Implementation of CAN/CAN bridges in distributed environments and performance analysis of bridged CAN systems using SAE benchmark

Distributed real-time control systems require a powerful communication link between remote subsystems. The controller area network (CAN) was developed to support such applications. The CAN is a desirable, cheap solution for networks in industrial environments, but a problem arises when the CAN is used in industrial environments since there is limit on the maximum length of a single CAN. A solution is to divide the CAN network into segments and connect them using internetworking devices. Bridges are high performance internetworking devices that are used to interconnect LANs. The aim of this study is not only to discuss the applicability of the CAN/CAN bridge and to validate its usefulness for real-time control applications based on the parameters in the SAE benchmark table, but also to investigate the characteristics of the interconnected CAN systems, by using bridges, in distributed environments.