Iterative ECC Decoding with Partial Parity Early Termination

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional iterative decoding processes for Error Correction Codes (ECC) like Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes often require unnecessary iterations, leading to increased power consumption and latency, as they verify all parity check equations even after convergence to a valid code word.

Innovation Solution

Implementing an early termination mechanism in the decoder that estimates the error-freeness of the data part based on a partial subgroup of parity check equations, allowing the decoding process to terminate even if some equations are unsatisfied, thereby reducing the number of iterations and focusing on correcting data bits only.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional iterative decoding processes verify all parity check equations, then decoding reliability is improved, but power consumption and latency increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedecoding reliabilityVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the parity check equations into two groups: a first group used for early termination detection and a second group used for final verification. By dividing the verification process into segments, the decoder can terminate early when the first group is satisfied, avoiding unnecessary processing of the second group while maintaining reliability through selective verification.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies partial action by verifying only a subset of parity check equations (the first group) to determine termination, rather than verifying all equations. This partial verification is sufficient for early termination decisions, reducing power consumption while maintaining adequate reliability for most decoding scenarios.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

2Reliability

If conventional iterative decoding processes verify all parity check equations, then decoding reliability is improved, but decoding time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedecoding reliabilityVSAvoiddecoding latency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the parity check equations into a first group for early termination detection and a second group for final verification. This segmentation enables the decoder to make termination decisions based on the first group, significantly reducing decoding latency when errors are successfully corrected, while the second group provides backup verification for reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses partial verification of only the first group of parity check equations to enable early termination, reducing decoding time. The second group serves as a supplementary verification mechanism that is only fully processed when needed, balancing speed and reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Use of energy by moving object

If early termination is implemented based on partial subgroup, then power consumption is reduced, but risk of undetected errors increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower consumptionVSAvoiderror detection capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Use of energy by moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments parity check equations into a first group for early termination and a second group for final verification. This segmentation allows the system to reduce power consumption by terminating early when the first group is satisfied, while maintaining error detection capability through the second group that can catch any missed errors.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The first group of parity check equations acts as an intermediary mechanism for early termination detection, while the second group serves as a backup verification layer. This intermediary approach enables power reduction through early termination while the second group mediates to ensure errors are not missed, balancing energy efficiency and reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS10848182B2Iterative decoding with early termination criterion that permits errors in redundancy part

Publication Date: 2020.11.24 APPLE INC

AI summary

An apparatus includes an interface and a decoder. The interface is configured to receive a code word, produced in accordance with an Error Correction Code (ECC) represented by a set of parity check equations. The code word includes a data part and a redundancy part, and contains one or more errors. The decoder is configured to hold a definition of a partial subgroup of the parity check equations that, when satisfied, indicate that the data part is error-free with a likelihood of at least a predefined threshold, to decode the code word by performing an iterative decoding process on the parity check equations, so as to correct the errors, and during the iterative decoding process, to estimate whether the data part is error-free based only on the partial subgroup of the parity check equations, and if the data part is estimated to be error-free, terminate the iterative decoding process.