Supporting Networked Control Systems: Assessment of the CAN Protocol Considering Periods of Network Inaccessibility

Abstract. Due to the increased availability of low cost network technology, the use of networks to interconnect sensors, actuators and controllers is becoming widely accepted for the implementation of feedback control systems. Such type of feedback implementation, wherein the control loops are closed through a real-time network, are called Network Controlled Systems (NCS). When implementing a NCS, the communication network must provide a timely communication service to the control application. Nevertheless, it must be understood that the continuity of service is not fully guaranteed, since it may be disturbed by temporary periods of network inaccessibility. Therefore, the assessment of the network responsiveness considering such inaccessibility periods is a fundamental issue. In this paper we integrate state-of-the-art inaccessibility studies with the response time analysis of CAN networks, providing an accurate analysis of its responsiveness.