Supervisory Controller Network Segmentation for Ignition-Off Energy Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle network management techniques in electrified vehicles result in substantial low voltage power drain during ignition-off periods due to active networking, which decreases efficiency, and existing solutions like partial networking or hardware modifications are not universally applicable or effective.
Innovation Solution
A supervisory controller manages the vehicle network to selectively keep specific buses awake during ignition-off by sending signals to a security gateway module, overriding existing instructions to reduce unnecessary communication, thereby conserving energy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If active networking is used to enable high voltage functions during ignition-off, then high voltage system functionality is improved, but low voltage power consumption increases substantially
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the vehicle network into multiple CAN buses, allowing selective activation of only those buses required for high voltage functions during ignition-off. The supervisory controller identifies and activates only the necessary buses (e.g., powertrain bus for battery monitoring) while keeping other buses inactive, thereby maintaining high voltage functionality while minimizing low voltage power consumption across the network.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by activating only the minimum necessary portion of the network (specific buses and gateways) required for high voltage functions rather than the entire network. The supervisory controller determines the exact subset of buses needed for functions like battery monitoring and charging, activating only those while leaving others in sleep mode, thus avoiding excessive power consumption.
2Reliability
If all CAN buses are kept awake to ensure complete system monitoring, then system reliability is improved, but energy efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the monitoring function across segmented bus groups. The supervisory controller identifies which specific buses contain components requiring monitoring during ignition-off (e.g., powertrain bus for battery health) and keeps only those buses active. Other buses are placed in sleep mode, achieving energy efficiency while maintaining reliability for critical functions through targeted monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by providing different monitoring states to different parts of the network. Critical buses (powertrain, body) receive active monitoring while non-critical buses are in sleep mode. The security gateway module selectively communicates only on necessary buses, creating local quality differences in monitoring intensity that balance reliability and energy loss.
3Loss of information
If the security gateway module communicates on all buses, then comprehensive data collection is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the communication workload of the security gateway module across different bus groups. The supervisory controller instructs the gateway to communicate only on specific buses (e.g., powertrain bus for battery data, body bus for security data) while suppressing communication on other buses during ignition-off. This segmentation reduces the gateway's power consumption while maintaining data collection completeness for essential functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by having the security gateway module perform communication only on the minimum necessary buses required for high voltage functions and regulatory reporting. The supervisory controller identifies the exact subset of buses needed (e.g., for battery charging reports or vehicle securement state) and restricts gateway communication to those, avoiding excessive power consumption from unnecessary bus interactions.
Data Source
AI summary
A network control method for improving energy consumption by an electrified vehicle during ignition-off involves a supervisory controller configured to control a propulsion system or electrified powertrain of the electrified vehicle and a security gateway (SGW) module. The supervisory controller and the SGW module are each connected to a controller area network (CAN) of the electrified vehicle and the CAN includes a plurality of buses. When one of a plurality of conditions exist to keep one or more of the plurality of buses of the CAN awake during an ignition-off period, the supervisory controller sends a signal to the SGW module that causes it to only communicate on a specific set of buses of the plurality of buses of the CAN to thereby reduce energy consumption of components on the CAN that would have otherwise been awoken by the SGW module.