Event triggered Sensor Nodes

Hi,

 

Upon reading the MCP2510 data sheet, I am not sure how to set up a data
logging node to accept messages from about 100 

sensor nodes being animal feed bin weighers triggered by animals entering
and leaving individual feed gates.

 

The feed fence nodes will transmit data to be read by a single node so I am
considering setting the arbitration field of all the

fence nodes to a common I.D. say 999 and to set the filters in the data
logging node to accept this I.D. as the entry to the

receiving buffer. The animal/feeder assignment can be part of the 8 byte
data frame to ensure animal feed consumptions

are recorded correctly.

 

Alternatively I could build a transmit code individual to every sensor node
but include a common bit segment to be selected

by the buffer mask.

 

The animal entry into feeders will of course be random and collisions will
be rare because of the fast CAN bus baud rate when 

when compared to the randon animal behaviour - however collisions will
happen and I expect a queue until all coincident

data has been passed.

 

If the transmit I.D.s all have the same I.D. will bus arbitration work. I
think it should since the process simply  waits for a

quiet bus.

 

My question is:

 

WHAT ARE THE BEST OPTIONS FOR SETTING UP A MULTI-SENSOR NODE COMMUNICATION
WITH A CENTRAL

DATA LOGGING NODE WHERE THE SYSTEM IS EVENT DRIVEN BY SENSOR DATA BECOMING
AVAILABLE ?

 

My experience with CAN bus is nil but it seems a good option for this
application.

 

An experienced comment would be immensely helpful.

 

Colin Watson.  Edinburgh