CAN RECEIVER WAKE-UP CIRCUIT

• US 20040119517A1
• Filed: 12/20/2002
• Published: 06/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Amey, Benjamin L., Carpenter, John H. Jr., Pauletti, Timothy P.
• Granted Patent: US 6,747,498 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 327/198
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40032 Details regarding a bus interface enhancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40215 Controller Area Network CAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle

Abstract

A wake-up circuit for a ECU on a ECN utilizes two complementary switching transistors which will turn ON when there is a differential voltage between CANH and CANL which will turn ON the transistors to pass a current which will be mirrored over to create a voltage which will switch a comparator or a Schmitt trigger. The two signals are then ORed together to generate a digital wake-up signal that can be utilized by other on-chip circuitry.

Claims

1. A wake-up detector for an electronic control unit (ECU) on an controller area network (CAN) comprising:

a first transistor of a first type conductivity having a gate electrode coupled to an input terminal for a CANH conductor of a CAN bus;

a second transistor of a second type conductivity having a gate electrode coupled to an input terminal for a CANL conductor of a CAN bus;

a first current mirror circuit coupled to a source-drain path of the first transistor and having an output coupled to a first constant current source;

a second current mirror circuit coupled to a source-drain path of the second transistor and having an output coupled to a second constant current source;

a first detector circuit coupled to a first junction of the first current mirror circuit and the first constant current source;

a second detector circuit coupled to a second junction of the second current mirror circuit and the second constant current source;

an OR gate coupled to an output of the first and second detectors and generating a wake up signal.

2. The wake-up detector of claim 1 wherein the first and second detector circuits comprise Schmitt trigger circuits.

3. The wake-up detector of claim 1 wherein the first constant current source comprises a third current mirror circuit coupled between the first junction and a first voltage source;

and

the second constant current source comprises a fourth current mirror circuit coupled between the second junction and a second voltage source.

4. The wake-up detector of claim 2 wherein the first constant current source comprises a third current mirror circuit coupled between the first junction and a first voltage source;

and

the second constant current source comprises a fourth current mirror circuit coupled between the second junction and a second voltage source.

5. The wake-up detector of claim 3 further comprising a third constant current source coupled between the third and fourth current mirror circuits for generating a fixed current into one leg of each of the first and second current mirror circuits.

6. The wake-up detector of claim 4 further comprising a third constant current source coupled between the third and fourth current mirror circuits for generating a fixed current into one leg of each of the first and second current mirror circuits.

7. The wake-up detector of claim 5 wherein the first voltage source is a reference voltage and the second voltage source is a supply voltage.

8. The wake-up detector of claim 6 wherein the first voltage source is a reference voltage and the second voltage source is a supply voltage.

9. The wake-up detector of claim 7 wherein the second voltage source is different from a voltage source for the first and second transistors and the first and second current mirror circuits and wherein the first and second detector circuits include level shifter circuits.

10. The wake-up detector of claim 2 wherein the second voltage source is different from a voltage source for the first and second transistors and the first and second current mirror circuits and wherein the first and second detector circuits include level shifter circuits.

11. The wake-up detector of claim 1 wherein the first transistor is an isolated NMOS transistor and the second transistor is a PMOS transistor.

12. The wake-up detector of claim 2 wherein the first transistor is an isolated NMOS transistor and the second transistor is a PMOS transistor.

13. In a controller area network (CAN) having a plurality of electronic control units (ECU) coupled to a bus, a wake-up detector for a physical layer of an ECU comprising:

a NMOS transistor having a gate electrode coupled to an input terminal for a CANH conductor of a CAN bus;

a PMOS transistor having a gate electrode coupled to an input terminal for a CANL conductor of a CAN bus;

a first current mirror circuit coupled to a source-drain path of the NMOS transistor and having an output coupled to a first constant current source, the first constant current source comprising a third current mirror circuit coupled between a first junction and a first voltage source;

a second current mirror circuit coupled to a source-drain path of the PMOS transistor and having an output coupled to a second constant current source, the second constant current source comprising a fourth current mirror circuit coupled between a second junction and a second voltage source;

a first Schmitt trigger circuit coupled to a first junction of the first current mirror circuit and the first constant current source;

a second Schmitt trigger circuit coupled to a second junction of the second current mirror circuit and the second constant current source;

an OR gate coupled to an output of the first and second Schmitt trigger circuits and generating a wake-up signal.

14. A method for detecting a signal on a controller area network (CAN) bus for waking-up electronic control unit (ECU) coupled to the bus comprising:

coupling a CANH conductor of the CAN bus to a first transistor of the CAN bus to a first transistor of the first type;

coupling a CANL conductor of the CAN bus to a second transistor of a second type;

coupling an output of the first transistor to a first current mirror circuit and an output of the second transistor to a second current mirror circuit, the current mirror circuits mirroring current in source-drain paths of the of the respective transistors;

comparing an output of the first current mirror circuit to a first constant current source;

comparing an output of the second current mirror circuit to a second constant current source; and

generating a wake-up signal if either comparing step equals of exceeds a predetermined level.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein an output of the first current mirror is compared to an output of a third current mirror circuit and wherein an output of the second current mirror circuit is compared to an output of a fourth current mirror circuit.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising level shifting the wake-up signal.