Efficient Multi-way Tree Search Algorithm for Huffman Decoder

Huffman coding which has been used in many data compression algorithms is a popular data compression technique used to reduce statistical redundancy of a signal. It has been proposed that the Huffman algorithm can decode efficiently using characteristics of the Huffman tables and patterns of the Huffman codeword. We propose a new Huffman decoding algorithm which used a multi way tree search and present an efficient hardware implementation method. This algorithm has a small logic area and memory space and is optimized for high speed decoding. The proposed Huffman decoding algorithm can be applied for many multimedia systems such as MPEG audio decoder.