Transformation of Automotive E/E Architecture and the Rise of Zone Controllers
With the rapid development of software-defined vehicles (SDVs) and advanced automated driving technologies, automotive electronic/electrical (E/E) architecture is gradually shifting from traditional domain-based architecture to zonal architecture. In a traditional architecture, individual functions are managed by multiple ECUs distributed throughout the vehicle. Under a zonal architecture, however, zone controllers (Zone ECUs) integrate multiple control functions and power-management mechanisms, enabling a zone-centric management model.
By using Zone ECUs to locally manage sensors, actuators, and electronic modules, automakers can effectively shorten wiring harnesses, reduce vehicle weight and system cost, and improve data-processing efficiency and power-distribution performance. As a result, modern in-vehicle networks are evolving into a hybrid network architecture, with high-speed Automotive Ethernet serving as the backbone and CAN FD handling zone-level endpoint control, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Domain-Based Architecture vs. Zonal Architecture
During this architectural transition, enabling non-essential communication nodes to enter a deep sleep state—and waking them quickly and accurately when needed—has become an important design topic for improving vehicle-level energy efficiency. Because a single Zone ECU must manage a significantly larger number of nodes, keeping CAN transceivers in a higher-power standby state can have a noticeable impact on vehicle quiescent current. Therefore, Sleep Mode CAN Transceivers with ultra-low-power characteristics are becoming key components in zonal architectures.
Advantages of the Amazing Sleep Mode CAN Transceiver: AZKN9155N
To address increasingly stringent power-management requirements in zonal architectures, Amazing has introduced the automotive-grade Sleep Mode CAN Transceiver — AZKN9155N — to help automakers implement more efficient power-management designs.
■ Ultra-Low-Power Design Compared with a Standby Mode CAN Transceiver, the AZKN9155N turns off nearly all non-essential internal circuits in Sleep Mode, greatly reducing quiescent current consumption and further lowering standby power. For zonal architectures with a large number of nodes, this can effectively reduce battery drain after the vehicle is powered off and improve overall energy efficiency.
■ Flexible Wake-Up Mechanism (Local / Remote Wake-Up) The AZKN9155N supports multiple wake-up sources, including Local Wake-Up and Remote Wake-Up from the bus. This allows the Zone ECU to remain in a low-power sleep state for extended periods and resume operation immediately when it receives an external signal or detects CAN bus activity, balancing system response speed with the requirement for low quiescent current.
■ SWE Timer (Sleep Wake Error Timer) The AZKN9155N integrates an SWE (Sleep Wake Error) timer protection mechanism. When the system is abnormally awakened by CAN bus activity or an external signal, but the host MCU cannot properly take control due to firmware errors, initialization failure, or power-supply issues, the SWE timer will automatically force the system back into low-power Sleep Mode after the hardware timer expires.
Because this mechanism does not rely on software control, it can effectively prevent a single abnormal node from causing continuous power consumption. It also helps avoid excessive vehicle-battery discharge due to abnormal wake-up events, further improving overall system reliability and functional safety.
ESD Protection Deployment for Automotive Ethernet
In addition to CAN networks, Automotive Ethernet is gradually becoming the main communication backbone in zonal architectures as the amount of in-vehicle data transmission grows rapidly.
To meet the signal-integrity requirements of high-speed networks, Amazing offers multiple automotive-grade Ethernet TVS protection devices that comply with OPEN Alliance specifications. These include the AZ9400-02S in the common SOT23-3L package and the AZ9400-01F in an ultra-small DFN1006 package, as well as ultra-low-parasitic-capacitance products developed for 2.5GBASE-T1 and Multi-Gig Ethernet applications, including the AZ959S-01F and AZ952S-01F. These devices feature extremely low capacitance, which helps reduce insertion loss and return loss while maintaining the integrity of high-speed differential signals. At the same time, when an ESD event occurs, the TVS device can rapidly divert electrostatic energy to ground, preventing the energy from coupling through the PCB ground plane into critical components such as SoCs, switches, or zone controllers, thereby improving overall system reliability and durability.
Amazing’s Complete Solution for Automotive Zonal Architecture
As automotive E/E architecture continues to move toward zonalization, higher speed, and greater intelligence, low-power management and high-speed data transmission will become core technologies for next-generation in-vehicle networks.
Amazing’s automotive-grade Sleep Mode CAN Transceiver, AZKN9155N, complies with automotive standards such as ISO 11898-2 and AEC-Q100. Through its Sleep Mode design, flexible wake-up mechanism, and SWE fail-safe function, it helps automakers build more efficient and reliable power-management systems.
At the same time, for high-speed network protection, Amazing’s low-capacitance Automotive Ethernet TVS solutions, such as the AZ9400-01F, provide high-level ESD protection while maintaining excellent signal integrity, meeting the dual requirements of next-generation zonal architectures for high-speed communication and system reliability.
Through a complete portfolio that combines Sleep Mode CAN Transceivers with Automotive Ethernet ESD protection solutions, Amazing is committed to helping customers build next-generation smart in-vehicle network platforms with both high reliability and high performance.
Figure 2. Amazing CAN Transceivers and Automotive Ethernet ESD Protection Solutions for Zonal Architectures