Vehicle TBox Sleep Control for Low-Battery Remote Response
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Solution Overview
Problem
The frequent wake-up of the application processor (AP) by the modem (MD) in a telematics box (TBox) of a vehicle leads to increased power consumption from the dedicated battery, potentially depleting it and preventing the vehicle from turning on when off.
Innovation Solution
A processor in the vehicle communication device determines the vehicle's state and communication environment, reserving specific data transmission paths and disabling unnecessary wake-up sources to enter a sleep mode, optimizing power usage based on 2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G networks, and managing communication paths to conserve battery power.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the modem frequently wakes up the application processor using wake-up sources, then the vehicle can respond to remote commands and wake-up sources, but power consumption from the dedicated battery increases
Solution Approach 1:
The communication paths are segmented into control path and data path. The processor selectively reserves only necessary control paths (for wake-up sources and critical services) while deactivating unnecessary data paths, thereby maintaining response capability to remote commands while reducing power consumption from the dedicated battery.
Solution Approach 2:
The processor enters sleep mode and only partially maintains communication paths - specifically reserving control paths for wake-up sources and critical services while deactivating other data paths. This partial action approach ensures essential functionality is preserved while minimizing power consumption.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the processor enters sleep mode to save power, then power consumption decreases, but the ability to receive and respond to communications may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Before entering sleep mode, the processor preliminarily reserves the necessary control paths for wake-up sources and critical services. This preliminary action ensures that when the processor wakes up, it can immediately respond to communications without delay, maintaining reliability while enabling power savings.
Solution Approach 2:
The control path acts as an intermediary that remains active while the processor is in sleep mode. It mediates between the external communication network and the sleeping processor, allowing wake-up sources and critical communications to reach the processor without requiring the full system to remain active.
3Loss of energy
If all communication paths are deactivated to maximize power saving, then battery power is conserved, but critical services and wake-up sources cannot be received
Solution Approach 1:
Different communication paths are assigned different quality states - control paths for wake-up sources and critical services are maintained in an active state, while other data paths are deactivated. This local differentiation ensures that critical services remain available while maximizing power savings in non-critical paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The processor dynamically changes the operational parameters of communication paths based on the vehicle state. When the vehicle is off, it changes the state of data paths from active to deactivated, while maintaining control paths in an active state, thereby optimizing the balance between power consumption and service availability.
Data Source
AI summary
A power-saving method is provided. The power-saving method may be applied in a vehicle communication device in a vehicle. The power-saving method may include the following steps. A processor of the vehicle communication device may determine whether the vehicle is turned off. In response to the vehicle being turned off and not being charged, the processor may determine the current communication environment of the vehicle. Then, the processor may reserve the transmission of the specific data on at least one communication path between the processor and a modem of the vehicle communication device according to the current communication environment, wherein the communication path comprises a control path and a data path. Then, the processor may enter a sleep mode.