US 2003/0171858 A1 · Vehicle electronic control apparatus incorporating a plurality of microcomputers and implementing a microcomputer monitoring function

Abstract

A vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit) has a main microcomputer and an auxiliary microcomputer, with the main microcomputer periodically executing a processing routine for calculating values such as degrees of throttle opening of the vehicle engine based upon the current operating condition of the engine, wherein the main microcomputer generates resource inspection data during each execution of the routine and transmits the resource inspection data to the auxiliary microcomputer, with the resource inspection data including for example respective checksums for values calculated in successive steps of the routine and information indicating whether all steps of the routine have been actually executed, and with the auxiliary microcomputer monitoring the operation of the main microcomputer based upon the received resource inspection data.

Claims12

Dependent claims

An electronic control apparatus of a motor vehicle, including a first microcomputer and a second microcomputer, the apparatus configured for monitoring of at least one of said microcomputers by the other one thereof, wherein

said first microcomputer is adapted to calculate resource inspection data relating to each of respective resources of said first microcomputer, based on internal processing executed by said first microcomputer, and to transmit said resource inspection data to said second microcomputer, and
said second microcomputer is adapted to receive said resource inspection data and monitor the functioning of said first microcomputer, based on said resource inspection data.

An electronic control apparatus of a motor vehicle, including a first microcomputer and a second microcomputer, said first microcomputer periodically calculating a value of a target control quantity for use in controlling an actuator of an engine of said vehicle, based on parameter values expressing a current operating condition of the engine, wherein

said second microcomputer is adapted to monitor operations of said first microcomputer including processing to calculate said target control quantity,
each time that said first microcomputer calculates a target control quantity value, said first microcomputer calculates resource inspection data relating to each of respective resources of said first microcomputer which are involved in said calculation, and transmits said resource inspection data to said second microcomputer, and
said second microcomputer is adapted to receive said resource inspection data and monitor the functioning of said first microcomputer, based on said resource inspection data.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Vehicle electronic control apparatus incorporating a plurality of microcomputers and implementing a microcomputer monitoring function

Life of this patent

Vehicle electronic control apparatus incorporating a plurality of microcomputers and implementing a microcomputer monitoring function

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims12