Patent ID: 7606271

Claim:
A communication system including a plurality of nodes that transmit data to each other, wherein each one of the nodes includes a communication timing control apparatus comprising: a state variable signal communication unit for periodically transmitting, to at least another one of the nodes, an output state variable signal, separate from said data, indicating a rhythmic operating state or operating timing of the node including the timing control apparatus, and periodically receiving, from the at least another one of the nodes, an input state variable signal, separate from said data, indicating a rhythmic operating state or operating timing of the at least one other node, wherein the input state variable signal and output state variable signal include identifying information; a validity decision unit for determining whether each input state variable signal received by the state variable signal communication unit is valid, wherein the validity decision unit includes: an extracting unit for extracting the identifying information from each input state variable signal; an identifying unit for adding the identifying information to each output state variable signal; and a storage and decision unit for storing the identifying information extracted from valid input state variable signals and the identifying information added to output state variable signals and deciding whether each input state variable signal is valid by comparing its identifying information with the stored identifying information; and a timing decision unit for causing transitions in the rhythmic operating state or operating timing of the node including the timing control apparatus to occur according to a basic transition rate and the valid input state variable signals received from the at least another one of the nodes, generating the output state variable signal by taking said transitions into account, sending the output state variable signal to the state variable signal communication unit, using said transitions to schedule data transmissions to the at least another one of the nodes, and temporarily modifying the basic transition rate according to the valid input state variable signals received by the state variable communication unit, thereby modifying timings at which the data and output state variables are transmitted from the node including the timing control apparatus, to avoid data collisions.