CAN - Controller Area Network

Controller–area network (CAN or CAN-bus) is a vehicle bus standard designed to allow microcontrollers and devices to communicate with each othe. It is a multi-master broadcast serial bus standard for connecting electronic control units (ECUs).

CAN is a message based protocol, designed specifically for automotive applications but now also used in other areas such as industrial automation and medical equipment.

Development of the CAN-bus started originally in 1983 at Robert Bosch GmbH. The protocol was officially released in 1986. The first CAN controller chips, produced by Intel and Philips, came on the market in 1987.

CAN is one of five protocols used in the OBD-II vehicle diagnostics standard. The network is standardised as physical layer standards ISO 11898.