In this example of a distributed-network-based control structure, the master is a central controller. It handles all interlocking and coordination tasks between the various axes, requiring a real-time operating system.

Multiple controllers on a peerto-peer network are able to interact intelligently using a register transfer scheme. Register manipulation sequences for I/O-to-I/O, eventto-motion, position-to-gain, and so on can be defined in relatively simple data fields and executed transparently through the network.

Here, a kinematics model based on register transfer and trajectory planning is implemented entirely on single-axis motion controllers; no central machine controller is involved.