Patent ID: 7099408

Claim:
A signal processing apparatus for reproducing an original recorded signal a k from a predetermined channel signal y(t), the apparatus comprising: a maximum error region determining unit which determines a region having a maximum likelihood of error from the channel signal y(t); an optimal path searching unit which uses only an error signal at the region having the maximum likelihood of error determined by the maximum error region determining unit to find a minimum error generation path and to correct a part of the channel signal; and a signal recovery unit which applies a predetermined algorithm to the channel signal y(t) in which the part of the signal has been corrected by the optimal path searching unit in order to recover the original recorded signal a k , wherein; the maximum error region determining unit determines an interval, during which a probability of an input of a channel, from which the channel signal y(t) is reproduced, not being the same as an output of the channel is higher than a reference error rate determined by characteristics of the channel, to be the region having the maximum likelihood of error.