Transmitter, receiver, method and system for safe telecommunication of cells

A receiver for use in a telecommunication system capable of protecting transmission of cells, the receiver being adapted to be responsive to a transmitter for simultaneously transmitting two identical flows of cells on two distinct physical links, and for inserting, regularly in each of the flows, cells serving as markers to delimit blocks of cells or sets of blocks of cells, the blocks or sets of blocks each having a physical cell including information concerning errors in the block or in each of the blocks of the set;

• the receiver comprising:
• a selector connected to be responsive to each of the two flows of cells respectively transmitted on said two links, the selector being arranged for selecting the block or group of blocks from one of the flows for which an examination of error information concerning the block or group of blocks contained in the physical cell shows that the block or group of blocks has the fewer errors, the selector being arranged for:
• (a) choosing indiscriminately either group of blocks if the two groups of blocks belonging respectively to the two links are judged as being correct;
• (b) selecting the group of blocks carried by a first link (1) if the group of blocks carried by the first link (1) is judged as being correct and the group of blocks carried by a second link (2) is judged as being incorrect;
• (c) selecting the group of blocks carried by the second link (2) if the group of blocks carried by the second link (2) is judged as being correct and the group of blocks carried by the first link (1) is judged as being incorrect;
• (d) using a selection process other than the group of blocks by a group of blocks selection process if the two groups of blocks are judged as being incorrect.

A telecommunication system capable of protecting cells transmitted from a transmitter to a receiver, the system comprising a transmitter and a receiver,

• the transmitter including:
• a signal processor for (a) deriving two identical flows of cells on two distinct physical links, and (b) inserting, regularly in each of the flows, cells serving as markers to delimit blocks of cells or sets of blocks of cells, the blocks or sets of blocks each having a physical cell including information concerning errors in the block or in each of the blocks of the set, and
• an output device connected to be responsive to the signal processor for simultaneously transmitting the two identical flows of cells on two distinct physical links,
• the receiver including:
• a selector connected to be responsive to each of the two flows of cells respectively transmitted on said two links, the selector being arranged for selecting the block or groups of blocks from one of the flows for which an examination of error information concerning the block or group of blocks contained in the physical cell shows that the block or group of blocks has the fewer errors, the selector being arranged for:
• (a) choosing indiscriminately either group of blocks if the two groups of blocks belonging respectively to the two links are judged as being correct;
• (b) selecting the group of blocks carried by a first link (1) if the group of blocks carried by the first link (1) is judged as being correct and the group of blocks carried by a second link (2) is judged as being incorrect;
• (c) selecting the group of blocks carried by the second link (2) if the group of blocks carried by the second link (2) is judged as being correct and the group of blocks carried by the first link (1) is judged as being incorrect;
• (d) using a selection process other than the group of blocks by a group of blocks selection process if the two groups of blocks are judged as being incorrect.