A Time-Triggered Communication Protocol for CAN-based Networks with a Fault-Tolerant Star Topology

For nearly two decades, the Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol has been used in the development of distributed embedded systems. Studies previously carried out have illustrated how various “Shared-Clock” (S-C) algorithms can be used with CAN-based microcontrollers to implement time-triggered network architectures. In these previous studies, it has been assumed that the underlying network topology is a bus; in the present paper, we explore some implications of working with a fault-tolerant star-based network topology and a modified S-C algorithm. A representative case study is employed and quantitative comparisons are made between equivalent bus- and star-based systems.