Ethernet Switch Selective Wake-Up for In-Vehicle Network Power Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current in-vehicle network configurations using Ethernet communication face challenges in minimizing power consumption and error during communication between controllers, as existing Ethernet switches activate all connected controllers upon receiving a wake-up signal, leading to unnecessary activation and increased power usage.
Innovation Solution
An Ethernet switch method that receives a wake-up signal from a sleeping controller, determines the routing port based on the destination address, and selectively activates only the necessary physical-layer processing devices to transmit the wake-up signal, allowing only the intended controller to be activated, thereby reducing power consumption and minimizing errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the Ethernet switch transmits wake-up signals to all connected vehicular controllers, then all controllers are activated, but power consumption increases and unnecessary activation occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the wake-up signal transmission process by identifying and activating only specific controllers based on the destination address in the received signal. Instead of activating all controllers uniformly, the system divides the activation process into targeted segments, activating only those controllers that need to receive the signal, thereby reducing overall power consumption while maintaining communication reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the activation state of different controllers based on their individual needs. Each controller is activated or deactivated according to whether it is the intended destination of the wake-up signal, creating a non-uniform activation pattern that optimizes power consumption while ensuring reliable delivery to the correct controller.
2Reliability
If the Ethernet switch activates all vehicular controllers upon receiving a wake-up signal, then the signal can be delivered, but error rate increases due to unnecessary activation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential function of wake-up signal delivery while removing the harmful side effect of unnecessary activations. By analyzing the destination address field in the received signal and using routing tables to identify only the relevant controller(s), the system extracts the core functionality of signal delivery without the harmful consequence of activating all controllers, thereby reducing error rates.
Solution Approach 2:
The Ethernet switch acts as an intermediary that mediates between the signal source and the target controller. Instead of broadcasting to all controllers and relying on individual wake-up responses, the switch uses routing information to directly facilitate signal delivery to the correct controller, reducing the likelihood of activation errors and improving overall reliability.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the Ethernet switch uses routing tables to determine destination controllers, then power consumption is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring routing tables that map destination addresses to specific controllers before actual communication occurs. This pre-established routing information allows the Ethernet switch to quickly determine which controllers need activation without performing complex real-time analysis, thereby reducing power consumption during operation while keeping the configuration complexity manageable through systematic pre-organization of routing data.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of configuring an in-vehicle network includes: receiving a first wake-up signal from a first controller among a plurality of controllers in a sleep mode by an Ethernet switch; activating the Ethernet switch according to the wake-up signal; determining a routing port according to a destination address of the Ethernet data received from the first controller; and transmitting a second wake-up signal of a second controller among the plurality of controllers through a physical-layer processing device included in the Ethernet switch corresponding to the determined routing port.