ISO 17987-3-2016 PDF

Full title and description

St ISO 17987-3-2016 — Road vehicles — Local Interconnect Network (LIN) — Part 3: Protocol specification. This document defines the LIN protocol behaviour including frame structure, signal mapping, checksum models, schedule table handling, master/slave node behaviour and diagnostic/transport support for LIN-based in-vehicle networks.

Abstract

ISO 17987-3:2016 specifies the protocol layer for the Local Interconnect Network (LIN) used in road vehicles. It covers the master-driven header and slave response model, frame types (unconditional, sporadic, event-triggered, diagnostic), signal-to-byte mapping, schedule tables for deterministic timing, node state and status management, checksum schemes, and support for transport/UDS-on-LIN diagnostic services. The 2016 edition has been withdrawn and a revised edition (ISO 17987-3:2025) is available.

General information

• Status: Withdrawn (revised by ISO 17987-3:2025).
• Publication date: August 2016.
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
• ICS / categories: 43.040.15 (Road vehicles — Vehicle components and electronics).
• Edition / version: Edition 1 (2016).
• Number of pages: 44 pages.

Scope

Specifies the LIN protocol for message and signal transfer within a LIN cluster: header and response timing, protected identifier (PID) format, frame types and their usage, signal mapping into frame payloads, schedule table management for deterministic transfer, node state models (including wake-up and bus-sleep behaviour), error detection and checksum options, and support for transport and diagnostic services (UDSonLIN). The physical layer is covered in other parts of the ISO 17987 series; multi-cluster node management by higher layers is outside this part's scope.

Key topics and requirements

• Protocol model: master-driven break/sync/PID header and slave response structure with 6-bit frame ID + 2 parity bits (PID).
• Frame types: unconditional, sporadic, event-triggered and diagnostic frames; each response carries 1–8 data bytes.
• Signal management: mapping of signals to byte/bit positions, publishers/subscribers concept, and signal timing constraints.
• Schedule tables: table-driven timing for deterministic slot processing and cluster behaviour.
• Checksum models: classic (legacy/diagnostic) and enhanced checksum for data frames.
• Node states and behaviour: operational, bus-sleep, wake-up handling, and status reporting for master and slave nodes.
• Transport & diagnostics: support for transport-layer services and UDS-on-LIN (ISO 14229-7) diagnostic services.
• Conformance and testing references: points to other parts of the series for physical layer, EPL conformance and protocol conformance tests.

Typical use and users

Used by automotive systems architects, embedded firmware developers, tool vendors (LDF/NCF authors), test and validation engineers, and Tier‑1/OEM teams when designing, implementing or validating LIN clusters for body electronics (door modules, HVAC, seat/mirror control, lighting) and other low-speed, low-cost in-vehicle networks.

Related standards

Part of the ISO 17987 (LIN) series — typical related parts include ISO 17987-1 (general), ISO 17987-2 (transport and network services), ISO 17987-4 (electrical physical layer), ISO 17987-5 (LIN API / node configuration), ISO 17987-6 (protocol conformance tests) and ISO 17987-7 (EPL conformance tests). It is also related to ISO 14229-7 (UDSonLIN diagnostic services). The 2016 protocol part was later revised by ISO 17987-3:2025.

Keywords

LIN, Local Interconnect Network, automotive network, LIN protocol, schedule table, frame types, checksum, UDSonLIN, Node Capability File (NCF), master/slave, diagnostics, ISO 17987.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO 17987-3:2016 is the protocol specification for the Local Interconnect Network (LIN) used in road vehicles, defining message framing, signal mapping, timing and node behaviour at the protocol layer.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers LIN protocol specifics — break/sync/PID header, frame types, data payload formats, checksum models, schedule tables, node state machines, and transport/diagnostic support (UDSonLIN). The physical electrical layer and detailed conformance tests are covered in other parts of the ISO 17987 series.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Automotive engineers and integrators: systems architects, embedded software developers implementing LIN stacks, test engineers performing protocol/diagnostic validation, and suppliers producing LIN-enabled ECUs and tools.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: The 2016 edition is listed as Withdrawn and has been revised; a new edition ISO 17987-3:2025 is available. For new designs or compliance work use the latest (2025) edition.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — ISO 17987 is a multipart series for LIN. Part 3 is the protocol specification and is intended to work with Parts 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7 which cover general info, transport services, physical layer, API/configuration, conformance tests and EPL conformance respectively.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: LIN, Local Interconnect Network, protocol, schedule table, PID, checksum, master/slave, UDSonLIN, diagnostic, NCF.