Automatic Node Discovery in CAN (Controller Area Network) Controllers using Reserved Identifier Bits

A new technique for automatic address space configuration in CAN network is proposed in this work. The proposed technique is to use two reserved bits of CAN extended identifier field in the initial address assignment process. These reserved bits can be in one of the following three states: address acquired, address assignment pending and address claim override. An address configuration protocol is proposed based upon these added states and a finite state machine for the protocol is also shown. Real-time behavior of the proposed address space configuration technique can be further validated by a series of parametric simulations using tools like OPNET.