Communications apparatus, system and method with error mitigation

摘要

Data communications are effected over one or more network branches to ensure appropriate receipt of data at different devices on the network. In accordance with an example embodiment, time-based communications are effected for a plurality of different network devices, at least two of which are connected to a common wired network link, with each network device being assigned to communicate during different time slots within a communication cycle. Each communication received on the common wired network link is assessed as being error-indicative or not error-indicative. In response to a received communication on the common wired network link being assessed as being error-indicative, the common wired network link is operated to corrupt data received on the branch, such as by driving the branch during a time slot in which the error-indicative communication is received, therein ensuring that other network devices disregard the data received during that time slot.

主权项

1. An apparatus comprising:
a wired network including a plurality of network branches each having a common communication link; a plurality of network devices connected to the network branches; a plurality of time-slot communication schedules respectively stored and accessible by each of the network devices, the plurality of time-slot communication schedules designating time slots during which each of the network devices is assigned to communicate over one of the plurality of network branches; a central communication circuit having
a central-communication schedule stored and accessible by the central communication circuit,data-coupling circuitry configured and arranged for communicatively coupling data between the central communication circuit and each of the plurality of network devices through respective ones of the plurality of network branches, anddata-logic circuitry configured and arranged to
receive communications from the plurality of network devices using the time slots assigned for each of the network devices in the central-communication schedule,assess each of the received communications from one of the network devices as being error-indicative or not error-indicative based on the central-communication schedule compliance, andin response to the each of the received communications on one of the network branches being assessed as being error-indicative, facilitate data corruption on the one of the network branches during a time period corresponding to the each of the received communications assessed as being error-indicative.