Abstract: A multi-node communications system is provided with communications protocol using both static (11, 12, 13, 18) (pre-determined) and dynamic (51, 52, 53 . . . ) (run-time determined) consecutive communication slots is used. The system has a number of distributed communication nodes, each node being arranged for communicating frames of data with the other nodes during both the static (11, 12, 13 . . . ) and the dynamic (51, 52, 53 . . . ) communication slots. Each node includes a synchronized time base 5 made up of consecutive timeslots (11, 12, 13 . . . , 51, 52, 53 . . . ). The timebase 5 has substantially the same error tolerance in each node. For static communication (10), a predetermined number of timeslots (20) are utilized for each static communication slot. For dynamic communication a dynamically allocated number of timeslots (60) are utilized for each dynamic communication slot. In this way both static and dynamic media arbitration is provided within a periodically recurring communication pattern.

Abstract: The invention concerns a network comprising an interconnecting network and several network nodes that are coupled to said interconnecting network and are designed to adapt their local communication time schedule to the communication time schedule of at least one other network mode, prior to being integrated as active network nodes. A network node to be integrated checks the activity of other network nodes and if no activity is identified, sends out positional messages for other network nodes, said message being fixed by predetermination in its communication time schedule. If a network node cannot be integrated as a reference node, it can only be integrated as an active node if it adapts its local communication time schedule to that of the reference node after receiving positional messages and if a check as to whether its own communication time schedule agrees with the communication time schedules of at least some of the active network nodes proves positive.

Abstract: The invention concerns a network comprising an interconnecting network and several network nodes that are coupled to said interconnecting network and are designed to adapt their local communication time schedule to the communication time schedule of at least one other network mode, prior to being integrated as active network nodes. A network node to be integrated checks the activity of other network nodes and if no activity is identified, sends out positional messages for other network nodes, said message being fixed by predetermination in its communication time schedule. If a network node cannot be integrated as a reference node, it can only be integrated as an active node if it adapts its local communication time schedule to that of the reference node after receiving positional messages and if a check as to whether its own communication time schedule agrees with the communication time schedules of at least some of the active network nodes proves positive.