Chinese Version

canAnalyser-professional V2.0

-The powerful CAN Tool for Development, Testing and Service

Overview

With the canAnalyser V2.0, IXXAT offers a very powerful, versatile tool for the development, testing and servicing of CAN-based networks. The canAnalyser is already very widely used especially in the area of industrial automation and is also being used increasingly in the automotive industry. Using current Windows technologies, the complete new developed canAnalyser V2.0, with further improved flexibility and reliability, is a modern all-round analysis tool for all CAN application areas.

The software package is based on a modular concept. Communication with the CAN driver and the CAN hardware is carried out centrally via a communication server. The actual analysis functions are provided by separate function modules. This unique concept has the special advantage of great openness and almost unlimited extensibility. Customer-specific functions can thus be easily integrated in the form of individual modules. By using a powerful CAN interface from IXXAT, the canAnalyser accomplishes safe reception of CAN messages and time-oriented buffering even with very high bus loads and baud rates.

In the standard version the canAnalyser already has powerful basic functions covering many areas of application, such as online monitoring of bus traffic, transmission of one-off or cyclic messages and entire message sequences, parallel monitoring of several CAN buses and record-ing of CAN messages with various trigger conditions. Further functions enable the static evaluation of the message traffic, recording and display of bus load, graphic display of message contents over the time axis and the creation of small batch programs.

An integral part of the canAnalyser is the processing of message databases. With this, each CAN identifier can be allocated a message name and the signals transmitted in the data field can be interpreted and displayed as physical parameters in different ways. The canAnalyser also processes the widely used CANdb format. In all modules the relevant message name from the database in displayed in addition to the CAN identifier.

Further functions are provided by further optional modules, such as the protocol-specific display of messages in CANopen- or DeviceNet-based systems (CANopen module/DeviceNet module).

Highlights

• Multi-lingual 32-bit software for Windows2000/XP
• Support of all CAN interfaces supplied by IXXAT
• Support of 11- and 29-bit identifiers (CAN 2.0A/2.0B)
• Timestamp for receive objects with a resolution of 100 usec
• Passive mode (no transmission of Ack bit and error frames, thus no interference of the CAN system by the canAnalyser)
• Detection and display of error frames
• Integrated support of project databases
• Online trace on hard disk, various trigger conditions, pre-/post-triggering
• Support of all CAN controllers available on the interface board (multi-line mode)
• Display of the CAN controller status and bus load
• Modules are multi-instanceable
• Documented programming interface for extension by User-specific modules

Function

*Configuration and operation

The central element for configuration is the control panel of the canAnalyser. Supported by a Wizard, the required CAN interface is selected and the CAN controller on the board configured. Each CAN controller corresponds to a separate external CAN bus. It is also defined which modules are assigned to the CAN buses. The configuration is clearly displayed in the form of a tree and the module assignment occurs intuitively by means of drag-and-drop. Each CAN bus can be assigned a database. Via the control panel the individual modules are started and terminated and the module windows are arranged, minimized and restored. The control panel saves the controller parameters, the window arrangement and all other module settings in a central configuration file and provides a central logging instance that is used inter-modularly for status or warning messages. The baudrate is set by selecting from a list, which can be extended by individual entries, based on the bit-timing registers. Each bus can be activated separately.

*Programmability

A special feature of the canAnalyser is its open programming interface. The user is therefire able to develop new, independent modules with every Windows development system (e.g. Visual Studio .NET, Delphi) and to add them to the module pool of the canAnalyser. This makes it possible to create user interfaces for own systems or for certain devices or tools with system-specific analysis functions.

*Receiving and displaying CAN messages (receive module)

The CAN messages transmitted on the CAN bus can be displayed online in different ways. Either all messages or only certian ones selected via an adjustable filter are displayed. Based on the database assigned to the CAN bus, the message name is displayed in a separate column. Messages can be displayed in two ways. In scroll mode the messages are displayed one after the other in a list together with the time of reception. This form of display is particularly suitable for monitroing message sequences. In the overwrite mode, on the other hand, the messages received are listed according to the identifier and permanently overwritten with the incoming data. Each message is assigned a counter, which displays the frequency of its transmission. Here only the altered byte is highlighted in color. With cycle time monitoring, the regularity of reception is ensured: An icon indicates whether the message was updated within the expected time or how often updating did not take place. This form of display is therefore suitable for determining the current value of certain messages.

