CleANopen takes off

Source: CAN Newsletter Online May 2012

During the IFAT Entsorga exhibition 2012, several refuse collecting vehicles (RCV) have been introduced that use CleANopen networks to communicate between body controller and the RC-specific control units. In particular, lifter, measuring, and bin identification units are equipped with CleANopen interfaces. C-Trace, Moba, Terberg, and other suppliers exhibited their CleANopen products at the Munich fairground.

“It seems that CiA 422 or CleANopen is going to fly,” said Andreas Schmidt from Moba Mobile Automation (Germany). Since many years, the company offers a broad range of CleANopen (CiA 422) compatible devices including on-board computers and measuring units for weight and volume. C-Trace (Germany) also offering identification units and weighing equipment with CiA 422 interfaces integrates other CleANopen devices without additional fees. “We would appreciate, if CiA will provide CleANopen conformance and interoperability tests,” said Andreas Holler from C-Trace. Moba likes the idea of by CiA tested and certified products, too. Both companies hope that certified interfaces would reduce the integration effort. At the IFAT Entsorga, the Ifeu Institute (Germany) demonstrated the version 4.0 of its Imelo body controller featuring CiA 422 connectivity for lifter units. Terberg (Netherlands) presented at the open-air area its lifter units with CleANopen interfaces. RosRoca’s Olympus rear loader RCVs uses them as well as Dennis-Eagle in its garbage trucks. The British Dennis-Eagle belongs to the Spanish RosRoca group, which has also acquired HN-Schoerling.