Abstract
In this paper, we derive a lower bound on the minimum decoding delay for convolutional network codes, which provides us with a guide line in the performance of decoding delay for convolutional network code decoders. The lower bound can be achievable by the sequential decoder introduced by E. Erez and F. Feder. Then we discuss the relationship between the network topology and the minimum decoding delay. Finally, we illustrate our results by an example.