For further monitoring of certain message groups, the receive module can be started multiple times, where each instance can display one section of the CAN data flow. For this an individual message filter is set up in each case, so that as good an overview as possible of the CAN system is ensured.

*Transmission of CAN messages (transmit module)

Messages to be transmitted can be compiled by the user in a message table. Individual entries from this table can then be transmitted once or cyclically. The table contains the definition of the message (identifier, data bytes, RTR bit), and a description of the message. The data entry can be either decimal or hexadecimal. The message name is automatically displayed based on the database assigned to the CAN bus. For messages to be transmitted cyclically, cycle times of 1ms to 1000ms can be specified. In cyclic transmission mode, identifiers or data contents can be automatically incremented.

*Recording CAN messages (trace module)

With the inter-bus trace module all received messages and error frames are recorded directly onto the hard disk. The trace length is only limited by the hard disk capacity. The recording can be started and stopped via the trace control. In addition, trigger conditions for starting and stopping and filters for the CAN messages to be recorded per bus can be defined. A trace can be viewed at any time and can be reloaded into a system offline for analysis by specifically configured analysis modules or online with the aid of the sequence module.

*Transmitting message sequences (sequencer module)

During the development of CAN devices, functions, protocols and complete system situations can be tested by transmitting message sequences. Unavilable devices can also be simulated. The simple user interface and the flexible commands make it possible to easily create and alter many different test conditions. The message sequences are created with a few easy-to-learn commands (such as transmitting a message, waiting for a message, pause with specified length, repeat, user input) via an integrated editor and executed then at the push of a button.

*Graphic display of data (graphic module)

Data contents of CAN messages are displayed in the graphic module in a graphic window over the time axis. The information to be displayed, such as name and unit is automatically taken from the database allocated to a CAN bus. The data are displayed in real time, where max. 16 signals per graphic window are distributed over up to 4 time axes. In addition the current value of a signal is displayed numerically. With the aid of metering bars, specific values can be determined and evaluations carried out.

*Statistic analysis of network variables (statistic module)

With the statistic module, important variables of a CAN network can be statistically recorded and displayed graphically. The module determines the current bus load of the system amd displays this over time. In addition to general data, such as the number of error frames or the total number of transmitted CAN messages, the frequency of the individual CAN messages is displayed as a histogram.

*Symbolic interpretation and display of transmitted process variables (signal module)

Beyond the display of the receive module, not only the identifier of a CAN message with a symbolic name displayed, but also the complete contents of the message are extracted and processed based on the interpretation rules stored in the database. This module is therefore particularly suitable for installation, testing and servicing of CAN systems, as it allows the service technician to handle measuring and setting variables in the ususal way. The signals contained in a CAN message can be displayed with the signal module whether in scroll mode or in overwrite mode. In scroll mode the messages are displayed one after the other in a list together with the time of reception, where a separate line is used for each signal. In overwrite mode, on the other hand, the signals are sorted in order of time of reception and permanently overwritten by the incoming values. Messages and signals can be activated and deactivated individually, i.e. excluded from interpretation.

*Editor for the project databases

The basis for the interpretation and symbolic display of the data transmitted in the CAN message is the project database. In this, a CAN message is first assigned a name according to its identifier. The message can contain up to 64 individual data (signals). The file format used is the forward-looking XML. In addition there exist import filters for the quasi-standard CANdb and for CANopen DCF files.

Each signal can be interpreted as an analog, digital or string value: Analog signals are described by their bit position and length in the CAN message, by their data type (Boolean, signed8, unsigned8, signed16, unsigned16, signed32, unsigned32, signed64, unsigned64, float32, float64) and coding (Intel/-Motorola), scaling and offset, value range and physical unit Digital variables allocate symbolic names to concrete values, which are output as text With strings the complete contents of the CAN message or only a part thereof are displayed as ASCII string

The structure of the project database is displayed in a two-part window as a hierarchical tree with signal type-dependent icons. Separate, clear input masks exist for each area.

Optionally Available Modules & Additional Applications

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