Starting device for an internal combustion engine, especially of a motor vehicle, with a redundancy circuit

A starting device for starting an internal combustion engine, said starting device comprising

• a starter motor (12) with means for engaging the internal combustion engine to turn over the internal combustion engine;
• a voltage source (40) of electrical power for the starter motor;
• a starter relay (14) for connecting the voltage source with the starter motor to activate the starter motor;
• and
• an electronic device for triggering the starter relay;
• wherein the electronic device (30) is formed by an electronic relay (32), the electronic relay (32) is arranged on the starter motor (12) or in the starter relay (14) and the electronic relay (32) has a logic signal input (47,48) for control signals from a motor controller (50) of the internal combustion engine;
• and
• wherein said electronic relay (32) comprises a power module (34) and a redundancy circuit and wherein the power module (34) has a logic circuit (146) and two transistors (144', 144") redundantly coupled with each other by means of the logic circuit (146), whereby operation of the starting device is prevented when one of the two transistors is defective.