JP2006351096A - Waveform equalizing apparatus, information reproducing apparatus, waveform equalizing method, waveform equalizing program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a waveform equalizing apparatus in which operation quantity is suppressed, calculation such as weighting addition calculation is performed for an input signal column of a wider region, and adaptation of a more appropriate equalization property can be performed. <P>SOLUTION: The waveform equalizing apparatus in which an equalization property is adapted while equalizing a waveform of an input signal column, is provided with a FIR filter 4 generating an after equalization signal column by performing the waveform equalization for the input signal column, and an equalization adaptation part 12 in which the prescribed operation using the input signal column obtained from the input signal column flowing continuously by detecting with fixed interval is performed, and a tap coefficient c(k) of the FIR filter 4 is adapted based on this operation result. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a waveform equalization apparatus, a waveform equalization method, a waveform equalization program, and a computer-readable recording medium on which a waveform equalization program is recorded in a reproduction signal system. Is.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, PRML (Partial Response Maximum Likelihood) identification systems have been used in information recording / reproducing apparatuses that record and reproduce information on a high-density recording medium.

  In PRML, it is necessary to perform waveform equalization in order to approximate the reproduced signal waveform from the recording medium to an ideal frequency characteristic assumed in the PR (Partial Response) class. That is, it is necessary to generate a post-equalization waveform sequence by convolving the input signal waveform sequence with a tap coefficient of an FIR (Finite Impulse Response) filter, and to make the signal waveform close to an ideal waveform.

  When performing this waveform equalization, the FIR filter is used in order to perform optimal equalization in response to variations in characteristics among recording media included in the reproduction signal, fluctuations in reproduction characteristics such as disc tilt and servo offset, and the like. It is necessary to adapt the equalization characteristics of the equalization means for generating the post-equalization waveform train (the post-equalization signal train). If equalization is performed using a fixed tap coefficient without adaptation, the margin for fluctuations in reproduction characteristics such as tilt becomes extremely small.

  Therefore, as one of the adaptation methods, there is a method of obtaining the tap coefficient by performing convergence calculation while gradually changing the tap coefficient in a direction in which the difference between the equalized waveform and the ideal waveform decreases most rapidly. . However, this method has the advantage that equalization can be performed without knowing the data recorded in the information, but it is vulnerable to noise and the convergence calculation diverges without converging. In particular, in a recording medium, when the recording density is high and the reproduction signal quality is low, this problem becomes remarkable.

  On the other hand, for example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-327017) discloses a method of sampling a reproduction signal from a certain number of waveform data and calculating a tap coefficient by a least square method. Yes.

Below, the outline | summary of the method disclosed by patent document 1 is demonstrated. If the partial response waveform of bit rate (clock time unit) is h _i (subscript i corresponds to time) and binary data recorded on the optical disk is a _i , the target waveform to be equalized is “Σa _k represented by _-i × _{h i} ". In this equation, the sum of the subscript “i” depends on the constraint length of the partial response. For example, if the partial response waveform has a constraint length of 5, the sum of “i” takes 1 to 5 Good. When the tap coefficient of the FIR filter is w _i , the output waveform from the FIR filter is expressed by “Σy _k−i × w _i ” where the input signal to the FIR filter is y _i . Here, the square error epsilon epsilon = sigma and _{(Σy k-i × w i} -Σa k-i × h i) 2, obtains the _{w i} that the difference between the output waveform and the target waveform is minimized by the least squares method. That is, taking the variation [delta] _epsilon for w _i for epsilon, by solving the equations to be [delta] _epsilon = 0, can be obtained w _i.

According to this method, it is possible to stably equalize a reproduction signal to an ideal waveform even when the above-described fluctuation in reproduction characteristics occurs and even when there is an influence of disturbance such as noise. Furthermore, information can be reproduced at a low error rate even during high-density reproduction.
JP 2004-327017 A (published on November 18, 2004) T. T. et al. Perkins, “A Window Margin Like Procedure for Evaluating PRML Channel Performance”, IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Vol. 31, No. 2, 1995, p1109-1114

  By the way, in the background art, a specific pattern is detected from waveform data in a certain region, and the tap coefficient is calculated in the predetermined calculation process. The calculated tap coefficient is the optimum tap coefficient for the region used for the calculation. That is, the waveform equalization method that can reduce the error rate the most is a method in which an optimum tap coefficient is derived once from an input signal sequence, and then equalization is performed using the optimum tap coefficient for the same region. It is. However, in this method, since reproduction is performed twice, it takes time to obtain a decoding result, and the amount of calculation becomes very large.

  Therefore, a method of deriving a tap coefficient using a constant region at the beginning of the input signal sequence and equalizing the subsequent portion with the derived tap coefficient can be considered, but the following problems arise.

  In order to reduce the time to calculate the tap coefficient and the amount of calculation, it is required to reduce the area used to derive the tap coefficient, but if it is too small, the entire input signal sequence (the subsequent part) will be optimized. An equalizable tap coefficient cannot be obtained. This is because a local state is reflected, and an optimum tap coefficient is obtained only for the first fixed region. Therefore, in order to obtain a tap coefficient that can optimally equalize the entire input signal, an area in the input signal sequence having a certain length is required. In this case, since tap coefficients are derived using the average information of the input signal, an optimum tap coefficient can be obtained for the whole without using all the input signals, and the error rate can be reduced.

  Also, the input signal area sufficient for obtaining the optimum tap coefficient becomes large when the reproduction signal is deviated from the optimum state. The sufficient input signal region means that the average information of the entire input signal can be estimated, and the region is sufficient for the derived tap coefficient to be optimal for the entire input signal. For example, when the reproduction environment has a characteristic variation represented by tilt or the like, it is necessary to detect a specific pattern from a wider area and accumulate data to prevent reflection of a local state. . However, the fact that a wide area is required means that the amount of calculation for adaptation increases, and power consumption and circuit scale increase.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and its purpose is to reduce the amount of calculation, perform an operation such as a weighted addition operation on an input signal sequence in a wider area, and perform more appropriate equalization. An object of the present invention is to provide a waveform equalizer capable of adapting characteristics.

  As a result of intensive studies to solve the above problems, the inventors of the present application have adapted the equalization characteristic of the equalization means based on a predetermined calculation result such as weighting calculation using an input signal sequence. It has been found that the equalization characteristic of the equalization means can be sufficiently adapted even if the input signal sequence is not continuous.

  In order to solve the above problems, a waveform equalizer according to the present invention is a waveform equalizer that applies waveform equalization to an input signal sequence and adapts its equalization characteristics. Performs a predetermined operation using an equalization means for generating a signal sequence after equalization by performing equalization, and an input signal sequence obtained by detecting an input signal sequence from a continuously flowing input signal sequence at a predetermined interval, and this operation And an equalization adapting means for adapting equalization characteristics of the equalizing means based on the result.

  According to the above configuration, the equalization characteristic adaptation performed by the equalization adaptation unit is performed by a predetermined calculation using an input signal sequence obtained by detecting a constant interval from a continuously flowing input signal sequence. Since the calculation is performed based on the calculation result, the calculation amount can be reduced as compared with the case of using the input signal sequence input continuously.

  This makes it possible to more appropriately adapt the equalization characteristics of the equalization means while suppressing the amount of calculation.

  In addition, since the adaptation is performed using an input signal sequence obtained by detecting the input signal sequence from a continuously flowing input signal sequence at a constant interval, an equalization characteristic based on a wider range of input signal sequences can be suppressed. Adaptation is possible.

  Therefore, since it is possible to perform more appropriate adaptation of the equalization characteristics with fewer operations, the power consumption of the waveform equalizer is reduced and the circuit scale is reduced while maintaining effective equalization adaptation capability. Is possible.

  In order to solve the above problems, a waveform equalizer according to the present invention is a waveform equalizer that applies waveform equalization to an input signal sequence and adapts its equalization characteristics. An equalization unit that generates a signal sequence after equalization by performing equalization, and an equalization adaptation unit that adapts an equalization characteristic of the equalization unit based on the input signal sequence, the equalization The adaptation means performs a predetermined calculation using an input signal sequence obtained by detecting the input signal sequence flowing continuously from the input signal sequence at a constant interval, accumulates the calculation result, and performs the adaptation based on the accumulation result. It is characterized by performing.

