Shared digital communications bus suitable for automotive applications

A sensor that comprises:

• a bus interface coupled to a shared signal conductor to detect periodic pulses from a bus controller, each pulse initiating a data transmission slot;
• and
• a controller having a node ID and configured to determine which of the data transmission slots correspond to that node ID, said determining including:
• driving the shared signal conductor with a pulse representing a resynchronization request if n-1 consecutive data transmission slots are empty, n being a total number of sensors connected to the shared signal conductor;
• and
• upon driving or detecting a pulse representing a resynchronization request, tracking a data transmission slot count that treats a first data transmission slot after the resynchronization request as the first data transmission slot in a series of frames each having n data transmission slots, each data transmission slot in the frame having a slot count that matches a respective node ID.

A digital communication method that comprises:

• detecting periodic pulses on a shared signal conductor, each pulse initiating a data transmission slot;
• and
• determining which of the data transmission slots correspond to a local node ID, said determining including:
• driving the shared signal conductor with a pulse representing a resynchronization request if n-1 consecutive data transmission slots are empty, n being a total number of sensors connected to the shared signal conductor;
• and
• upon driving or detecting a pulse representing a resynchronization request, tracking a data transmission slot count that treats a first data transmission slot after the resynchronization request as the first data transmission slot in a series of frames each having n data transmission slots, each data transmission slot in the frame having a slot count that matches a respective node ID.