CAN to Ethernet Gateway : Working,Applications,Manufacturers

Introduction : A CAN to Ethernet Gateway enables devices on a CAN bus to communicate over a standard Ethernet network. It acts as a bridge between the CAN world and Ethernet based infrastructure. Using this, we can transmit CAN data across IP networks which enables remote monitoring, diagnostics, data logging and integration with networked automation systems.

How CAN Ethernet Gateway Works

It is a device that enables the transmission of Controller Area Network (CAN) data frames over a Local Area Network (LAN) or the Internet using TCP/IP or UDP protocols.

As the name suggests, it connects one side with CAN interface connector such as DB9 and the other side on ethernet network using RJ45 connector. Let us understand working of CAN-Ethernet Gateway.

1. CAN to Ethernet : On the transmit side, the gateway converts CAN frames to ethernet compliant frames for transmission over LAN. As ethernet has much larger bandwidth (100 Mbps or 1 Gbps) compared to CAN (max 1 Mbps), multiple CAN frames can be carried by single ethernet packet.
2. Ethernet to CAN : On the receive side, received ethernet packet (usually TCP or UDP) will be converted to CAN frame with meaningful informations such as Identifier, DLC (Data Length Code) and payload. This is done using microcontroller along with CAN controller. Once CAN frames are formed, they can be sent over CAN bus by converting them into differential voltages with the help of CAN transceiver.

A CAN to Ethernet gateway introduces nondeterministic latency (i.e. jitter) due to the nature of Ethernet collision handling and TCP/IP overhead. Therefore, these gateway devices are typically used for monitoring and diagnostics rather than hard real time control loops.

Applications

Following are some of the applications or use cases of can to ethernet and vice versa conversions.

• Remote Vehicle Diagnostics: Allows engineers to diagnose vehicle located in test track or a different country without being physically present.
• Test Bench Integration (HIL): In Hardware in the Loop (HIL) setups, multiple test benches often need to share data. Ethernet gateways allow central simulation server to control multiple distributed CAN based test benches.
• Factory Automation: Connecting CAN based manufacturing robots to the factory’s central IT network for production monitoring.
• Telematics and Fleet Management: Streaming vehicle health data to a cloud server for predictive maintenance analysis.

Manufacturers

Following are some of the companies which manufacture CAN Ethernet Gateway device.

Summary: CAN to Ethernet Gateway serves as a powerful bridge which enabling remote diagnostics, multi device monitoring and integration of legacy CAN systems into modern IP based networks. This makes it ideal for automation, IoT deployments, remote telemetry and large scale networked control systems.