Error correcting decoding apparatus of extended Reed-Solomon code, and error correcting apparatus of singly or doubly extended Reed-Solomon codes

An error correcting decoding apparatus of an extended Reed-Solomon code comprising:

• syndrome generating means for computing from an incoming received word its syndrome;
• received word memory means for storing said received word;
• error number estimating means for estimating a number of errors having occurred in said received word from the syndrome computed by the syndrome generating means;
• Euclidean algorithm computing means for computing an error-locator polynomial and an error-value polynomial by Euclidean algorithm after setting initial values and an ending condition for computing the error-locator polynomial and the error-value polynomial in accordance with the number of errors estimated by said error number estimating means;
• Chien's search means for computing error locations and error values based on the error-locator polynomial and the error-value polynomial computed by said Euclidean algorithm computing means;
• and
• error correcting means for correcting errors of said received word stored in said received word memory means in response to a result computed by said Chien's search means,
• wherein said error number estimating means makes a decision, about an extended Reed-Solomon code with a minimum distance of d, from values of the syndrome of said received word, which is computed by said syndrome generating means, whether any error is present or not, and if any error is present, whether a number of the errors is less than ((d-1)/2), equal to ((d-1)/2), or greater than ((d-1)/2),
• wherein said Euclidean algorithm computing means skips, if said error number estimating means makes a decision that the number of errors is greater than ((d-1)/2), the computing of the error-locator polynomial and the error-value polynomial by the Euclidean algorithm,
• wherein said Chien's search means skips, if said error number estimating means makes a decision that the number of errors is greater than ((d-1)/2), the computing of the error locations and error values the Chien's search, and
• wherein said error correcting means outputs said received word stored in said received word memory means without correction, if said error number estimating means makes a decision that the number of errors is greater than ((d-1)/2).

An error correcting apparatus of a doubly extended Reed-Solomon code comprising:

• syndrome generating means for computing from an incoming received word its syndromes;
• received word memory means for storing said received word;
• Berlekamp-Massey algorithm computing means for sequentially computing an error-locator polynomial by performing Berlekamp-Massey algorithm using the syndromes generated by said syndrome generating means while controlling whether to use a syndrome having error information about a doubly extended component in accordance with a length of a formal shift register;
• Chien's search means for computing error locations by performing Chien's search on the error-locator polynomial computed by said Berlekamp-Massey algorithm computing means;
• error value generating means for computing, if a number of error locations computed by said Chien's search means is appropriate, error values using the syndrome polynomial generated from the syndromes computed by said syndrome generating means;
• and
• error correcting means for correcting errors of said received word stored in said received word memory means in response to the error locations computed by said Chien's search means and the error values computed by said error value generating means.