Multilevel CANopen networks
Heikki Saha, Sandvik Tamrock Oy · 2005
This paper presents one solution, where every bus is still 100% CANopen conformant. Dividing a large system into smaller subsystems makes it easier to schedule signals into PDOs, to monitor buses by keeping subsystem specific signals local to appropriate subsystem and to decrease the coverage of fatal bus errors. Special gateways are introduced for signals, SDO- and EMCY-protocol. Also protocols and services restricted into one hierarchy level and reasons for the restriction are explained. The biggest challenges are found in EMCY-protocol and signal scheduling over multiple independent bus segments. In those issues there are also the biggest risk for application dependencies. Hopefully this paper is a trigger for official documentation and advanced development of multilevel CANopen networking.