Communication system with timing cycle simulation

A node within a plurality of nodes constituting a communication system, said node including a communication control apparatus including a communication timing calculator for determining timings of data transmission from the node according to a timing cycle represented by variations in a phase state internal to the node, the communication timing calculator comprising:

• a virtual node calculator for simulating the timing cycle of a neighboring node by calculating virtual phase states of the neighboring node according to reception of a state variable signal from the neighboring node, the state variable signal representing a particular internal phase state of the neighboring node, the virtual node comprising hardware or a combination of hardware and software;
• and
• a phase calculator for varying the internal phase state of the node according to a predetermined time series rule, based on the virtual phase states of the neighboring node calculated by the virtual node calculator, the phase calculator comprising hardware or a combination of hardware and software.

A communication system including a plurality of nodes, each of said nodes including a communication control apparatus including a communication timing calculator for determining timings of data transmission from the node according to a timing cycle represented by variations in a phase state internal to the node, the communication timing calculator comprising:

• a virtual node calculator for simulating the timing cycle of a neighboring node by calculating virtual phase states of the neighboring node according to reception of a state variable signal from the neighboring node, the state variable signal representing a particular internal phase state of the neighboring node, the virtual node comprising hardware or a combination of hardware and software;
• and
• a phase calculator for varying the internal phase state of the node according to a predetermined time series rule, based on the virtual phase states of the neighboring node calculated by the virtual node calculator, the phase calculator comprising hardware or a combination of hardware and software.

A communication control method employed in a first node within a plurality of nodes constituting a communication system to determine timings of data transmission from the first node according to a timing cycle represented by variations in a phase state internal to the first node, the method comprising:

• simulating, with a communication control apparatus comprising hardware at the first node, the timing cycle of a second node by calculating virtual phase states of the second node according to reception of a state variable signal from the second node, the state variable signal representing a particular internal phase state of the second node;
• and
• varying, with the communication control apparatus, the internal phase state of the first node according to a predetermined time series rule, based on the calculated virtual phase states of the second node.