Patent ID: 7194855

Claim:
In a distributed hydraulic system having a plurality of hydraulic functions at different locations on a vehicle which receive fluid under pressure from a source, wherein each hydraulic function includes a hydraulic actuator, a valve assembly that controls flow of fluid to the hydraulic actuator, and an electronic function controller that operates the valve assembly, and each function controller sends messages over a communication network in the vehicle, a method for controlling the distributed hydraulic system comprising: acquiring data indicating hydraulic fluid pressure levels that are required by the plurality of hydraulic functions; in response to the data, determining a given electronic function controller on the vehicle as generating messages which have a higher priority than messages from other electronic function controllers; enabling the given electronic function controller to send messages over the communication network once every first time interval; and limiting other electronic function controllers on the vehicle to sending messages over the communication network no more often than once every second time interval that is longer than the first time interval.