  According to the above configuration, by performing the adaptation on the input signal at intervals rather than continuously, equalization adaptation over a wide detection range is possible without increasing the calculation generated for each process. This makes it possible to reduce power consumption and reduce the circuit scale while maintaining effective equalization and adaptation capability.

  The equalization adaptation means includes path metric difference detection means for detecting a path metric difference between a correct path and an error path in a Viterbi decoding process for the equalized signal sequence, and the Viterbi decoding is performed by the path metric difference detection means. The adaptation may be performed using path metric differences sequentially calculated as the process progresses.

  Thereby, equalization adaptation can be performed using the path metric difference, the error rate can be taken into consideration for the adaptation, and errors generated by decoding can be reduced favorably.

  Further, the equalization adapting means previously calculates a path metric difference when assuming an ideal waveform signal that constitutes an ideal waveform for Viterbi decoding, among path metric differences sequentially calculated as the Viterbi decoding process progresses. A specific pattern detecting unit that detects a specific pattern that is a bit string that has a predetermined specific value, and among the specific patterns detected by the specific pattern detecting unit, a constant interval from a specific pattern that is continuously detected; The adaptation may be performed using the path metric difference of the input signal sequence corresponding to the specific pattern detected in step (b).

  In this case, it is possible to optimize the equalization characteristic for a pattern that easily causes an error in the Viterbi decoding process by performing equalization adaptation for a specific pattern in which the path metric difference based on the ideal waveform signal sequence has a specific value. it can.

  Furthermore, it is desirable that the equalization adapting means makes the interval between the calculation and calculation result accumulation variable according to the number of calculations and the calculation range of the predetermined calculation for the input signal sequence.

  As a result, the detection interval can be controlled in accordance with the number of detections and the detection range required for equalization adaptation, and more effective equalization adaptation can be performed in accordance with variations in circuit scale and reproduction characteristics.

  In order to solve the above problems, a waveform equalizer according to the present invention is a waveform equalizer that applies waveform equalization to an input signal sequence and adapts its equalization characteristics. Equalization means for generating an equalized signal sequence by performing equalization, equalization adaptation means for adapting equalization characteristics of the equalization means based on the input signal sequence, and the post-equalization signal Path metric difference detecting means for detecting a path metric difference between a correct path and an error path in a Viterbi decoding process for a sequence, and among the path metric differences sequentially calculated with the progress of the Viterbi decoding process, the path metric difference detecting means Each of the equalization characteristics based on an error with respect to a predetermined target value of the path metric difference in a specific pattern of the input signal sequence obtained by detecting the input signal sequence continuously flowing at a predetermined interval. It is characterized in that it comprises a equalization characteristic updating means for sequentially updating.

  According to the above configuration, the amount of calculation can be reduced in equalization adaptation by sequential updating by the equalization characteristic updating means, and power consumption can be reduced. Further, by reducing the update amount instead of reducing the update amount, it is possible to reduce the calculation amount while reducing the update amount. Furthermore, by using the path metric difference, an error rate can be taken into account for equalization adaptation, and errors due to decoding can be reduced well.

  The information reproducing apparatus of the present invention is characterized by comprising reproducing means for reproducing the input signal sequence from the information recording medium in addition to the waveform equalizer having the above-described configuration.

  According to the above configuration, when reproducing the information recorded on the information recording medium, the equalization characteristic can be adapted for each piece of information to be reproduced, so that the quality of the reproduction information can be improved.

  The waveform equalization method of the present invention is a waveform equalization method for applying equalization characteristics to an input signal sequence while equalizing the waveform of the input signal sequence by performing the waveform equalization on the input signal sequence. An equalization step for generating a signal sequence, and a predetermined calculation using an input signal sequence obtained by detecting a constant interval from a continuously flowing input signal sequence, and the equalization characteristics are determined based on the calculation result And an equalization adaptation step for adaptation.

  According to the above configuration, the equalization characteristic adaptation performed by the equalization adaptation step is performed by performing a predetermined calculation using the input signal sequence obtained by detecting at constant intervals from the continuously flowing input signal sequence. Since the calculation is performed based on the calculation result, the calculation amount can be reduced as compared with the case of using the input signal sequence input continuously.

  This makes it possible to more appropriately adapt the equalization characteristics while reducing the amount of calculation.

  In addition, since the adaptation is performed using an input signal sequence obtained by detecting the input signal sequence from a continuously flowing input signal sequence at a constant interval, an equalization characteristic based on a wider range of input signal sequences can be suppressed. Adaptation is possible.

  Therefore, since it is possible to perform more appropriate adaptation of the equalization characteristics with fewer operations, the power consumption of the waveform equalizer is reduced and the circuit scale is reduced while maintaining effective equalization adaptation capability. Is possible.

  The waveform equalization method of the present invention is a waveform equalization method for applying equalization characteristics to an input signal sequence while equalizing the waveform of the input signal sequence by performing the waveform equalization on the input signal sequence. An equalization step of generating a signal sequence, and an equalization adaptation step of adapting equalization characteristics of the equalization step based on the input signal sequence, the equalization adaptation step flowing continuously A predetermined calculation is performed using the input signal sequence obtained by detecting the input signal sequence at regular intervals, the calculation result is accumulated, and the adaptation is performed based on the accumulation result.

  According to the above configuration, the equalization adaptation step performs the equalization with respect to the wide detection range without increasing the calculation generated for each process by performing the adaptation with respect to the input signal at intervals rather than continuously. Adaptation is possible. This makes it possible to reduce power consumption and reduce the circuit scale while maintaining effective equalization and adaptation capability.

  The waveform equalization method of the present invention is a waveform equalization method for applying equalization characteristics to an input signal sequence while equalizing the waveform of the input signal sequence by performing the waveform equalization on the input signal sequence. An equalization step for generating a signal sequence, an equalization adaptation step for adapting equalization characteristics of the equalization step based on the input signal sequence, and a correct path in a Viterbi decoding process for the equalized signal sequence, A path metric difference detecting step for detecting a path metric difference with an error path, and a path metric difference sequentially calculated as the Viterbi decoding process progresses, from an input signal sequence continuously flowing through the path metric difference detecting step Each equalization characteristic is sequentially updated based on an error with respect to a predetermined target value of a path metric difference in a specific pattern of an input signal sequence obtained by detection at regular intervals. It is characterized in that it contains an equalization characteristic update step that.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to reduce the amount of calculation in equalization adaptation by sequential updating of equalization characteristics in the equalization characteristic update step, and it is possible to reduce power consumption. Further, by reducing the update amount instead of reducing the update amount, it is possible to reduce the calculation amount while reducing the update amount. Furthermore, by using the path metric difference, an error rate can be taken into account for equalization adaptation, and errors due to decoding can be reduced well.

  The waveform equalization program of the present invention is a waveform equalization program for operating the waveform equalization apparatus having the above-described configuration, and is a waveform equalization program for causing a computer to function as each means.

  With the above configuration, the waveform equalization apparatus can be realized by realizing each means of the waveform equalization apparatus with a computer. Therefore, as described above, a waveform equalization apparatus that can appropriately perform waveform equalization can be realized on a computer.

  A computer-readable recording medium on which the waveform equalization program of the present invention is recorded records a program for causing a computer to function as each of the means.

  With the above configuration, the waveform equalization apparatus can be realized on a general-purpose computer by the waveform equalization program read from the recording medium.

  As described above, the waveform equalization apparatus according to the present invention is constant from the equalization means for generating the equalized signal sequence by performing waveform equalization on the input signal sequence, and the input signal sequence that flows continuously. And an equalization adapting means for performing a predetermined calculation using the input signal sequence obtained by detecting at an interval of, and adapting the equalization characteristic of the equalization means based on the calculation result. Thus, the adaptation process can be performed at intervals rather than continuously, and input signal information in a wide range can be obtained effectively while suppressing the amount of calculation. As a result, it is possible to optimize the equalization characteristics of the entire input signal with a small amount of computation, and it is possible to reduce the circuit scale and power consumption while maintaining the equalization adaptation capability. Play.

