Electronic control units for automotive electrical power systems: communication and networks

The last decade has seen a resurgence of advanced technologies being implemented in automobiles. Functions that were considered highly complex and difficult to be implemented are not only being provided but various other facilities are also being built on those very functions. Everything from engine control to multimedia and infotainment services are implemented in today's automobiles. This has been due largely to the strides made by the electronics as well as the communications industry. The emergence of the concept of providing the customer with all possible services has led to an explosion of implementation of high-end electronics, each providing a facility of its own. When so many devices are being embedded in a car, there also has to be a mechanism that should regulate the way in which data transfer takes place. It is the objective of this paper to provide an insight into most of the communication protocols that are being used, as well as technologies that are under development in the automobile industry of today. Various protocols and their modus operandi are explained, with schematics completing the picture.