The present embodiments relate to a steering assist device and method, and a steering system. The steering assist device comprises: first and second input-side steering control modules for controlling an input-side steering motor so that an input-side instrument connected to a steering wheel is assisted; and first and second output-side steering control modules for controlling an output-side steering motor so that an output-side instrument mechanically separated from the input-side instrument and connected to a wheel is assisted, wherein the first and second input-side steering control modules and the first and second output-side steering control modules arbitrate a role assignment and can control a corresponding steering motor from among the input-side steering motor and the output-side steering motor according to the role assignment arbitration result.

In one embodiment, two or more programmable multimedia controllers are provided a multimedia system that includes a plurality of audio/video (A/V) devices that source or output digital media streams. Each of the programmable multimedia controllers has at least a processing subsystem and a switch capable of switching the digital media streams. Arbitration is conducted among the programmable multimedia controllers to select one of the programmable multimedia controllers as winning the arbitration. Master status is assigned to the one of the programmable multimedia controllers that won the arbitration. Subordinate status is assigned to at least one other programmable multimedia controller that did not win the arbitration. It is periodically verified whether the programmable multimedia controller assigned master status is operating. In response to the programmable multimedia controller assigned master status having experienced a failure, master status is reassigned to a programmable multimedia controller that was originally assigned subordinate status.

A method of communicating between nodes in a network where a node receives a sequence of symbols that will form a packet on a first communications channel and has a planned packet that it would send on a second communications channel. A destination is encoded into an arbitration portion of a header sequence of the packet, the header sequence comprising a sequence of symbols. The transmission on the second communications channel is as per the planned packet, for as long as the symbols of the planned packet match the symbols being received on the first channel. An arbitration decision is made when the symbols do not match, with the node either continuing to send the rest of the planned packet, or the rest of the packet being received on the first communications channel.

A first and second host device are configured to communicate data via a data channel (e.g., a half-duplex channel). A control channel (e.g., a full-duplex channel) may be used to arbitrate the dynamic assignment of the respective roles of master and slave to the first and second host devices. The arbitration procedure may include transmitting a first message from the first host device to the second host device that specifies information for allocating one or more time slots to the first host device, and transmitting a second message from the second host device to the first host device that specifies information for allocating one or more time slots to the second host device. At each of the first and second host devices, a communication schedule for the data channel may be determined based on a rule set, the first message and the second message.

An extension of the existing CAN FD data transmission protocol. The extension enables the use of the IPv6 protocol for the CAN bus. The CAN FD protocol is further developed in an incompatible way. One modification measure relates to the lengthening of the Data Field, which is positioned in the transmission frame after an Arbitration Field. An arbitrary number of bytes can be entered in the extended Data Field within a specified upper limit. Since the Data Field is transmitted at a higher bit rate field than the Arbitration Field, the data throughput is increased dramatically.

A system and method is provided for stabilizing a BACnet MSTP network when failures occur. The system may include at least one processor in an MSTP device configured via executable instructions included in at least one memory to communicate data expecting reply (DER) messages for field devices (e.g., HVAC, lighting, shading) onto an MSTP network for receipt by at least one IP device on an Ethernet network connected to the MSTP network via a BACnet IP/MSTP router. The processor may be configured to determine when the at least one IP device sent a DER message has become a non-communicative device. Also the processor may be configured to send a Poll for Master (PFM) message to the determined non-communicative device. In addition, the processor may be configured to drop further DER messages to the determined non-communicative device responsive to an absence of receipt of a response to the PFM message.

A transmission unit for connection to a first bus system, the transmission unit receiving messages via the first bus system, the messages being constructed as a succession of a first bit sequence, of at least one control signal and of a second bit sequence, the first bit sequence of a received message being forwarded by the transmission unit to a processing station, at least one predefined control signal of the received message being checked by the transmission unit, the second bit sequence of the received message being forwarded by the transmission unit to the processing station if the predefined signal of the received message has a predefined value, instead of the second bit sequence, the transmission unit sending a predefined or predefinable terminating bit sequence to the processing station, if the predefined control signal of the received message has a value that deviates from the predefined value.

A control network communication arrangement includes tagging information being embedded within individual ones of bits of a message packet to distinguish bits having the tagging information as being either message packet protocol overhead bits or bits from the message data portion. So configured, a receiving module can readily exclude protocol overhead bits from message data portion bits.

Disclosed are methods and apparatus for multiplex operation of an electronic transmitting apparatus, comprising establishing logical channels between logical data producers and respective logical data consumers, the logical channels operable to pass data over a serial physical channel, constructing by a producer a payload, identifying a respective consumer, arbitrating use of the serial physical channel between logical channels to control sending of payloads, injecting a channel-specific logical protocol stop indicator into a data flow over the serial physical channel to instruct a receiving router to stop receipt of a previously started data flow and route the payload to a consumer, and sending at least a first uninterruptible data unit of the payload over the serial physical channel. Corresponding methods and apparatus are provided to enable a receiver to route payloads to consumers according to received logical protocol stop indicators.

An anomaly handling method in an in-vehicle network includes: transmitting and receiving frames; detecting a frame having an anomaly; and switching, when the anomaly is detected in the detecting, a transmission timing of the frame in which the anomaly is detected. The switching includes changing a switched transmission timing to which the transmission timing is switched, according to predetermined information.