Time and event based message transmission
View Patent ↗A system, apparatus and method for efficient utilization of available band-width on the system's bus connection. The system includes a scheduler configured to receive a virtual schedule that provides at least one slot for sending a message over the communication bus. A module is configured to send a message over the communication bus.
1. A system, comprising:
a module connected to a communication bus, the module comprising:
a scheduler configured to:
receive a virtual schedule that provides a slot for sending a message over the communication bus, and
determine an actual time for sending the message in relation to the virtual schedule; and
wherein the module is configured to:
send the message according to the actual time, and
determine whether to resend the message in accordance with a priority of the message and in response to a colliding message.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the scheduler is coupled to a virtual clock.
3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an actual clock, wherein the actual time is further determined in accordance with the actual clock.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the communication bus is configured to operate according to a controller area network (CAN) protocol.
5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a monitoring node connected to the communication bus, wherein the monitoring node is configured to issue synchronization messages.
6. An apparatus, comprising:
a scheduler configured to:
receive a virtual schedule, and
determine an actual time for sending a message in relation to the virtual schedule, wherein the virtual schedule includes a slot for sending the message over a communication bus; and
a transmitter configured to:
send the message according to the actual time, and
determine whether to resend the message in accordance with a priority of the message and in response to a colliding message.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the scheduler is coupled to a virtual clock.
8. The apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising an actual clock, wherein the actual time is further determined in accordance with the actual clock.
9. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the communication bus is configured to operate according to a controller area network (CAN) protocol.
10. The apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising a monitoring node connected to the communication bus, wherein the monitoring node is configured to issue synchronization messages.
11. A method, comprising:
determining an actual time for sending a message in relation to a virtual schedule, wherein the virtual schedule comprises a slot for sending the message over a communication bus;
sending the message according to the actual time; and
determining whether to resend the message according to a priority of the message in response to a colliding message.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the virtual schedule is related to a virtual clock.
13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
further determining the actual time in relation to an actual clock.
14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
operating the communication bus according to a controller area network (CAN) protocol.
15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
monitoring the communication bus and issuing synchronization messages in response to the colliding message.