[Embodiment 1]
An embodiment of the present invention will be described as follows. In the present embodiment, a case where the waveform equalization apparatus according to the present invention is applied to an optical disk reproducing apparatus will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this as described later.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an optical disc playback apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment. The optical disc reproducing device 20 is a device for reproducing information written on the optical disc 1, and includes an optical pickup 2, an A / D converter 3, an FIR filter 4, a Viterbi decoding circuit 5, a path memory long delay element 6, a specific A pattern detection circuit 7, a delay element 8 of time T (T represents one channel bit of a reproduction signal), a reproduction signal drawing switch 9, a weighted addition accumulation circuit 10, and a normal equation calculation circuit 11 are provided.

  The path memory length delay element 6, specific pattern detection circuit 7, time T delay element 8, reproduction signal drawing switch 9, weighted addition accumulation circuit 10, normal equation calculation circuit 11, and equalization adaptation unit (equalization) Adapting means) 12. This equalization adapting unit 12 is based on a weighting operation using an input signal sequence obtained by detecting an input signal sequence that flows continuously from the input signal sequence at a constant interval, and a “weighted addition correlation function” and “weighted addition and Accumulate the calculation result of “product of target value”, accumulate a predetermined number, and then perform the average calculation, that is, “average value of correlation function of weighted addition” and “average of product of weighted addition and target value” A normal equation is created from the “value”, a set of tap coefficients as a solution is derived, and the tap coefficient of the FIR filter 4 as the equalization means is updated to adapt the equalization characteristics.

  On the optical disc 1, a run length limited code with d = 1 such as a (1, 7) RLL (Run Length Limited) code, that is, a recording mark of a modulation system with a shortest mark length of 2T is recorded. .

  The optical pickup 2 includes a semiconductor laser (not shown), various optical components, and a photodiode. The optical pickup 2 condenses the laser light emitted from the semiconductor laser on the optical disk 1 and converts the reflected light into an electrical signal by the photodiode. As a result, an analog reproduction waveform (hereinafter simply referred to as a reproduction waveform) is output.

  The reproduced waveform has (1, 7) RLL modulation and PR (1, 2, 1) characteristics, and handles the ideal sample level normalized to ± 1.

  The A / D converter 3 performs A / D conversion of the reproduced waveform output from the optical pickup 2 at the timing of the channel frequency clock. The A / D converter 3 outputs a digital reproduction signal (hereinafter simply referred to as a reproduction signal) obtained by A / D converting the reproduction waveform.

  The FIR filter 4 (equalization means) generates a post-equalization signal sequence by performing waveform equalization based on the reproduction signal sequence. The FIR filter 4 is a digital filter including two delay elements of time T, three gain variable amplifiers (gains are c (0), c (1), and c (2), respectively) and one adder. It is. Here, gains c (0), c (1), and c (2) are tap coefficients (equalization coefficients), and the FIR filter 4 changes the equalization characteristics by changing these values.

  When a reproduction signal is input to the FIR filter 4, waveform equalization processing is performed by the FIR filter 4 and an equalized signal y (i-1, n) is output. The equalized signal y (i-1, n) is an equalized signal corresponding to the reproduction signal u (i-1, n). The equalized signal y (i−1, n) is represented by a convolution operation (the following equation (1)) between the tap coefficient c (k, m) and the reproduction signal sequence u (i−k, n). .

  That is, the FIR filter 4 uses each reproduction signal of the reproduction signal sequence u (i−k, n) as each tap coefficient for a plurality of tap coefficients c (k, m) (k = 0, 1, 2). An equalized signal sequence y (i−1, n) is generated by performing a convolution operation between each tap coefficient and each input signal associated with each tap coefficient while sequentially associating with each other.

  The reason why the number of tap coefficients is 3 taps is for simplification of explanation, and it is possible to increase the waveform equalization capability by increasing the number of taps in accordance with the reproduction signal characteristics.

  The Viterbi decoding circuit 5 (path metric difference detecting means) uses the equalized signal y (i−1, output from the FIR filter 4 based on the PR (1, 2, 1) characteristic having a waveform interference width of 3T. n) Viterbi decoding is performed, and a decoded bit string b (i) of the recording mark recorded on the optical disc 1 is output.

The path memory length delay element 6 is a delay element corresponding to the path memory length time L in the Viterbi decoding circuit 5.
The specific pattern detection circuit 7 uses the decoded bit strings b (i-4), b (i-3),..., B (i) decoded by the Viterbi decoding circuit 5 as specific patterns “00111”, “00011”. ”,“ 11000 ”, or“ 11100 ”.

  The reproduction signal pull-in switch 9 selects a specific pattern that is symmetrically stored at a predetermined interval from when the specific pattern detection circuit 7 detects the specific pattern, and weights the addition signal storage circuit corresponding to the specific pattern. Go to 10. The weighted addition accumulation circuit 10 performs a weighted addition operation using a reproduction signal sequence corresponding to a specific pattern, calculates “correlation function of weighted addition” and “product of weighted addition and target value”, and accumulates the calculation results. To do. Then, when the number of detections of the specific pattern reaches the predetermined number, the weighted addition accumulation circuit 10 sends the accumulation result to the normal equation calculation circuit 11. The normal equation calculation circuit 11 performs an average calculation based on the accumulated number, calculates an average value matrix R of the correlation function of weighted addition, an average value matrix p of the product of the weighted addition of the input signal sequence and the target value, and these An optimal tap coefficient c (k) (k is a number of tap coefficient k = 0 to 2) is obtained by solving a normal equation having R, p and tap coefficient matrix h0 as variables, and set in FIR filter 4.

  Next, a decoding method by the Viterbi decoding circuit 5 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 (a) to 13 (c), the reproduced waveform of an ideal 1T mark which is a reproduced waveform in accordance with the PR (1, 2, 1) characteristic and has no distortion and noise is shown for each channel clock. The sample level becomes 1: 2: 1. In 2T, it becomes 1: 3: 3: 1 in 3T, and becomes 1: 3: 4: 3: 1. In 4T, it becomes 1: 3: 4: 4: 3: 1. Sought by.

  Thus, an ideal reproduction waveform can be assumed for an arbitrary bit string. As the ideal sample level (ideal sample level), five levels of 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 are taken. Here, for convenience, when the sample level is normalized so that the maximum amplitude of the sample level becomes ± 1, the ideal sample level becomes five levels of −1, −0.5, 0, +0.5, and +1. .

  FIG. 14 is a trellis diagram showing Viterbi decoding for realizing data detection by the PRML method. In FIG. 14, S (00), S (01), S (10), and S (11) each represent a state. For example, state S (01) indicates that the previous bit is 0 and the current bit is 1. Show. A line connecting states is called a “branch”, and this branch can represent a transition state. For example, a bit string “001” can be represented by a branch of S (00) → S (01). The numerical value next to each branch represents the ideal sample level expected in each transition state. For example, since the branch of S (00) → S (00) represents a bit string “000”, −1 (sample level before normalization is 0) is the ideal sample level. Note that there is no branch of S (01) → S (10) and S (10) → S (01) because there is no bit string of “010” and “101” due to the run length limitation of d = 1. Is reflected.

  In the trellis diagram, a route that passes through each state at each time so that branches are continuous is called a “path”. Considering all paths generated from an arbitrary state through an arbitrary state is equivalent to considering all possible bit strings. Therefore, comparing the ideal waveform expected for all paths with the playback waveform actually played from the optical disc, it is most reliable to search for a path having an ideal waveform that is closest to the playback waveform, that is, having the smallest Euclidean distance. The most likely path can be determined as the correct path. This is the principle of Viterbi decoding.

  The procedure of Viterbi decoding using a trellis diagram will be specifically described. At an arbitrary time, one path is connected to the states S (01) and S (10). For the states S (00) and S (11) where the two paths merge, if the Euclidean distance between the ideal waveform and the reproduction waveform of each path to be merged is left as a surviving path, at any time A total of four paths remain, one for each of the four states.

  The square of the Euclidean distance between the ideal waveform of the path and the playback waveform is called the “path metric”, and the branch metric obtained as the square of the difference between the ideal sample level of the branch and the sample level of the playback waveform is the total of the path metric. Calculated by accumulating on the branch.

