Patent ID: 8660108

Claim:
A method for synchronizing communications in wireless mesh network operating in a process control environment and including a plurality of network devices, comprising: defining a communication timeslot of a predetermined duration, wherein each of the plurality of network devices transmits or receives data only within the communication timeslot; generating a network schedule including at least one superframe having repeating superframe cycles each having a number of communication timeslots sequentially numbered relative to a beginning of each cycle, the number of communication timeslots defining a length of the at least one superframe; maintaining an absolute slot number indicative of a number of communication timeslots elapsed since a start time of the wireless mesh network, including incrementing the absolute slot number by one with each occurrence of a new timeslot; synchronizing each of the plurality of network devices with respect to a timing of an individual communication timeslot; and synchronizing each of the plurality of network devices with the network schedule based on the absolute slot number.