Abstract: A distributed adaptable measurement network, which has flexible sensor or actuator nodes, takes multiple single valued measurements, such as temperature, pH, density, turbidity, velocity, breakdown strength, and strain as a function of time. The network can control large scale physical processes in response to these measurements. The flexible sensor or actuator node uses interchangeable common core modules, where each common core module uses a common description for data configuration and control of the measurement and response parameters. Although many physical variables can be affected, each variable is controlled in the same fashion. A transducer module selects the physical variable to which the common core module will be sensitive and whether its role will be that of a sensor or an actuator. The network may also contain system transducers which can control or alter the initial measurement and response parameters selected by the transducer module.

Abstract: The local clocks within each node of a loosely distributed network system may be synchronized and syntonized by any of the nodes in the network. Each of the nodes contains a time packet detector (TPD) that detects and recognizes timing data packets and produces a recognition signal. This signal may be used to cause an action in the detecting node, in particular the node may contain a time service block (TSB) containing a local clock that may be used to record the time of the recognition signal. The recorded times may be used as the basis for correcting the local clocks of the nodes in the system. Transfer devices such as gateways, bridges, and routers may include TSBs and TPDs to allow for correction for the transit time of time packets through the transfer device. The TPD is normally connected within the media access device at the point of final encoding for transmission or recovery of the clock and data for receiving where the time jitter will be at a minimum.