  Thus, every time a sample value of a reproduction waveform, that is, a reproduction signal is input, the procedure of comparing the survivor paths by comparing the magnitudes of the path metrics of the two paths joining the same state is repeated. As large paths are deceived, the surviving paths converge to a single path with the smallest path metric. By making this a correct path, the data bit string recorded on the optical disc is correctly reproduced.

  The number of state transitions up to the time when the correct answer path is determined and the decoded bit string is output with respect to the input time of the reproduction signal is referred to as “path memory length”. In general, the path memory length is long enough for the surviving paths to converge to one.

  Here, considering the conditions under which Viterbi decoding is performed correctly, the path that converges to one finally becomes the correct path. In order to determine the surviving path at each time, The path metric must be smaller than the path metric of another path that is an error path. Thus, by looking at the path metric difference that is the difference between the two paths confronted by betting survival, it can be determined how much the path is likely to cause an error. This path metric difference is the definition of SAM (Sequential Amplitude Margin). This SAM is described in, for example, “T. Perkins,“ A Window Margin Like Procedure for Evaluating PRML Channel Performance, ”IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Vol. It is well known.

  In order to prevent an error in Viterbi decoding, the path metric difference obtained by subtracting the path metric of the correct path from the path metric of the error path needs to be larger than 0, and the larger the path metric difference is, the less likely the error is to occur. become.

That is,
This indicates the degree of risk that an erroneous path is determined to be a surviving path (correct path) in the decoding process, that is, the degree of occurrence of an error in decoding.

  As a characteristic of the path metric difference, an ideal path metric difference is determined for a given path, and the actually detected path metric difference varies with respect to the ideal path metric difference. It is mentioned.

  Focusing on this feature, the target value of the path metric difference corresponding to the ideal path metric difference is set first, and the mean square error that is the mean square of the error between the actually detected path metric difference and the target value is minimized. By adapting the equalization characteristics in this way, the error rate due to decoding can be reduced more favorably.

  Furthermore, as the specific pattern, a bit string pattern is assumed in which the path metric difference has a predetermined specific value. When this specific pattern is detected, optimal equalization is performed based on the error of the path metric difference detected from the signal sequence corresponding to the specific pattern in the equalized signal sequence. As a result, the equalization characteristics can be adapted by specializing in patterns that are likely to cause errors in the Viterbi decoding process.

  As described above, the path metric difference indicates the risk that the equalized signal sequence that is the source of the detection of the path metric difference may determine an erroneous path as a surviving path in the decoding process. That is, it indicates the degree of occurrence of an error in decoding. Therefore, the error signal e (n) is determined as follows.

e (n) = s (n) -ds (2)
s (n) represents a path metric difference (SAM value), and ds represents an ideal path metric difference determined for a predetermined path.

  It is assumed that “00111” is detected as the nth bit pattern that matches the specific pattern. In this case, as shown in FIG. 15, in the trellis diagram of Viterbi decoding, the correct path is “... → S (00) → S (01) → S (11) → S (11)”. The error path that merges with the correct path in the last state S (11) (S (11) at the right end in the figure) is closest to this correct path and the ideal waveform "... → S (00) → S (00) → S (01) → S (11) ”in most cases.

In this case, as for the sample level in the ideal waveform of each path, the correct path is (−0.5, +0.5, +1), and the error path is (−1, −0.5, +0.5). . Therefore, using the equalized signals y (−3, n), y (−2, n), and y (−1, n) corresponding to these, the path metric difference s (n) in this case is Expression s (n) = {y (−3, n) − (− 1)} ² + {y (−2, n) − (− 0.5)} ² + {y (−1, n) − ( +0.5)} ^2- {y (−3, n) − (− 0.5)} ² − {y (−2, n) − (+ 0.5)} ² − {y (−1, n) − (+ 1)} ²
= Y (-3, n) + 2y (-2, n) + y (-1, n) (3)
As described above, it can be easily obtained without actually calculating the path metric difference. S (n) when the equalized signal completely matches the correct pattern is
s (n) = − 0.5 + 2 (0.5) + 1 = 1.5 (4)
This is the ideal value of the path metric difference corresponding to this specific pattern. Then, this value is set as the target value ds.

  On the other hand, by using the equation (1), s (n) can be expressed as the following equation.

Then, the error e (n) = s (n) −ds mean square (mean square error) ε = E [e (n) ² ] of the path metric difference s (n) with respect to the target value ds (= 1.5). Is as follows.

  Therefore, since it can be expressed in the same form as equation (3), a normal equation (the following equation (7)) can be derived by the same method.

  However, p (k) and r (m, k) are as follows.

r (m, k) = E [{u (−2−k) + 2u (−1−k) + u (−k)} {u (−2−m) + 2u (−1−m) + u (−m) }], M, k = 0, 1, 2 (8)

p (k) = E [ds {u (−2−k) + 2u (−1−k) + u (−k)}], k = 0, 1, 2,... (9)
Here, the polarity of p (k) weighted addition will be described. If the calculation in E [] is Pin as follows, when specific patterns “00111” and “11100” are detected,
Pin = ds {u (−2−k) + 2u (−1−k) + u (−k)} (10)
However, if “00011” and “11000” are detected, the calculation in E [] is Pin = −ds {u (−2−k) + 2u (−1−k) + u (−k)}. (11)
It should be noted that

  Specifically, when the target value ds = 1.5 and the nth bit string “00111” matching the specific pattern is detected after the start of the creation of the correlation function matrix, the corresponding reproduction signal string is represented by u (− 4, n), (-3, n), (-2, n), (-1, n), (0, n) (see FIGS. 16A to 16C), For each matrix R in equation (1), each element is calculated as follows. The notation is shown as 1st row, 1st column, 1st row, 2nd column,..., 3rd row, 3rd column.

r (0,0): E [{u (-2) + 2u (-1) + u (0)} {u (-2) + 2u (-1) + u (0)}]
r (0,1): E [{u (−3) + 2u (−2) + u (−1)} {u (−2) + 2u (−1) + u (0)}]
r (0,2): E [{u (-4) + 2u (-3) + u (-2)} {u (-2) + 2u (-1) + u (0)}]
r (1,0): E [{u (-2) + 2u (-1) + u (0)} {u (-3) + 2u (-2) + u (-1)}]
r (1,1): E [{u (-3) + 2u (-2) + u (-1)} {u (-3) + 2u (-2) + u (-1)}]
r (1,2): E [{u (-4) + 2u (-3) + u (-2)} {u (-3) + 2u (-2) + u (-1)}]
r (2,0): E [{u (-2) + 2u (-1) + u (0)} {u (-4) + 2u (-3) + u (-2)}]
r (2,1): E [{u (-3) + 2u (-2) + u (-1)} {u (-4) + 2u (-3) + u (-2)}]
r (2,2): E [{u (-4) + 2u (-3) + u (-2)} {u (-4) + 2u (-3) + u (-2)}]
Further, each element of the matrix p in the equation (h), which is a product of the target value and the weighted addition, is
p (0): E [1.5 × {u (−2) + 2u (−1) + u (0)}]
p (1): E [1.5 × {u (−3) + 2u (−2) + u (−1)}]
p (2): E [1.5 × {u (-4) + 2u (-3) + u (-2)}]
Calculated as above.

Each time a specific pattern is detected, the calculation in {} is performed and added in each matrix element. Then, when a certain amount of specific pattern is detected, the expected value is calculated by dividing by the total number added in each element. As described above, the calculation for obtaining the path metric difference when the ideal value of the path metric difference is 1.5 is expressed by the expression (3) (the calculation in {} is derived from the expression (3)). Derived by solving a normal equation with a tap coefficient h ₀ of Rh ₀ = p so that the path metric difference corresponding to the specific pattern approaches ds (minimizing E [{s (n) −ds} ² ]) Is done. In the normal equation, the coefficient and the constant are determined from the average value of the correlation function of the weighted addition of the input signal sequence and the average value of the product of the weighted addition of the input signal sequence and the target value. It is possible to adapt the equalization characteristics of the entire input signal sequence while minimizing the influence of local input signal fluctuations.

