Controller Area Network
CANopen is a development
of the CIA (CAN-in-Automation) international user
and manufacturers group and is standardized in
the European standard EN 50325-4. CANopen is a
very popular industrial communication system. CANopen
was originally designed for motion-oriented machine
control networks, such as handling systems. By
now it is used in many more industries, such as
medical equipment, off-road vehicles, maritime
electronics, public transportation and building
automation. CANopen products
are certified by the CIA user organization, guaranteeing
worldwide compatibility
CANopen
provides standardized communication objects for real-time data (Process
Data Objects, PDO), configuration data (Service Data Objects, SDO),
and special functions (Time Stamp, Sync message, and Emergency message)
as well as network management data (Boot-up message, NMT message, and
Error Control). All communication objects are listed in the Object Dictionary.
The Object Dictionary describes the complete functionality of a device by way
of communication objects and is the interface between the communication interface
and the application program.
CANopen supports both cyclic and acyclic event driven communication. This makes
it possible to reduce the bus load to a minimum and maintain short reaction times.
CANopen achieves high communication performance at low baud rates, thus reducing
EMC problems and minimizing cable cost.
Corresponding to the CANopen specifications also device and application profiles
have been published.
Generic device profiles describe just the interface of a single device. Application
profiles describe all the device interfaces that are part of an application.
Popular examples are the device profiles for I/O devices, electric drives, encoders
or transducer and closed loop controllers.
HMS is an active member of the CANopen User
Organization and offers a broad
range of certified CANopen products.
See
Anybus products supporting the CANopen network