Patent ID: 7940804

Claim:
A switched network communication system, comprising: a plurality of subscribers connected in pairs via a first data connection line for transmitting data in communications cycles between pairs of subscribers, each subscriber comprising a respective controller that assigns both real-time-critical data and non-real-time-critical data to be transmitted in the communication cycles over the first data connection line by dividing each communication cycle into two areas for sequential transmission of data, wherein one area is for the real-time-critical data and another area is for the non-real-time-critical data; a second data connection line in parallel with the first data connection line located between those pairs of subscribers at which the overall volume of real-time-critical data is high, wherein, rather than dividing each communication cycle into two areas on the first data connection line, the respective controllers for those pairs of subscribers divide data between the first and second data connection lines such that real-time-critical data is assigned to the first data connection line so that only the real-time-critical data is transmitted in each communication cycle of the first data connection line and non-real-time-critical data is assigned to the second data connection line so that only the non-real-time-critical data is transmitted in each communication cycle of the second data connection line, and wherein a reduced cycle time is provided on the first data connection line for transmitting real-time-critical data and a long cycle time is retained on the second data connection line for transmitting non-real-time-critical data, thereby remedying a data bottleneck between those pairs of subscribers at which the overall volume of real-time-critical data is high, wherein the non-real-time-critical data is transmitted for a planning of the real-time-critical data.