Error correction decoding method and apparatus

1. An error correction decoding method, comprising:

(a) outputting data corresponding to input codewords by referring to a lookup table, which stores data and corresponding codewords;

(b) outputting predetermined error values if there are no matches for the input codewords in the lookup table;

(c) forming an error correction block by arraying the data output in step (a) or the error values output in step (b); and

(d) performing an error correction decoding process, without allowing codes constituting the error correction block to exchange erasure information with one another, by referring to locations of the error values in the error correction block and a number of errors in the error correction block.

2. The error correction decoding method of claim 1 , wherein the error correction block comprises at least one error correction code having a one-dimensional or two-dimensional array structure.

3. The error correction decoding method of claim 2 , wherein the error correction codes are linear block codes.

4. The error correction decoding method of claim 3 , wherein step (d) comprises:

(d1) error correction decoding a first code, selected among the codes constituting the error correction block, by referring to the locations of the error values and the number of errors in the error correction block; and

(d2) error correction decoding a second code, which has not been selected among the codes constituting the error correction block, by referring to the locations of the error values, the number of errors in the error correction block, and a result of the error correction decoding performed in step (d1).

5. The error correction decoding method of claim 4 , wherein in step (d1), if the number of errors is beyond an error correction capability of the first code, remaining non-erroneous data in the first code is decoded without correcting the errors in the error correction block.

6. The error correction decoding method of claim 4 , wherein in step (d2), if the result of the error correction decoding process performed in step (d1) shows that the number of errors in the second code is beyond an error correction capability of the second code, remaining non-erroneous data in the second code is decoded without correcting the errors.

7. The error correction decoding method of claim 4 further comprising:

repeatedly performing steps (d1) and (d2).

8. The error correction decoding method of claim 4 , wherein the error correction block comprises a product code.

9. The error correction decoding method of claim 8 , wherein the product code is a Reed-Solomon product code.

10. The error correction decoding method of claim 3 , wherein step (d) comprises:

(d1) error correction decoding a first code, which is selected among the codes constituting the error correction block, by referring to the locations of the error values and the number of errors in the error correction block; and

(d2) error correction decoding a second code, which has not been selected among the codes constituting the error correction block, by referring to the locations of the error values and the number of errors in the error correction block.

11. The error correction decoding method of claim 10 , wherein in step (d1), if the number of errors in the error correction block is beyond the error correction capability of the first code, remaining non-erroneous data in the first code is decoded without correcting the errors.

12. The error correction decoding method of claim 10 , wherein in step (d2), if the number of errors is beyond the error correction capability of the second code, remaining non-erroneous data in the second code is decoded without correcting the errors.

13. The error correction decoding method of claim 10 further comprising:

repeatedly performing steps (d1) and (d2).

14. The error correction decoding method of claim 10 , wherein the error correction block comprises a picket code.

15. An error correction decoding apparatus, comprising:

a lookup table, which stores codewords for data;

a first decoder, which outputs data corresponding to input codewords by referring to the lookup table and outputs predetermined error values if there are no matches for the input codewords in the lookup table; and

a second decoder, which forms an error correction block using the data or the error values output from the first decoder and performs an error correction decoding process, without allowing codes of the error correction block to exchange erasure information with one another, by referring to locations of the error values and a number of errors in the error correction block.

16. The error correction decoding apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the error correction block comprises at least one error correction code having a one-dimensional or two-dimensional array structure.

17. The error correction decoding apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the second decoder error correction decodes a first code, which is selected among the codes constituting the error correction block, by referring to the locations of the error values and the number of errors in the error correction block and then error correction decodes a second code, which has not been selected among the codes constituting the error correction block, by referring to the locations of the error values, the number of errors in the error correction block, and a result of the error correction decoding of the first code.

18. The error correction decoding apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the second decoder decodes remaining non-erroneous data in the first code without correcting the errors if a number of errors in the first code is beyond an error correction capability of the first code.

19. The error correction decoding apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the second decoder decodes remaining non-erroneous data in the second code without correcting the errors if the result of the error correction decoding of the first code shows that the number of errors in the second code is beyond an error correction capability of the second code.

20. The error correction decoding apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the second decoder repeatedly error correction decodes the first or second code by referring to the result of the error correction decoding of the first or second code.

21. The error correction decoding apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the second decoder error correction decodes a first code, which is selected among the codes of the error correction block, by referring to the locations of the error values and the number of errors in the first code and then error correction decodes the second code, which has not been error-corrected among the codes of the error correction block.

22. The error correction decoding apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the second decoder decodes remaining non-erroneous data without correcting the errors in the error correction block if the number of errors in the first code is beyond the error correction capability of the first code.

23. The error correction decoding apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the second decoder decodes remaining non-erroneous data without correcting the errors if the number of errors in the second code is beyond the error correction capability of the second code.

24. The error correction decoding apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the second decoder repeatedly error correction decodes the first or second code by referring to a result of the error correction decoding of the first or second code.

25. The error correction decoding method of claim 1 , wherein the data stored in the lookup table is a predetermined size.

26. The error correction decoding apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the data stored in the lookup table is a predetermined size.