Abstract: A data coding method produces codewords with a scheme that changes for different codewords, and decodes codewords with a scheme that remains constant for all codewords. The coding method receives k user bits, codes the user bits to produce k+r output bits, corrupts any one of the output bits, and accurately reproduces at least k?r?1 user bits. Codewords coded using the appropriate initial conditions are output. For each codeword, the appropriate initial conditions are appended to the codeword coded therefrom.

Abstract: Herein described is a system and a method of detecting and correcting data bit errors using a sequence of one or more codewords transmitted through a communication channel without intersymbol interference. Each of the one or more codewords incorporates or encodes one or more parity bits. The codewords are processed by a Non-ISI Meta-Viterbi detector that utilizes a Meta-Viterbi algorithm. The Non-ISI Meta-Viterbi detector comprises an event weight processor, a computational circuitry, a parity syndrome calculator, and an error correction circuitry. The Non-ISI Meta-Viterbi detector receives an output generated from a symbol detector and processes the received output using a trellis having 2t states. In a representative embodiment, the overall implementation complexity of the Non-ISI Meta-Viterbi detector is bounded by no more than ?+(2/3)2t2t operations.

Abstract: Herein described is a system and a method of detecting and correcting data bit errors using a sequence of one or more codewords transmitted through a communication channel without intersymbol interference. Each of the one or more codewords incorporates or encodes one or more parity bits. The codewords are processed by a Non-ISI Meta-Viterbi detector that utilizes a Meta-Viterbi algorithm. The Non-ISI Meta-Viterbi detector comprises an event weight processor, a computational circuitry, a parity syndrome calculator, and an error correction circuitry. The Non-ISI Meta-Viterbi detector receives an output generated from a symbol detector and processes the received output using a trellis having 2t states. In a representative embodiment, the Non-ISI Meta-Viterbi detector performs ?+2t2t add, compare, and select operations.

Abstract: Herein described is a system and a method of detecting and correcting data bit errors using a sequence of one or more codewords transmitted through a communication channel characterized by intersymbol interference. Each of the one or more codewords incorporates one or encodes one or more parity bits. The codewords are processed by a Meta-Viterbi detector that utilizes a Meta-Viterbi algorithm. The Meta-Viterbi detector comprises an event weight processor, a computational circuitry, a parity syndrome calculator, and an error correction circuitry. The Meta-Viterbi detector receives an output generated from a Viterbi detector having 2s states and processes the received output using a trellis diagram having 2t states.

Abstract: An apparatus has a conversion circuit, a precoder circuit, and a selection circuit. The conversion circuit converts user data b1, b2, b3 . . . bk to a coded sequence c0, c1, c2 . . . cq. The selection circuit selects c0 in the coded sequence c0, c1, c2 . . . cq such that the output of the precoder circuit has less than a maximum number q of transitions. The conversion circuit may include an encoder circuit to convert user data b1, b2, b3 . . . bk to a sequence c1, c2 . . . cq, and a transition minimization circuit to add c0 to the sequence c1, c2 . . . cq. The apparatus may have a circuit to add at least one additional bit, which may be a parity bit, to the coded sequence c0, c1, c2 . . . cq.

Abstract: An apparatus has a conversion circuit, a precoder circuit, and a selection circuit. The conversion circuit converts user data b1, b2, b3 . . . bk to a coded sequence c0, c1, c2 . . . cq. The selection circuit selects c0 in the coded sequence c0, c1, c2 . . . cq such that the output of the precoder circuit has less than a maximum number q of transitions. The conversion circuit may include an encoder circuit to convert user data b1, b2, b3 . . . bk to a sequence c1, c2 . . . cq, and a transition minimization circuit to add c0 to the sequence c1, c2 . . . cq. The apparatus may have a circuit to add at least one additional bit, which may be a parity bit, to the coded sequence c0, c1, c2 . . . cq.

Abstract: One or more methods and systems are presented for performing gain and timing acquisition of data read from one or more data sectors of a hard disk drive. The gain and timing information may be used to synchronize a read channel receiver of the hard disk drive to the data read from the data sector(s). In a representative embodiment, the one or more methods comprises determining one or more frequency and phase offsets using one or more preambles of one or more data sectors residing in a hard disk drive. In a representative embodiment, the gain of the one or more preambles may be determined. In another representative embodiment, the one or more systems used to determine one or more phase and frequency offsets, and amplitudes, comprise hardware and/or software capable of utilizing a sequence of consecutive samples provided by one or more preambles of one or more data sectors.

Abstract: One or more methods and systems of effectively retrieving data stored in a media of a storage device are presented. The one or more methods and systems are implemented by way of correcting and detecting errors using a multi-stage decoding process. In one embodiment, the storage device comprises a magnetic hard drive. In one embodiment, the system and method applies an encoding/decoding technique that allows error correction and detection to be performed over a number of successive decode stages or processing stages. Use of the system and method increases the maximum number of symbol errors that may be corrected in an encoded codeword, providing an improvement in data recovery.

