The Controller Area Network (CAN) has seen enormous success in automotive body and powertrain control systems. However, there is a change in emphasis arising in the industry in which CAN is seen as too powerful and expensive for simple digital sensor/actuator body control applications, but not robust or fast enough for more safety critical applications such as the envisaged Drive-by-Wire systems of future passenger cars. The emerging protocols Local Interconnect Network (LIN), the Time Triggered Protocols (TTP/A, TTP/C), Time Triggered CAN (TTCAN), Byteflight, FlexRay, Safe-by-Wire and EC-Net and wireless networks such as Bluetooth are examined in terms of their application and likelihood for future success. In addition CAN's role in the future is further examined. One conclusion drawn is that the near future vehicles will use a mix of LIN, CAN/TTCAN and FlexRay with wireless protocols showing promise in the longer term.
展开▼
