Yokogawa Launches CAN FD Monitoring Module for ScopeCorder Family

New 720242 module provides support next generation CAN bus to meet future automotive requirements

Yokogawa has introduced a new CAN FD monitoring module for its ScopeCorder family of portable data-acquisition and recording instruments. The new 720242 plug-in module is compatible with the DL850EV (Vehicle Edition) instrument and the new DL350 ScopeCorder fitted with the /VE option.

Using a ScopeCorder together with bus monitor modules to decode data from automotive serial buses such as CAN (Controller Area Network) enables engineers to display information such as engine temperature, vehicle speed and brake pedal position as trend waveforms and compare this with the analogue data coming from the actual sensors. By plotting both the digital values and analog values on one screen, automotive engineers gain a thorough insight into the dynamic behavior of the complete electromechanical system.

First announced in 2012, CAN FD (CAN With flexible data rate) is an extension format for CAN in which the transfer rate and data length of the data field has been increased while still following a protocol common to CAN. It enables data rates higher than 1 Mbit/s to be transmitted on a CAN bus in order to deliver the higher bandwidths now required by the automotive industry for in-vehicle networks. Yokogawa already supports CAN FD triggering and decoding in its range of DLM mixed signal oscilloscopes for physical layer bus development.

Some automotive manufacturers in the US, Europe and Asia are planning to implement CAN FD as early as model year 2018 with a wider adoption expected in 2020. This means that automobile engineers are now free to consider CAN FD as the solution to meet the needs for higher data rates in automotive buses especially with regard to electric/hybrid vehicles where new powertrain concepts demand a much higher bit-rate and utilisation.

“The ScopeCorder series of products combines high resolution isolated measurements, mixed signals of analog, digital, and sensor inputs, and gives engineers the performance of a Data Acquisition system with the push-button ease-of-use of an oscilloscope. This makes it popular among automotive engineers. Adding CAN FD support means they can integrate the next generation technologies into their vehicle systems”, says Richard Patterson, Product Manager for ScopeCorders in North America. “Validating ECU algorithms by comparing computed values to actual performance within a single instrument is a huge productivity advantage and we are proud to be first-to-market with this capability for CAN FD.”

“Our many automotive ScopeCorder customers recognise that a ScopeCorder offers them a one-box solution for their testing needs and enables them to easily analyse data without the need to synchronise and import data from multiple instruments and devices,” says Terry Marrinan, Vice-President of Sales & Marketing for Yokogawa’s Test & Measurement business in Europe & Southeast Asia: “They have been considering the use of CAN FD, and in advance of their actual testing requirements they have been asking us to add the capability for CAN FD to the ScopeCorder so that it is available when they need it. We are pleased to be able to satisfy these requests.”

The new module is also compatible with classical CAN and will replace the existing 720240 CAN-only model.

Yokogawa was the first test & measurement manufacturer to provide automotive serial bus analysis on any oscilloscope. The introduction of support for this extension of the CAN bus is an indication of the company’s ongoing commitment to satisfy the needs of the automotive and transportation industries.

About the Yokogawa Test & Measurement Businesses

Yokogawa has been developing measurement solutions for 100 years, consistently finding new ways to give R&D teams the tools they need to gain the best insights from their measurement strategies. The company has pioneered accurate power measurement throughout its history, and is the market leader in digital power analysers.

Yokogawa instruments are renowned for maintaining high levels of precision and for continuing to deliver value for far longer than the typical shelf-life of such equipment. Yokogawa believes that precise and effective measurement lies at the heart of successful innovation - and has focused its own R&D on providing the tools that researchers and engineers need to address challenges great and small.

Yokogawa takes pride in its reputation for quality, both in the products it delivers - often adding new features in response to specific client requests - and the level of service and advice provided to clients, helping to devise measurement strategies for even the most challenging environments.

The guaranteed accuracy and precision of Yokogawa's instruments results from the fact that Yokogawa has its own ISO 17025 accredited calibration laboratory in its Newnan, Georgia, USA facility. Yokogawa’s calibration team is able to deliver most services with a turnaround time faser than 10 business days.

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About Yokogawa

Yokogawa's global network of 113 companies spans 60 countries. Founded in 1915, the US$3.5 billion company engages in cutting-edge research and innovation. Yokogawa is active in the industrial automation and control (IA), test and measurement, and aviation and other businesses segments. The IA segment plays a vital role in a wide range of industries including oil, chemicals, natural gas, power, iron and steel, pulp and paper, pharmaceuticals, and food. Targeting this segment, Yokogawa helps companies maximize their profits by offering a wide range of highly reliable products and working with the subsidiary KBC Advanced Technologies to provide premium solutions and services. For more information about Yokogawa, please visit www.yokogawa.com.