National Instruments NI-DNET - Manual (Page 48)

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DeviceNet Overview
This appendix gives an overview of DeviceNet.
History of DeviceNet
The Controller Area Network (CAN) was developed in the early 1980s by
Bosch, a leading automotive equipment supplier. CAN was developed to
overcome the limitations of conventional automotive wiring harnesses.
CAN connects devices such as engine controllers, anti-lock brake
controllers, and various sensors and actuators on a common serial bus.
By using a common pair of signal wires, any device on a CAN network can
communicate with any other device.
As CAN implementations became widespread throughout the automotive
industry, CAN was standardized internationally as ISO 11898, and major
semiconductor manufacturers such as Intel, Motorola, and Philips began
producing CAN chips. With these developments, many manufacturers of
industrial automation equipment began to consider other applications of
CAN technology. Automotive and industrial device networks showed
many similarities, including the transition away from dedicated signal
lines, low cost, resistance to harsh environments, and excellent real-time
capabilities.
In response to these similarities, Allen-Bradley developed DeviceNet, an
industrial networking protocol based on CAN. DeviceNet built on CAN’s
communication facilities to provide higher-level features which allow
industrial devices from different vendors to operate on the same network.
Soon after DeviceNet was developed, Allen-Bradley transferred the
specification to an independent organization called the Open DeviceNet
Vendor’s Association (ODVA). ODVA formally manages the DeviceNet
Specification and provides services to facilitate development of DeviceNet
devices and tools by various vendors. Due in large part to the efforts of
ODVA, hundreds of different vendors now provide DeviceNet products for
a wide range of applications.