What does scan mean on a car?
2 Answers
Automotive CAN bus is the abbreviation for Controller Area Network bus technology in vehicles. Below are the relevant introductions: Functions of automotive CAN bus: The function of automotive CAN is to connect multiple control units such as vehicle instruments, transmissions, auxiliary braking systems, ECUs, control modules, and various sensors together. It enables real-time synchronization of information. The automotive CAN communication system significantly reduces electrical wiring in vehicles, lowering cable costs, weight, and space occupation. Working principle of automotive CAN bus: The CAN controller is integrated inside the electronic control unit, receiving data from the control unit's microprocessor. The CAN controller processes this data and transmits it to the CAN transceiver; similarly, the CAN controller also receives data from the transceiver, processes it, and transmits it to the control unit's microprocessor.
The scan button in a car is usually located in the radio area of the center console, and I often help friends adjust it. By holding down the scan button, the system will sequentially search for the strongest signal stations in the current frequency band. When you find one you like, release the button, and it will automatically lock for about 5 seconds for you to preview. Older cars with mechanical knobs for tuning are particularly troublesome, but this function makes switching stations much easier. Nowadays, new cars have even more uses for it—for example, pressing scan in the onboard diagnostic interface can check engine fault codes. Last time my car had a yellow warning light, the technician connected to the OBD port and pressed this button to diagnose the issue. However, be careful not to accidentally press other buttons when activating scan mode. Last time I was fixing the car window, I accidentally triggered the radio scan, and the sudden burst of music gave me a fright.