Abstract: A calculator for use in a maximum likelihood detector, including: a receiver for receiving convolution encoded data which may include noise; first calculator for calculating a first component of a first path metric difference between two possible sequences of states corresponding to the convolution encoded data, the two sequences each having a length equal to a constraint length of the convolution encoded data, and the two sequences starting at a same state and ending at a same state, adapted to calculate the first component using the convolution-encoded data and using convolution encoding parameters of the convolution-encoded data, wherein the first component is independent of the two sequences; and second calculator for calculating a second component of the first path metric difference using the two sequences, wherein the second component is independent of the convolution encoded data; and using the first and second components to obtain the first path metric difference.

Abstract: A maximum likelihood detector receiving a data stream corresponding to ideal values which may include noise, and outputting information specifying a sequence of states of maximum likelihood selected from possible states corresponding to the data stream according to weighting value selections made by the processors, the ideal values being determined by the possible states, including: a pre-processor to obtain first weighting values; processors in a hierarchy, each processor in a select level of the hierarchy is programmed to use, respectively, a plurality of the weighting values to calculate subsequent weighting values indicating respective likelihoods that a section of the data stream values corresponds to each of a plurality of possible state sequences, for each possible initial state and each possible final state, to select further weighting value of highest likelihood corresponding to a state sequence from the initial state to the final state.

Abstract: An apparatus has a conversion circuit, a precoder circuit, and a selection circuit. The conversion circuit converts user data b1, b2, b3 . . . bk to a coded sequence c0, c1, c2 . . . cq. The selection circuit selects c0 in the coded sequence c0, c1, c2 . . . cq such that the output of the precoder circuit has less than a maximum number q of transitions. The conversion circuit may include an encoder circuit to convert user data b1, b2, b3 . . . bk to a sequence c1, c2 . . . cq, and a transition minimization circuit to add c0 to the sequence c1, c2 . . . cq. The apparatus may have a circuit to add at least one additional bit, which may be a parity bit, to the coded sequence c0, c1, c2 . . . cq.

Abstract: A system and method to modulate coding based on an ECC interleave structure include a first encoder encoding an input stream of bits comprising input blocks sorted into interleaves. A second encoder encodes a subset of the input blocks to produce output blocks, where the first encoder permutates a remainder of the input blocks and the output blocks to produce a codeword.

Abstract: An apparatus has a conversion circuit, a precoder circuit, and a selection circuit. The conversion circuit converts user data b1, b2, b3 . . . bk to a coded sequence c0, c1, c2 . . . cq. The selection circuit selects c0 in the coded sequence c0, c1, c2 . . . cq such that the output of the precoder circuit has less than a maximum number q of transitions. The conversion circuit may include an encoder circuit to convert user data b1, b2, b3 . . . bk to a sequence c1, c2 . . . cq, and a transition minimization circuit to add c0 to the sequence c1, c2 . . . cq. The apparatus may have a circuit to add at least one additional bit, which may be a parity bit, to the coded sequence c0, c1, c2 . . . cq.

Abstract: A system and method to modulate coding based on an ECC interleave structure include a first encoder encoding an input stream of bits comprising input blocks sorted into interleaves. A second encoder encodes a subset of the input blocks to produce output blocks, where the first encoder permutates a remainder of the input blocks and the output blocks to produce a codeword.

Abstract: A data coding method produces codewords with a scheme that changes for different codewords, and decodes codewords with a scheme that remains constant for all codewords. The coding method receives k user bits, codes the user bits to produce k+r output bits, corrupts any one of the output bits, and accurately reproduces at least k−r−1 user bits. The data coding method may code an input sequence (b0, b1, b2, . . . , bk−1) to produce a codeword c=(c(−r), c(−r+1), . . . , c(−1), c0, c1, . . .

Abstract: A method and apparatus for data retrieval from a storage media, such as magnetic disk drive. A synchronization detector decodes the synchronization information from either the first or second synchronization mark. A later stage detector then carries out several decoding iterations using the synchronization information from the synchronization detector and data stored in the first and second memories. Loss of the data between the first synchronization mark and the second synchronization mark, if there is a problem with the first synchronization mark, is avoided because the bit stream is stored in the first memory.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for encoding data using check bits for additional data protection, in addition to the time-varying maximum transition run code which eliminates data patterns producing long runs of consecutive transitions. The check bits are inserted into codewords in preselected locations. The time-varying maximum transition run code does not permit more than j transitions beginning from an even-numbered sample period and does not permit more than j+l transitions beginning from an odd-numbered sample period, wherein j>1. This time-varying maximum transition run constraint is preserved even after the check bits are inserted, regardless of the bit values of the check bits.

Abstract: A design-based tool for determining an error correction code (ECC) failure probability of an iterative decoding algorithm provides a technique for testing the effectiveness of the algorithm before the integrated circuit implementing the algorithm is built.

Abstract: In this invention a thirty three bit word is encoded from a thirty two bit word to conform to RLL coding constraints. A parity bit is added to the coded word after coding is complete. With the parity bit inserted the code satisfies a minimum Hamming weight of nine and no more than eleven consecutive zeros and no more than eleven consecutive zeros in both the odd and even interleaves. A table of “bad” eight bit sequences is used to compare the odd and even interleaves of the right and left halves of the input word that is being encoded. If a “bad” sequence is found, its position in the table points to a second table containing a four bit replacement code that is inserted into the coded output word. Flag bits in the output coded word are set to indicate the violation of the coding constraints and provide a means by which a decoder can be used to reverse the process and obtain the original input word.