Apparatus for transmission of variable length data

Abstract

A variable length data transmission apparatus is provided which includes a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter splits input variable length data into first code blocks having a block length k to convert them into a plurality of first error-correcting codes having a code length n and including k information symbols. When a data length of the variable length data is not a multiple of the block length k, the transmitter converts part of the variable length data which should be protected from errors with a higher degree of priority into a code block having a length shorter than the block length k and adds dummy bits to the second code block to convert the dummy bit-added second code block into a second error-correcting code, after which the dummy bits are removed from the second error-correcting code to provide a third error-correcting code. The receiver splits a code sequence transmitted from the transmitter into the first and third error-correcting codes for correcting errors arising in the first and third error-correcting codes. The receiver adds the same dummy bits as used in the transmitter to the third error-correcting code to correct the errors in the third error-correcting code, after which the dummy bits are removed from the third error-correcting code.