AN713
Controller Area Network (CAN) Basics
ISO11898 is a standard for high-speed applications,
ISO11519 is a standard for low-speed applications, and
J1939 (from SAE) is targeted for truck and bus applica-
tions. All three of these protocols specify a 5V differen-
tial electrical bus as the physical interface.
The rest of the layers of the ISO/OSI protocol stack are left
to be implemented by the system software developer.
Higher Layer Protocols (HLPs) are generally used to imple-
ment the upper five layers of the OSI Reference Model.
HLPs are used to:
1)
2)
3)
4)
standardize startup procedures including bit rates
used,
distribute addresses among participating nodes
or types of messages,
determine the structure of the messages, and
provide system-level error handling routines.
Author:
Keith Pazul
Microchip Technology Inc.
INTRODUCTION
Controller Area Network (CAN) was initially created by
German automotive system supplier Robert Bosch in
the mid-1980s for automotive applications as a method
for enabling robust serial communication. The goal was
to make automobiles more reliable, safe and fuel-effi-
cient while decreasing wiring harness weight and com-
plexity. Since its inception, the CAN protocol has gained
widespread popularity in industrial automation and
automotive/truck applications. Other markets where
networked solutions can bring attractive benefits like
medical equipment, test equipment and mobile
machines are also starting to utilize the benefits of CAN.
The goal of this application note is to explain some of
the basics of CAN and show the benefits of choosing
CAN for embedded systems networked applications.
This is by no means a full list of the functions HLPs perform,
however it does describe some of their basic functionality.
CAN PROTOCOL BASICS
Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision
Detection (CSMA/CD)
The CAN communication protocol is a CSMA/CD proto-
col. The CSMA stands for Carrier Sense Multiple
Access. What this means is that every node on the net-
work must monitor the bus for a period of no activity
before trying to send a message on the bus (Carrier
Sense). Also, once this period of no activity occurs, every
node on the bus has an equal opportunity to transmit a
message (Multiple Access). The CD stands for Collision
Detection. If two nodes on the network start transmitting
at the same time, the nodes will detect the ‘collision’ and
take the appropriate action. In CAN protocol, a non-
destructive bitwise arbitration method is utilized. This
means that messages remain intact after arbitration is
completed even if collisions are detected. All of this arbi-
tration takes place without corruption or delay of the
higher priority message.
There are a couple of things that are required to sup-
port non-destructive bitwise arbitration. First, logic
states need to be defined as dominant or recessive.
Second, the transmitting node must monitor the state of
the bus to see if the logic state it is trying to send actu-
ally appears on the bus. CAN defines a logic bit 0 as a
dominant bit and a logic bit 1 as a recessive bit.
CAN OVERVIEW
Most network applications follow a layered approach to
system implementation. This systematic approach
enables interoperability between products from differ-
ent manufacturers. A standard was created by the
International Standards Organization (ISO) as a tem-
plate to follow for this layered approach. It is called the
ISO Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Network
Layering Reference Model and is shown in Figure 1 for
reference.
The CAN protocol itself implements most of the lower
two layers of this reference model. The communication
medium portion of the model was purposely left out of
the Bosch CAN specification to enable system design-
ers to adapt and optimize the communication protocol
on multiple media for maximum flexibility (twisted pair,
single wire, optically isolated, RF, IR, etc.). With this
flexibility, however, comes the possibility of interopera-
bility concerns.
To ease some of these concerns, the International Stan-
dards Organization and Society of Automotive Engi-
neers (SAE) have defined some protocols based on
CAN that include the Media Dependant Interface defini-
tion such that all of the lower two layers are specified.
©
1999 Microchip Technology Inc.
Preliminary
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A dominant bit state will always win arbitration over a
recessive bit state, therefore the lower the value in the
Message Identifier (the field used in the message arbitra-
tion process), the higher the priority of the message. As an
example, suppose two nodes are trying to transmit a mes-
sage at the same time. Each node will monitor the bus to
make sure the bit that it is trying to send actually appears
on the bus. The lower priority message will at some point
try to send a recessive bit and the monitored state on the
bus will be a dominant. At that point this node loses arbi-
tration and immediately stops transmitting. The higher pri-
ority message will continue until completion and the node
that lost arbitration will wait for the next period of no activity
on the bus and try to transmit its message again.
