Search Results

As automotive electronic systems become more and more spread, the necessity for a complete portfolio of communication standards for automotive applications becomes obvious. In the low cost Class A Smart Sensor & Actuator arena Local Interconnect Network (LIN) is the top candidate to be used as a multiplex standard all over the world. The LIN concept includes not only the physical layer and the data link layer; it also defines the tool interfaces and network description to speed the development process for in vehicle networks. This article describes the development process for LIN applications and gives an example of a typical LIN application, explains the benefits of this solution from the major aspects, the usage of the different tool interfaces, and its representation on the data link layer and the physical layer.

In June 1999, five major European car-manufacturers, one semiconductor supplier, and one tool vendor agreed on a specification for a class A multiplex protocol called LIN (Local Interconnect Network). This protocol has the following major features: Single Master / Multiple Slave Concept Low cost silicon implementation based on common UART/SCI interface hardware Self synchronization without crystal or ceramics resonator in the slave nodes Guaranteed latency times for signal transmission Low cost single-wire implementation (enhanced ISO 9141) Speed up to 20Kbit/s (limited by EMI) This protocol offers for the first time the common base for class A multiplexing, supported by major car companies and being implemented by a large number of suppliers.