Patent EA-002993-B1 (EA)
Title: Error correction encoding a data stream of information
Inventor: VAN DEN ENDEN GIJSBERT J
IPC: H03M13/15
Filed: 2000-05-29
Abstract: 1. Apparatus for error correction encoding a data stream of information into blocks of error correction encoded information, the apparatus comprising: - input means for receiving the data stream of information, - error correction encoding means for carrying out an error correction encoding step on portions of said data stream of information so as to obtain said blocks of error correction encoded information, a block of error correction encoded information comprising a plurality of n sync blocks, each sync block comprising a sync word and a portion of said error correction encoded information, where n is a positive integer larger than 4, - output means for supplying said blocks of error correction encoded information, characterized in that the error correction encoding means are adapted to supply one of m mutually different sync words to each of said n sync blocks in said block of error correction encoded information, such that the sequence of two sync words of two subsequent sync blocks in the block of error correction encoded information is unique for each two subsequent sync blocks in the block of error correction encoded information, m being an integer for which holds 2 < m < n. 2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the error correction encoding means are further adapted to supply a specific one of said m sync words only to the first sync block of said n sync blocks in each of said blocks of error correction encoded information. 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the error correction encoding means are further adapted to carry out a channel encoding step on either the data stream of information or on the error correction encoded data stream of information. 4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that it further comprises means for writing said blocks of error correction encoded information on a record carrier. 5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the error correction encoding means are adapted to supply a sync word to each of said n sync blocks in said block of error correction encoded information, such that a group of two sync words, one sync block in the block of error correction encoded information and the other in the next block of error correction encoded information and being separated by q sync blocks is unique for each group of two sync blocks in the two blocks of error correction encoded information. 6. Method for carrying out the error correction encoding in the apparatus as claimed in claims 1 to 5. 7. Record carrier having blocks of error correction encoded information recorded in a track on said record corner, obtained with the apparatus as claimed in claim 4. 8. Apparatus for error correcting blocks of error correction encoded information into a serial data stream of information, a block of error correction encoded information comprising a plurality of n sync blocks, each sync block comprising a sync word and a portion of said error correction encoded information, where n is a positive integer larger than 3, the apparatus comprising: - input means for receiving the blocks of error correction encoded information, - error correction means for carrying out an error correction step on said blocks of error correction encoded information so as to obtain blocks of error corrected information, - output means for supplying said blocks of error corrected information as a serial data stream of information, characterized in that said error correction means is adapted to detect m mutually different sync words, where m is an integer smaller than n, the error correction means comprising detection means for detecting two sync words in the blocks of error correction encoded information, said two sync words being the sync words of the i th and j th sync block in a block of error correction encoded information, so as to identify the position of the said i th and j th sync block in said block of error correction encoded information. 9. Apparatus for error correcting blocks of error correction encoded information into a serial data stream of information, a block of error correction encoded information comprising a plurality of n sync blocks, each sync block comprising a sync word and a portion of said error correction encoded information, where n is a positive integer larger than 3, the apparatus comprising: - input means for receiving the blocks of error correction encoded information, - error correction means for carrying out an error correction step on said blocks of error correction encoded information so as to obtain blocks of error corrected information, - output means for supplying said blocks of error corrected information as a serial data stream of information, characterized in that said error correction means is adapted to detect m mutually different sync words, where m is an integer smaller than n, the error correction means comprising detection means for detecting p sync words of p subsequent sync blocks in a block of error correction encoded information, where p is an integer larger than 2, the detection means being adapted to identify the position of the at least one central sync block of said p subsequent sync blocks using the detected sync words of the first and last sync blocks of the said p subsequent sync blocks in said block of error correction encoded information. 10. Apparatus for error correcting blocks of error correction encoded information into a serial data stream of information, a block of error correction encoded information comprising a plurality of n sync blocks, each sync block comprising a sync word and a portion of said error correction encoded information, where n is a positive integer larger than 3, the apparatus comprising: - input means for receiving the blocks of error correction encoded information, - error correction means for carrying out an error correction step on said blocks of error correction encoded information so as to obtain blocks of error corrected information, - output means for supplying said blocks of error corrected information as a serial data stream of information, characterized in that said error correction means is adapted to detect m mutually different sync words, where m is an integer smaller than n, the error correction means comprising detection means for detecting two sync words in the blocks of error correction encoded information and the distance between said two sync words, expressed in numbers of sync blocks, said two sync words being the sync words of the i th and j th sync block in a block of error correction encoded information, so as to identify the position of the said i th and j th sync block in said block of error correction encoded information, using said two sync words detected and said distance. 11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that said identifying step for identifying said position makes use of a conversion table.