The synchronous control of nodes and the message time delays estimation for a CAN network

Due to the quick evolution of manufacturing processes, the demand for more flexible automation systems is on the rise. To answer these requirements, distributed control architecture based on intelligent drives and CAN networks tends more and more to replace the traditional solutions. CAN was designed and applied in car networking in order to reduce the complexity of the related wiring harnesses. The traditional CAN application technique must be change in order to achieve the real time communication constraints of a distributed control system. In this paper is designed a special purpose scheduler for CAN, which ensure a maximum transmission time for a message. Further more, the designed architecture has a process synchronization mechanism. A distributed control system is developed and the proposed scheduler is experimentally validated.