Slave PHY Wake-Up Retransmission for Noisy Ethernet Links

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Solution Overview

Problem

In automotive and industrial Ethernet networks, wake-up pulses (WUPs) sent from slave PHY devices can be corrupted by environmental noise, leading to failed wake-up procedures without a mechanism for the slave PHY to detect successful receipt or initiate link training, resulting in silent slave devices.

Innovation Solution

A slave PHY transmits a wake-up command to a master PHY, starts a timer, and upon expiration of a threshold time without receiving a response, retransmits the command to ensure successful wake-up and link training initiation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the slave PHY transmits a wake-up command in noisy automotive environments, then the wake-up function can be initiated, but the command may be corrupted by environmental noise leading to failed wake-up procedures

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewake-up command transmission reliabilityVSAvoidenvironmental noise corruption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The slave PHY proactively transmits wake-up commands at predetermined intervals before the master PHY would naturally wake up, ensuring the master is awakened reliably even in noisy environments. This preliminary action compensates for potential signal corruption by providing multiple wake-up opportunities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The slave PHY monitors the communication link for acknowledgments or transmissions from the master PHY after sending wake-up commands. By detecting whether the master has successfully received and responded to the wake-up command, the slave can determine if the transmission was successful and adjust its behavior accordingly.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If the slave PHY retransmits wake-up commands upon timer expiration, then wake-up reliability is improved, but additional wake-up commands may be sent unnecessarily if the master is already awake

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewake-up establishment reliabilityVSAvoidenergy consumed by redundant wake-up commands

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The slave PHY continuously monitors the communication link for any transmissions from the master PHY. When a transmission is detected, the slave determines the master is already awake and suppresses further wake-up command retransmissions, preventing unnecessary energy consumption while ensuring reliable wake-up establishment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Reliability

If the slave PHY monitors the communication link continuously to detect master transmissions, then redundant wake-up commands are prevented, but power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewake-up status detection accuracyVSAvoidpower consumption during monitoring

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The slave PHY performs link monitoring at periodic intervals rather than continuously, checking for master transmissions at predetermined times. This periodic monitoring approach maintains adequate detection capability while significantly reducing power consumption compared to continuous monitoring.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentUS12375223B2Automatic resending of WUP by slave device

Publication Date: 2025.07.29 INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AMERICAS CORP

AI summary

Systems and methods are described for a slave PHY device retransmitting a waking up command to a master PHY device in a low-power mode. After transmitting a wake-up command to the master PHY device, the slave PHY device starts a timer. If the timer reaches a threshold time, the slave device retransmits the wake-up command.