  Here, the basic operations of decoding, derivation of the optimum tap coefficient, and updating of the tap coefficient in the waveform equalizer using the normal equation arithmetic circuit 11 will be described as follows.

  In the optical disk reproducing apparatus 20 having the above configuration, the Viterbi decoding circuit 5 calculates and outputs the decoded bit string b (i).

  The optical disc 1 is recorded with a run length limit code of d = 1 such as a (1, 7) RLL code, and will be described by using PR (1, 2, 1) as the PR characteristic of the PRML identification method. To do.

  The signal waveform output from the optical pickup 2 is converted into a reproduction signal sequence u (i, n) by the A / D converter 3. When a reproduction signal is input to the FIR filter 4, a waveform equalization process is performed and an equalized signal y (i-1, n) is output. y (i−1, n) is expressed as the above equation (1) by convolution calculation of the tap coefficient c (k, n) and the reproduction signal sequence u (i−k, n).

  In the weighted addition accumulation circuit 10, the decoded bit strings b (i-4), b (i-3),..., B (i) are specific patterns “00111”, “00011”, “11000”, “11100”. Each time the specific pattern detection circuit 7 detects any one of them, the detection signal output is not continuous, but weighted addition of the signal waveform corresponding to the specific pattern from the reproduction signal pull-in switch 9 that is passed at a predetermined interval is performed. The weighted addition is correlated in the bit string of each input signal corresponding to the detected specific pattern as shown by the following equation (12),

  Calculation is performed for each combination of m and k, and a weighted addition correlation function is accumulated.

  After detecting a sufficient number of specific patterns for obtaining the optimum tap coefficient from a certain region of the input signal sequence, the average value of the correlation function of the weighted addition is calculated by dividing by the number n of detection of the specific pattern, and the above (8 ) To create a 3 × 3 correlation function matrix R shown in equation (13). E [] represents an expected value operator.

  At the same time, the weighted addition accumulation circuit 10 accumulates the product of the weighted addition and the target value ds (not shown), and also accumulates a sufficient number of specific patterns for obtaining the optimum tap coefficient. After the accumulation, the normal equation calculation circuit 11 obtains an average value of the product of the target value and the weighted addition represented by the above equation (9).

  Based on the equation (9), the following equation (14) is created as a matrix p of 3 rows and 1 column.

  A tap coefficient is set to h0, and a 3 × 1 matrix as shown in the following equation (15) is created.

The tap coefficient h0 is solved by solving the normal equation represented by the following expression (16), which is composed of the matrices of the above-described expressions (13), (14), and (15), and the tap coefficient matrix h0 is a variable. And the tap coefficient c (k) of the FIR filter 4 is updated (c (k) = h0 (k)). The tap coefficient derived here minimizes the mean square error E [{s (n) −ds} ² ] with respect to the target value ds of the path metric difference s (n) of the equalized signal equalized by the FIR filter 4. In this case, it is theoretically proved that the error rate of the decoded bit decoded by Viterbi decoding is the best.

  The normal equation is created by an average value of weighted addition of signal waveforms based on a specific pattern. In other words, the tap coefficient obtained as a solution is optimal for the area of the input signal sequence in which the specific pattern is detected, minimizes the influence of local defects, and is based on the average waveform characteristics of the input signal sequence. Equalization optimization can be performed.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the waveform equalizer using the equalization adapting unit 12 will be described in detail. As an example, a method for deriving an optimal tap coefficient from the beginning of waveform data in the process shown in FIG. 2 and performing equalization optimization will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, tap coefficients are determined in multiple stages. It is an effective means even when a process such as derivation is used.

  First, when the tap coefficient deriving operation is started, an initial value prepared in advance is set as a tap coefficient of the FIR filter 4 (S1).

  Then, the specific pattern is detected by the specific pattern detection circuit 7 in the state in which equalization is performed with the initial value (S2). Here, if a specific pattern is detected, the specific pattern detection circuit 7 sends a detection signal to the reproduction signal drawing switch 9.

  Next, the reproduction signal drawing switch 9 counts the detection signal and passes the reproduction signal string corresponding to the detected specific pattern to the weighted addition accumulation circuit 10 at a set interval (S3). The reproduction signal passes through all the detection signals, not continuously but at intervals. That is, the specific pattern is repeatedly detected during the interval, but does not pass through the weighted addition storage circuit 10.

  Subsequently, the weighted addition accumulating circuit 10 that has received the signal performs a weighted addition operation using the input reproduction signal sequence, and accumulates an operation result of the weighted addition correlation function, the product of the weighted addition and the target value ( S4).

  Here, the interval between the two can be set to an appropriate interval according to the system and the reproduction medium, such as 2 intervals or 8 intervals. The calculation of weighted addition includes an element for obtaining the value of the path metric difference between the correct path and the error path. Thus, equalization adaptation is performed using the path metric difference, the error rate can be taken into consideration for the adaptation, and errors generated by decoding can be reduced well. Here, a specific pattern that is a bit string in which the path metric difference assumes a predetermined specific value when an ideal waveform signal that constitutes an ideal waveform for Viterbi decoding is assumed, and an error occurs in the Viterbi decoding process. Equalization characteristics are optimized for patterns that are prone to eruption. For example, the above four patterns correspond to this.

  The accumulation of the weighted addition correlation function, the product of the weighted addition and the target value is repeated until the scheduled number of times is reached (S5). When the planned number is accumulated, the accumulated value is sent to the normal equation calculation circuit 11 to perform an average calculation to create a normal equation. A tap coefficient is derived by solving the normal method (S6). The tap coefficient of the FIR filter 4 is updated with the derived tap coefficient (S7). The equalization coefficient is optimized through the above process.

  The number of detections and detection intervals of the specific pattern can be determined according to the detection range and system design. For example, it is assumed that a reproduction signal (detection range) for 10,000 bits is necessary to derive an optimum tap coefficient. If there are 1000 specific patterns in them and they are evenly distributed, if all 1000 are subjected to weighted addition, the weighting operation is required 1000 times, and the numerical value of the accumulation result is also a large value. However, if this calculation is performed once every two times, 500 weighted addition calculations are required, and as a result, the calculation amount can be reduced and the circuit scale can be reduced.

  Usually, in order to reduce the time to calculate tap coefficients and the amount of calculation, it is required to reduce the area used to derive tap coefficients, but if it is too small, the entire input signal sequence (the subsequent part) will be reduced. A tap coefficient that can be optimally equalized cannot be obtained. This is because the tap coefficient is optimal only for a certain region reflecting the local state. Therefore, in order to obtain a tap coefficient that can optimally equalize the entire input signal, an area in the input signal sequence having a certain length is required. That is, since tap coefficients are derived using the average information of the input signal, an optimum tap coefficient can be obtained for the whole without using all input signals, and the error rate can be reduced.

  The input signal area sufficient to obtain the optimum tap coefficient becomes large when the reproduction signal is deviated from the optimum state. The sufficient input signal region means that the average information of the entire input signal can be estimated, and the region is sufficient for the derived tap coefficient to be optimal for the entire input signal. For example, when the reproduction environment has a characteristic variation represented by tilt or the like, it is necessary to detect a specific pattern from a wider area and accumulate data to prevent reflection of a local state. .

  However, the fact that a wide area is required means that the amount of calculation for adaptation increases, and power consumption and circuit scale increase. Further, it is better that the number of specific patterns detected to derive the optimum tap coefficient is larger. However, this only increases the amount of calculation and is not good.

  In this specification, a method of detecting with an interval is specified, but the number of detections reduced by this needs to be suppressed in advance to be equal to or less than the reduction number from which the optimum tap coefficient can be derived.

  In addition, the number of detections and the range of detection numbers are considered to vary depending on the target system, but the required detection range is set first, and how far the pattern to be detected is detected at an interval. Or a detection range may be set from the viewpoint of how many patterns should be detected at what interval.

  The number of detections and the detection interval are based on the premise that an optimal tap coefficient can be derived, but specific numerical values may be set according to the system. The experimental results to be described later show that the optimum tap coefficient can be derived even if the calculation amount is reduced to 1/9. Further, if the detection interval and the number of detections are made variable in accordance with fluctuations in reproduction conditions such as tilt and servo offset, the following can be achieved.

