An Efficient LIN MCU Design for In-Vehicle Networks

Abstract

Recently, the number of ECUs in a car is growing continuously. Most of these increased levels of functionality are distributed across ECUs which communicate over multiple data networks. There have also been several other communication protocols used in automotive applications, such as Local Interconnect Networks (LIN). In these protocols, the cost effective nature of LIN enables the high dependability of mechatronics elements, such as smart sensors and actuators. Automotive electronic control units (ECUs) usually consist of microcontroller units (MCUs) in conjunction with network communication controllers. This paper describes a design of LIN MCU which combines MCU with LIN controller. It uses efficient memory accessing architecture to provide concurrent data and address fetch for faster communication. By using slew rate control it can reduce EMI emission while satisfying required communication specifications. This LIN MCU combines the advantages of a communication controller and an advanced MCU solution to increase efficiency and dependability for the time-critical applications. To develop optimized LIN applications, an advanced LIN MCU was designed enabling the ability to integrate safety functions required for a LIN system in harsh vehicle environments. To verify the efficiency of the LIN MCU, we developed a SoC and tested for several data packets. Measurements show that this LIN MCU improves network efficiency up to 17.19% and response time up to 31.26% for nominal cases. EMI radiation also can be reduced up to 10dB.