Patent ID: 7848349

Claim:
A method of periodically distributing data to a plurality of data receivers in apparatus comprising a data distributor having a slot assignor and a data calculator, the method comprising: the data distributor dividing a data distribution period into a plurality of time slots; the slot assignor assigning each of the data receivers to a respective one of the time slots; and for each time slot having an assigned data receiver, during the time slot, the data calculator calculating the data to be sent to the data receiver and the data distributor sending the data to the data receiver, wherein the apparatus further comprises a slot position swapper, the method further comprising, on every Jth data distribution period: the slot position swapper selecting a random slot in the data distribution period; and the slot position swapper swapping the position of the random slot in the data distribution period, together with any data receiver assigned to that time slot, with another time slot, wherein the position of the randomly selected time slot in the data distribution period is swapped with an adjacent time slot.