Communication method, central control device and individual control device

A central control device that is connected to an individual control device via a network and is applied to a distributed control system in which a packet including a command for instructing a control is transmitted from the central control device to the individual control device such that the individual control device controls a device to be controlled, the central control device comprising:

• a communication unit that transmits a packet that includes a predetermined portion of a command for instructing control of a device to be controlled, first identification information identifying the predetermined portion of the command, and a start-up deadline of the command to the individual control device, and second identification information in a header of the packet identifying the device to be controlled as a destination of the packet,
• wherein the predetermined portion of the command for instructing control of the device to be controlled is one of a plurality of portions of the command.

An individual control device that is connected to a central control device via a network and is applied to a distributed control system in which the individual control device receives a packet including a command for instructing a control transmitted from the central control device so as to control a device to be controlled, the individual control device comprising:

• a communication unit that receives the packet transmitted from the central control device;
• and
• a controller that extracts the command and a start-up deadline included in the packet received by the communication unit, controls the device to be controlled based on the extracted command when a current time is earlier than the start-up deadline, and does not control the device to be controlled based on the extracted command when the current time is later than the start-up deadline.