Patent ID: 8089991

Claim:
A network operating on a time triggered protocol using time slots, wherein the network comprises at least two clusters, each cluster comprising at least a node, wherein the node comprises a communication controller comprising a node clock source for determining a timing for the node, wherein the clusters are connected to a coupling unit comprising a clock alignment control logic comprising: a coupling unit clock source which is more accurate than the node clock source, wherein the accuracy of the coupling unit clock source is due to at least one of: the coupling unit clock source comprising an oscillator crystal with smaller guaranteed deviations than guaranteed deviations of the node clock source; or the coupling unit clock source receiving a clock signal from an external clock device or from a GPS device, wherein the coupling unit clock source is used for aligning the timing between the at least two clusters, wherein the clock alignment control logic increases or decreases cycle length λ in the connected clusters by amount ρ of cycle length modification between two cycles and/or the clock alignment control logic shifts a cycle start and/or a cycle end in the connected clusters by amount of offset σ, wherein the clock alignment control logic shifts by depending on information provided by a protocol engine connected to each of the clusters, wherein the clock alignment control logic uses a rate correction for offset correction.