Supercapacitor power buffer for vehicle power system

Abstract

In general, one or more loads, such as a sensor suite of an autonomous (or semi-autonomous) vehicle, may be configured to draw power from a supercapacitor. A switching mechanism can selectively connect or disconnect the one or more loads and the supercapacitor from a voltage source of a vehicle power system. By systematically disconnecting the voltage source from the supercapacitor and the one or more loads, the exposure of the voltage source to the one or more loads is minimized. Accordingly, the exposure of the voltage source of the vehicle power system to potentially damaging short circuits or power surges that may arise in relation to the one or more loads can also be minimized.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A vehicle system comprising:
 a high-voltage voltage source configured to power a vehicle;   a DC-to-DC converter configured to convert the high-voltage voltage source to a low-voltage voltage source or a current source;   a supercapacitor configured to provide power to one or more loads; and   a switching mechanism configured to selectively disconnect the one or more loads and the supercapacitor from the low-voltage voltage source or the current source.