US 12,122,309 B2 · Power and data center (PDC) for automotive applications

Abstract

A power and data center (PDC) can serve as a combined data concentrator and power distributor that delivers scalable and affordable network/power redundancy into an automotive electrical/electronic architecture (E/EA) that supports partially or fully autonomous vehicles. In some embodiments, a vehicle that includes the smart E/EA is divided into zones, where each zone includes one or more PDCs and one or more sensors, actuators, controllers, loudspeakers or other devices that are coupled to and powered by their zone PDC(s). Each PDC collects and processes (or passes through) raw or pre-processed sensor data from the one or more sensors in its zone. The sensors provide their data to the PDC by way of cost efficient, short-range data links. In some embodiments, one or more actuators in each zone are coupled to their respective zone PDC, and receive their control data from the PDC over a high-speed data bus or data link.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system, comprising:

an electrical and electronic system for a vehicle segmented into a plurality of zones each corresponding to a distinct physical region of the vehicle, the electrical and electronic system comprising a plurality of power and data centers (PDCs) coupled to a plurality of computing platforms, wherein each of the plurality of PDCs are associated with different ones of the plurality of zones and comprises:
a power interface configured to distribute power from a plurality of power sources or supply systems of the vehicle to a plurality of sensors of the vehicle;
at least one sensor interface configured to,
receive sensor data from at least (i) a first one of the plurality of sensors associated with a same one of the plurality of zones as a respective one of the PDCs, and (ii) a second one of the plurality of sensors associated with a different one of the plurality of zones as the respective one of the PDCs, and
process the sensor data by at least one of fusing the sensor data, transforming the sensor data, pre-processing the sensor data, or compressing the sensor data;
and
at least one data interface configured to communicate the sensor data to the plurality of PDCs and the plurality of computing platforms.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Power and data center (PDC) for automotive applications

Life of this patent

Power and data center (PDC) for automotive applications

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20