DNA Data Reconstruction Trellises for IDS Error Correction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing DNA data storage systems face significant challenges in reducing errors due to insertion, deletion, and substitution (IDS) errors, which current outer and inner codes have not adequately addressed, leading to inefficiencies in encoding and decoding operations.

Innovation Solution

The use of trellis-based reconstruction algorithms and inner codes that model the DNA sequencing channel as a finite state machine, allowing for the construction of independent trellises for multiple noisy traces, and employing a forward-backward algorithm to compute posterior marginal probabilities and iteratively refine the data message sequence estimation, leveraging redundancy within DNA sequences.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If outer codes and inner codes are used to mitigate IDS errors in DNA data storage, then error detection and correction capability is improved, but encoding and decoding complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveerror detection and correction capabilityVSAvoidencoding and decoding complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the error correction task by separating outer codes (for recovering lost DNA sequences) from inner codes (for correcting errors within individual strands). This segmentation allows each code type to be optimized independently, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive error protection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces trellis-based reconstruction algorithms as an intermediary layer between the DNA sequencing channel and the outer/inner codes. This intermediary processes noisy traces to reconstruct original DNA sequences before error correction, simplifying the burden on traditional error correction codes and reducing their complexity requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If redundant bases are introduced in inner codes to correct errors within a single DNA strand, then error correction capability is improved, but storage density decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveerror correction capabilityVSAvoidstorage density
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies partial redundancy by introducing redundant bases only in specific positions within DNA strands where error correction is most needed, rather than uniformly across all positions. This selective approach provides sufficient error correction capability while minimizing the impact on storage density.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements local quality by varying the redundancy structure at different positions within the DNA strand. Inner codes are designed with position-dependent redundancy patterns that provide enhanced error correction where synthesis and sequencing errors are most likely to occur, while maintaining higher information density in less error-prone regions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Reliability

If multiple DNA strands are synthesized and sequenced to recover data, then error mitigation through redundancy is improved, but the number of sequencing operations and computational processing increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveerror mitigation capabilityVSAvoidsequencing and processing efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary action by constructing trellis models and computing forward-backward probabilities before final data reconstruction. This pre-processing of multiple noisy traces allows the system to identify and correct errors early in the decoding process, reducing the need for extensive re-sequencing and iterative processing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements feedback mechanisms through the forward-backward algorithm, where decoding results from multiple strands are fed back into the trellis model to refine probability estimates. This feedback loop enables the system to progressively improve reconstruction accuracy without requiring a linear increase in the number of sequencing operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP4252351B1Trellis based reconstruction algorithms and inner codes for DNA data storage
Publication Date: 2026.03.04 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC
  • EP4252351B1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP4252351B1 patent drawingFigure 1B
  • EP4252351B1 patent drawingFigure 1C

AI summary

Techniques for achieving reductions in cost of encoding and decoding operations used in DNA data storage systems to facilitate reducing errors in those encoding and decoding operations while accounting for a code structure used during the encoding and decoding by constructing and using insertion-deletion-substitution (IDS) trellises for multiple traces are disclosed. A DNA sequencing channel is used to randomly sample and sequence DNA strands to generate noisy traces. Multiple trellises are independently constructed for each respective noisy trace. A forward-backward algorithm is run on each trellis to compute posterior marginal probabilities for vertices included in each trellises. An estimate of the data message sequence is then computed.