Bandwidth allocation scheme in CAN protocol

Abstract

The CAN (controller area network) is a serial communication protocol for distributed real-time control and automation systems. Data generated from field devices in manufacturing automation and process control systems are classified into three categories: real-time event data, real-time control data and non-real-time data. These data share a common CAN medium. Unless the traffic of the CAN protocol is efficiently controlled, performance of the real-time application systems interconnected into the CAN bus can be degraded. The paper proposes a bandwidth allocation algorithm that can be applicable to the CAN protocol. The bandwidth allocation algorithm not only satisfies the performance requirement of real-time application systems interconnected into the CAN but also fully utilises the bandwidth of the CAN. The bandwidth allocation algorithm introduced in the paper is validated using a simulation experiment.