Abstract: A method is proposed for operating a network with multiple subscribers in the network. For this purpose, a network having at least one switch (20, 21), at least two terminals (10, 11, 12) and a controller (30) is provided. According to the invention, one of the subscribers now sends and/or receives data to another subscriber via an application protocol, with the data being sent and/or received as a TSN data stream. In order to integrate non-TSN-capable nodes in the network, it is proposed that the TSN data stream be divided into at least two partial data streams (1, 2, 3, 4). Such partial data streams (1, 2, 3, 4) can be configured across non-TSN-capable subscribers or between such subscribers.

Abstract: A method is proposed for operating a network having at least one switch, at least two terminals, and a controller. The controller can send data to a terminal via an application protocol, the data BEING sent via data packets within the network's link layer, as is common in a conventional Ethernet network. An additional address is added to the data packets within the data link layer (1) and the switch sends the transmission to the addressed terminal via the address (2, 6). Before transmission to the addressed terminal, the address of the data packets is deleted (3). This creates a virtual automation network within an Ethernet network.

Abstract: A method is proposed for operating a network with several subscribers in the network. For this purpose, the network has at least one switch (10, 11, 12), at least two terminals and at least one controller. According to the invention, the controller can now communicate with one of the terminals via an application protocol. For this purpose, data is sent and/or received as data packets. In order to be able to schedule the communication, time slots are provided for sending the data packets that are adapted to a maximum possible packet size. For this purpose, the time slots have a start time and an end time so that they can overlap in different branches of the network. To optimize communication time, the packet sizes (5) can be changed. To avoid wasting bandwidth in the network, the time slots are adapted to the packet size accordingly by changing the start times and the end times (6).

Abstract: End-to-end latency in a data network containing a succession of network devices through which a data packet passes via data connections is determined by first providing the data packet with a trigger packet. Then each device generates and adds to the trigger packet a respective reception timestamp indicating when the packet is received by the respective device. This added data indicates time needed for travel from the immediately upstream network device such that, when reaching the furthest downstream device of the succession of network devices, the trigger packet holds a plurality of timestamp representing when the trigger packet was received by the network devices. Finally the end-to-end latency is calculated at the furthest downstream network device from all of the time stamps in the trigger packet.

Abstract: A cartridge for an aerosol provision device comprises a chamber for containing a liquid from which a flow of aerosol for inhalation by a user is generated. The cartridge comprises a first connector arrangement for releasably connecting the cartridge to a body portion of the device, and a second connector arrangement for releasably connecting to a container for a material. In use, aerosol flows through the material in the container before being inhaled by the user. The first connector arrangement is configurable in a locked configuration and in an un-locked configuration, and the first connector arrangement must be configured in the un-locked configuration for the cartridge to be removeable from the body portion. The first connector arrangement is configurable from the locked configuration to the un-locked configuration while the cartridge remains stationary with respect to the body portion.

Abstract: A method for operating a data network, wherein the data network contains network devices that use data connections to interchange data packets, wherein a mechanism is operated in order to determine at least one end-to-end latency between network devices, characterized in that as a mechanism a network device transmits a trigger packet to at least one further network device and a timestamp is used to establish when the trigger packet has reached this at least one further network device.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for operating a network, wherein network devices in the network exchange useful data among each other via at least one transfer medium by the transfer of useful data packets and at least one redundancy protocol is applied in order to reduce a failure risk, wherein said at least one redundancy protocol carries out a transfer of test data packets in order to detect failures in the network, wherein the invention combines known methods of dynamic redundancy protocols with test data packets and the use of frame preemption or time slot methods in three alternatives or methods which are combinable with each other, this considered individually or also in combination with each other thus enabling a significant reduction of the worst case detection time of a failure in the network, and consequently the reduction of the worst case changeover time in case of fault.