PIPELINED BERLEKAMP-MASSEY ERROR LOCATOR POLYNOMIAL GENERATING APPARATUS AND METHOD

The present invention provides an apparatus for generating an error locator polynomial from a plurality of partial syndromes. The partial syndromes are generated from a data sector sequentially read from a storage medium. The apparatus comprises discrepancy circuitry, correction polynomial circuitry, connection polynomial circuitry, and a control circuitry. The discrepancy circuitry is configured to receive a selected partial syndrome for generating a discrepancy .DELTA..sup.(k). The correction polynomial circuitry is configured to receive the kth discrepancy .DELTA..sup.(k) from the discrepancy circuitry for generating an associated correction polynomial T(z). The connection polynomial circuitry is configured to receive the kth discrepancy .DELTA..sup.(k) from the discrepancy circuitry for generating an associated connection polynomial .LAMBDA..sup.(k) (z). The control circuitry provides sequencing and control signals to the discrepancy circuitry, the correction polynomial circuitry, and the connection polynomial circuitry in accordance with Berlekamp-Massey algorithm. The connection polynomial circuitry outputs the kth connection polynomial .LAMBDA..sup.(k) (z) as an error locator polynomial when k is equal to the total number of partial syndromes.