Network comprising an interconnecting network and serveral network nodes that are coupled to said interconnecting network

• US 20050232224A1
• Filed: 04/04/2003
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV), Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Temple, Christopher, Pokorny, Gregor, Peller, Martin, Berwanger, Josef, Schedl, Anton, Hedenetz, Bernd, Fuhrmann, Peter, Fuhrer, Thomas, Millsap, Arnold, Forest, Thomas, Belschner, Ing Ralf
• Granted Patent: US 7,586,933 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/351
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/09 Error detection only, e.g. using cyclic redundancy check [CRC] codes or single parity bit
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/43 Majority logic or threshold decoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0652 Synchronisation among time division multiple access [TDMA] nodes, e.g. time triggered protocol [TTP] bus network with centralized control in which slots are of a TDMA packet structure H04L12/4035
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0682 by delay compensation, e.g. by compensation of propagation delay or variations thereof, by ranging
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/44 Star or tree networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6435 Bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/644 Star
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6459 Multiplexing, e.g. TDMA, CDMA

Abstract

The invention concerns a network comprising an interconnecting network and several network nodes that are coupled to said interconnecting network and are designed to adapt their local communication time schedule to the communication time schedule of at least one other network mode, prior to being integrated as active network nodes. A network node to be integrated checks the activity of other network nodes and if no activity is identified, sends out positional messages for other network nodes, said message being fixed by predetermination in its communication time schedule. If a network node cannot be integrated as a reference node, it can only be integrated as an active node if it adapts its local communication time schedule to that of the reference node after receiving positional messages and if a check as to whether its own communication time schedule agrees with the communication time schedules of at least some of the active network nodes proves positive.

Claims

1-8. -8. (canceled)

9. A network system, the system comprising:

an interconnecting network;

a reference network node communicating with said interconnecting network, said reference node having a reference node communication time schedule; and

a plurality of network nodes coupled to said interconnecting network, said network nodes each being adapted, before integration as an active network node, for adjustment of a local communication time schedule to a communication time schedule of at least one other network node, wherein a network node to be integrated is adapted to test activity of other network nodes and, in case of no activity, is assigned as said reference network node with fixed transmission of predetermined position messages for said other network nodes, wherein each network node is adapted to receive position messages for adjustment of its local communication time schedule to said reference node communication time schedule and, in case of a positive result of an agreement check between said local communication time schedule and communication time schedules of at least part of active network nodes, is integrated as an active network node.

10. The network system of claim 9, wherein each network node is adapted for examination of whether its local communication time schedule coincides with communication time schedules of at least part of said active network nodes and for counting agreements and deviations, wherein each network node is adapted for integration as an active network node only when a number of agreements is larger than a number of deviations.

11. The network system of claim 10, wherein each network node, for examination as to whether its said local communication time schedule coincides with the communication time schedules of at least part of said active network nodes, is provided with a time interval, in which all position messages of said active network nodes can be transmitted at least once.

12. The network system of claim 9, wherein, after detection of no activity, a network node to be integrated is adapted to examine whether a further network node attempts to integrate itself as said reference network node.

13. The network system of claim 12, wherein, after detection of no activity, a network node to be integrated is adapted to transmit a collision message.

14. The network system of claim 12, wherein during examination for integration as a reference network node, each network node is adapted to initially transmit its own position message, to count incoming position messages, and to be integrated as said reference network node only if a number of correctly received position messages is larger than a number of the incorrectly received position messages.

15. A network node in a network system, the system having:

an interconnecting network;

a reference network node communicating with said interconnecting network, said reference node having a reference node communication time schedule; and

a plurality of network nodes coupled to said interconnecting network, said network nodes each being adapted, before integration as an active network node, for adjustment of a local communication time schedule to a communication time schedule of at least one other network node, wherein a network node to be integrated is adapted to test activity of other network nodes and, in case of no activity, is assigned as said reference network node for fixed transmission of predetermined position messages for other network nodes, wherein a network node is adapted for integration as an active network node after receipt of position messages for adjustment of said local communication time schedule to said reference node communication time schedule and in case of positive result of an agreement check between said local communication time schedule and communication time schedules of at least part of active network nodes.

16. A method for integrating a network node as an active network node in a network system, the network system having a reference network node and an interconnecting network for connecting together a plurality of network nodes and the reference network node, the method comprising the steps of:

a) testing activity of other network nodes;

b) if no activity is detected in step a), transmitting position messages predetermined in a communication time schedule for other network nodes;

c) if activity is detected in step a), adjusting a local communication time schedule to that of a reference network node based on receipt of position messages;

d) testing for agreement between the local communication time schedule and communication time schedules of at least part of active network nodes; and

e) integrating into the network system as an active network node if step d) yields a positive result.