FRAME TRANSMISSION AND COMMUNICATION NETWORK

The present invention is concerned with a communication network interconnecting a plurality of synchronized nodes (1,2,3,4), where regular frames (RP) comprising time-critical data (R1,R2,R3,R4) are transmitted periodically or cyclically, and sporadic frames (SP) are transmitted non-periodically or occasionally. In particular, each node of the plurality of nodes (1,2,3,4) transmits a regular frame (RP) at the beginning of a transmission period common to, and synchronized among, all nodes. A node then receives regular frames (RP) from its first neighboring node, and forwards them within the same transmission period and with the shortest delay, to a second neighboring node. Furthermore, the node actively delays transmission of any sporadic frame (SP), whether originating from an application hosted be the node itself or whether received from a neighboring node, until forwarding of all received regular frames (RP) is completed.