Review of Researches in Controller Area Networks Evolution and Applications

Abstract

Initially designed as a new mean in providing communication network between control units in automotive industries, the controller area network (CAN) has shown a great surge of interest due to its vast advantages. Since then it is widely used in various automation industries including military, aviation, electronics, factories and many others. CAN was designed to allow microcontrollers and devices to communicate with each other without the presence of a host computer and avoiding extensive load to the main controller. It is a high performance and high reliable advanced serial communication protocol which effectively supports distributed real-time control. Ideally, CAN is suitable in application requiring a large number of short messages with high reliability in rugged environment. These characteristics along with many others, allows wide opportunity in development of intelligent ubiquitous sensor network and controller system. This paper presents a brief introduction on CAN operating principles, its architecture and protocols. Also, various applications of CAN are introduced and surveyed with more attention given on smart home. Due to its reliability, efficiency and robustness, an extension of CAN applicants in home automation is proposed that uses sign language smart controller. Finally, this paper concludes with a proposed improvement by converting CAN into wireless CAN (WCAN) by using wireless token ring (WTRP) protocol. WCAN gives a solution when industrial mobile stations under certain constraints should continue to use CAN protocol as frame exchange protocol.