Vehicle Diagnostic System ECU Wake-Up via Intermediary Controller
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle diagnostic systems face challenges in waking up sleep-mode ECUs in partial networking systems without modifying the diagnostic equipment's software platform, as they lack a standard-based interface for sending wake-up frames.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle diagnostic system that includes a communication bus and controllers capable of operating in both normal and sleep modes, where at least one controller sends a wake-up instruction to other controllers upon receiving a predetermined signal from the diagnostic equipment, ensuring all ECUs can be awakened and communicate effectively without modifying the diagnostic equipment's software.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If partial networking is implemented to reduce power consumption, then fuel consumption is reduced, but diagnostic equipment cannot communicate with sleep-mode ECUs
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by having the diagnostic equipment send a predetermined signal to a normal-mode ECU before diagnostic operations begin. This normal-mode ECU then sends wake-up instructions to all other ECUs in advance, ensuring they are awakened and ready for communication before the diagnostic process starts, thus resolving the communication issue while maintaining power savings during non-diagnostic periods.
2Ease of operation
If diagnostic equipment is modified to send wake-up frames, then sleep-mode ECUs can be awakened, but software platform modification cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary normal-mode ECU that acts as a mediator between the diagnostic equipment and sleep-mode ECUs. The diagnostic equipment sends a predetermined signal to this intermediary ECU, which then generates and sends the wake-up instructions to all other ECUs. This approach allows wake-up functionality to be achieved without modifying the diagnostic equipment's software platform, as the intermediary ECU handles the wake-up frame generation using existing communication protocols.
3Ease of operation
If all ECUs are kept in normal mode for diagnostic access, then communication is maintained, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements dynamic mode switching for ECUs based on operational requirements. ECUs can switch between normal mode and sleep mode depending on whether diagnostic operations are being performed. During normal vehicle operation, ECUs enter sleep mode to reduce power consumption. When diagnostic operations are needed, the system dynamically wakes up the necessary ECUs, maintaining communication availability only when required rather than continuously.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle diagnostic system capable of diagnosing ECUs for partial networking includes a communication bus mounted on a vehicle, a plurality of controllers for controlling vehicle operations, and a diagnostic equipment to collect diagnostic information from the controllers through the communication bus and to diagnose the vehicle operations. The controllers are connected with each other through the communication bus. Each of controllers operates in a normal mode and in a sleep mode, the sleep mode being an operation mode in which all of or a part of the functions excluding at least a function for receiving an wake-up instruction to return to the normal mode through the communication bus are suspended. At least one of the controllers is configured to send the wake-up instruction to all the other controllers in response to receiving a predetermined signal from the diagnostic equipment.