On-Vehicle Power Control System Semiconductor Switch Patent

ChangeBridge: EPO Bulletin - Power Supply (H02J)

Published March 25th, 2026

Detected April 2nd, 2026

Summary

The European Patent Office published patent application EP4716055A1 filed by Astemo, Ltd. for an on-vehicle power control system using semiconductor switches to manage power distribution and fault tolerance. The invention covers a system where power distribution devices can switch power supply trunk line paths when failures occur, with control mechanisms to manage current flow during transitions. This is an informational patent publication notice with no regulatory obligations.

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What changed

The EPO published European patent application EP4716055A1 for Astemo, Ltd., covering an on-vehicle power control system, power distribution device, and vehicle central control device. The patent describes semiconductor switch technology that automatically reroutes power supply paths when failures occur in vehicle power distribution networks, maintaining current within allowable limits during path transitions. The designated states include all major EU member states.

Patent publications are informational notices and create no compliance obligations. No action is required from manufacturers or other parties. This publication affects the intellectual property landscape for automotive power management systems but does not impose any regulatory requirements, deadlines, or penalties.

Source document (simplified)

← EPO Patent Bulletin

ON-VEHICLE POWER CONTROL SYSTEM, POWER DISTRIBUTION DEVICE, AND VEHICLE CENTRAL CONTROL DEVICE

Publication EP4716055A1 Kind: A1 Mar 25, 2026

Applicants

Astemo, Ltd.

Inventors

JUMONJI, Kentaro, YAMAMOTO, Yusuke, FURUMORI, Atsuro, SEKIYA, Masashi, YASUDA, Ayasa

Abstract

In an on-vehicle power control system in which a power supply and a power distribution device that distributes power supplied from the power supply to a load are connected by a power supply trunk line, and in an on-vehicle power network to which a plurality of the power distribution devices are connected by the power supply trunk line is configured, the power distribution device includes: a semiconductor switch configured to switch a power supply trunk line path to another power supply trunk line path when a failure occurs in the power supply trunk line path through which power is supplied from the power supply trunk line to the own device, and distribute power supplied from the switched power supply trunk line path to the load; and a control unit configured to, when a failure occurs in the power supply trunk line path, bring the semiconductor switch into an intermediate state in which the semiconductor switch is held in an unsaturated state based on switch characteristic information at a timing of switching the power supply trunk line path to the another power supply trunk line path, and perform switching control on the semiconductor switch such that a current flowing into the load from the semiconductor switch in the intermediate state becomes less than an allowable current.

IPC Classifications

H02J 7/00 20260101AFI20241122BHEP

Designated States

AL, AT, BE, BG, CH, CY, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, LI, LT, LU, LV, MC, ME, MK, MT, NL, NO, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SI, SK, SM, TR

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