The invention relates to a power delivery device for delivering power to one or more external devices in a vehicle with a start-stop system.

Many vehicles are equipped with a so-called start-stop system, which temporally stops the engine when the vehicle is halted, for example when waiting for a traffic lighting. When the vehicle should move again, the engine starts again. In this way the fuel efficiency of vehicles may be improved. Starting the engine may require a lot of electrical power from a car battery, which may interfere with the power requirements of other devices connected to the on-board electrical network of the vehicle, especially external devices, for example mobile phones that are being charged using an USB port in the vehicle.

Furthermore, it may be the case that one of the external devices is capable of consuming so much power, that this may interfere with the starting of the engine. Indeed, in that case, the car battery may be unable to provide enough power for starting the engine again.

A known solution for this problem is to temporarily disconnect the one or more external devices by a switch. However, disconnecting and connecting an external device may interfere with the functioning of the external device. For example, the play back of music may be interrupted. Resuming the charging of a device may cause an unwanted notification to the users.

Therefore, the objective of the invention is to provide a solution for one or more of the above-mentioned problems. Summary of the invention

According to a first aspect of the invention, this objective is achieved by providing a power delivery device for delivering power to one or more external devices in a vehicle with a start-stop system, comprising:

- a power supply for delivering power to said one or more external devices; and,

- a power control, connected to said power supply and configured for controlling said delivering of power,

characterized in that:

- said power control comprises an input for receiving information from said start-stop system; and,

- said power control is configured for reducing said power to a maximum power after receiving information from said start-stop system indicating that a start-stop cycle has started or is active .

The power delivery device may be an electrical circuit or an electrical module that may be connected to the vehicle. The power supply may comprise a battery, for example a or the main car battery, or may comprise an input that is to be connected to a battery, for example a or the main car battery.

Start-stop system may be a system in the vehicle that is able to automatically (i.e. without direct instructions from the driver) switch off the engine and start the engine again when needed. This may be particularly helpful when a vehicle needs to stop before a traffic light.

The power control may be an electrical circuit or a part of an electrical circuit. The power control and/or even the power delivery device may also be implemented as software running a computing device. The power control is electrically and/or logically connected to the start-stop system. The connection may be formed using the data network of the vehicle. The information that is sent from the start-stop system to the power control may be an electrical signal or a message/data that is sent over a data network.

The power control may be arranged for reducing the power such that the power supply will be able to continue delivering this power even when the engine is started again and power is needed for starting the engine again.

Said maximum power may be pre-determined or determined by the power control, for example, at the moment it receives the information from the start-stop system indicating that a start-stop cycle is active or has started.

Since the power that is to be used for starting the engine may be known and the power that power supply or the car battery is able to deliver, a maximum power that can be delivered to one or more external devices may thus be calculated.

It may be expected that some time will pass between the start of the start-stop cycle and the end of this cycle (this time may be the time the vehicle is standing before the traffic light) . Because of this time, the power delivery device is able to start reducing the power at the start of the cycle and then to provide the reduced power in a constant way, before the cycle ends and power is needed for starting the engine.

The start of the start-stop cycle may thus be the moment that the engine is stopped or switched off. This moment will be some time before the end of the start-stop cycle. The end of the start-stop cycle may be the moment that the engine is started or switched on .

Since reducing the power will take some time, it is advantageous to begin reducing the power at the start of the start-stop cycle and not at the end, i.e. when the engine is started.

Furthermore, the power control may be arranged for stopping the reduction of power to said maximum after the engine has been started. The power control may be arranged for receiving information form the said start-stop system indicating that a start-stop cycle is no longer active or, indeed, inactive or has ended .

According to an embodiment of the power delivery device according the invention, the power delivery device comprises one or more connectors, wherein said one or more connectors are arranged for electrically connecting said one or more external devices with said power supply.

According to another embodiment of the power delivery device according the invention, said one or more connectors comprise an USB port, preferably a USB Type C port, and wherein said power delivery device is a USB Power Delivery device.

According to another embodiment of the power delivery device according the invention, said power control is configured for being logically connected an in-vehicle network and to receive said information over said in-vehicle network. This in-vehicle network may be a vehicle bus and the information that indicates that the start-stop cycle has started or is active may be a vehicle bus signal. According to another embodiment of the power delivery device according the invention, said power control is configured for controlling the delivery of power to each of said one or more external devices separately.

