TDMA communication system

1. A communication system for the transmitting of information via a common transmission medium in a time division multiplex process, the system comprising:

a node for monitoring a start up process of the system to determine whether a first signal from another node, which correctly utilizes at least one time slot of a time frame, wherein said time frame includes a static part and a dynamic part each having respective time slots, is present in the transmission medium, and for testing an integrity of the first signal when the first signal is present to determine whether the first signal transmitted during a static part of the time frame is incorrect,

wherein when the first signal is determined to be incorrect, the node is configured to shift said at least one time slot utilized by the incorrect first signal to a programmable position of the dynamic part of the time frame, and to send a second signal utilizing at least one time slot in the static part of the time frame in a repeated periodic transmission of the static part and the dynnamic part of the time frame.

2. The communication system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the programmable position comprises a spare time slot, the incorrect first signal being allocated to the spare time slot.

3. The communication system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the programmable position comprises a region of the dynamic part of the time frame of the second signal having a low priority, the incorrect first signal being allocated to the low priority region.

4. The communication system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the programmable position comprises a region of the time frame of the second signal which is reserved for a dynamic access of the node, the incorrect first signal being allocated to the dynamic access region.

5. The communication system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the programmable position comprises a region of the time frame of the second signal which is reserved for a random, collision-prone access of the node, the incorrect first signal being allocated to the random collision-prone region.

6. The communication system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second signal comprises information which indicates to at least one other node of the communication system that the first signal was detected in the transmission medium and determined to be incorrect.

7. A motor vehicle having a communication system as claimed in claim 1 .

8. The communication system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the start up process comprises activating the node and at least one other node of the communication system.

9. The communication system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the node tests the integrity of the first signal by identifying an error causing the node to be unable to interpret the first signal as a message.

10. A method of starting a communication system comprising at least two communication nodes for transmitting information via a common transmission medium in a time division multiplex process, the method comprising:

determining whether a first signal, which correctly utilizes at least one time slot in a first time frame, is present in the transmission medium while starting the system;

when the first signal is present, testing an integrity of the first signal to determine whether the first signal is incorrect; and

when the first signal is incorrect, sending a second signal through the transmission medium, the second signal utilizing a time slot within a static portion of a second time frame and the at least one time slot utilized by the incorrect first signal being allocated to a dynamic portion of the second time frame.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising: synchronizing the at least two communication nodes based on the second signal.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the dynamic portion of the second time frame, to which the at least one time slot utilized by the first signal is allocated, has a low priority.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the dynamic portion of the second time frame, to which the at least one time slot utilized by the first signal is allocated, comprises a region reserved for random, collision-prone access of the at least two communication nodes of the communication system.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein testing the integrity of the first signal comprises checking for at least one of an incorrect check total and a coding error.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the second signal is sent through the transmission medium at regular intervals.

16. A system for communicating over a common transmission medium in a time division multiplex process, the system comprising:

a second node configured to receive a first signal in a first time frame structure from a first node, through the transmission medium, while the system is being started and to check an integrity of the first signal, the first time frame comprising a first static portion and a first dynamic portion, the first signal utilizing a first time slot in the first static portion;

wherein when the first signal is determined to be defective based on the integrity check, the second node constructs a second time frame structure and sends a second signal in the second time frame structure, the second time frame structure comprising a second static portion and a second dynamic portion, the second signal utilizing a second time slot in the second static portion and the first time slot utilized by the first signal being allocated to the second dynamic portion.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the second signal is received by a third node during the start up of the system and synchronizes with at least the second node based on the second signal.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the first time slot is allocated to an end portion of the second dynamic portion.

19. The system of claim 16 , wherein the first time slot is allocated to a beginning portion of the second dynamic portion.

20. The system of claim 16 , wherein the first node and the second node respectively send the first signal and the second signal at regular intervals.