Character interval: In a communications system

Communications system

In telecommunication, a communications system is a collection of individual communications networks, transmission systems, relay stations, tributary stations, and data terminal equipment usually capable of interconnection and interoperation to form an integrated whole...

, the total number of unit intervals required to transmit any given character

Character (computing)

In computer and machine-based telecommunications terminology, a character is a unit of information that roughly corresponds to a grapheme, grapheme-like unit, or symbol, such as in an alphabet or syllabary in the written form of a natural language....

, including synchronizing

Synchronizing

In telecommunication, the term synchronizing has the following meanings:# Achieving and maintaining synchronism.# In fax, achieving and maintaining predetermined speed relations between the scanning spot and the recording spot within each scanning line....

, information

Information

Information in its most restricted technical sense is a message or collection of messages that consists of an ordered sequence of symbols, or it is the meaning that can be interpreted from such a message or collection of messages. Information can be recorded or transmitted. It can be recorded as...

, error checking, or control character

Control character

In computing and telecommunication, a control character or non-printing character is a code point in a character set, that does not in itself represent a written symbol.It is in-band signaling in the context of character encoding....

s, but not including signals that are not associated with individual characters.

An example of a time

Time

Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....

 interval that is excluded when determining character interval is any time added between the end of a stop signal

Stop signal

In telecommunication, the term stop signal has the following meanings:1. In asynchronous serial communication, a signal at the end of a character that prepares the receiving device for the reception of a subsequent character...

 and the beginning of the next start signal

Start signal

In telecommunication, the term start signal:# A signal that prepares a device to receive data or to perform a function. Contrast with A-condition....

 to accommodate changing transmission

Transmission (telecommunications)

Transmission, in telecommunications, is the process of sending, propagating and receiving an analogue or digital information signal over a physical point-to-point or point-to-multipoint transmission medium, either wired, optical fiber or wireless...

 conditions, such as a change in data signaling rate

Data signaling rate

In telecommunication, data signaling rate , also known as gross bit rate, is the aggregate rate at which data pass a point in the transmission path of a data transmission system.Notes:#The DSR is usually expressed in bits per second....

 or buffering requirements. This added time is defined as a part of the intercharacter interval

Intercharacter interval

In telecommunications, the intercharacter interval is the time interval between the end of the stop signal of one character and the beginning of the start signal of the next character of an asynchronous transmission....

.