Error correction method and apparatus
AssigneeCirrus Logic, Inc.
InventorsChristopher P. Zook, Neal Glover, John J. Schadegg, Jr.
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Abstract
A magnetic disk storage device employing an on-the-fly, multiple burst error correction system for detecting and correcting errors in data sectors stored on a magnetic disk, wherein each data sector comprises a data field and multiple sync marks for synchronizing to the data field. Multiple sync marks improve the probability of successful byte synchronization to the data field in the presence of noise in the system, such as defects in the storage medium. Further, a sync mark may be embedded within the data field to facilitate byte resynchronization when synchronization is lost.
Claims53
An error correction system comprising:
- a first interface coupled to a rotating disk storage system which handles a medium having formatted sectors (data blocks) with data fields interdispersed therein;
- a second interface coupled to a host;
- a multi-purpose data buffer coupled between said first and second interfaces for storing a varying number of uncorrected and corrected data blocks;
- a correction controller which coordinates the activities of (i) a first transfer said uncorrected data blocks from said first interface to said data buffer;
- (ii) on-the-fly correction of multiple random errors within uncorrected data fields of the formatted sectors of said uncorrected data blocks stored within the data buffer to form corrected data blocks, and (iii) a second transfer of said corrected data blocks from the data buffer to said second interface, wherein performance of said activities (i), (ii), and (iii) is asynchronous in time relative to each other and at times executed simultaneously on different sectors in an asynchronously overlapped manner, thereby correcting multiple randomly located symbol errors recorded on the rotating disk medium.
An error correction method for correcting multiple randomly located symbol errors recorded on a rotating disk medium having formatted sectors with data fields interdispersed therein, the method comprising:
- (i) performing a first transfer of uncorrected data blocks from a first interface to said data buffer;
- the first interface being coupled to a rotating disk storage system which handles the rotating disk medium;
- (ii) correcting multiple random errors on-the-fly within uncorrected data fields of the formatted sectors of said uncorrected data blocks stored within the data buffer to form corrected data blocks;
- and
- (iii) performing a second transfer of said corrected data blocks from the data buffer to said second interface;
- wherein steps (i), (ii), and (iii) are asynchronous performed in time relative to each other and at times executed simultaneously on different sectors in an asynchronously overlapped manner, whereby multiple randomly located symbol errors recorded on the rotating disk medium are corrected.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.