Patent ID: 8671325

Claim:
An error correcting code decoder apparatus for detecting and correcting errors in a received codeword, the codeword including (i) a first plurality of symbols and (ii) a second plurality of symbols different than the first plurality of symbols, the apparatus comprising: a syndrome calculator having a first input configured to receive the first plurality of symbols of the codeword, a second input configured to receive the second plurality of symbols of the codeword, a plurality of processing stages each coupled to the first input and the second input, each of the processing stages being configured to process (i) a symbol of the first plurality of symbols, and (ii) a symbol of the second plurality of symbols, during each of a plurality of iterations to generate a respective syndrome value after the plurality of iterations, and a syndrome output configured to output the respective syndrome values of the plurality of processing stages; an error locator polynomial generator having a syndrome input coupled to the syndrome output of the syndrome calculator and an error location output; and a symbol corrector having an error location input coupled to the error location output of the error locator polynomial generator.