CMOS custom integrated circuit for a 38.4 Kbps master-slave in-vehicle data communication network

The paper describes a low-cost one-wire master-slave topology network for automotive applications, which is based on a single custom CMOS integrated circuit used to implement every network nodes. The developed IC incorporates a protocol interpreter circuit section, a sensor interface and a power switch that is capable of driving loads up to 2.5 A at 18 V. A logical addressing mechanism was implemented, through which the network master unit holds the information about the functions of every element on the net, thus facilitating the maintenance and changeability of the network nodes. The protocol interpreter section was tailored for a proprietary two-frame polling-access protocol, whose data transfer rate is 38.4 Kbps. The IC was fabricated in 0.8 /spl mu/m standard CMOS technology and occupies an area of 12.7 mm/sup 2/. Experimental results are presented.