ICACT CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS 2019
IMPLEMENTATION OF HAMMING CODE USING VERILOG
CH JAYAPRAKASH*1 V SURENDRA BABU*2, M VAMSIKRISHNA ALLU*3, CH TEJESWARA RAO *4, CH K D S VENU
GOPAL SWAMY *5
jp.chennoju@gmail.com vsb.mtech14@gmail.com *², allu.vamseekrishna@gmail.com*3, teja.chandranki@gmail.com*4
*1
kumarchanapathi123@gmail.com*5
Assistant Professor, SIR C R REDDY COLLEGE OF ENGG
Abstract--– In digital communication while
transmitting the data from source to destination some
corruption in data occurs due to some environmental
conditions, which is nothing but the transmitted data
is included with some errors. Error coding is the
method to detect and correct these errors so that the
information is transferred without any errors from
source to destination. There are many error
detecting and correcting codes, one of such is
Hamming code. Hamming code is single bit error
detecting and correcting method. In this paper we are
going to discuss about the implementation of
Hamming code in verilog module which is improved
version of previous existing technique. Both the
techniques are implemented with the help of
redundancy bits (does not carry information). The
advantage of improved technique over the previous
technique is there is decrease in the usage of bits
while calculating the values redundancy bits.
Keywords – Hamming code, Encoder, Decoder, Error
detector and corrector, Verilog HDL, Xilinx
INTRODUCTION
In digital communication systems, environmental
effects and other defects can cause random bit errors
during data transmission. Digital data is transmitted
over a channel and there should be a noise present in
the channel. The noise may distort the data that is
transmitting. Therefore, the data received by the
receiver is not same as the data that is transmitted by
the transmitter, so error detection and correction
plays an important role so that the information is
transferred without any errors.
ERROR : The encoded data is usually transmitted
over a channel is not completely error free. Due to the
external interference, signal distortion, attenuation
and noise in channel the manipulation of data occurs.
The manipulated data is called as error. There are two
types of errors.
1. Single bit error
2. Burst error (more than one error in data).
ERROR DETECTION AND CORRECTION :
The phenomenon of detecting the position of error
from the received data is known as error detection.
The process of correcting the bit value at that error
position is nothing but error correction. There are
various error detecting and correcting methods such
as cyclic redundancy check (CRC), Parity check,
Vertical redundancy check (VRC), Longitudinal
redundancy check (LRC) and Hamming code. This
work mainly focuses on Hamming code.
HAMMING CODE
Hamming code is a linear block code. Hamming code
can detect up to 2 bit errors and correct can correct a
single bit error. Hamming code includes encoding,
error detection and correction and decoding.
Encoding provides the encryption of data by adding
redundancy bits to the data. The number of
redundancy bits required are calculated using the
formula
2^r >= d + r + 1 …………. (1).
Where r = number of redundancy bits.
d = number of data bits.
The smallest value of ‘r’ that satisfies the above
relation is considered as the number of required
redundancy bits. Encoded data of length d + r bits is
transmitted. In the receiving side, the presence and
location of single bit error is determined by
calculating the parities of combinations of received
data to produce a table of parities each of which
corresponds to a particular bit error combination.
Now the value present in this error position is
complimented so that the error is removed. Now this
error free encoded data is decoded to get the original
information data. Hamming codes are easy to
implement and are used in telecommunication, and
other applications including data compression. They
are also used for low cost and low power
applications.
PREVIOUS METHOD
ENCODING OF HAMMING CODE :
 ICACT CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS 2019
Here the information data of length d bits that is to be
transmitted is encoded with the addition of
redundancy bits (r) required to correct d data bits. So
a total of d + r bits are transmitted. Here r value is
determined by using the formula 2^r >= d + r + 1.
Here each r bit is extra bit that does not carry
information. These redundancy bits are added at 2^r
positions that is 1, 2, 4 and 8 so on. For example, let
us take a 7 bit data to be transmitted, so that the value
of r that satisfies the above condition (1) is 4. So total
7+4=11 bits are to be transmitted. Let us take the 4
redundancy bits are r1, r2, r3 and r4. Each r bit is
parity bit for one combination of data bits as shown
below:
r1 - 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 ……….. (a)
r2 - 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 ………. (b)
r3 – 4, 5, 6, 7 ……….. (c)
r4 – 8, 9, 10, 11 ……….. (d)
11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 complimented so that the error can be corrected. So
d7 d6 d5 r4 d4 d3 d2 r3 d1 r2 r1
Position of redundancy bits in hamming code
Here the d1 to d7 are data bits to be transmitted and
r1 to r4 are redundancy bits. Let the data be 1100110.
Now the values of r1, r2, r3 and r4 are calculated
based on the even parity condition for those positions
given in (a), (b), (c) and (d) respectively.
Since the number of 1’s at positions 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 is 2.
It satisfies the even parity condition, so the required
value of r1 is ‘0’. Since the number of 1’s at positions
3, 6, 7, 10, 11 is 3. It does not satisfies the even parity
condition, so the required value of r2 is ‘1’. Since the
number of 1’s at positions 5, 6, 7 is 2. It satisfies the
even parity condition, so the required value of r3 is
