CAN-8124/CAN-8224/CAN-8424 User Manual
CAN-8124/ CAN-8224/ CAN-8424 User Manual (Version 2.0, Aug/2007)
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Chapter 3 DeviceNet System
3.1 DeviceNet Introduction
The CAN (Controller Area Network) is a serial communication protocol,
which efficiently supports distributed real-time control with a very high level of
security. It is especially suited for networking "intelligent" devices as well as
sensors and actuators within a system or sub-system. In CAN networks, there
is no addressing of subscribers or stations in the conventional sense, but
instead, prioritized messages are transmitted.
DeviceNet is one of the kinds of network protocols based on the CAN bus
which are mainly used for machine control in embedded networks, such as in
textile machinery, printing machines, injection molding machinery, or
packaging machines. DeviceNet is a low level network that provides
connections between simple industrial devices (sensors, actuators) and higher
level devices (controllers). It allows direct peer to peer data exchange between
nodes in an organized and, if necessary, deterministic manner. The network
management functions specified in DeviceNet simplifies project design,
implementation and diagnosis by providing standard mechanisms for network
start-up and error management. DeviceNet defines a connection-based
scheme to facilitate all application communications. A DeviceNet connection
provides a communication path between multiple endpoints. The endpoints of
a connection are applications that need to share data. Figure 3.1 shows the
DeviceNet layer in the control and information layers.