What Is CAN Bus? Industrial CAN Communication Explained

What Is CAN Bus?

CAN bus (Controller Area Network) is a robust, multi-master serial communication protocol originally developed by Bosch in the 1980s for automotive electronic control units (ECUs). It uses two wires (CAN High and CAN Low) carrying differential signals — making it highly resistant to electrical noise from motors, solenoids, and ignition systems.

How CAN Bus Works

CAN bus uses a multi-master architecture — any node can initiate communication, and message priority is resolved automatically by the message ID (lower ID = higher priority). If two nodes transmit simultaneously, the higher-priority message wins without any data corruption. This collision-free arbitration makes CAN exceptionally reliable in noisy environments.

CAN Bus in Industrial Automation

• CANopen — application layer protocol for industrial machinery control (IEC 61131)
• DeviceNet — Allen-Bradley field network using CAN physical layer
• SAE J1939 — heavy vehicle and construction machinery
• CAN FD — newer standard with up to 8 Mbps data rate

CAN Bus in Embedded Computing

Many Avalue industrial motherboards and SBCs include CAN bus interfaces — enabling direct connectivity to CANopen drives, sensors, and actuators without a separate gateway. This is particularly useful in mobile equipment, AGVs, and specialised industrial machinery. Contact TSL Automation to identify Avalue boards with native CAN bus support for your application.