CANaerospace Protocol and LabVIEW Based Data Communication Application

The aviation sector is rapidly evolving in parallel with technological advancements worldwide. This progress, combined with the need for efficient use of limited energy resources, drives the demand for robust, economical, and lightweight system designs. Within modern aircraft, numerous avionics systems must communicate quickly and reliably to ensure safe and efficient operation. To address challenges such as wiring complexity and system weight, communication protocols have been developed that support lightweight, efficient data exchange.One such protocol is the Controller Area Network (CAN), originally developed by Bosch for the automotive industry in the 1980s. CAN is a reliable and cost-effective serial communication protocol designed to reduce wiring complexity while supporting real-time communication. Its strengths—such as robustness, low latency, and fault tolerance—have led to its adoption in various domains including aviation, industrial automation, and defense.To address the specific needs of the aviation sector, the CANaerospace protocol was developed by Stock Flight Systems in 1998. This high-level protocol extends CAN by providing structured, modular, and fault-tolerant communication suitable for avionics applications. It supports both peer-to-peer and broadcast messaging, allowing for flexible and interoperable communication among systems. In this study, a data communication application based on the CANaerospace protocol was developed using LabVIEW. The system utilizes National Instruments’ NI USB-8473s hardware to connect a computer to a CAN network. The LabVIEW program can parse incoming messages according to the CANaerospace format, display them in a user-friendly interface, and allow users to send formatted messages. The developed tool not only demonstrates practical implementation of the CANaerospace protocol but also serves as a useful platform for education, prototyping, and avionic system testing. It bridges the gap between theoretical protocol design and real-world application, making it valuable for engineers and researchers in the aerospace field.