Business Model for licensing of LIN BUS Protocol Stack: What are the Value-Adds?
Our LIN Protocol Software (SAE J2602) is available under a one-time licensing fee model. This engagement model entitles you to leverage the following benefits:
- You own the source code of the LIN Protocol Software
- You can also benefit from the ownership of the IP rights
- As the owner of the IP Rights, your business can deploy this LIN Bus Protocol Stack solution across multiple production programs
We offer separate LIN Bus Protocol stack solutions for LIN Master and LIN Slave implementation. Our LIN software has been successfully deployed in several series productions to enable wiper functions, sunroof modules and others. We also offer a Body Control Module reference design solution powered by our LIN software.
LIN BUS Protocol Stack: Details of the Software Architecture
Features of Our LIN Protocol Stack Solution
- The LIN subnet is based on a master-slave architecture and we have partnered with our customers to deliver a customized LIN Master and LIN Slave solutions.
- Within the In-Vehicle Network, LIN Master is integrated with Master ECU (which is part of Body Control Module).
- LIN Master ensures robust communication and control of the LIN Slave nodes
- MISRA C compliant auto-code generation for LIN Interface configuration in lesser time as compared to manual method (3-4 week)
- This saving in efforts translates into reduction time-to-market and thus development cost.
- LIN protocol based ECU re-programming (Bootloader) over UDS
- Integration of UDS over LIN TP
LIN Bus Protocol Stack Integration, Configuration and Testing Service Offerings
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Development and Integration of LIN Driver:
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Development and Configuration of LIN Master:
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Development and Configuration of LIN Hardware Abstraction Layer:
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Node Configuration, LIN Network Management and LIN TP Configuration:
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LIN Bus Protocol Stack Support and Maintenance Services:
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Meet Our Automotive Leaders
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Suresh is the man with solutions. A pro in multitasking, Suresh is always there for his team and also handles the customers’ problems with alacrity. Under Suresh, the automotive team has delivered some very critical projects with the biggest OEMs and suppliers. His ability to understand the customers’ pain points and come up with solutions is his biggest virtue. Suresh Kumar | Technical Manager(A people’s Manager) |
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Aneesh has 15+ years of experience in the Automotive Industry. As a Technology Leader, he has been instrumental in developing our team's competency in Electric Vehicles, Motor Control Systems, Electronic Control Unist, Functional Safety and more. Aneesh is well-known for his brilliance in understanding the customers’ pain point and devising the right solution. A person with calm and composed demeanor, Aneesh always leads from the front. Aneesh Adkadkam | Head-Automotive BU('Captain Cool' of our Automotive Team) |
LIN Software Stack Factsheet:
Refer to this LIN protocol stack solution factsheet which is designed to provide details of the technical specifications like memory requirement, LIN Protocol Stack integration & support services etc.
Download this LIN protocol stack Factsheet for details about:
- LIN software stack business model and overview
- Value-adds of one-time licensing fee engagement model
- Detail of LIN protocol stack solution package
- Features of our pre-tested and ready-to-integrate LIN software stack solution
- Use-cases and applications of LIN protocol stack in automotive industry
Please refer to LIN software stack FAQ’s for more details.
FAQs About LIN BUS Protocol Stack Solution
Ans. The layered architecture of our LIN Protocol stack includes:
- Low-level drivers (LIN, MCU, EEP, IVT, Timer)
- LIN Bus Protocol Stack (LIN Network Management and LIN Interface)
- LIN TP Layer
- UDS Stack (ISO 14229)
- Application Layer
The Bootloader includes:
- Bootloader Application
- UDS (ISO14229) Based Bootloader
Ans. Our LIN protocol stack includes the following modules
LIN Master and Slave Drivers
- LIN Master and Slave Driver, in compliance with LIN 2.1 specifications (SAE J2602)
- Interrupt based data handling (both Transmission and Reception).
- Error handling mechanism is part of the LIN driver software.
