Runtime-Reconfigurable BCH Decoder for Variable Codeword Lengths
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional BCH decoders are inflexible as they fix the maximum error limit and codeword length at instantiation time, making them unsuitable for modern systems that require dynamic reconfiguration, such as SSD FLASH controllers, which need to support various error limits and codeword lengths.
Innovation Solution
A reconfigurable BCH decoder apparatus that allows runtime adjustment of the maximum error limit and codeword length using configuration signals, enabling rapid reconfiguration and operation with different error limits and codeword lengths by calculating intermediate syndromes and correction values in parallel, and modifying syndromes to accommodate changing parameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional BCH decoder is designed with fixed maximum error limit and fixed code length, then the decoder structure is simple and instantiation is fast, but the decoder cannot be reconfigured at runtime to support different error limits and codeword lengths
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic reconfigurability by making the maximum error limit and codeword length parameters adjustable at runtime through configuration signals. The syndrome calculation circuit and key equation solving circuit can be reconfigured to operate with different parameters without requiring physical reconnection or replacement, allowing the decoder to adapt to varying system requirements dynamically.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal BCH decoder that can handle multiple different codeword lengths and maximum error limits within a single device. By designing the circuit to accept configuration signals that define the current operating parameters, the same hardware structure can serve multiple functions and support various BCH code variants, eliminating the need for multiple dedicated decoders.
2Adaptability or versatility
If BCH decoder supports multiple different maximum error limits and codeword lengths, then the system becomes adaptable to various applications, but the silicon area required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses dynamic parameter configuration to allow a single decoder instance to support multiple different maximum error limits and codeword lengths. By adjusting the configuration signals at runtime, the same hardware resources are reused for different parameter sets, avoiding the need to instantiate multiple parallel decoders and significantly reducing the required silicon area.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of the decoder (maximum error limit and codeword length) through configuration signals rather than through physical structural changes. This allows the system to support various applications with different parameters while maintaining the same hardware footprint, as the parameters are modified logically rather than physically.
3Ease of operation
If BCH decoder is reconfigured at runtime with different parameters, then the system becomes flexible for modern storage systems, but the reconfiguration process requires additional circuitry and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent prepares the decoder for reconfiguration by pre-structuring the circuit to accept configuration signals that define the current operating parameters. The syndrome calculation and key equation solving circuits are designed with built-in flexibility to accommodate different parameters without requiring complex reconfiguration logic, as the preliminary design already anticipates parameter variations.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus generally having a port, a first circuit and a second circuit is disclosed. The port may be configured to receive a current length of a codeword. The current length may be less than a maximum length of the codeword that the apparatus is designed to decode. The first circuit may be configured to calculate in parallel (i) a sequence of intermediate syndromes from the codeword and (ii) a sequence of correction values based on the current length. The second circuit may be configured to generate a particular number of updated syndromes by modifying the intermediate syndromes with the correction values. The particular number is generally twice a maximum error limit of the codeword.