Power system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12594896-B2
Application number	US-202318336228-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 16, 2023
Priority date	Jun 28, 2022
Publication date	Apr 7, 2026
Grant date	Apr 7, 2026

Abstract

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A power system comprising:
a plurality of electronic control units mounted on a vehicle, the plurality of electronic control units includes: a central unit configured to collectively control the plurality of electronic control units; a plurality of zone units coupled to the central unit; and a plurality of downstream units, one or more of the downstream units being coupled to each of the zone units, wherein the central unit is configured to transmit a unique identifier for identifying a target zone unit; wherein each zone unit comprises:
a zone power supply driver configured to wake up the corresponding zone unit in response to reception of the unique identifier transmitted from the central unit; and
a semiconductor switch configured to selectively connect the one or more downstream units to a power supply,
wherein each downstream unit is configured to wake up in response to receiving electric power from the power supply from through the semiconductor switch without receiving any external wake-up control signal, and wherein, after a zone unit that receives the unique identifier is woken up,
the central unit is configured to transmit a downstream-ON command to the woken-up zone unit,
the woken-up zone unit is configured to turn on the semiconductor switch in response to reception of the downstream-ON command, and
one or more downstream unit coupled to the woken-up zone unit wakes up in response to receiving electric power from the power supply from through the semiconductor switch.

2 . The power system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the central unit comprises
one or more central processors,
one or more central memories connected to the one or more central processors,
wherein each of the zone units comprises
one or more zone processors, and
one or more zone memories connected to the one or more zone processors,
wherein the one or more central processors execute processing including transmitting the downstream ON command, and wherein the one or more zone processors execute processing including turning on the semiconductor switch in response to reception of the downstream ON command.

3 . The power system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the central processor executes processing including:
at the time of transmitting the downstream ON command, determining whether a corresponding one of the zone unit is woken up, and
when it is determined that the zone unit is not woken up, transmitting the unique identifier to the zone power supply driver to wake up the zone unit, and then transmitting the downstream ON command.

4 . The power system according to claim 1 , wherein the central unit comprises a storage device in which electric-wire characteristic data indicating at least an allowable current or a heat-resistance property of a downstream electric wire coupled to a corresponding one of the downstream units is stored.

5 . The power system according to claim 4 ,
wherein the central unit is configured to transmit the electric-wire characteristic data to a corresponding one of the zone units, and wherein the corresponding one zone unit comprises a controller configured to store the electric-wire characteristic data received from the central unit into a local memory and control the semiconductor switch based on the stored electric-wire characteristic data.

6 . The power system according to claim 4 , wherein the controller of the corresponding one zone unit is further configured to limit a current flowing through the semiconductor switch so that the current does not exceed an allowable current value indicated by the electric-wire characteristic data.

7 . The power system according to claim 4 , wherein the controller of the corresponding one zone unit is further configured to estimate a temperature of the downstream electric wire based on a heat-resistance property included in the electric-wire characteristic data, and interrupt power supply when an estimated temperature exceeds a predetermined threshold.

8 . The power system according to claim 4 , wherein the central unit is configured to update the electric-wire characteristic data stored in the storage device based on feedback information received from the zone units or the downstream units.

Assignees

• Subaru Corp
• Toyota Jidosha Kk
• Nissan Motor Co Ltd
• Honda Motor Co Ltd
• Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kk

Inventors

• Kinoshita Takahiro
• Shirasawa Ryo

Classifications

• H02J13/13

  characterised by the transmission of data to equipment in the power network · CPC title

• B60R16/0231

  Circuits relating to the driving or the functioning of the vehicle (monitoring tyres B60C23/00; indicating overspeed B60K31/00; for dash boards B60K37/00, B60Q3/10; for indicating emergencies B60Q1/52; brake control systems B60T; registering or indicating the working of vehicles G07C5/00; measuring distance G01C, e.g. combinations of speed and distance G01C23/00; engine indicators G01L; measuring speed or acceleration G01P) · CPC title

• B60L1/00

  Supplying electric power to auxiliary equipment of vehicles (circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00) · 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

• B60R16/0215

  Protecting, fastening and routing means therefor · CPC title