IP Library Granted Patent US 10,979,072
Granted Patent B2
US 10,979,072 · App. 16/357,522 · Granted Apr 13, 2021

Punctured bit estimation and bit error rate estimation

Inventors: Ran Zamir (San Jose, CA); Eran Sharon (San Jose, CA); Idan Goldenberg (San Jose, CA); Dudy David Avraham (San Jose, CA)
Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
H03M13/1128G06F17/15H03M13/1168
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,979,072
App. No.
16/357,522
Granted
Apr 13, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method for punctured bit estimation includes receiving a punctured codeword. The method further includes generating a reconstructed codeword using the punctured codeword and at least one punctured bit having a default logic value. The method further includes generating a syndrome vector for the reconstructed codeword. The method further includes determining, using the syndrome vector, a number of unsatisfied parity-checks for the at least one punctured bit. The method further includes determining, for the at least one punctured bit, a bit value using, at least, the number of unsatisfied parity-checks associated with the at least one punctured bit.

Claims (39)

1. A method for punctured bit estimation performed by an error correction code (ECC) module, the method comprising:

a bit estimator of the ECC module receiving a punctured codeword from one or more memory dies;

the bit estimator padding at least one punctured bit of the punctured codeword with a default logic value, thereby generating a reconstructed codeword;

the bit estimator generating a syndrome vector for the reconstructed codeword;

the bit estimator determining, using the syndrome vector, a number of unsatisfied parity-checks for the reconstructed codeword;

the bit estimator determining, for the at least one punctured bit, a bit value using, at least, the number of unsatisfied parity-checks associated with the at least one punctured bit; and

the ECC module performing an error correction process to correct erroneous bits in the reconstructed codeword.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the default logic value is 0.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bit estimator generating the syndrome vector comprises performing a dot product operation on a parity-check matrix H used to generate parity bits for the reconstructed codeword and a current bit values vector which is a vector of current bit values of the reconstructed codeword.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the parity-check matrix is associated with parity bits of the reconstructed codeword.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the current bit values vector includes a vector of current bit values of the reconstructed codeword.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bit estimator determining the number of unsatisfied parity-checks for the at least one punctured bit comprises calculating, for the at least one punctured bit, a sum of syndrome values of the syndrome vector that are associated with the at least one punctured bit.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bit estimator determining the bit value for the at least one punctured bit comprises using a variable degree associated with the at least one punctured bit.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the bit estimator determining the bit value for the at least one punctured bit comprises determining a majority vote using the number of unsatisfied parity-checks associated with the at least one punctured bit and the variable degree associated with the at least one punctured bit.

9. A controller comprising:

a bus interface configured to receive a punctured codeword; and

an error correction code (ECC) module comprising a processor, wherein the processor comprises:

the bit estimator configured to

pad at least one punctured bit of the punctured codeword with a default logic value, thereby generating a reconstructed codeword;

generate a syndrome vector for the reconstructed codeword;

determine, using the syndrome vector, a number of unsatisfied parity-checks for the reconstructed codeword;

determine, for the at least one punctured bit, a bit value using, at least, the number of unsatisfied parity-checks associated with the at least one punctured bit; and

wherein the ECC module is further configured to perform an error correction process to correct erroneous bits in the reconstructed codeword.

10. The controller of claim 9 , wherein the default logic value is 0.

11. The controller of claim 9 , wherein the bit estimator is further configured to generate the syndrome vector by performing a dot product operation on a parity-check matrix H used to generate parity bits for the reconstructed codeword and a current bit values vector which is a vector of the current bit values of the reconstructed codeword.

12. The controller of claim 11 , wherein the parity-check matrix is associated with parity bits of the reconstructed codeword.

13. The controller of claim 11 , wherein the current bit values vector includes a vector of current bit values of the reconstructed codeword.

14. The controller of claim 9 , wherein the bit estimator is further configured to determine the number of unsatisfied parity-checks for the at least one punctured bit by calculating, for the at least one punctured bit, a sum of syndrome values of the syndrome vector that are associated with the at least one punctured bit.

15. The controller of claim 9 , wherein the bit estimator is further configured to determine the bit value for the at least one punctured bit using a variable degree associated with the at least one punctured bit.

16. The controller of claim 15 , wherein the bit estimator is further configured to determine the bit value for the at least one punctured bit by determining a majority vote using the number of unsatisfied parity-checks associated with the at least one punctured bit and the variable degree associated with the at least one punctured bit.

17. A method for bit error rate estimation, comprising:

a bit estimator of an error correction code (ECC) module calculating an initial syndrome weight of an initially reconstructed codeword using syndrome values of a first syndrome vector associated with the initially reconstructed codeword;

the bit estimator padding at least one punctured bit of the initially reconstructed codeword with a default logic value, thereby generating a modified reconstructed codeword;

the bit estimator generating a second syndrome vector for the modified reconstructed codeword by performing a dot product operation on a parity-check matrix H used to generate parity bits for the modified reconstructed codeword and a current bit values vector which is a vector of current bit values of the modified reconstructed codeword;

the bit estimator calculating an updated syndrome weight using the initial syndrome weight and the modified reconstructed codeword; and

the bit estimator estimating a bit error rate for a codeword, read from a memory die, using the updated syndrome weight.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the default logic value is 0.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the parity-check matrix is associated with parity bits of the modified reconstructed codeword.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the current bit values vector includes a vector of current bit values of the modified reconstructed codeword.

Assignments (10)
PARTIAL RELEASE OF SECURITY INTERESTS Recorded Apr 25, 2025
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS AGENT
To: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 071382/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 25, 2025
From: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 071050/0001 →
PATENT COLLATERAL AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 23, 2024
From: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS THE AGENT
Reel/Frame 068762/0494 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jun 27, 2024
From: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 067982/0032 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 29, 2024
From: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 067567/0682 →
PATENT COLLATERAL AGREEMENT - A&R LOAN AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 21, 2023
From: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 064715/0001 →
PATENT COLLATERAL AGREEMENT - DDTL LOAN AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 21, 2023
From: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 067045/0156 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL 052915 FRAME 0566 Recorded Feb 8, 2022
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
To: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 059127/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 6, 2020
From: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS AGENT
Reel/Frame 052915/0566 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 19, 2019
From: ZAMIR, RAN; SHARON, ERAN; GOLDENBERG, IDAN; AVRAHAM, DUDY DAVID
To: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 048633/0088 →