CAN Message Frame Description
CAN protocol defines four different types of messages
(or Frames). The first and most common type of frame
is a Data Frame. This is used when a node transmits
information to any or all other nodes in the system. Sec-
ond is a Remote Frame, which is basically a Data
Frame with the RTR bit set to signify it is a Remote
Transmit Request (see Figure 2 and Figure 3 for details
on Data Frames). The other two frame types are for
handling errors. One is called an Error Frame and one
is called an Overload Frame. Error Frames are gener-
ated by nodes that detect any one of the many protocol
errors defined by CAN. Overload errors are generated
by nodes that require more time to process messages
already received.
Data Frames consist of fields that provide additional
information about the message as defined by the CAN
specification. Embedded in the Data Frames are Arbi-
tration Fields, Control Fields, Data Fields, CRC Fields,
a 2-bit Acknowledge Field and an End of Frame.
The Arbitration Field is used to prioritize messages on the
bus. Since the CAN protocol defines a logical 0 as the
dominant state, the lower the number in the arbitration
field, the higher priority the message has on the bus. The
arbitration field consists of 12-bits (11 identifier bits and
one RTR bit) or 32-bits (29 identifier bits, 1-bit to define the
message as an extended data frame, an SRR bit which is
unused, and an RTR bit), depending on whether Standard
Frames or Extended Frames are being utilized. The cur-
rent version of the CAN specification, version 2.0B,
defines 29-bit identifiers and calls them Extended Frames.
Previous versions of the CAN specification defined 11-bit
identifiers which are called Standard Frames.
As described in the preceding section, the Remote
Transmit Request (RTR) is used by a node when it
requires information to be sent to it from another node.
To accomplish an RTR, a Remote Frame is sent with the
identifier of the required Data Frame. The RTR bit in the
Arbitration Field is utilized to differentiate between a
Remote Frame and a Data Frame. If the RTR bit is
recessive, then the message is a Remote Frame. If the
RTR bit is dominant, the message is a Data Frame.
The Control Field consists of six bits. The MSB is the
IDE bit (signifies Extended Frame) which should be
dominant for Standard Data Frames. This bit deter-
mines if the message is a Standard or Extended Frame.
In Extended Frames, this bit is RB1 and it is reserved.
The next bit is RB0 and it is also reserved. The four
LSBs are the Data Length Code (DLC) bits. The Data
Length Code bits determine how many data bytes are
included in the message. It should be noted that a
Remote Frame has no data field, regardless of the value
of the DLC bits.
The Data Field consists of the number of data bytes
described in the Data Length Code of the Control Field.
The CRC Field consists of a 15-bit CRC field and a
CRC delimiter, and is used by receiving nodes to deter-
mine if transmission errors have occurred.
Message-Based Communication
CAN protocol is a message-based protocol, not an
address based protocol. This means that messages are
not transmitted from one node to another node based on
addresses. Embedded in the CAN message itself is the
priority and the contents of the data being transmitted. All
nodes in the system receive every message transmitted
on the bus (and will acknowledge if the message was prop-
erly received). It is up to each node in the system to decide
whether the message received should be immediately dis-
carded or kept to be processed. A single message can be
destined for one particular node to receive, or many nodes
based on the way the network and system are designed.
For example, an automotive airbag sensor can be con-
nected via CAN to a safety system router node only.
This router node takes in other safety system informa-
tion and routes it to all other nodes on the safety system
network. Then all the other nodes on the safety system
network can receive the latest airbag sensor informa-
tion from the router at the same time, acknowledge if
the message was received properly, and decide
whether to utilize this information or discard it.
Another useful feature built into the CAN protocol is the
ability for a node to request information from other
nodes. This is called a Remote Transmit Request
(RTR). This is different from the example in the previ-
ous paragraph because instead of waiting for informa-
tion to be sent by a particular node, this node
specifically requests data to be sent to it.
For example, a safety system in a car gets frequent
updates from critical sensors like the airbags, but it may
not receive frequent updates from other sensors like the
oil pressure sensor or the low battery sensor to make
sure they are functioning properly. Periodically, the safety
system can request data from these other sensors and
perform a thorough safety system check. The system
designer can utilize this feature to minimize network traf-
fic while still maintaining the integrity of the network.
One additional benefit of this message-based protocol
is that additional nodes can be added to the system
without the necessity to reprogram all other nodes to
recognize this addition. This new node will start receiv-
ing messages from the network and, based on the
message ID, decide whether to process or discard the
received information.
