DISTRIBUTED BUS CONTROL COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL

摘要

In a variable time division distributed bus control system for determining the order in which a plurality of stations can communicate messages over a common communication channel, the system includes a communication channel for transmitting information between a plurality of stations, each station having a time slot memory for storing at least one address identifiable as a time slot during which an assigned station can transmit information over the communication channel, each time slot having only one station assigned thereto, and a transmission controller responsive to the messages being transmitted over the communication channel and responsive to the time slot memory for transmitting messages over the communication channel when it is the turn of each station to transmit. The station can include an initializing arrangement responsive when the communication channel has been quiet for a predetermined time period for initiating the transmission of an initializing message over the communication channel, the initializing message having an acknowledger portion requiring a specified station to acknowledge the initializing message, the predetermined time period being different for each station connected to the communication channel. The station may also include an acknowledgement timer arrangement for delaying the transmission of any further messages for a predetermined period of time after the transmission of a global message requiring acknowledgement unless the selected station has acknowledged the global message. The station may also include a mechanism for allowing the station to transmit more than one message during a specified time slot.