METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SOFT-IN SOFT-OUT TURBO CODE DECODER

Method and apparatus for Soft In Soft Out Turbo Code Decoder. Metrics are received by a decoder having SISO unit(s). The SISO unit computes all the alpha values corresponding to a block of data. Of the alpha values computed some alpha values, for example alpha values selected at regular intervals, corresponding to checkpoint values are pushed on a checkpoint stack. Alpha values are computed with some being saved as checkpoint values and some being discarded are computed until the computation reaches a predetermined distance from the end of the block of data. Once the predetermined distance is reached all alpha values are pushed on a computation stack. Once all the values corresponding to the values between the predetermined end of the block and the end of the block have been computed and placed in the computation stack they may be combined with beta values to produce extrinsic values. Once all the values have been used from the computation stack the next checkpoint value can be used to compute another computation stack of alpha values. The alpha values can then be combined with beta values to form extrinsic values and the process continued.