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1999 Microchip Technology Inc.
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The Acknowledge Field is utilized to indicate if the mes-
sage was received correctly. Any node that has cor-
rectly received the message, regardless of whether the
node processes or discards the data, puts a dominant
bit on the bus in the ACK Slot bit time (see Figure 2 or
Figure 3 for the location of the ACK Slot bit time).
The last two message types are Error Frames and
Overload Frames. When a node detects one of the
many types of errors defined by the CAN protocol, an
Error Frame occurs. Overload Frames tell the network
that the node sending the Overload Frame is not ready
to receive additional messages at this time, or that
intermission has been violated. These errors will be
discussed in more detail in the next section.
Acknowledge Error
In the Acknowledge Field of a message, the transmit-
ting node checks if the Acknowledge Slot (which it has
sent as a recessive bit) contains a dominant bit. This
dominant bit would acknowledge that at least one
node correctly received the message. If this bit is
recessive, then no node received the message prop-
erly. An Acknowledge Error has occurred. An Error
Frame is then generated and the original message will
be repeated after a proper intermission time.
Form Error
If any node detects a dominant bit in one of the fol-
lowing four segments of the message: End of Frame,
Interframe Space, Acknowledge Delimiter or CRC
Delimiter, the CAN protocol defines this to be a form
violation and a Form Error is generated. The original
message is then resent after a proper intermission
time. (see Figure 2 and/or Figure 3 for where these
segments lie in a CAN message).
Bit Error
A Bit Error occurs if a transmitter sends a dominant
bit and detects a recessive bit, or if it sends a reces-
sive bit and detects a dominant bit when monitoring
the actual bus level and comparing it to the bit that it
has just sent. In the case where the transmitter
sends a recessive bit and a dominant bit is detected
during the Arbitration Field or Acknowledge Slot, no
Bit Error is generated because normal arbitration or
acknowledgment is occurring. If a Bit Error is
detected, an Error Frame is generated and the origi-
nal message is resent after a proper intermission
time.
Stuff Error
CAN protocol uses a Non-Return–to-Zero (NRZ)
transmission method. This means that the bit level is
placed on the bus for the entire bit time. CAN is also
asynchronous, and bit stuffing is used to allow
receiving nodes to synchronize by recovering clock
information from the data stream. Receiving nodes
synchronize on recessive to dominant transitions. If
there are more than five bits of the same polarity in a
row, CAN will automatically stuff an opposite polarity
bit in the data stream. The receiving node(s) will use
it for synchronization, but will ignore the stuff bit for
data purposes. If, between the Start of Frame and
the CRC Delimiter, six consecutive bits with the
same polarity are detected, then the bit stuffing rule
has been violated. A Stuff Error then occurs, an Error
Frame is sent, and the message is repeated.
Fast, Robust Communication
Because CAN was initially designed for use in automo-
biles, a protocol that efficiently handled errors was crit-
ical if it was to gain market acceptance. With the
release of version 2.0B of the CAN specification, the
maximum communication rate was increased 8x over
the version 1.0 specification to 1Mbit/sec. At this rate,
even the most time-critical parameters can be transmit-
ted serially without latency concerns. In addition to this,
the CAN protocol has a comprehensive list of errors it
can detect that ensures the integrity of messages.
CAN nodes have the ability to determine fault condi-
tions and transition to different modes based on the
severity of problems being encountered. They also
have the ability to detect short disturbances from per-
manent failures and modify their functionality accord-
ingly. CAN nodes can transition from functioning like a
normal node (being able to transmit and receive mes-
sages normally), to shutting down completely (bus-off)
based on the severity of the errors detected. This fea-
ture is called Fault Confinement. No faulty CAN node or
nodes will be able to monopolize all of the bandwidth on
the network because faults will be confined to the faulty
nodes and these faulty nodes will shut off before bring-
ing the network down. This is very powerful because
Fault Confinement guarantees bandwidth for critical
system information.
As discussed previously, there are five error conditions
that are defined in the CAN protocol and three error
states that a node can be in, based upon the type and
number of error conditions detected. The following sec-
tion describes each one in more detail.
Errors Detected
CRC Error
A 15-bit Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) value is cal-
culated by the transmitting node and this 15-bit value is
transmitted in the CRC field. All nodes on the network
receive this message, calculate a CRC and verify that
the CRC values match. If the values do not match, a
CRC error occurs and an Error Frame is generated.
