CprE 458/558: Real-Time Systems

Controller Area Network:

Overview

(Updated by: Ki-sung Koo, CprE 458/558 TA)

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Intra-vehicular communication
A typical vehicle has a large number of electronic
control systems

The growth of automotive electronics is a result of:

Customers wish for better comfort and better
safety.
Government requirements for improved emission
control
Reduced fuel consumption

Some of such control systems

Engine timing
Gearbox and carburetor throttle control
Anti-block systems (ABS)
Acceleration skid control (ASC)
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Intra-vehicular communication
An example of intra-vehicular communication.

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Intra-vehicular communication
The complexity of these functions implemented by
these electronic control systems necessitates an
efficient communication between them.

In addition, a number of systems are being

developed which will cover more than one device.

For example
ASC requires the interplay of the engine timing and
carburetor control in order to reduce torque when
drive wheel slippage occurs.

In the electronic gearbox control, the ease of gear

changing can be improved by a brief adjustment to
ignition timing
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How do we connect these control devices?
With conventional systems, data is exchanged by
means of dedicated signal lines or wires.

But this is becoming increasingly difficult and

expensive as control functions become ever more
complex.

In the case of complex control systems in particular,

the number of connections cannot be increased much
further.

Solution: Use Fieldbus networks for connecting the

control devices
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Fieldbus Networks: basic motivation

Why use Fieldbus Networks?

To avoid this

Figure 1 Traditional Wiring - two pairs of cables can

substitute all typical connections.

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Real-Time Communication Architecture
Three different communication networks in real-time
application.

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Intra-vehicular communication
A schematic diagram of a current in-vehicle network

Smart Junction Box

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Fieldbus Networks
Fieldbuses are communication technologies and
products used in vehicular, automation and process
control industries.

1) Proprietary Fieldbuses (Closed Fileldbuses)

Proprietary Fieldbuses are an intellectual property of a
particular company or body.

2) Open Fieldbuses
For a Fieldbus to be Open, it must satisfy the following
criteria.
a) The full Fieldbus Specification must be published and
available at a reasonable price.
b) Critical ASIC components must be available, also at a
reasonable price.
c) Well defined validation process, open to all of the Fieldbus
users.

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Fieldbus Advantages
1) Reduces the complexity of the control system in terms
of hardware outlay.

2) Resulting in the reduced complexity of the control

system, project design engineering is made simpler,
more efficient and conversely less expensive.

3) By selecting a recognized and well established

system, this will make the Fieldbus equipment in you
plant or plants interchangeable between suppliers.

4) The need to be concerned about connections,

compatibility and other potential problems is
eradicated.

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What constitutes a Fieldbus?
The specification of a Fieldbus should ideally cover all of
the seven layers of the OSI model.

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Fieldbus: OSI layer details
Physical Layer [1] What types of signals are present, levels,
representation of 1's and 0's, what type of media connects, etc.

Link Layer [2] Techniques for establishing links between communicating

parties.

Network Layer [3] Method of selecting the node of interest, method of

routing data.

Transport Layer [4] Ensuring what was sent arrives at the receiver
correcting any correctable problems.

Session Layer [5] Not applicable to Fieldbuses.

Presentation Layer [6] Not applicable to Fieldbuses.

Application Layer [7] Meaning of data.

The best way of covering layer 7 is to define standard profiles for

standard devices.

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What Fieldbus Networks are currently on the market?

some of the Fieldbus technologies currently on

the market
AS-Interface (Europe)
CAN (German, Bosch, we will discuss in detail)
Interbus (German, Phoenix Contract)
ModBus (America, Modicon)
Profibus (German, Siemens)
EtherNet (America, AB)
Controlnet (America, AB)
Etc.

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Controller Area Network (CAN)
Controller Area Network (CAN) is a fast serial bus that is
designed to provide
an efficient,
Reliable and
very economical link between sensors and actuators.

CAN uses a twisted pair cable (dual-wire) to communicate

at speeds up to 1Mbit/s (max) with up to 40 devices.

It originally developed to simplify the wiring in automobiles.

CAN (fieldbuse) are now used in machine and factory

automation products as well.

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CAN features
1) Any node can access the bus when the bus is quiet.

2) Non-destructive bit-wise arbitration to allow 100% use of the

bandwidth without loss of data (example)

3) Variable message priority based on 11-bit / 29 bit packet identifier

3) Peer-to-peer and multi-cast reception

4) Automatic error detection, signaling and retries

5) Data packets 8 bytes long

6) Asynchronous communication (Even Triggered)

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CAN architecture

CAN Station 1 CAN Station 40 (max)

CS1 CS2 CS3 CS40

CAN Bus

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Working of the CAN network: example

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Tradeoff: CAN bus versus point-to-point connections

By introducing one single bus as the only means of

communication as opposed to the point-to-point
network, we traded off the channel access simplicity
for the circuit simplicity

Since two devices might want to transmit

simultaneously, we need to have a MAC protocol to
handle the situation.

CAN manages MAC issues by using a unique

identifier for each of the outgoing messages

Identifier of a message represents its priority.

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CAN: message format

Supports only 11 bit identifier

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Extended CAN message format

Supports 29 bit identifier

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Physical CAN connection

*ECU (Electrical Control Unit)

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Implicit collision handling in the CAN bus

If two messages are simultaneously sent over

the CAN bus, the bus takes the logical AND
of all them

Hence, the messages identifiers with the

lowest binary number gets the highest priority

Every device listens on the channel and backs

off when it notices a mismatch between the
buss bit and its identifiers bit.

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Implicit collision handling in the CAN bus: example
Node B notices a mismatch
in bit # 3 on the bus.
Therefore, it stops
transmitting thereafter
1 1 1
BUS
0 0 0 0 0 0

1 1 1
Node As
0 0 0 0 0 0
message-ID

1 1 1 1
Node Bs
0 0 0 0 0
message-ID

Unlike the MAC protocols we learnt, in CAN a collision does not result in
wastage of bandwidth.
Hence, CAN achieves 100% bandwidth utilization

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Other applications of CAN
1) Concrete State Monitor & Control Ssytem

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Other applications of CAN
2 ) MRI Cooling System

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Other applications of CAN
3) Tram Energy Recycle System

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References
http://www.fieldbus.com.au/techinfo.htm#Top

http://www.esd-electronics.com/german/PDF-file/CAN/Englisch/intro-e.pdf

http://www.eng.man.ac.uk/mech/merg/FieldbusTeam/Fieldbus%20Introd
uction.htm#_Toc487265349

In-Vehicle Network Architecture for the Next-Generation Vehicles Syed

Masud Mahmud, Sheran Alles

http://www.can-cia.de/

http://www.icpdas.com/products/Remote_IO/can_bus/application.htm

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