LIN Overview

The LIN network uses a Master/Slave approach, comprised of a LIN Master and one or more LIN Slaves. The following figure shows a simplified view of the LIN message frame.

The message header consists of a sync break used to identify the start of the frame and the sync field used by the slave node for clock synchronization. The identifier (ID) consists of a 6-bit message ID and a 2-bit parity field. The ID denotes a specific message address, but not the destination. Upon reception and interpretation of the ID one slave will begin the message response. The message response consists of 1-8 bytes of data and an 8-bit checksum.

The sequencing of message frames is controller by the master and is fixed in a schedule. The schedule may be changed as needed.

The proceeding information provides a simplified description of the LIN message frame. For more details on the LIN message frame and on the LIN specification, refer to Summary of the LIN Standard.