Search Results

Automotive electronics will enter a third era in the 1990's. A myriad of new electronics will be linked together via in-vehicle networks that will form a mixture of centralized and distributed systems. During the last two years, much work has been done defining the requirements for in-vehicle networking. We are already seeing a few implementations, in production or near production as automakers seek to verify the implementations “against the requirements. In 1987, Intel introduced CAN (Controller Area Network), an in-vehicle network implementation, jointly with Robert Bosch GmbH. Today this product is in the final stages of production readiness. This paper will review the requirements for in-vehicle networks, describe the CAN implementation, and address future issues and direction which must be addressed prior to large deployment of in-vehicle networks.

In recent years the functionality of automotive systems has been improved by the introduction of real time Electronic Control Units (ECUs) for engine management, anti-lock braking, and other applications. For customer comfort and convenience, body electronics options have also increased, including electronic windows, seat control, and others. Optimization of performance requires integrating the vehicle of the 90s as a system rather than a grouping of individual modules. As a result, inter - communication between real time ECUs as well as between body electronics modules is required. By linking vehicle electronics into a network or combination of networks, a cost-effective solution which guarantees required performance and maximum flexibility may be obtained.