CAN do: It may be testing times for in-vehicle networks, but diagnostic help is available

摘要

Today, electronic components and systems account for over 20 per cent of the cost of a top-of-the-range passenger car. Indeed, in-vehicle networks have already been applied successfully to body and powertrain control systems. Body control systems usually comprise of electronic control units that coordinate the operation of features such as electric windows, central locking and seat controls. Additionally, powertrain control systems deal with the operation of electronic control units controlling the engine, gearbox, ABS, etc. This figure is expected to grow substantially over the next 10 years with the increased introduction of more complex control systems such as drive-by-wire and multimedia systems giving access to the Internet. Vehicles are now in production using networking technologies such as SAF J1850, the Vehicle Area Network (VAN) and popular Controller Area Network (CAN). For in-vehicle control networking technology, the emerging growth areas are twofold; firstly in the adoption of a low-cost body control sub-bus (such as the Local Interconnect Network - LIN) that complements CAN, and secondly in the adoption of a safety bus that complements or even replaces CAN in more safety-critical applications.