Digital control device and execution method thereof

A digital control device comprising:

• a mode switch capable of selecting either of a normal mode for carrying out a normal process or a test mode for carrying out a test process;
• a code storage device for storing a base process code and an application process code for controlling the normal process;
• a main memory capable of receiving and storing codes transferred from the code storage device;
• a boot process code storage memory for storing a boot process code indicative of a code to be transferred from the code storage device to the main memory in each of the normal mode and the test mode;
• a computation unit for reading the boot process code from the boot process code storage memory after power activation;
• and
• an outer code storage device capable of storing a test process code for controlling the test process and transferring the test process code to the code storage device so that the test process code is stored in the code storage device, wherein:
• when the normal mode is selected by the mode switch, the computation unit causes the base process code and the application process code to be transferred to the main memory by use of the boot process code, so that the computation unit reads the base process code and the application process code thus transferred to the main memory and carries out the normal process, and
• when the test mode is selected by the mode switch, the computation unit causes the outer code storage device to transfer the test process code to the code storage device so that the test process code is stored therein, and causes the test process code transferred to and stored in the code storage device and the base process code stored in the code storage device in advance to be transferred to the main memory, so that the computation unit reads the base process code and the test process code thus transferred to the main memory and carries out the test process.

An execution method of a digital control device, comprising:

• a step of selecting, by a mode switch, either of a normal mode for carrying out a normal process and a test mode for carrying out a test process;
• a step of, when the normal mode is selected by the mode switch, a computation unit causing a base process code and an application process code for controlling the normal process to be transferred to a main memory from a code storage device so as to carry out the normal process by reading the base process code and the application process code thus transferred to the main memory;
• and
• a step of, when the test mode is selected by the mode switch, the computation unit causing the base process code and a test process code for controlling the test process, to be transferred to the main memory from the code storage device so as to carry out the test process by reading the base process code and the test process code thus transferred to the main memory.