Bus priority control method in loop bus network system

Abstract

In a loop bus network system where a plurality of processors are connected to a unidirectional loop bus and each of the processors generates a transmission message with a level number which designates the bus use priority of the message, each of node processors, in which message transmission request is generated, transmits to the loop bus a bus control data including a level number of the message generated therewithin and a data which represents the bus use priority assigned to each node processor for that level number. Each of the node processors compares the bus control data transmitted therefrom to a succeeding node with a control data received from a preceding node and then transmits only the larger data of the compared two data, thereby to ascertain that only one bus control data propagates around the loop and a loop bus use priority is assigned to one of the node processors that has generated the above-mentioned one bus control data.