Patent ID: 8738157

Claim:
A method of controlling a controller network, the controller network comprising a plurality of devices, a controller for outputting control data to the devices, and a plurality of interface modules, each interface module being arranged to connect a respective device to the controller via the network, the method comprising: outputting, from the controller, a plurality of control messages, each control message being addressed to a respective device, the control message corresponding to an action to be performed by the respective device, wherein the plurality of control messages are addressed to one or more of the devices in the controller network, and at least some of the control messages include scheduling information defining that the corresponding actions are to be performed after respective delay periods; receiving, at the or each respective interface module connecting the or each respective device to which the plurality of control messages are addressed to the network, one or more of the control messages; storing the received control message(s) in a memory of the or each respective interface module; broadcasting, from the controller, a trigger message addressed to at least one respective device; receiving, at the at least one respective interface module connecting the at least one respective device to the network, the trigger message; and the at least one respective interface module passing, in response to the trigger message and in accordance with the scheduling information, at least some of the stored control messages to the at least one respective device such that the corresponding actions are performed synchronously by the device(s) to which the trigger message is addressed in a controlled, timed sequence.