# US 2023/0264641 A1 · Vehicle Power Architecture, Trigger, and Method of Initiating the Wake-Up of Functional Blocks > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2023/0264641 A1 - Document ID: US20230264641A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 18/065,366 - Filed: 2022-12-13 - Published: 2023-08-24 - Earliest claimed: 2022-02-21 - Assignees: Aptiv Technologies AG - Applicants: Aptiv Technologies Limited - Inventors: Daniel Staudt; Pekka Herzogenrath; Tobias Merten; Lukas Puellen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20230264641A1 ## CPC - B60R 16/023: for transmission of signals between vehicle parts or subsystems - B60R 16/03: for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems {or for (circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00)} - B60W 10/08: including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators - B60W 10/26: for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors - H02J 1/08: Three-wire DC power distribution systems; Systems having more than three wires - H02J 7/855: {with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery} - H02J 9/005: {using a power saving mode (for copiers G03G15/5004)} - H02J 2105/33: exchanging power with road vehicles - H02J 2105/37: exchanging power with electric vehicles [EV] or with hybrid electric vehicles [HEV] - B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY ## Abstract A vehicle power architecture is disclosed that includes a plurality of functional blocks for implementing functions and a power supply input for receiving a power supply. The vehicle power architecture also includes an electronic control unit (ECU) comprising a plurality of power control switches, each being switchable between an open state where at least one of the functional blocks is disconnected from the power supply input and a closed state where the at least one functional block is connected to the power supply input. The vehicle power architecture further includes a trigger having a wake-up input for configuring the plurality of power control switches between the open state and the closed state. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle power architecture comprising: a plurality of functional blocks for implementing functions; a power supply input for receiving a direct current power supply; and an electronic control unit (ECU) comprising: a plurality of power control switches, each of the power control switches: being configured to control an operation of at least one functional block; and being switchable between an open state where the at least one functional block is disconnected from the power supply input and a closed state where the at least one respective functional block is connected to the power supply input; and a trigger: comprising a wake-up input for receiving external wake-up signals; and configured to configure the power control switches between the open state and the closed state in response to receiving the external wake-up signals. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle power architecture according to claim 1, wherein the ECU further comprises a controller block configured to control the plurality of power control switches. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The vehicle power architecture according to claim 2, wherein the controller block comprises a controller block wake-up input configured to receive the external wake-up signals. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vehicle power architecture according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of switches are smart fuses. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vehicle power architecture according to claim 1, wherein the trigger comprises an instruction distributor connected to the wake-up input and configured to determine a configuration of the plurality of power control switches based on the external wake-up signals. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The vehicle power architecture according to claim 5, wherein the instruction distributor determines the configuration of the plurality of power control switches based further on voltages of the received external wake-up signals. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The vehicle power architecture according to claim 5, wherein the instruction distributor determines the configuration of the plurality of power control switches based further on digital commands within the external wake-up signals. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The vehicle power architecture according to claim 1, wherein: the vehicle power architecture is a zonal architecture; and the ECU is a zone controller. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The vehicle power architecture according to any claim 1, further comprising a trigger communication line configured to communicate the external wake-up signals to the wake-up input. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The vehicle power architecture according to claim 9, further comprising at least one remote microprocessor unit connected to the trigger communication line and configured to generate the external wake-up signals. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The vehicle power architecture according to claim 9, further comprising a timing signal generator connected to the trigger communication line and configured to generate a timing signal, wherein the ECU is configured to perform time synchronization based on the timing signal. ### Claim 12 A trigger comprising: a wake-up input for receiving external wake-up signals; and an output for configuring, based on the external wake-up signals, one or more power control switches of an electronic control unit (ECU) between an open state where at least one functional block of a plurality of functional blocks of a vehicle power architecture configured to implement functions is disconnected from a power supply input to a closed state where the at least one respective functional block is connected to the power supply input. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The trigger according to claim 12, further comprising an instruction distributor connected to the wake-up input for determining configurations of the one or more power control switches based on characteristics of the received external wake-up signals. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The trigger according to claim 13, wherein the instruction distributor determines the configurations of the one or more power control switches based on voltages of the received external wake-up signals. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The trigger according to claim 13, wherein the instruction distributor determines the configurations of the one or more power control switches based on digital commands within the external wake-up signals. ### Claim 16 A method of operating a vehicle power architecture, the method comprising: generating a wake-up signal on a trigger communication line by a first microprocessor unit; receiving the wake-up signal on the trigger communication line at a trigger in an electronic control unit (ECU); and configuring, by the trigger and based on the wake-up signal, one or more power control switches of the ECU between an open state where at least one functional block is disconnected from a power supply input and a closed state where the at least one functional block is connected to the power supply input. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method according to claim 16, wherein: the vehicle power architecture is a zonal architecture; the first microprocessor unit is associated with a first zone or comprised by a central vehicle controller; and the ECU is associated with a second zone. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method according to claim 17, further comprising: receiving the wake-up signal on the trigger communication line at a second trigger in a second ECU associated with a third zone; and configuring, by the second trigger and based on the wake-up signal, one or more power control switches in the second ECU between the open state and the closed state in response to the wake-up signal. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The method according to claim 16, further comprising synchronizing the ECU based on a timing signal received on the trigger communication line. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The method according to claim 16, wherein the configuring is based further on a voltage of the external wake-up signal or a digital command within the external wake-up signal.