From CAN to CAN-FD

The evolution from CAN (now known as Classic CAN) to CAN-FD represents a significant advance in industrial communication.

CAN-FD (Controller Area Network Flexible Data Rate) was developed to overcome the limitations of the classic CAN protocol and enables higher data rates and more payload per message.

Technical features of CAN-FD compared to CAN:

  1. Increased data rate:
    Classic CAN supports a maximum data rate of 1 Mbps.
    CAN-FD can achieve data rates of up to 8 Mbps.

  2. Extended payload length:
    In classic CAN, the payload length is limited to a maximum of 8 bytes per message.
    CAN-FD allows a payload of up to 64 bytes per message, which enables a far more efficient data transmission.

  3. Flexible bit rate:
    During the data phase, CAN-FD can switch to a higher bit rate.

Options for CAN-FD products:

  1. CAN-FD interfaces (CPC-USB/FD, CPC-USB/FDembedded):
    These enable fast and efficient connection of PCs or embedded systems to CAN-FD networks.
    They are essential for the development, testing, and diagnostics of CAN-FD systems.

  2. CAN-FD gateways (CG-FD/E):
    CAN-FD gateways connect different networks and are designed to enable frictionless communication between traditional CAN and CAN-FD.
    They assist in the gradual migration of existing CAN systems to CAN-FD.

  3. CAN-FD repeaters (CRep S4I/FD):
    As with traditional CAN, these serve to expand the possible topologies. Longer stub lines and star-shaped systems become feasible.

The introduction of CAN-FD offers significant advantages for applications in the automotive industry, industrial automation, and medical technology. The increased data rate and longer payload length enable more efficient and powerful systems. Companies can optimize and future-proof their networks by using CAN FD products.