# US 2019/0377552 A1 · Electronic Controller and Control Method Thereof, and Electronic Control System

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- Number: US 2019/0377552 A1
- Document ID: US20190377552A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/488,290
- Filed: 2018-01-12
- Published: 2019-12-12
- Earliest claimed: 2017-03-28
- Assignees: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
- Applicants: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
- Inventors: Taisuke UETA; Satoshi TSUTSUMI; Hideki ENDO; Hideyuki SAKAMOTO
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190377552A1

## CPC

- G06F 11/22: Detection or location of defective computer hardware by testing during standby operation or during idle time, e.g. start-up testing
- G01R 31/317: Testing of digital circuits
- G01R 31/318516: {Test of programmable logic devices [PLDs]}
- G06F 15/78: comprising a single central processing unit
- G06F 16/1805: {Append-only file systems, e.g. using logs or journals to store data}
- G08G 1/096805: {where the transmitted instructions are used to compute a route}
- G08G 1/096811: {where the route is computed offboard}
- G08G 1/096816: {where the complete route is transmitted to the vehicle at once}
- G08G 1/096822: {where the segments of the route are transmitted to the vehicle at different locations and times}
- H03K 19/173: using elementary logic circuits as components
- H03K 19/17764: for reliability
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12)
- G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93})
- H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M)

## Abstract

An electronic controller includes: a logic circuit that is reconfigurable based on a reconfiguration instruction; an arithmetic unit that is configured in the logic circuit; a processing controller that transmits the reconfiguration instruction of the arithmetic unit to the logic circuit and that makes the reconfigured arithmetic unit execute predetermined operation; and a testing unit that executes an operation test for an arithmetic unit when the arithmetic unit is reconfigured, and that transmits the result of the operation test to the processing controller as a notice. Here, the processing controller makes the arithmetic unit execute predetermined processing based on the notice received from the testing unit.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electronic controller comprising:
a logic circuit that is reconfigurable based on a reconfiguration instruction;
an arithmetic unit configured in the logic circuit;
a processing controller that transmits a reconfiguration instruction of the arithmetic unit to the logic circuit and that makes the reconfigured arithmetic unit execute a predetermined operation; and
a testing unit that executes an operation test for the arithmetic unit when the arithmetic unit is reconfigured and that transmits the result of the operation test to the processing controller as a notice,
wherein the processing controller makes the arithmetic unit execute the predetermined processing based on the notice received from the testing unit.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The electronic controller according to claim 1,
wherein, when the notice received indicates failure of the operation test, the processing controller transmits the reconfiguration instruction again, and when the notice received indicates success of the operation test, the processing controller makes the arithmetic unit execute the predetermined processing.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The electronic controller according to claim 1, further comprising:
a selector that is coupled to the arithmetic unit and that switches an input-output of the arithmetic unit to any of the processing controller and the testing unit,
wherein, when the arithmetic unit is reconfigured, the testing unit couples the input-output to the testing unit, and when the operation test is completed, the testing unit couples the input-output to the processing controller.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The electronic controller according to claim 3,
wherein the testing unit is configured in the logic circuit.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The electronic controller according to claim 4,
wherein the processing controller is configured in the logic circuit.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The electronic controller according to claim 1,
wherein the testing unit is configured in a circuit different from the logic circuit and coupled to the logic circuit.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The electronic controller according to claim 1,
wherein the reconfiguration instruction to be transmitted by the processing controller includes circuit information of the arithmetic unit to be reconfigured, and
wherein the testing unit executes the operation test corresponding to the circuit information.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The electronic controller according to claim 7,
wherein, in the logic circuit, a test information storage unit is further configured to store the combination of the data to be inputted into the arithmetic unit and the data expected to be outputted from the arithmetic unit for the every circuit information, and
wherein the testing unit performs the operation test by employing the information stored in the test information storage unit.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The electronic controller according to claim 8,
wherein the test information storage unit stores a plurality of combinations of the data to be inputted into the arithmetic unit and the data expected to be outputted from the arithmetic unit for the every circuit information.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The electronic controller according to claim 9,
wherein the test information storage unit stores further the number of execution in combination for the every circuit information, and
wherein, based on the circuit information, the testing unit repeats the random selection of one of the combinations and the execution of the operation test, for the number of execution.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The electronic controller according to claim 1 further comprising:
a log database that stores the result of the operation test,
wherein the processing controller stores the result of the operation test in the log database.

### Claim 12 (depends on 7)

An electronic control system comprising:
an electronic controller according to claim 7;
a communication unit that is wire-coupled to the electronic controller; and
a server that performs wireless communicates with the communication unit,
wherein the electronic controller further comprises a circuit memory unit that stores the circuit information, and
wherein the electronic controller makes the circuit memory unit store the circuit information received from the server via the communication unit, and transmits the circuit information stored in the circuit memory unit to the logic circuit.

### Claim 13

A control method of an electronic controller provided with a logic circuit that is reconfigurable based on a reconfiguration instruction and a communication interface that receives sensor information acquired by a coupled sensor for every processing cycle, the control method comprising the steps of:
reconfiguring an arithmetic unit in the logic circuit at least once for the every processing cycle;
executing an operation test of the arithmetic unit when the arithmetic unit is reconfigured; and
making the reconfigured arithmetic unit execute a predetermined processing by employing the sensor information, based on the result of the operation test.