Patent ID: 7298759

Claim:
An apparatus for generating a time slot in a home networking system for networking of information terminals, which is included in each of the information terminals and shows the time when data is transmitted, the apparatus comprising: a signal analyzer which receives a carrier sense signal indicating whether or not data exists on a network line, generates a counter control signal according to a first level of the carrier sense signal and a second level of the carrier sense signal where the second level is complementary to the first level, recognizes a length of the first level and the second level of the carrier sense signal using counter values provided in response to the counter control signals, outputs a state signal for indicating whether or not effective data is received, whether or not data collision occurs, or whether or not an error happens to the carrier sense signal and a time counting value for generating a time slot using the length of the first level and the second level of the carrier sense signal; a counting unit which counts a clock signal in the first level and the second level of the carrier sense signal in response to the counter control signal and outputs the result of the counting as the counter values; and a time slot generator which has regulations related to the period of time of each section of a time slot, generates a time slot according to the state signal output from the signal analyzer using the time counting value to meet the regulations, and stops generation of the time slot in response to the state signal for indicating that an error happens to the carrier sense signal.