  (1) A detection range that can be optimized is set even when the maximum fluctuation occurs, and in a stable reproduction state, the detection interval is increased to reduce the number of detections, and fluctuations are added to the reproduction characteristics. Reduces the detection interval and increases the number of detections. Thus, when fluctuation occurs, equalization optimization that accurately reflects the fluctuation state of the reproduction signal can be performed by detecting more specific patterns.

  (2) The detection range can be increased by setting the detection interval to a certain small value, reducing the number of detections in a stable reproduction state, and conversely increasing the number of detections when fluctuations occur. When fluctuations are caused by this, optimization of the equalization coefficient that reflects the average characteristics of the reproduced signal is detected by detecting the tap coefficient from a wide range rather than reflecting only local changes in the optimization. Is possible.

  The process of deriving the optimum tap coefficient by the above (1) and (2) will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  An optical disk reproducing device 21 shown in FIG. 3 is obtained by adding a controller 13 to the optical disk reproducing device 20 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the controller 13 includes an initial value setting unit 13a, a reproduction condition variation monitoring unit 13b, and a detection number / detection interval determining unit 13c. The initial value setting unit 13 a sets initial values stored in advance in the set value storage unit 14 in the reproduction signal pull-in switch 9 and the weighted addition accumulation circuit 10. Further, the reproduction condition fluctuation monitoring unit 13b monitors fluctuations in the reproduction conditions (tilt, servo offset, etc.) detected by the reproduction condition detection unit 15. The detection number / detection interval determination unit 13c in the subsequent stage determines the detection number / detection interval according to the fluctuation amount when the reproduction condition fluctuates, and supplies these values to the reproduction signal pull-in switch 9 and the weighted addition accumulation circuit 10. It is to set.

  That is, the controller 13 performs predetermined detection for passing the reproduction signal string to the reproduction signal pull-in switch 9 in accordance with fluctuations in reproduction conditions such as tilt and servo offset detected by the reproduction condition detection unit 15 as another means. Determine and set the interval and number of detections. The controller 13 also sets the detection interval and the number of detections for the weighted addition storage circuit 10. The reproduction signal drawing switch 9 selects a specific pattern based on the set detection interval, draws a reproduction signal sequence corresponding to the specific pattern, and outputs a reproduction signal to the weighted addition accumulation circuit 10. When the weighted addition accumulation circuit 10 accumulates the “weighted addition correlation function” and “product of weighted addition and target value” of the set number of reproduction signals, it sends the accumulation result to the normal equation calculation circuit 11.

  The detection interval and the number of detections may be determined by a predetermined calculation such as preparing a table according to the type and size of fluctuation or multiplying by a coefficient.

  The controller 13 may set a detection interval for the reproduction signal pull-in switch 9 and a detection count for the weighted addition storage circuit 10. Even in this configuration, the reproduction signal drawing switch continuously outputs the reproduction signal to the weighted addition accumulation circuit at a predetermined interval, and when the predetermined number of detections is accumulated, the accumulation result to the normal equation calculation circuit 11 is obtained. It is possible to send

  The process of setting the number of detections and the detection interval will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, when signal reproduction starts (S11), tap coefficient deriving operation is started, and the initial detection number and detection interval prepared in advance are set in the controller 13 (S12).

  Next, the controller 13 sets this value in the reproduction signal drawing switch 9 and the weighted addition accumulation circuit 10. Next, the reproduction condition fluctuation is monitored (S13), and if there is a fluctuation, the number of detections and the detection interval are determined according to the type and magnitude of the fluctuation (S14).

  Then, the number of detections and the detection interval are set in the controller 13 (S15), and the number of detections and the detection interval are reflected in the reproduction signal drawing switch 9 and the weighted addition accumulation circuit 10.

  This monitoring is continued until the reproduction is completed (S16).

  As an example of the set value, when the tangential tilt is as large as 1.0 (deg), the number of detections is 500 and the detection interval is 9 intervals. In a state where the focus offset is as large as 0.28 (μm), the number of detections is 50 and the detection interval is 9 intervals. Corresponding to the cases of both fluctuations, the detection ranges are changed to 4500 and 450, but the optimum tap coefficients are derived as shown in the following experimental results, and equalization adaptation is possible. It has become. In this way, if the detection interval is controlled according to the number of detections and the detection range required for equalization adaptation, more effective equalization adaptation is possible according to fluctuations in reproduction characteristics while taking the circuit scale into account. It becomes.

  Hereinafter, experimental results in which the present invention is applied to an actual optical disc reproducing apparatus will be shown. FIG. 6 shows the main parameters of the apparatus used in the experiment.

  The waveform data used was reproduced in a state where the tangential tilt was 1.0 (deg) and the focus offset was as large as 0.28 (μm).

  In the FIR filter 4, tap coefficients optimized in a state where the tangential tilt is 0 (deg) and the focus offset is 0 (μm) are set as initial values. A specific pattern was detected in the state equalized by this tap coefficient, and the optimum tap coefficient was derived by the present invention.

  After deriving the tap coefficients, the same waveform data was equalized with the derived tap coefficients, and the number of errors was measured.

  As the specific pattern, the same four patterns “00111”, “00011”, “11000”, and “11100” were used. Assume that equalization optimization is performed on a reproduction signal string of about 960000 bits, and an optimum tap coefficient is derived from a part thereof.

  FIG. 7 schematically shows the detection position and the detection number of a specific pattern from the waveform data to which tangential tilt is applied, and the number of bits corresponding to the detection position. The following three cases were compared to see the effect of detecting a specific pattern at intervals.

  (1) 4500 specific patterns are detected continuously. When converted into the actual number of bits, it is about 12000 bits. This is a value calculated from the content ratio of the specific pattern included in the random pattern of the (1, 7) RLL modulation code.

  (2) Detect 500 specific patterns with 8 patterns in between, not continuous. In terms of the actual number of bits, every nine pieces are detected (corresponding to the number of specific patterns corresponding to 4500 pieces), which is about 12000 bits, the same number as (1).

  (3) 500 specific patterns are detected continuously. When converted into the actual number of bits, it is about 1350 bits.

In focus offset,
(1) Detect 450 specific patterns in succession. When converted into the actual number of bits, it is 1200 bits, and since the number of detections is 1/10 compared to the tangential tilt, the actual number of bits is also reduced to 1/10.

  (2) 50 specific patterns are detected with 8 patterns in between (detected every 9 patterns). When converted to the actual number of bits, it becomes 1200 bits as in (1).

  (3) 50 specific patterns are detected. The actual number of bits is 135 bits. FIG. 8 (tangential tilt) and FIG. 9 (focus offset) show the comparison results of the derived tap coefficients by detecting a specific pattern using these three detection methods.

  Comparing the shape of the tap coefficient as a result in the tangential tilt, (1) 4500 detection (continuous) and (2) 500 detection (9 intervals) had almost the same shape. In both (1) and (2), tap coefficients reflecting characteristics of waveform data in the 12000-bit region can be derived. That is, even if the number of detections is reduced to 1/9, the desired optimization is possible from the area. On the other hand, in 500 (continuous) detection of (3), the shape of the tap coefficient is greatly different. Similarly, in FIG. 9, the shape of the tap coefficient is the same in (1) and (2), and is greatly different in (3). Since the shape of the tap coefficient indicates the frequency characteristic of the FIR filter when performing waveform equalization with each tap coefficient, it can be said that the same frequency characteristic is maintained when the shape of the coefficient is equal.

  Next, the results of equalizing the reproduction signal sequence (960000 bits) using each derived tap coefficient are listed below. The number of errors is (1) 1 and (2) 2 in tangential tilt. (3) 20 and the focus offsets were (1) 1, (2) 0, and (3) 29. From the results of the number of errors, it can be confirmed that in (1) and (2), the optimum tap coefficient can be derived for the entire reproduction signal sequence.

  Therefore, in (2), the number of specific patterns detected can be greatly reduced. On the other hand, the number of errors has increased in (3). This is because the number of detections of the specific pattern is set to the same number as in (2), but the detection target area in the reproduction signal sequence is small, and the area is not sufficient to derive the optimum tap coefficient. It is shown that.

