Patent ID: 7085992

Claim:
A method for decoding a sequence of physical signals, comprising: carrying out a Viterbi algorithm a first time for all physical signals, as a result of which a maximum likelihood path is determined along the overall trellis which results on the basis of the Viterbi algorithm, and with one signal value being determined for each physical signal; determining a reliability value for each signal value of the maximum likelihood path determined on the basis of the Viterbi algorithm; carrying out the Viterbi algorithm a second time, with the following method steps being carried out iteratively until all the signal values of the determined trellis have been taken into account: a) selecting one subregion of the trellis, with that subregion having a partial initial signal value and a partial end signal value on the maximum likelihood path; b) determining at least one further path in that subregion of the trellis which ends at the partial end signal value of the maximum likelihood path; c) comparing each signal value on the further path with each signal value on the maximum likelihood path; d) forming the minimum of the reliability value associated with the signal value and of the reliability value of the partial end signal value for each signal value on the maximum likelihood path, wherein e) the reliability value or the minimum is selected and is associated with the respective signal value according to a predetermined criterion; and using the determined signal values and the selected reliability values associated with the signal values as the decoded sequence.