Fast and synchronous measurements 
Fast and synchronous measurements
In the case of high-demanding measurement applications exceeding the CAN bus capabilities, CSM's EtherCAT®-based MiniModules provide the optimal solution. EtherCAT® is an established protocol for fast and synchronous measurements coming from the test bench measurement technology sector. It sets standards in terms of bandwidth, maximum number of measurement channels and synchronization of measurement signals.
As an Ethernet-based data bus, EtherCAT® features short cycle times and low jitter. In addition, the Distributed Clocks functionality ensures accurate synchronization (≤ 1 μs) of all connected modules, regardless of the size of the measurement setup. EtherCAT® supports a similar network structure as the one known from CAN bus. Ethernet thus enables the setup of extensive measurement networks with many slave devices on one bus – which ideal for distributed measurement applications.
CSM's EtherCAT®-based MiniModules are ideal on the one hand for multi-channel applications e. g. with more than 1,000 strain gauges / acceleration sensors and for synchronised high-speed measurements with measurement data rates of up to 1 MHz per channel on the other hand. Specially adapted measuring modules are available for IEPE sensors. ECAT MiniModules thus feature all the advantages of CSM's CAN MiniModules and convince through their compact and robust design as well as the high accuracy over the entire operating temperature range.
In combination with the XCP-Gateway, CSM connects its ECAT MiniModules with the protocol XCP-on-Ethernet. As a result, the measurement modules are made compatible with standard data acquisition systems in the automotive measurement technology sector. In addition, the gateway connects CAN and EtherCAT® measurement data in a common data bus. This simplifies the setup of measurement applications and saves resources, since only one measurement chain is needed. The swift configuration of the application is possible with CSMconfig.
Precise and synchronous acquisition of mechanical strain directly at the strain gauge points of application: This is what the EtherCAT®-based measurement module ECAT STGMM 6 with six time-synchronous strain gauge inputs for quarter-, half- and full bridges has been designed for
XCP-Gateway is the interface between the data acquisition software (e. g. vMeasure, CANape®, INCA®, Vision® ...) and the EtherCAT® measurement modules from CSM. It includes an EtherCAT® master and an XCP-on-Ethernet slave.
