Patent ID: 7441059

Claim:
A device for data communication between a first host device or a further host device and at least one client device on a shared transmission path having: a first host device, which includes a host application; at least one further host device, which includes a host application; at least one client device, which includes a client application; and a bus control module; the host devices each having a master application interface module, which is linked in the transmission path; the host devices each having a master application module which connects the particular host application to the assigned master application interface module; each client device having a client application interface module, which is linked in the transmission path and is connected to the assigned client application; the transmission path being implemented as a data bus representing a ring connector; the respective master application interface module of each host device and the respective client application interface module of each client device being connected to one another by the data bus for exchanging data and/or signals with one another and the bus control module being implemented to control the access of the host devices to the data bus, wherein the bus control module is provided in the ring structure of the data bus and is connected to the respective master application interface module of each host device and the respective client application interface module of each client device by the data bus for exchanging data and/or signals with one another and the bus control module is provided with a counter which counts the pulses between the passage of two arbitration frames relayed on the data bus and the bus control module is provided with a comparator circuit which compares the number of the elapsed pulses between the two arbitration frames against a predetermined target number of said pulses and when the number of said elapsed pulses exceeds said predetermined target number, the bus control module transmits a new arbitration frame having a deactivated activity bit in order to release the blocked data bus.