‘0’. Since the number of 1’s at positions 9, 10, 11 is
2. It satisfies the even parity condition, so the
required value of r4 is ‘0’. So the encoded data
obtained is “11000110010”.
ERROR DETECTION, CORRECTION AND
DECODING :
If there is any error in received data here we need to
detect and correct. Here the error position is
indentified with the help of c3 c2 c1 c0 whose values
obtained after checking the even parity condition by
considering the parity of the bit positions as given in
(a), (b), (c) and (d). Now let the received data is
“11001110010”, which has error at position 7 by
comparing with above obtained encoded data. Now
the values of c3, c2, c1 and c0 are calculated as
follows:
Since the number of 1’s at positions 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 is
3. It does not satisfies the even parity condition, so
the required value of c0 is ‘1’. Since the number of
1’s at positions 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11 is 5. It does not
satisfies the even parity condition, so the required
value of c1 is ‘1’. Since the number of 1’s at
positions 4, 5, 6, 7 is 1. It does not satisfies the even
parity condition, so the required value of c2 is ‘1’.
Since the number of 1’s at positions 8, 9, 10, 11 is 2.
It satisfies the even parity condition, so the required
value of c3 is ‘0’. Now the error position is identified
with help of c3 c2 c1 c0 as shown below:
Error
position C3 C2 C1 C0
7 0 1 1 1
Now the value at this position 7 is to be
that we can get the original encoded data. Now this
data is to be decoded to get the original information
data without any errors.
PRESENT TECHNIQUE
This process is also similar to previous technique at
the same steps including encoding, error detection
and correction, decoding. But the only difference is in
the previous technique redundancy bit positions are
taken at 2^r positions, where as in this proposed
improved method the redundancy bit positions are
taken at the end of the data. In the previous technique
a total of 20 bits are involved in the process of
calculation of redundancy bits, where as in this
proposed improved method a total of 19 bits are
involved in the process of calculations of redundancy
bits. This is the advantage of this proposed method
over the previous method where there is a reduction
in the usage of 1 bit.
ENCODING :
Similar to previous technique here the data bits(d) are
encoded with redundancy bits(r) that are to be
transmitted. Here the value of r is obtained by using
the formula
2^r >= d+r+1 ….. (1)
Where r = number of redundancy bits
d = number of data bits
 ICACT CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS 2019
Let us consider the same example, The 7-bit data to
be transmitted is “0110010”. For this the smallest
value of r that satisfies the above condition (1) is 4.
So a total of 11-bit encoded data is transmitted. Here
let us consider r1, r2, r3 and r4 as 4 redundancy bits.
Each r bit is parity bit for one combination of data
bits as shown below:
r1 - 1, 3, 5, 7 ……….. (a)
r2 - 2, 3, 6, 7 .………. (b)
r3 – 4, 5, 6, 7 ….……. (c)
r4 – r1, r2, r3 ……….. (d)
11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 number of 1’s at positions 4, 5, 6, 7, 10 is 1. It does
r4 r3 r2 r1 d7 d6 d5 d4 d3 d2 d1
Position of redundancy bits in hamming code
Here in this table the d1 to d7 are data bits to be
transmitted and r1 to r4 are redundancy bits. Now the
values of r1, r2, r3 and r4 are calculated based on the
even parity condition for those positions given in (a),
(b), (c) and (d) respectively.
Since the number of 1’s at positions 1, 3, 5, 7 is 1. It
does not satisfies the even parity condition, so the
required value of r1 is ‘1’. Since the number of 1’s at
positions 2, 3, 6, 7 is 2. It satisfies the even parity
condition, so the required value of r2 is ‘0’. Since the
number of 1’s at positions 4, 5, 6, 7 is 2. It satisfies
the even parity condition, so the required value of r3
is ‘0’. Since the number of 1’s at positions 8, 9, 10
is 1. It does not satisfies the even parity condition, so
the required value of r4 is ‘1’. So the encoded data
obtained is “10010110010”.
Fig : Hamming encoder
ERROR DETECTION, CORRECTION AND
DECODING :
If there is any error in received data here we need to
detect and correct. Here the error position is
indentified with the help of c3 c2 c1 c0 whose values
obtained after checking the even parity condition by
considering the parity of the bit positions as given in
(a), (b), (c) and (d). Now let the received data is
“10010100010”, which has error at position 5 by
comparing with above obtained encoded data. Now
the values of c3, c2, c1 and c0 are calculated as
follows:
Since the number of 1’s at positions 1, 3, 5, 7, 8 is 1.
It does not satisfies the even parity condition, so the
required value of c0 is ‘1’. Since the number of 1’s at
positions 2, 3, 6, 7, 9 is 2. It satisfies the even parity
condition, so the required value of c1 is ‘0’. Since the
not satisfies the even parity condition, so the required
value of c2 is ‘1’. Since the number of 1’s at
positions 8, 9, 10, 11 is 2. It satisfies the even parity
condition, so the required value of c3 is ‘0’. Now the
error position is identified with help of c3 c2 c1 c0 as
shown below:
Error
position C3 C2 C1 C0
5 0 1 0 1
Now the value at this position 5 is to be
complimented so that the error can be corrected. So
that we can get the original encoded data. Now the
11-bit encoded data is to be decoded to get the
original 7-bit information data without any errors.
Fig : Hamming decoder
NOTE :
If we get error at positions 8, 9, 10 or 11. It can noit
able to detect the correct position. Since the bits at
these positions are redundancy bits which are just
used for the purpose of encoding and to provide help
 ICACT CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS 2019

