Bus comms for refuse vehicles

The CAN in Automation (CiA) group has released version 2.0 of the CleANopen specification. This CANopen application profile specifies the communication between electronic control units for refuse collecting vehicles (RCV). This includes the board controller (BCU), the lifter (LU), the compactor (CU), the container changer (CCU), the bin washer (WU), and the weight or volume meter (MU). The CleANopen communication system is based on the CAN lower-layers (ISO 11898 series) and the CANopen application layer (EN 50325-5/CiA 301).

Vehicle manufacturers and their suppliers have developed jointly the CleANopen specification (CiA 422 series) within the CANopen SIG (special interest group) municipal vehicles. The completely restructured version 2.0 is partly incompatible to version 1.0. In particular, the measuring units for weight and/or volume have been changed. Additionally, some functional enhancements have been introduced. The specification is in DSP (draft standard proposal) status; it is only available for CiA members. Part 1 and part 2 are downloadable free-of-charge from the website .

In spring, the entire specification will be submitted to CEN for European standardization. There are already more than 1000 RCVs on the road.