Patent ID: 7219288

Claim:
A decoding method for delivering soft-decision outputs from codeword symbols encoded with a Low-Density Parity Check code, said code comprising a number of codeword symbols checked by a number of parity check equations, wherein each parity check equation checks a limited number of codeword symbols and each codeword symbol is checked by a limited number of parity check equations, the method comprising the acts of: determining a minimum value from an input sequence of input reliability values associated with a set of codeword symbols checked by a same parity check equation; and forming an output sequence including output reliability values associated with the input reliability values, the output reliability values including only the minimum value, and a next minimum value being a second smallest value of the input reliability values and being located at an output location in the output sequence corresponding to an input location of the minimum value in the input sequence; wherein the determining act includes sub-acts of: reading a reliability value from the input sequence of input reliability values, comparing said reliability value with a stored value, and overwriting the stored value with said reliability value if said reliability value is smaller than said stored value.