CAN in Real-time from Kithara

The new CAN Module as part of the Windows real-time extension »RealTime Suite« of the Berlin company Kithara Software makes diverse automation solutions possible, where a CAN communication in real-time is necessary. It focuses especially on users who need a time-critical handling of CAN messages, for instance machine builder and computer control companies.

On this area a safe and timely equidistant data exchange is usually needed as well as a fast reaction on external events. Here, the standard Windows drivers delivered with CAN boards fail, because they are only usable from within the application context. And hence, they don-t make a real-time reaction possible. The CAN Module now closes this gap by supporting CAN communication in real-time.

For the highest possible flexibility when choosing the right CAN board for the application, users can choose from real-time drivers for many popular CAN board families from different well-known vendors. The common API provides hardware-independent programming. Currently CAN boards with 1, 2 or 4 ports/channels from the German companies EMS, Peak and Ixxat are supported.

Data pipes are buffering the CAN messages for sending and receiving over a simple and intuitive API. User specific real-time message filters can be installed as well as handler routines for error handling on certain critical bus situations. A listen-only mode is also possible. For comfortable diagnostic purposes, the Kithara »Kernel Tracer« has been extended, which allows capturing the complete CAN traffic in micro second resolution.

The programming languages C/C++ or Delphi can be used. Even the .NET environment using e.g. C# is supported, as long as a DLL, programmed in native C++, is embedded into C#.

  can, kithara, real-time, realtime