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CANopen is a CAN-based higher layer protocol. It was developed as a standardized embedded network with highly flexible configuration capabilities. CANopen was designed for motion-oriented machine control networks, such as handling systems. By now it is used in many various fields, such as medical equipment, off-road vehicles, maritime electronics, public transportation, building automation, etc.

CANopen was pre-developed in an Esprit project under the chairmanship of Bosch. In 1995, the CANopen specification was handed over to the CAN in Automation (CiA) international users’ and manufacturers’ group. Originally, the CANopen communication profile was based on the CAN Application Layer (CAL) protocol. Version 4 of CANopen (CiA DS 301) is standardized as EN 50325-4.

The CANopen specifications cover application layer and communication profile (CiA DS 301), as well as a framework for programmable devices (CiA 302), recommendations for cables and connectors (CiA 303-1) and SI units and prefix representations (CiA 303-2). The application-layer as well as the CAN-based profiles are implemented in software.

The CiA-417 CANopen application profile describes virtual lift control devices as well as a default communication behavior with pre-defined PDO linking supporting broadcast and peer-to-peer communication. It supports multiple lift control system. The specification describes the default PDO communication of a control system for up to eight lifts with up to 254 floors each. The default communication can be changed by means of configuration. The defined virtual devices may be implemented in a physical CANopen device. It is possible to implement several virtual devices. However, a virtual device cannot be distributed to different CANopen physical devices.

Detailed informations to CANopen you can find at www.can-cia.org and to the applikation profil CiA-417 at www.CANopen-Lift.org. Products with a CANopen interface you can find at the CiA product guide (www.can-cia.org/pg/canopen/).