Distributed clock synchronization algorithm for industrial networks

Ethernet based communication protocols have recently gained more importance. The IEEE 1588 standard is the most widely used synchronization algorithm for Ethernet based communication protocols. The IEEE 1588 standard uses the centralized synchronization method. In this case, the malfunction of a specific node that sends the master clock can affect the performance of synchronization of every node on the network. The low synchronization performance of the nodes can cause malfunctions of the synchronous control system. For this reason, we believe the distributed synchronization method is more suitable for the industrial communication protocols. Therefore, we suggest a distributed synchronization algorithm that combines the IEEE 1588 and the FlexRay synchronization algorithm.