According to another embodiment of the power delivery device according the invention, said power control is configured for determining a category for each of said one or more external device and for controlling the delivery of power to each of said one or more external devices based on its determined category.

In a further embodiment of the power delivery device according the invention, said power control is configured for determining for each of said one or more external devices a maximum corresponding power based on said categories and for reducing power for each of said one or more external devices to said maximum corresponding power, after receiving information from said start-stop system indicating that a start-stop cycle has started or is active.

According to another aspect of the invention, a method is provided for delivering power to one or more external devices in a vehicle with a start-stop system, comprising the steps of:

- delivering power to said one or more external devices;

- receiving information from said start-stop system, indicating that a start-stop cycle has started or is active; and,

- reducing said power to a maximum power.

According to another embodiment of the method for delivering power according the invention, the method further comprises electrically connecting said one or more external devices with said power supply using one or more connectors, wherein said one or more connectors preferably comprise an USB port, more preferably a USB Type C port. According to another embodiment of the method for delivering power according the invention, said delivering comprises delivering of power to each of said one or more external devices separately and, wherein optionally reducing said power comprises reducing said power for each of said one or more external devices separately .

According to another embodiment of the method for delivering power according the invention, the method further comprises:

- determining a category for each of said one or more external devices; and,

- determining said maximum power based on said categories.

According to a further embodiment of the method for delivering power according the invention, the method further comprises the steps of:

- determining a category for each of said one or more external devices ;

- determining, for each of said one or more external devices, a corresponding maximum power based on said categories;

wherein reducing said power to a maximum power comprises reducing said power for each of said one or more external devices to its corresponding maximum power.

According to another aspect of the invention, a computer program product comprising instructions to cause the device as described above to execute any of the steps described above is provided. According to another aspect of the invention, a computer-readable medium having stored thereon said computer program is provided. According to another aspect of the invention, a vehicle comprising a start-stop system and a power delivery device as described above is provided. Figures

Embodiments of the invention are described in more detail below with reference to the figures, in which:

Fig. 1 schematically depicts a power delivery device according to an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 schematically depicts a power delivery device according to another embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 3 schematically depicts a method for delivering power according to an embodiment of the invention, and

Fig. 4 schematically depicts a vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention.

In the Figures 1 and 2, a line with an arrow indicates a logical connection, over which information can be transmitted. A line without arrow indicates an electrical connection over which power can be transferred. Lines that cross each other are only connected to each other when a connection is indicated by a small circle/dot.

Detailed description

Fig. 1 schematically depicts a power delivery device 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. The power delivery device 100 comprises (i) a power supply 130 for delivering power to an external device 160 and (ii) a power control 140, connected to the power supply 130. Between the power control 140 and an external device 160 a switch 150 maybe connected. Alternatively, the power control 140 comprises such a switch.

The power control 140 comprises an input 180 for receiving information from a start-stop system 410 of a vehicle 400 (see Fig. 4) . The power supply 130 may comprise an input 110 for receiving power from a vehicle battery 420. The power supply 130 may comprise a DC/DC converter. Between the input 110 and the power supply 130 a power filter 120 may be placed. The power filter 120 may be arranged for protection against unintentional generation, propagation and reception of electromagnetic energy (EMC) and/or unintentional reversal of polarity .

The power control 140 is configured to control the power supply 130, such that the power control is configured to control the amount of power that is delivered to external device 160. The power control 140 may also be configured to control the switch 150, such that the power control is configured to control whether the external device 160 receives power (switch 150 in the on-position) or not (switch 150 in the off-position) .

The power delivery device 100 may comprise one or more connectors (not depicted in the figures), each arranged for electrically connecting an external device with the power supply 130, optionally with a switch 150 between the power supply 130 and the connector .

The connector may be an USB port, preferably a USB Type C port. In that case, the power delivery device 100 may be referred to as a USB Power Delivery device.

The power control 140 is configured to receive information (via input 180) indicating that the engine of the vehicle 420 is in a start-stop cycle or that a start-stop cycle has started. The power control 140 is configured to limit the power delivered to the external device 160 during the start-stop cycle by controlling the output of power by the power supply 130. The power control 140 is configured to limit that power to a maximum power. The maximum power may be pre-determined or may be calculated by the power control 140 when it starts receiving the information indicating that the vehicle is in a start-stop cycle or that a start-stop cycle has started.

