

The usual (k2 + 1) × (k1 + 1) array code, in which the last row and the last column contain redundant bits, can correct any single error. However, if the bits are read diagonally instead of horizontally, the code can correct bursts of errors. It is shown that the (k2 + 1) × (k1 + 1) array code with diagonal readout can correct any burst of length up to k1 if and only if k2 ≥ 2(k1 − 1). Copyright © 1986 by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.