The transceiver provides differential transmit capability to the bus and differential receive capability to the CAN controller. Transceiver provides an advanced interface between the protocol controller and the physical bus in a Controller Area Network (CAN) node.
Typically, each node in a CAN system must have a device to convert the digital signals generated by a CAN controller to signals suitable for transmission over the bus cabling (differential output). It also provides a buffer between the CAN controller and the high-voltage spikes that can be generated on the CAN bus by outside sources (EMI, ESD, electrical transients, etc.).
The can transceiver is a device which detects the signal levels that are used on the CAN bus to the logical signal levels recognized by a microcontroller.