ABSTRACT
Controller area network (CAN) is one of the leading fieldbuses for networked control systems. The main application area of CAN has been the automotive industry. CAN is adopted as an in-vehicle network for engine management and comfort electronics as well as for some infotainment functions. The CAN protocol foresees four kinds of frames only, namely: data, remote, error, and overload frames. Schedulability analysis has been used for designing networked embedded system based on CAN, in order to check whether or not the network is correctly configured and/or dimensioned. CAN shows several advantages when compared to the traditional networks adopted to exchange real-time process data at the shop floor in factory environments. CANopen is a CAN-based application layer protocol with very flexible configuration capabilities that was explicitly defined for automation systems. CANopen specifications include a common and agreed communication stack, a standard mechanism to configure the relevant parameters, and a number of profiles to ensure interoperability among devices.
