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CANopen has been developed by the members of the international user and producer assosiation CAN in Automation (CiA). The CANopen application layer defines different communication services and protocols (e.g. process and service data) as well as a network management. CANopen is mainly used as an embedded network in machinery, but also as a general industrial communications system. It is based on the international standards ISO 11898-1 (CAN protocol) and ISO 11898-2 (fast physical layer). The CANopen application layer has been standardized by the CENELEC and is defined in the European standard EN 50325-4.

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CAN FD (CAN flexible data rate) is an expasion of the “classical” CAN bus (CAN classic) and is defined by the standard ISO 11898-1:2015. CAN FD facilitates not only sending of larger data volumes (payload): the limit of 8 bytes with CAN classic has been increased to 64 bytes with CAN FD. Also, it provides the possibility of a higher bit rate within the data phase, even going beyond the previous limit of 1 MBit/s.

CAN specifications of Bosch form the basis of all CAN implementations and comprise both 2.0A (standard frames) and 2.0B (extended frames) standards. (PDF formate, 189 KByte, in English). You will find a choice of valuable information at www.bosch-semiconductors.com CAN on the internet For more information on CAN please visit the following websites: CAN in Automation e.V. The manufacturer and user organization CAN in Automation offers a wide range of information on CAN. In particular, you will find an overview of higher layer protocols here (e.g. CANopen).