11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 C3 C2 C1 C0 ERRORPOSITION

1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 F T T F Error in redundancy bit 8

1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 T T T T No error

Table 2.31 : Encoded data with error at different
positions
for error detecting in the original information data,
they does not carry any information. So it is not
necessary to detect and correct the errors at these
redundancy positions. It is briefly explained here with
an table.
The above figure shows the simulation waveforms of
Hamming encoder(7-bit to 11-bit). Here copy[7:1]
indicates the input data (information data) which is to
be encoded. copy[11:1] indicates the encoded output
data which is to be transmitted. Here the 7-bit data
“0110010” is given as input data and the obtained 11-
bit data is “10010110010”.

Suppose the received information is 10000110010,

with an error at redundancy bit position 8. Then the
status of parity check will turn out to be FTTF. [‘F’
indicates bit ‘1’ and ‘T’ indicates ‘0’] If status of
parity check is FXXX, it implies that there is an error
only in a redundancy bit. The actual redundancy bit
in error can easily be identified by the position of the
occurrence of F. However, this is not a data bit there
is no need for any correction.

Suppose the received information is 10010110010,

with no error. Then the status of parity check will
turn out to be TTTT, implying error at bit position
0000 i.e. 0. This is treated as no error.
RESULTS
Fig : Simulation results of Error position detector
The above figure shows the simulation waveforms of
error position detector. Here copy[11:1] indicates
received encoded data with error at one position and
y[4:1] indicates the position of error. Here 11-bit data
is “10010100010” is given as input which have error
at position “5”. The output data “0101” indicates the
error at position “5”.

Fig :Simulation results of encoder

 ICACT CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS 2019
Fig :Simulation results of Error position correction
The above figure shows the simulation waveforms of
error position correction. Here i0[10:0] indicates the
original encoded data and i1[11:1] indicates the
encoded data with error at one position and d[10:0]
indicates the original encoded data after correcting
the error present in the data i1[11:1]. Here the input
data i0[11:1] = “10010110010” and i1[11:1] =
“10010100010” and the output data d[10:0] =
“10010110010”.
Fig : Simulation waveforms for decoder
The above figure shows the simulation waveforms of
Hamming decoder. Here copy1[11:1] indicates the
encoded data and copy[7:1] indicates the original
information data after decoding the encoded data.
Here the 11-bit data “10010110010” is the encoded
input data and the 7-bit data “0110010” is the
obtained original information data.
CONCLUSION
In this proposed method the redundancy bits are
placed at the end of the data bits. This method has the
advantage of reducing the usage of bits for the
calculation of redundancy bits. Here we are using 19
bits for calculation of redundancy bits while in
previous method we used 20 bits and it includes the
advantage that there is no position change of
information data during the entire process and it is
easy to remove (decode) the redundancy bits from the
encoded data. So that large number of data can be
easily transmitted, corrected and decoded. It is used
only for single bit error correction. Because of these
features this method is most suitable than the
previous existing method.
REFERENCES
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Correcting Codes (2nd ed.). Cambridge, MA: MIT
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1989.
[3] W. Xiong, and D. W. Matolak, “Performance of
Hamming Codes in Systems Employing Different
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