Electronic control unit and method for reducing power consumption of electronic control unit
AssigneeHitachi Astemo, Ltd.
InventorsTakuya Kobayashi, Daisuke Furuya
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electronic control unit includes a microcomputer configured to be started by a plurality of starting factors, in which different operation modes are associated with each of the starting factors, and a resource is associated with each of the operation modes. The microcomputer identifies a starting factor in an initialization process started by the starting factor, and selects and executes an operation mode associated with the starting factor identified. When another starting factor is generated during execution of the operation mode, the microcomputer stops execution of the operation mode and restarts, and then executes an operation mode associated with the other starting factor.
Claims18
An electronic control unit comprising a microcomputer configured to be started by a plurality of starting factors, wherein
- different operation modes are associated with each of the starting factors, and a resource is associated with each of the operation modes, and
- the microcomputer is configured to identify a starting factor in an initialization process started by the starting factor, to select and execute an operation mode associated with the identified starting factor, and when another starting factor is generated during execution of the operation mode, the microcomputer is configured to stop execution of the operation mode and to restart to execute an operation mode associated with the other starting factor;
- wherein each of the resources includes an operation clock supplied to a processor of the microcomputer;
- wherein in a case in which the operation clock is equal to or less than a predetermined frequency the microcomputer is configured to monitor whether the other starting factor is generated during the execution of the operation mode associated with the identified starting factor;
- wherein a first operation clock, which is one of the operation clocks, is associated with one of the operation modes;
- and
- wherein the predetermined frequency is less than a frequency of the first operation clock.
A method for reducing power consumption of an electronic control unit that includes a microcomputer started by a plurality of starting factors, different operation modes being associated with each of the starting factors, a resource being associated with each of the operation modes,
- wherein the microcomputer identifies a starting factor in an initialization process started by the starting factor, selects and executes an operation mode associated with the identified starting factor, and when another starting factor is generated during execution of the operation mode, the microcomputer stops execution of the operation mode and restarts to execute an operation mode associated with the other starting factor;
- wherein each of the resources includes an operation clock supplied to a processor of the microcomputer;
- wherein in a case in which the operation clock is equal to or less than a predetermined frequency, the microcomputer monitors whether the other starting factor is generated during the execution of the operation mode associated with the identified starting factor;
- wherein a first operation clock, which is one of the operation clocks, is associated with one of the operation modes;
- and
- wherein the predetermined frequency is less than a frequency of the first operation clock.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.