Power supply during vehicle off state

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11529886-B2
Application number	US-201916519026-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 23, 2019
Priority date	Jul 23, 2019
Publication date	Dec 20, 2022
Grant date	Dec 20, 2022

Abstract

A power system for a vehicle includes a control module, a low-voltage battery electrically coupled to the control module, a high-voltage battery electrically coupled to the control module, an engine electrically coupled to the high-voltage battery, and a computer. The computer is programmed to, while the vehicle is in an off state, in response to a pending download to the control module, provide power to the control module with one of the low-voltage battery, the high-voltage battery, or the engine upon determining whether the low-voltage battery and the high-voltage battery have sufficient charge to power the control module for the download.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power system for a vehicle comprising:
a control module;
a low-voltage battery electrically coupled to the control module;
a high-voltage battery electrically coupled to the control module;
an engine electrically coupled to the high-voltage battery; and
a computer programmed to, while the vehicle is in an off state,
in response to a pending download to the control module, provide power to the control module with the low-voltage battery upon determining that the low-voltage battery has sufficient charge to power the control module for the download;
in response to the pending download to the control module, provide power to the control module with the high-voltage battery upon determining that the low-voltage battery has insufficient charge to power the control module for the download and that the high-voltage battery has sufficient charge to power the control module for the download;
in response to the pending download to the control module, provide power to the control module by running the engine upon determining that neither the low-voltage battery nor the high-voltage battery has sufficient charge to power the control module for the download; and
after beginning the download with the control module powered by the low-voltage battery, provide power to the control module with the high-voltage battery upon determining that the low-voltage battery has insufficient charge to power the control module for a remainder of the download and that the high-voltage battery has sufficient charge to power the control module for the remainder of the download;

wherein the low-voltage battery has sufficient charge to power the control module for the download if the charge of the low-voltage battery is greater than a sum of an expected charge to complete the download and a charge to start the vehicle; and
the high-voltage battery has sufficient charge to power the control module for the download if the charge of the high-voltage battery is greater than a sum of the expected charge to complete the download and a charge to put the vehicle in a minimal risk condition.

2. The power system of claim 1 , wherein the engine is switchable between a motive state in which power is delivered to wheels of the vehicle and a nonmotive state in which power is not delivered to the wheels, and the programming to provide power to the control module by running the engine is programming to provide power to the control module by running the engine in the nonmotive state.

3. The power system of claim 1 , wherein the expected charge to complete the download is a product of an expected duration to complete the download and a rate of power consumption for the control module in a downloading state.

4. The power system of claim 1 , wherein the programming to provide power to the control module with the high-voltage battery includes programming to initialize the high-voltage battery from a dormant state by using a signal through an ignition-switch-power relay.

5. The power system of claim 1 , wherein the computer is further programmed to, after beginning the download with the control module powered by the high-voltage battery, provide power to the control module by running the engine upon determining that the high-voltage battery has insufficient charge to power the control module for a remainder of the download.

6. The power system of claim 1 , wherein the computer is further programmed to determine a charge to power the control module for the download based on a bandwidth for the download.

7. A computer comprising a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to:
while a vehicle is in an off state, in response to a pending download to a control module in the vehicle, provide power to the control module with a low-voltage battery upon determining that the low-voltage battery has sufficient charge to power the control module for the download;
while the vehicle is in the off state, in response to the pending download to the control module, provide power to the control module with a high-voltage battery upon determining that the low-voltage battery has insufficient charge to power the control module for the download and that the high-voltage battery has sufficient charge to power the control module for the download;
while the vehicle is in the off state, in response to the pending download to the control module, provide power to the control module by running an engine upon determining that neither the low-voltage battery nor the high-voltage battery has sufficient charge to power the control module for the download; and
after beginning the download with the control module powered by the low-voltage battery, provide power to the control module with the high-voltage battery upon determining that the low-voltage battery has insufficient charge to power the control module for a remainder of the download and that the high-voltage battery has sufficient charge to power the control module for the remainder of the download;
wherein the low-voltage battery has sufficient charge to power the control module for the download if the charge of the low-voltage battery is greater than a sum of an expected charge to complete the download and a charge to start the vehicle; and
the high-voltage battery has sufficient charge to power the control module for the download if the charge of the high-voltage battery is greater than a sum of the expected charge to complete the download and a charge to put the vehicle in a minimal risk condition.

8. The computer of claim 7 , wherein the engine is switchable between a motive state in which power is delivered to wheels of the vehicle and a nonmotive state in which power is not delivered to the wheels, and the instruction to provide power to the control module by running the engine is an instruction to provide power to the control module by running the engine in the nonmotive state.

9. The computer of claim 7 , wherein the expected charge to complete the download is a product of an expected duration to complete the download and a rate of power consumption for the control module in a downloading state.

10. The computer of claim 7 , wherein the instruction to provide power to the control module with the high-voltage battery includes an instruction to initialize the high-voltage battery from a dormant state by using a signal through an ignition-switch-power relay.

11. A method comprising:
while a vehicle is in an off state, in response to a pending download to a control module in the vehicle, providing power to the control module with a low-voltage battery upon determining that the low-voltage battery has sufficient charge to power the control module for the download;
while the vehicle is in the off state, in response to the pending download to the control module, providing power to the control module with a high-voltage battery upon determining that the low-voltage battery has insufficient charge to power the control module for the download and that the high-voltage battery has sufficient charge to power the control module for the download;
while the vehicle is in the off state, in response to the pending download to the control module, providing power to the control module by running an engine upon determining that neither the low-voltage battery nor the high-voltage battery has sufficient charge to power the control module for the download; and
after beginning the download with the control module powered by the low-voltage battery, providing power to the control module with the high-voltage battery upon determining that the low-voltage battery has insufficient charge to power the control module for a remainder of the download and that the high-voltage battery has

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Niu Yuming
• Kuang Ming Lang
• Malone Mark Douglas
• King Daniel M

Classifications

• G06F8/65

  Updates (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) · CPC title

• B60R16/033

  characterised by the use of electrical cells or batteries (for propulsion puposes B60K1/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06; testing of charge state G01R31/36) · CPC title

• B60L58/20

  having different nominal voltages · CPC title

• B60L58/12 Primary

  responding to state of charge [SoC] · CPC title

• B60L50/66

  Arrangements of batteries · CPC title