In the field of automotive electronics, Door Control Unit (DCU) is a generic term for an embedded system that controls a number of electrical systems associated with an advanced motor vehicle. An advanced motor vehicle consists of a number of ECUs (Electrical Control Units), and the Door Control Unit (DCU) is an important one among them.
The Door Control Unit is responsible for controlling and monitoring various electronic accessories in a vehicle's door. Since most of the vehicles have more than one door, generally DCUs are present in each door separately. A DCU associated with the driver's door has some additional functionalities. This additional features are the result of complex functions like locking, driver door switch pad, child lock switches, etc., which are associated with the driver's door. In most of the cases driver door module acts as a master and others act as slaves in communication protocols.
Features Controlled by Door Control Unit
In some advanced motor vehicles, luxury features like puddle lamps and BLIS (Blind spot Indicator System) are also supported by DCUs.