Method for operating a node of a communications network, a node and a communications network

1. A method for operating a node in a communications network,

wherein frames passing through the node, the node receiving the frames from a preceding node using receive clocks and forwarding the frames to a subsequent node using transmit clocks, each transmit clock being determined on the basis of a local clock of the node, each receive clock being equal to a transmit clock of the preceding node transmitting the frame,

the method comprising the following steps:

the node receiving a reference time via the communications network;

comparing a transmit clock of the node actually used for forwarding the frames to the subsequent node, the transmit clock being determined for an earlier clock cycle on the basis of the local clock of the node, with the reference time;

correcting the local clock of the node on the basis of the comparison result; and

determining on the basis of the corrected local clock a new transmit clock to be used by the node for the current clock cycle for forwarding the frames to the subsequent node.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the local clock is incremented by an incrementation value, and wherein the correction involves adjusting the incrementation value.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the reference time is received by the node in every clock cycle by means of a frame.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the reference time is averaged over a plurality of clock cycles and/or normalized by compensating for the propagation delay.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a quality of the correction is evaluated, and wherein a latency of a FIFO memory of the node, which FIFO memory is provided for storing a received frame, is set according to the evaluated quality.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a clock period is defined by a clock cycle from a clock source of the node.

7. A node for a communications network,

the node being designed to pass through frames, the node receiving the frames from a preceding node using receive clocks and forwarding the frames to a subsequent node using transmit clocks, each transmit clock being determined on the basis of a local clock of the node by a determination unit of the node, each receive clock being equal to a transmit clock of the preceding node transmitting the frame,

the node comprising:

a communications interface for receiving a reference time via the communications network, and

a controller for correcting the local clock on the basis of the received reference time,

wherein the controller is designed to compare a transmit clock of the node actually used for forwarding the frames to the subsequent node, the transmit clock being determined for an earlier cycle on the basis of the local clock of the node, with the reference time, and to correct the local clock of the node on the basis of the comparison result, and

wherein the determination unit is designed to determine on the basis of the corrected local clock a new transmit clock to be used for the current cycle for forwarding the frames to the subsequent node.

8. The node as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the local clock is designed to be incremented by an incrementation value, and wherein the controller is designed to adjust the incrementation value for the purpose of correcting the local clock.

9. The node as claimed in claim 7 , which is designed to receive the reference time in every clock cycle by means of a frame.

10. The node as claimed in claim 7 , wherein a FIFO memory is provided for storing a received frame, wherein a latency of the FIFO memory can be set according to an evaluated quality of the correction.

11. The node as claimed in claim 7 , wherein a clock source is provided for defining a cycle period on the basis of a clock cycle from the clock source.

12. A communications network comprising a node,

the node being designed to pass through frames, the node receiving the frames from a preceding node using receive clocks and forwarding the frames to a subsequent node using transmit clocks, each transmit clock being determined on the basis of a local clock of the node by a determination unit of the node, each receive clock being equal to a transmit clock of the preceding node transmitting the frame,

wherein the local clock is synchronized to a reference time,

wherein a transmit clock of the node actually used for forwarding the frames to the subsequent node, the transmit clock being determined for an earlier clock cycle on the basis of the local clock of the node, is compared with the reference time, and the local clock of the node is corrected on the basis of the comparison result, and

wherein a new transmit clock to be used for the current clock cycle for forwarding the frames to the subsequent node is determined on the basis of the corrected local clock.

13. The communications network as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the local clock is incremented by an incrementation value, and wherein the correction involves adjusting the incrementation value.

14. The communications network as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the receive clocks equal transmit clocks of a further node, and the reference time is received by the further node by means of the frame.

15. The communications network as claimed in claim 12 , wherein two communications subnetworks are provided, wherein a FIFO memory for storing frames transmitted from one of the communications subnetworks to the other, and vice versa, is provided between the two communications subnetworks.

16. The communications network as claimed in claim 15 , wherein a latency of the FIFO memory can be set according to an evaluated quality of the correction.

17. The communications network as claimed in claim 12 , wherein a clock source is provided for defining a cycle period on the basis of a clock cycle from the clock source.