  In this way, by adapting the reproduction signal at intervals rather than continuously, equalization adaptation to a wide detection range is possible without increasing the calculation generated for each process. This makes it possible to reduce power consumption and reduce the circuit scale while maintaining effective equalization and adaptation capability.

  If the present invention is applied, fluctuations in playback conditions, i.e., when a disk is replaced, environmental temperature changes, disk tilt, servo offset, etc., recording density changes within the same disk surface, playback speed changes, etc. It is possible to always set an optimum tap coefficient with respect to a change in the reproduction waveform signal due to a change or interlayer movement in a multi-layer disc.

  Further, the present invention is widely effective in an apparatus and a method having a configuration in which a fixed amount of data is accumulated and a solution for solving the least square problem is derived based on the least square algorithm.

  For example, the same effect can be obtained even in a configuration in which a reproduction waveform is sampled and accumulated and a tap coefficient that minimizes the least square error between the reproduction waveform and the target waveform is derived by a normal equation. In this configuration, a normal equation is created based on the “average value of the correlation function of the playback waveform” and the “average value of the product of the playback waveform and the target waveform.” Each average value samples and stores the playback signal. If the results are used and sampling is performed at intervals rather than continuously, the power consumption can be reduced and the circuit scale can be reduced while maintaining the equalization adaptability.

[Embodiment 2]
Another embodiment of the present invention will be described as follows. In the present embodiment, components having the same functions as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the optical disc playback apparatus 22 according to the present embodiment. The optical disc playback device 22 is a device for playing back information written on the optical disc 1 in the same manner as the optical disc playback device 20 shown in the first embodiment, and includes an optical pickup 2, an A / D converter 3, and an FIR filter. 4, a Viterbi decoding circuit 16, a path memory length delay element 6, a specific pattern detection circuit 7, a time T delay element 8, a reproduction signal acquisition switch 17, and a tap coefficient update circuit 18.

  The reproduced waveform has (1,7) RLL modulation, PR (1,2,1) characteristics, and the normalized sample level is normalized to ± 1.

  Differences from the optical disc playback apparatus 20 will be described.

  The Viterbi decoding circuit 16 outputs a decoded bit string b (i) of a recording mark recorded on the optical disc, and simultaneously calculates and outputs two path metric differences s (n) that join in the Viterbi decoding process. is there. For this reason, a path metric difference s (n) is input between the Viterbi decoding circuit 16 and the reproduction signal pulling switch 17 in addition to the specific pattern detection circuit 7 to which the decoded bit string b (i) of the recording mark is input. A path memory length delay element 6 is provided.

  The reproduction signal pull-in switch 17 is a tap coefficient update circuit 18 that generates a reproduction signal sequence corresponding to a specific pattern and a path metric difference s (n) at a predetermined interval from when the specific pattern detection circuit 7 detects the specific pattern. Go through. The tap coefficient update circuit 18 derives a new tap coefficient c (k, n + 1) by the following equation (17), and sequentially updates the tap coefficient of the FIR filter 4.

  n corresponds to the number of detections of the specific pattern, and represents a tap coefficient updated in the detected nth specific pattern. ds is a target value, and μ is an update gain of the tap coefficient.

  Even in equalization adaptation in which the tap coefficient is updated in a direction that minimizes the number of errors by successive updating, the response of the adaptive operation can be lowered instead of decreasing the gain by opening an interval instead of being continuous. it can. At this time, the amount of calculation can be reduced at the same time, and the power consumption can be reduced. Also, by using the path metric difference, the error rate can be taken into account for equalization adaptation, and errors due to decoding can be reduced well.

  Hereinafter, experimental results in which the present invention is applied to an actual optical disc reproducing apparatus will be shown.

  The main parameters of the apparatus and the like used in the experiment are the same as those in the first embodiment except that the number of tap coefficients is 5.

  The waveform data used was reproduced in a state where the tangential tilt was as large as 0.83 (deg) and the focus offset was as large as 0.28 (μm).

  The FIR filter 4 sets {0, 0, 1, 0, 0} as an initial value, and performs adaptive equalization according to the present invention. That is, the specific patterns “00111”, “00011”, “11000”, and “11100” are detected, and adaptation is performed by sequential updating at intervals.

  The following three cases were compared in order to see the effect of performing adaptive equalization by sequential updating at intervals. (1) Update gain μ: 0.00004 (continuous detection), (2) Update gain μ: 0.00004 (3 intervals), (3) Update gain μ: 0.000013 (continuous detection). The data amount of the reproduction signal used for the adaptive processing is the same for each pattern.

  FIGS. 11A to 11C show tap coefficient convergence states (adaptation states) in waveform data to which tangential tilt is applied in each case of (1), (2), and (3).

  Comparing (1) and (2), (2) updates the tap coefficient once every time three specific patterns are detected, so the convergence speed is 1/3 of (1). ing. Further, when (1) and (3) are compared, since the update gain is 1/3 in (3), the convergence speed is 1/3. The convergence status of (2) and (3) is equal. That is, it can be said that the operation is equivalent to setting the gain to 1/3 and setting the update interval to once every three detections.

  Therefore, reducing the gain and increasing the tap coefficient interval yields the same result in terms of the coefficient adaptation speed.

  Similar results are obtained for the waveform data to which the focus offset is applied as shown in FIGS. 12 (a) to 12 (c).

  That is, if the gain is set large and the update speed is adjusted by increasing the interval, the amount of calculation can be reduced compared to the case where the tap coefficient is continuously updated with a small gain. In the above case, the adaptation speeds of (2) and (3) are the same, but the calculation amount of (2) is 1/3 compared to (3). Conversely, if the gain in (2) is tripled, an operation in which the amount of computation is one third can be realized at the same convergence speed as in (1). If the gain is too large, that is, if the response speed is too fast, tap coefficient divergence may be induced. Therefore, instead of changing the gain according to the convergence condition of the coefficient and the fluctuation of the reproduction characteristic, the size of the interval is controlled, and the response can be reduced while reducing the calculation amount, and the effect of preventing the divergence can be obtained. Is possible.

  When performing sequential equalization adaptation in this way, adapting at intervals rather than continuously reduces gain and prevents divergence, reduces the amount of computation, and reduces power consumption and circuit scale. It is possible.

  As described above, in the first and second embodiments, the optical disk reproducing apparatus has been described as an example of the waveform equalizing apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an apparatus using adaptation of reproduction waveform characteristics, particularly the PRML system. It is possible to achieve the same effect in an apparatus that performs the signal reproduction. That is, the present invention can be applied not only to magnetic recording / reproducing apparatuses such as hard disk reproducing apparatuses and magnetic tape apparatuses but also to communication apparatuses such as communication data receiving apparatuses.

  Each block diagram of the waveform equalizer described in the first and second embodiments may be configured by hardware logic, or may be realized by software using a computer as follows.

  In other words, the waveform equalization apparatus (the optical disk reproducing apparatus in FIGS. 1, 3, and 10) excluding the optical disk 1, the optical pickup 2, and the A / D converter 3) realizes each function of this apparatus. CPU (central processing unit) for executing instructions of waveform equalization program, ROM (read only memory) storing the program, RAM (random access memory) for expanding the program, memory for storing the program and various data, etc. It can also be realized by a computer equipped with a storage device (recording medium). That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a computer-readable recording medium on which a program code (execution format program, intermediate code program, source code program) of a waveform equalization program, which is software that realizes the above-described functions, is recorded. This can also be achieved by reading and executing the program code recorded on the recording medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the recording medium realizes the above-described function, and the recording medium on which the program code is recorded constitutes the present invention.

  Thus, in this specification, the means does not necessarily mean physical means, but includes cases where the functions of the means are realized by software. Further, the function of one means may be realized by two or more physical means, or the functions of two or more means may be realized by one physical means.

  In any case, the stored program is preferably configured to be accessed and executed by the microprocessor. Furthermore, it is preferable that the program is read out, and the read program is downloaded to the program storage area of the microcomputer and the program is executed. It is assumed that the download program is stored in the main device in advance.

