Patent ID: 7603607

Claim:
A decoding unit for performing decoding in a block unit of a predetermined number of signals, comprising: likelihood storing means for extracting and storing a first signal of a lowest likelihood and a second signal the lowest in likelihood next to said first signal with respect to said predetermined number of signals included in one block unit; selecting means for selecting one of the first and second signals for each signal in said one block unit such that a signal the lowest in likelihood other than the each signal in said one block unit is selected, said selecting means including position information storing means for storing positional information on a position of said first signal stored in said likelihood storing means in a series of the signals in said one block unit, and signal selecting means for selecting one of the first and second signals according to a result of comparison between the positional information of each signal in said one block unit and the positional information stored in said position information storing means to select said signal the lowest in likelihood other than the each signal; and reception signal estimating means for producing a new signal from the signal selected by said selecting means and signs of the signals in said one block unit, to produce a series of estimated signals of the signals in said one block unit.