CAN Bus

First things first: a vehicle bus, also known as a bus, is a type of internal communications network that connects components inside a vehicle. A Controller Area Network (CAN Bus), then, is a special kind of bus that allows the "electronic control units" (ECUs) or "nodes" to communicate with each other's applications without the support of a host computer.

This is possible because CAN Bus is a message-based protocol that broadcasts a signal from one node to all the other nodes on the network. The other nodes are programmed to recognize which signals are pertinent to them, and which ones can be safely ignored. A pecking order is established beforehand so that high-priority signals will be broadcasted before signals that are less urgent.

The invention of the CAN Bus was a breakthrough because it reduced the amount of wiring and computing components needed inside a vehicle. This lowered the vehicle’s weight and helped to optimize fuel efficiency. The centralized nature of the CAN Bus makes it a supremely efficient way for nodes to communicate with one another. The CAN Bus is also extremely robust and durable, which is critical to the safety of the vehicle.

GIGABYTE Technology's options for the on-board telematics unit, such as the In Vehicle Telematics Controller and IIOT Gateway (also called the In-Vehicle Telematics Control Unit, TCU) and the single board computer (SBC) Telematics Module; and the GIGABYTE PILOT series of Automated-Driving Control Units (ADCUs) that serve as the brain of the self-driving car—all these products integrate flawlessly with CAN Bus.

The TCU and Telematics Module utilize CAN Bus to monitor and compile intravehicular data in real time, detect and monitor vehicular movement and conditions, and receive data from sensors such as radar and ultrasonic devices. The ADCU uses CAN Bus to receive data that has been compiled and processed by the DCU; it then transmits instructions to the rest of the vehicular system over the CAN Bus to achieve autonomous driving.