Wake up system for electronic component supported on a vehicle

• US 6,838,783 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2002
• Issued: 01/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens VDO Automotive Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Payant, Andre, Martinez-Carrillo, Daniel A., Stierle, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MATTHEW VAN
• Application Number:
  US10/094,422
• Publication Number:
  US 20020140292A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 307/9.1, 307/10.1, 307/10.8, 307 18- 21, 307/51, 307/52, 307/62, 307/85, 307/86
• US Class Current: 307/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0315 using multiplexing techniques multiplexing for transmission of signals G08C15/00; multiplexing for electrical communication in general H04J
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/225 Leakage detection
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2400/18 Packaging of the electronic circuit in a casing
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/3005 Details not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/32 Means for saving power
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/14 Balancing the load in a network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/46 for ICE-powered road vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/005 using a power saving mode for copiers G03G15/5004
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40039 Details regarding the setting of the power status of a node according to activity on the bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/403 with centralised control, e.g. polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40215 Controller Area Network CAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A power control assembly limits the amount of leakage current absorbed by a device (30) supported on a vehicle when the device is in a sleep mode. The described example includes a switch (40) between a vehicle power source (54) and a power supply (50, 52) for the peripheral device. A locking portion (44) controls operation of the switch (40) so that selected portions of the device (30) are isolated from the vehicle power source (34) when the device (30) is in a sleep mode. A wake up signal received by a communication bus transceiver (32) activates the switch locking portion (44), which in turn allows the isolating switch (40) to be electrically closed and kept in the closed condition until the controller (54) of the device determines that the device should enter the sleep mode.

Claims

1. An assembly for controlling power consumption of at least one device supported on a vehicle having a communication bus over which signals are transmitted to or from the device, comprising:

a controller that controls operation of the device;

a power supply portion that derives power from a vehicle power source and provides power to the controller;

a switch between the power supply portion and the vehicle power source, the switch having an open state opening the connection between the power supply portion and the vehicle power source when the device is in a sleep mode and a closed state closing the connection when the device is in an active mode;

a transceiver that responds to a wake up signal provided on the communication bus; and

a switch locking portion that responds to the transceiver to lock the switch into the closed state, the switch locking portion maintaining the switch in the closed state until the controller provides an indication that the device is to enter the sleep mode.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the switch locking portion comprises a first transistor switch that is activated by an output from the transceiver that is responsive to the wake up signal and a second transistor that is activated responsive to the first transistor being activated, the second transistor remains in the activated state regardless of a change in state of the first transistor.

3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the second transistor changes out of the activated state only responsive to a command from the controller indicating that the device is to enter the sleep mode.

4. The assembly of claim 1, including a power control portion that activates the switch and places the switch into the closed state when the switch locking portion allows the vehicle power source to power the power control portion.

5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the power supply portion includes an energy reserve element that stores electrical energy that is at least partially provided to power the controller.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the wake up signal comprises a signal having a voltage that is above a selected threshold.

7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the power supply portion has a leakage current draw that is greater than about 500 microamperes when the switch is closed and wherein the switch locking portion has a leakage current draw that is less than about 200 microamperes.

8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the assembly has a leakage current draw less than about 500 microamperes when the device is in the sleep mode.

9. The assembly of claim 8, wherein the assembly has a leakage current draw of about 200 microamperes when the device is in the sleep mode.

10. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the switch locking portion comprises a monoflop circuit.

11. A method of powering a device supported on a vehicle, the device including a power supply portion that powers a controller of the device, comprising the steps of:

providing a switch between the power supply portion and a vehicle power source;

opening the switch to isolate the power supply portion from the vehicle power source when the device is in a sleep mode;

locking the switch to couple the power supply portion to the vehicle power source when the device is not in the sleep mode.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle power source comprises a battery and the power supply portion comprises an energy reserve module that is operative to boost a voltage available from the power supply portion such that the boosted voltage is greater than a voltage of the battery.

13. The method of claim 11, including unlocking the switch only in response to a command from the device controller indicating that the device is to enter the sleep mode.

14. The method of claim 11, including providing a switch locking portion that permits the switch to be closed and locks the switch in the closed condition until a command from the device controller resets the switch locking portion to open the switch so that the device enters the sleep mode.

15. A system for controlling power consumption by at least one device supported on a vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle power source;

a device controller;

a device power supply that provides power to the controller;

a switch between the vehicle power source and the device power supply that opens to selectively isolate the power source from the power supply when the device is in a sleep mode and closes to selectively couple the power source to the power supply;

a switch locking portion that is operative to lock the switch closed responsive to a wake up signal indicating that the device should be activated out of the sleep mode, the switch locking portion only unlocking the switch responsive to a command from the device controller indicating that the device should enter the sleep mode.

16. The system of claim 15, including a communication bus and a transceiver that receives the wake up signal from the communication bus.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the switch locking portion includes a first transistor, a second transistor and a third transistor, the first transistor conducting responsive to the wake up signal, the second and third transistors conducting responsive to the first transistor conducting wherein the second transistor is associated with the third transistor such that once the second transistor begins conducting, the third transistor is unable to stop conducting until the controller resets the switch locking portion.

18. The system of claim 17, including a resetting transistor coupled with the second transistor such that a sleep command from the controller grounds the resetting transistor thereby grounding the second transistor and changing the third transistor to a nonconductive state.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the third transistor conducts to provide power from the vehicle power source to the switch to electrically close the switch.

20. The system of claim 19, including a switch control that operates the switch and wherein the switch control receives battery power through the third transistor.