LIN (Local Interconnect Network):

History:

LIN (Local Interconnect Network) was developed as cost-effective alternate to CAN protocol. In 1998 a group of companies including Volvo, Motorola, Audi, BMW, Daimler Chrysler, and Volkswagen formed a consortium to develop LIN.

The latest version of LIN is LIN 2.0 and was released in 2003. LIN 2.0 provides interesting features such as diagnostics.

Introduction:

The LIN is a SCI/UART-based serial, byte-oriented, time triggered communication protocol designed to support automotive networks in conjunction with Controller Area Network (CAN), which enables cost-effective communication with sensors and actuators when all the features of CAN are not required. The main features of this protocol (compared to CAN) are low cost and low speed and used for short distance networks.

Usually in automotive application, the LIN bus is connected between smart sensor or actuators and an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) which is often a gateway with CAN bus. Like CAN, LIN is also a broadcast type serial network, but with single master and multiple (up to 16) slaves. No collision detection exists in LIN, therefore all messages are initiated by the master with at most one slave replying for a given message identifier. The master is typically a moderately powerful microcontroller, whereas the slaves can be less powerful, cheaper micro-controllers or dedicate...