Zone-Based Power Distribution for Selective ECU Wake-Up
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high cost associated with providing power supply drivers for a large number of electronic control units mounted on vehicles, leading to increased system complexity and management burdens.
Innovation Solution
A power system design that includes a central unit managing electric wire characteristic data for zone units, allowing selective wake-up of zone units using a semiconductor switch and zone power supply driver, thereby reducing the need for individual power supply drivers in downstream units.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If power supply drivers are provided for all electronic control units, then each unit can be independently woken up, but system cost and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the wake-up control function into a single central unit that manages multiple downstream units. Instead of each downstream unit having its own power supply driver, the central unit consolidates this functionality and controls power supply to downstream units through zone units, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining wake-up capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The central unit serves multiple functions: it acts as a master controller, manages wake-up signals, controls power supply distribution, and coordinates zone units. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for redundant power supply drivers in each downstream unit, reducing component count and system complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If power supply drivers are provided for all electronic control units, then individual wake-up is enabled, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
By merging power supply driver functionality into the central unit and using zone units as intermediaries, the patent reduces the total number of power supply drivers needed. This consolidation lowers component count and manufacturing cost while preserving selective wake-up capability through centralized control.
Solution Approach 2:
Zone units serve as intermediaries between the central unit and downstream units. They receive control signals from the central unit and manage power supply to downstream units, enabling selective wake-up without requiring expensive power supply drivers in each downstream unit.
3Adaptability or versatility
If numerous electronic control units are deployed, then system functionality increases, but management burden increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the system into a hierarchical structure with a central unit, zone units, and downstream units. This segmentation organizes numerous electronic control units into manageable groups, reducing the management burden by allowing centralized control through the central unit while maintaining functional versatility across multiple segments.
Data Source
AI summary
A power system includes a central unit, a zone unit capable of communicating with the central unit, and a downstream unit. The zone unit includes a semiconductor switch capable of electrically connecting the downstream unit to a power supply, and a zone power supply driver capable of waking up the zone unit in response to reception of an unique identifier transmitted from the central unit. The downstream unit is woken up when the semiconductor switch of the zone unit enters an ON state.