Patent ID: 8687520

Claim:
For use in a time triggered network having a plurality of communication clusters each having a plurality of nodes, the communication clusters being compatible to each other in cycle length, slot length and frame length, a cluster coupler unit being connected to at least two communication clusters, the cluster coupler unit comprising: as many protocol engines as communication clusters are connected to the cluster coupler unit, each protocol engine having at least one receiving input and one transmitting output, the transmitting output of each protocol engine being connected to a different and respective communication cluster for transmission of data thereto, synchronization logic that is connected to at least one of the receiving inputs or to at least one of the transmitting outputs, and that is configured and arranged to distribute startup/synchronization relevant information from incoming/outgoing signals to all connected clusters for synchronizing the connected communication clusters during startup by connecting, in response to a stimulus signal, the transmitting output of one of the protocol engines in the cluster coupler unit to the transmitting outputs of each other protocol engines in the cluster coupler unit to facilitate the transmission of the startup/synchronization relevant information to each respective communication cluster.