The power control 140 may further be configured for communicating with the external device 160 before limiting the power. During this communication, the power control 140 may receive information from the external device 160 indicating the power the external device 160 requires. Furthermore, the power control 140 may provide the external device 160 with information about the power which it can or will provide.

In case a start-stop cycle has started or is active, the power control 140 may be configured for providing the external device 160 with information about the power it can or will provide to be delivered after the limiting the power. In that way, the external device 160 may prepare for a limited or reduced power or/and alter its functioning on the basis of this information.

When the power delivery device 100 is a USB Power Delivery device and the external device 160 is a USB device, the communication between these devices may be in accordance with the USB Power Delivery standard.

By reducing the power output to the external device 160, the power delivery device enables the starting of the engine without the risk that the external device 160 stops receiving power or that the engine does not receive enough power to start again. Reducing the power output may further prevent the rapid discharge of the car battery or even a dead car battery.

The communication between a USB Power Delivery device and a USB device before changing or reducing the power may take around 300 ms. If the power delivery device 100 would simply switch off (or reduce) the power delivery the moment the engine is started, the power may change in about 1 ms and there will be not enough time for this communication. In that case, the USB device will not be able to prepare or alter its functioning before the power is reduced .

By reducing the power output to the external device 160, during engine start the maximum amount of current flowing through the cables from the car battery to the power delivery device 100 and through the power filter 120 may be limited and the (electrical) requirements for the cables and/or the power filter will in that case be lower. In this way, the cables and/or power filters used may be cheaper.

Figure 2 schematically depicts another embodiment of the power delivery device 100. In this embodiment, the power delivery device 100 comprises several power supplies 130 and power controls 140. The power delivery device 100 may further comprises several switches 150. Their working and features are as described in reference to figure 1. To the power delivery device 100 several external devices 160 may be connected.

The power delivery device 100 may further comprise a thermal shutdown circuit 210. When the thermal shutdown circuit 210 detects a temperature above a pre-determined maximum temperature, it provides information to the power controls 140 indicating this. Instead of a dedicated circuit, the functions of the thermal shutdown circuit 210 may also be provided as software on a computing device.

The power controls 140 may be further configured for receiving this information from the thermal shutdown circuit 210 and for, in response to this information, limiting the output of power to the external devices 160 by controlling the power supplies 130 or by controlling the switches 150. In figure 2, several power supplies 130 are depicted. In another embodiment of the power delivery device 100, the several power supplies 130 are combined in a single power supply 130. The same may be the case for the several power controls 140, as they may be combined in a single power control 140, and for the several switches 150 as they may be combined in a single switch 150.

The power control 140 may be configured for determining a category for each of the external device 160. Some external devices may require more power than others. It may therefore be advantageous to classify the external devices 160 by determining a corresponding category for them. These categories may relate to a minimum power required by the devices in that category. The power control 140 may further be configured for controlling the delivery of power to each of the external devices based on its determined category, wherein the combined power, to be delivered to the external devices, is equal to or below the above-mentioned maximum power.

Furthermore, the power control 140 may be configured for determining for each of the external devices 160 its corresponding maximum power. The power control may then be configured for reducing power to each external device 160 to its corresponding maximum power, after receiving information from said start-stop system indicating that a start-stop cycle is active or that a start-stop cycle has started.

Figure 3 schematically depicts a method 300 for delivering power according to an embodiment of the invention. The method comprises step 310: delivering power to said one or more external devices, step 320: receiving information from said start-stop system, indicating that a start-stop cycle has started or is active; and, step 330: reducing said power to a maximum power. In step 310 said delivering may comprise delivering of power to each of said one or more external devices separately. And in step 330, said reducing may comprise reducing the power for each of said one or more external devices separately.

In a further embodiment of method 300, step 330 may further comprise :

step 331: determining a category for each of said one or more external devices;

step 332 determining, for each of said one or more external devices, a corresponding maximum power based on said categories; and,

step 333 reducing said power for each of said one or more external devices to its corresponding maximum power.

Figure 4 schematically depicts a vehicle 400 according to an embodiment of an aspect of the invention. Vehicle 400 comprises a power delivery device 100 according to one of the embodiments described in this document. Vehicle 400 may further comprise a start-stop system 410 (logically connected to power delivery device 100) and a vehicle battery 420 (electrically connected to power delivery device 100) .

According to another aspect of the invention, a computer program comprising instructions to cause the power delivery device 100 to execute the steps as described above. According to another aspect of the invention, a computer-readable medium having stored thereon this computer program.