Device classes

Depending on the required functionality, each device provides one or multiple functions. Designing a CAN-connectable device requires to choose one of the standardized or to develop an own proprietary higher-layer protocol. The same is for the device or application profile, which specifies the format and function of process data, configuration parameter, and diagnostic information. In addition, the device designer sets the bit-timing parameters for the CAN controller in accordance to the selected standardized higher-layer protocol (e.g. CANopen, DeviceNet, J1939-based application profiles) or to the proprietary system specification.
There are two device classes:

• Generic devices that are designed for general-purpose applications

• Application-specific devices that fulfill some dedicated requirements regarding the function or the installation environment of dedicated application domain