  In addition, if the system configuration is capable of connecting to a communication network including the Internet, the recording medium is preferably a recording medium that fluidly carries the program so as to download the program from the communication network.

  Further, when the program is downloaded from the communication network as described above, it is preferable that the download program is stored in the main device in advance or installed from another recording medium.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and the embodiments can be obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. The form is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  Since the present invention can bring the reproduction signal waveform close to the ideal frequency characteristic, the apparatus is particularly susceptible to the waveform characteristic of the reproduction signal, such as high density recording / reproduction, such as DVD, HD DVD, Blu-ray Disc. It can be applied to a recording / reproducing apparatus.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the optical disk reproducing | regenerating apparatus concerning one embodiment of this invention. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of waveform equalization processing in the optical disc playback apparatus shown in FIG. 1. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the optical disk reproducing | regenerating apparatus concerning other embodiment of this invention. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a controller provided in the optical disk reproducing device shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of a detection number / detection interval setting process in the controller shown in FIG. 4. FIG. It is a figure which shows the main parameters in the application experiment of the optical disk reproducing | regenerating apparatus of this invention. It is a figure explaining the detection range of the specific pattern in the application experiment of the optical disk reproducing | regenerating apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the convergence result (tangential tilt) of the tap coefficient in the application experiment of the optical disk reproducing | regenerating apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the convergence result (focus offset) of the tap coefficient in the application experiment of the optical disk reproducing | regenerating apparatus of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the optical disk reproducing | regenerating apparatus concerning other embodiment of this invention. (A)-(b) is a graph which shows the result of having compared the tap coefficient update operation in the optical disk reproducing | regenerating apparatus shown in FIG. (A)-(b) is a graph which shows the result of having compared the tap coefficient update operation in the optical disk reproducing | regenerating apparatus shown in FIG. (A)-(c) is a schematic diagram which shows the relationship between the reproduced signal waveform according to PR (1, 2, 1) characteristic, its sample level, and the corresponding recording mark and decoded bit string. It is a schematic diagram which shows a trellis diagram. It is a schematic diagram which shows the trellis diagram of Viterbi decoding corresponding to bit string "00111". (A)-(c) is a schematic diagram which shows the relationship between the recording mark corresponding to decoding bit string "00111", a reproduction signal waveform, and a sample level.

Explanation of symbols

1. Optical disc (information recording medium)
2 Optical pickup (reproducing means)
3 A / D converter 4 FIR filter (equalization means)
5 Viterbi decoding circuit (path metric difference detection means)
6 path memory long delay element 7 specific pattern detection circuit (specific pattern detection means)
8 Delay element 9 Regenerative signal drawing switch 10 Weighted addition accumulation circuit 11 Normal equation calculation circuit 12 Equalization adaptation unit (equalization adaptation means)
13 controller 13a initial value setting unit 13b reproduction condition fluctuation monitoring unit 13c detection number / detection interval determination unit 14 setting value storage unit 15 reproduction condition detection unit 16 Viterbi decoding circuit (path metric difference detection means)
17 Playback signal pull-in switch 18 Tap coefficient update circuit 20 Optical disk playback device (information playback device)
21 Optical disk playback device (information playback device)
22 Optical disk playback device (information playback device)
b Decoded bit string c Tap coefficient (equalization coefficient)
s Path metric difference u Playback signal sequence (input signal sequence)
y signal after equalization

Claims (12)

In the waveform equalization apparatus that adapts the equalization characteristics while waveform equalizing the input signal sequence,
Equalizing means for generating a signal sequence after equalization by performing the waveform equalization on the input signal sequence;
Equalization adaptation that performs a predetermined calculation using an input signal sequence obtained by detecting at constant intervals from a continuously flowing input signal sequence and adapts the equalization characteristics of the equalization means based on the calculation result And a waveform equalizing device. In the waveform equalization apparatus that adapts the equalization characteristics while waveform equalizing the input signal sequence,
Equalizing means for generating a signal sequence after equalization by performing the waveform equalization on the input signal sequence;
Equalization adaptation means for adapting equalization characteristics of the equalization means based on the input signal sequence,
The equalization adapting means performs a predetermined calculation using an input signal sequence obtained by detecting a constant interval from a continuously flowing input signal sequence, accumulates the calculation result, and based on the accumulation result A waveform equalizer for performing the adaptation. The equalization adaptation means includes:
Path metric difference detecting means for detecting a path metric difference between a correct path and an error path in a Viterbi decoding process for the equalized signal sequence,
3. The waveform equalization apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the adaptation is performed by using the path metric difference sequentially calculated as the Viterbi decoding process progresses by the path metric difference detecting means. The equalization adaptation means includes:
Of the path metric differences sequentially calculated with the progress of the Viterbi decoding process, a bit string in which the path metric difference when assuming an ideal waveform signal constituting an ideal waveform for Viterbi decoding becomes a predetermined specific value. Comprising a specific pattern detecting means for detecting a specific pattern,
Among the specific patterns detected by the specific pattern detection means, the adaptation is performed using the path metric difference of the input signal sequence corresponding to the specific pattern detected at a constant interval from the specific pattern detected continuously. The waveform equalizer according to claim 3.   The said equalization adaptation means makes the space | interval of accumulation | storage of the said calculation and calculation result variable according to the calculation number and calculation range of the predetermined calculation with respect to the said input signal row | line | column. The waveform equalizer according to any one of the preceding claims. In the waveform equalization apparatus that adapts the equalization characteristics while waveform equalizing the input signal sequence,
Equalizing means for generating a signal sequence after equalization by performing the waveform equalization on the input signal sequence;
Equalization adaptation means for adapting equalization characteristics of the equalization means based on the input signal sequence;
Path metric difference detection means for detecting a path metric difference between a correct path and an error path in a Viterbi decoding process for the equalized signal sequence;
Among the path metric differences sequentially calculated along with the progress of the Viterbi decoding process, the path metric difference in the specific pattern of the input signal sequence detected at an arbitrary interval from the input signal sequence continuously flowing by the path metric difference detecting means An equalization characteristic updating unit that sequentially updates the respective equalization characteristics based on an error with respect to the predetermined target value. In addition to the waveform equalizer according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
An information reproducing apparatus comprising reproducing means for reproducing the input signal sequence from an information recording medium. In the waveform equalization method for adapting the equalization characteristics while equalizing the waveform of the input signal sequence,
An equalization step of generating a post-equalization signal sequence by performing the waveform equalization on the input signal sequence;
An equalization adapting step for performing a predetermined calculation using an input signal string obtained by detecting an input signal string flowing continuously at an arbitrary interval, and adapting the equalization characteristics based on the calculation result. A characteristic waveform equalization method. In the waveform equalization method for adapting the equalization characteristics while equalizing the waveform of the input signal sequence,
An equalization step of generating a post-equalization signal sequence by performing the waveform equalization on the input signal sequence;
An equalization adaptation step for adapting equalization characteristics of the equalization step based on the input signal sequence,
The equalization adaptation step performs a predetermined calculation using an input signal sequence detected at an arbitrary interval from a continuously flowing input signal sequence, accumulates the calculation result, and performs the adaptation based on the accumulation result A waveform equalization method characterized by performing: In the waveform equalization method for adapting the equalization characteristics while equalizing the waveform of the input signal sequence,
An equalization step of generating a post-equalization signal sequence by performing the waveform equalization on the input signal sequence;
An equalization adaptation step for adapting equalization characteristics of the equalization step based on the input signal sequence;
A path metric difference detecting step for detecting a path metric difference between a correct path and an error path in a Viterbi decoding process for the equalized signal sequence;
Among the path metric differences sequentially calculated with the progress of the Viterbi decoding process, the path metric difference in the specific pattern of the input signal sequence detected at an arbitrary interval from the input signal sequence continuously flowing through the path metric difference detection step An equalization characteristic update step of sequentially updating the respective equalization characteristics based on an error with respect to the predetermined target value.   A waveform equalization program for operating the waveform equalization apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the waveform equalization program causes a computer to function as each of the means.   The computer-readable recording medium which recorded the waveform equalization program of Claim 11.

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