Patent ID: 7519076

Claim:
A method for transmitting data for real-time applications and non-real-time applications in a communications network with several nodes that are connected to one another via a communication path, wherein the data transmission between the nodes takes place in a cyclic and deterministic fashion and data for real-time applications has priority over other data such that all data for real-time applications is transmitted first during a transmission operation and data for non-real-time applications is subsequently transmitted in the time that remains until the next transmission operation starts, the method comprising the steps of: at least one node receiving, processing and sending data for real-time applications in parallel during a real-time cycle by: executing a first processing step, wherein data received in a previous real-time cycle from another node via the communication path is analyzed to determine which received data are intended for real-time applications and which received data are intended for non-real-time applications; executing a second processing step, wherein real-time applications are executed; and executing a third processing step, wherein data for real-time applications to be transmitted to another node is sent via the communication path.