The Network: General

WARNING: This page does not describe the selected car, but rather 9 other vehicles, including the 2009 Volvo S60, 2008 Volvo S60, 2007 Volvo S60, 2006 Volvo S60, and 2005 Volvo S60. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

Increasing demands for further functionality in the car, both by statutory requirement and customers, have led to an increased complexity in the car.

This has in turn driven the development of more flexible electronic systems. The Controller area network (CAN) is a result of this research. The network allows a large number of different commands and messages to be transmitted and received on the same cable. Previously each command or message required a separate cable. By using the network functionality has increased without increasing the number of cables.

The number of commands and messages that can be handled by the network depends on the speed of the network and the length of the message / command. The Volvo network which is based on a Controller Area Network (CAN), can transmit over 500 different signals and approximately 100 messages (also known as frames). Each message can contain several signals, for example a message to the rear electronic module can contain all the signals for how the tail lamps should be lit.