Since at least one node did not properly receive the
message, it is then resent after a proper intermission
time.
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1999 Microchip Technology Inc.
Preliminary
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Error States
Detected errors are made public to all other nodes via
Error Frames or Error Flags. The transmission of an
erroneous message is aborted and the frame is
repeated as soon as the message can again win arbi-
tration on the network. Also, each node is in one of
three error states, Error-Active, Error-Passive or Bus-
Off.
Error-Active
An Error-Active node can actively take part in bus
communication, including sending an active error flag,
which consists of six consecutive dominant bits. The
Error Flag actively violates the bit stuffing rule and
causes all other nodes to send an Error Flag, called
the Error Echo Flag, in response. An Active Error Flag,
and the subsequent Error Echo Flag may cause as
many as twelve consecutive dominant bits on the bus;
six from the Active Error Flag, and zero up to six more
from the Error Echo Flag depending upon when each
node detects an error on the bus. A node is Error-
Active when both the Transmit Error Counter (TEC)
and the Receive Error Counter (REC) are below 128.
Error-Active is the normal operational mode, allowing
the node to transmit and receive without restrictions.
Error-Passive
A node becomes Error-Passive when either the
Transmit Error Counter or Receive Error Counter
exceeds 127. Error-Passive nodes are not permitted
to transmit Active Error Flags on the bus, but instead,
transmit Passive Error Flags which consist of six
recessive bits. If the Error-Passive node is currently
the only transmitter on the bus then the passive error
flag will violate the bit stuffing rule and the receiving
node(s) will respond with Error Flags of their own
(either active or passive depending upon their own
error state). If the Error-Passive node in question is
not the only transmitter (i.e. during arbitration) or is a
receiver, then the Passive Error Flag will have no
effect on the bus due to the recessive nature of the
error flag. When an Error-Passive node transmits a
Passive Error Flag and detects a dominant bit, it must
see the bus as being idle for eight additional bit times
after an intermission before recognizing the bus as
available. After this time, it will attempt to retransmit.
Bus-Off
A node goes into the Bus-Off state when the Trans-
mit Error Counter is greater than 255 (receive errors
can not cause a node to go Bus-Off). In this mode,
the node can not send or receive messages,
acknowledge messages, or transmit Error Frames of
any kind. This is how Fault Confinement is achieved.
There is a bus recovery sequence that is defined by
the CAN protocol that allows a node that is Bus-Off
to recover, return to Error-Active, and begin transmit-
ting again if the fault condition is removed.
CONCLUSION
The CAN protocol was optimized for systems that need
to transmit and receive relatively small amounts of
information (as compared to Ethernet or USB, which
are designed to move much larger blocks of data) reli-
ably to any or all other nodes on the network. CSMA/
CD allows every node to have an equal chance to gain
access to the bus, and allows for smooth handling of
collisions.
Since the protocol is message-based, not address
based, all messages on the bus receive every message
and acknowledge every message, regardless of
whether in needs the data or not. This allows the bus to
operate in node-to-node or multicast messaging for-
mats without having to send different types of mes-
sages.
Fast, robust message transmission with fault confine-
ment is also a big plus for CAN because faulty nodes
will automatically drop off the bus not allowing any one
node from bringing a network down. This effectively
guarantees that bandwidth will always be available for
critical messages to be transmitted. With all of these
benefits built into the CAN protocol and its momentum
in the automotive world, other markets will begin to see
and implement CAN into their systems.
DS00713A-page 4
Preliminary
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1999 Microchip Technology Inc.
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ISO/OSI Reference Model
OSI Reference Layers
Logical Link Control (LLC)
•
•
•
Acceptance Filtering
Overload Notification
Recovery Management
Application
Presentation
Session
Transport
Network
Data Link Layer
Physical Layer
Medium Access Control (MAC)
•
•
•
•
Data Encapsulation/Decapsulation
Frame Coding (Stuffing/Destuffing)]
Error Detection/Signalling
Serialization/Deserialization
Physical Signaling (PLS)
•
•
Bit Encoding/Decoding
Bit Timing/Synchronization
Physical Medium Attachment (PMA)
•
Driver/Receiver Characteristics
Medium Dependent Interface (MDI)
•
Connectors
FIGURE 1:
ISO/OSI Reference Model
©
1999 Microchip Technology Inc.
Preliminary
DS00713A-page 5
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