LIN Interface (LIN IF)
- LN IF handles both Tx and Rx messages.
- Schedule table will be part of LIN Interface
- Tx and Rx messages will be configured in configuration (*.c, *.h) files.
- Signals will be extracted as per LDF file and sent to application layer via APIs
LIN TP
- Handles multi-packet transmission and reception
Ans. LIN Drivers are developed for the specific microcontroller used in the automotive application. All other modules of the LIN software are hardware agnostic.
We have expertise in developing LIN drivers for all the widely used MCU families. This includes Renesas, TI, Fujistsu and others.
Ans. Our automotive team has delivered several LIN bus protocol stack projects to customers from across US, Europe and India.
We can share the detailed case studies of the projects and related information, once we sign the Non-disclosure agreement.
Ans. Yes. As per our Service Level Agreement (SLA) for the LIN bus protocol Stack, we will provide the software configuration and integration services, along with the LIN bus software stack license.
The integration and configuration services will take care of both low-level drivers as well as the application-level integration.
Ans. We perform various tests in the course of LIN software stack development. Prior to the final project delivery, our LIN bus protocol stack solution undergoes the following testing procedures:
- Unit level Testing
- Functional Testing
- Data Link Layer Compliance testing, using Vector Testing Tools
Ans. Whether to use the manual method or the PC based tool, for the conversion from LDF file to configuration file code, will depend on the size of the file.
If there are considerable numbers of Tx and Rx messages for configuration, we will prefer to use our proprietary PC based auto-code generator tool.
Ans. The PC-based tool runs on Windows OS and has been developed by our automotive team. It reads the LDF file and converts it into configuration files instantly.
Our in-house LDF to auto code generation tool has the following benefits:
- Designed for generating MISRA C compliant configuration files.
- Code generation is much faster than the manual method (Manual Method takes 2-3 weeks depending on LDF file size).
- It not only saves the time but also cuts down the cost.
Ans. Our LIN bus software stack is light-weight in size. The size of flash memory is 6 kB and RAM size is 1 kB. The RAM size could go higher depending on the size of the configuration file.
Ans. Yes, Our LIN bus protocol stack is completely modular. There are no global variables exchange between the programs files and every functionality is invoked with the help of specific APIs.
Modularity makes the LIN software stack light-weight and also easy to deploy in number of production programs, without any compatibility issue.
Ans. We offer separate stack solutions for both LIN Master and LIN slave. As LIN is not a broadcast protocol, the LIN master is tasked to initiate the command and the slave has to act on it.
Depending on the project specifications, we will deliver LIN master, LIN slave or both.
Ans. High-Level Design Document and Low-Level Design Document, will be a part of the LIN bus software stack package. In addition to that, we will also provide Functional Test Plan & Report and MISRA compliance Report.
These documents contain every detail you may need to make some enhancements to the stacks or to integrate the stack solution in multiple production projects.
Knowledge Bytes
What is Local Interconnect Network (LIN) BUS Protocol Stack?
- LIN protocol is a sub-network deployed in both passenger and off-road vehicles. Unlike CAN, which is a broadcast protocol, LIN is a master/slave communication standard.
- Simpler functionalities like wiper, mirror control and washer etc. are usually handled by LIN network.
- The LIN master ECU is integrated with the body control module, from where it initiates the command. The LIN master nodes will receive the command over LIN network and act accordingly.
- LIN Slave nodes don’t communicate with other networks, unless initiated by the LIN master.
What makes Local Interconnect Network (LIN) important when CAN already handles in-vehicle networking?
- Adding too many nodes (ECUs) to the network causes Network BUS slow down. To prevent this, a LIN sub-network is designed. The body control module usually acts as a gateway between the main network (CAN Bus) and the subnets (LIN Bus)
- LIN Bus is a single wire network best suited for small applications like wiper and washer etc. Using CAN for such application lead to increase in the software and hardware cost.