Vehicle CAN Wake-Up Monitoring for Faulty ECU Isolation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle networks experience unnecessary 'wake-up' of all ECUs due to errors in specific ECUs, leading to battery discharge through dark current, which existing technologies fail to efficiently detect and prevent.

Innovation Solution

A system and method involving a monitoring controller and gateway controller to detect the ID of a CAN message when the engine is off, identifying faulty ECUs causing repeated wake-ups and blocking power to them, thereby preventing battery discharge.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a vehicle gateway performs wake-up when a vehicle engine is turned off, then all ECUs in the vehicle are activated, but this causes unnecessary power consumption and battery discharge due to dark current from faulty ECUs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefaulty ECU detection capabilityVSAvoidbattery power consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The monitoring controller performs preliminary monitoring of CAN messages during the wake-up phase to identify faulty ECUs before they cause widespread power consumption. By detecting the first transmitted CAN message ID from each ECU during wake-up, the system proactively identifies problematic units and can isolate them before they drain battery power through dark current.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

A dedicated monitoring controller is introduced as an intermediary component between the gateway controller and ECUs. This monitoring controller specifically watches CAN message traffic during wake-up, identifies faulty ECUs by their message IDs, and enables the gateway to selectively manage power to individual ECUs, thereby preventing unnecessary power consumption from faulty units.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If all ECUs are activated during vehicle wake-up, then the vehicle network is fully operational, but faulty ECUs cause repeated unnecessary wake-ups leading to continuous power drain

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevehicle network responsivenessVSAvoidbattery discharge from dark current

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the ECU activation process by monitoring and identifying individual ECUs during wake-up. Instead of treating all ECUs uniformly, the monitoring controller tracks each ECU's CAN message transmission separately, allowing the gateway to selectively activate or isolate specific ECUs based on their operational status, thus preventing faulty ECUs from causing system-wide power drain.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The monitoring controller provides feedback information about ECU behavior during wake-up to the gateway controller. By analyzing the first CAN message ID transmitted by each ECU and reporting back to the gateway, the system creates a feedback loop that enables intelligent power management decisions, preventing repeated wake-ups caused by faulty ECUs and reducing unnecessary power consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS12576862B2System for detecting a faulty ECU on a vehicle network and a method thereof

Publication Date: 2026.03.17 HYUNDAI MOTOR CO LTD

AI summary

A system and method for detecting a faulty electronic control unit (ECU) on a vehicle network are disclosed. The system includes a monitoring controller configured to detect an identification (ID) of a controller area network (CAN) message first transmitted on a vehicle network and transmit the ID of the CAN message to a gateway controller. The gateway controller performs a wake-up when a vehicle engine is turned off, enables the monitoring controller and detects an ECU corresponding to the ID of the CAN message as the faulty ECU.