# US 6,393,342 B2 · Method and device for controlling operating sequences in a vehicle

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- Number: US 6,393,342 B2
- Document ID: US6393342B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 09/752,020
- Filed: 2000-12-28
- Published: 2001-11-22
- Granted: 2002-05-21
- Earliest claimed: 1999-12-30
- Assignees: Robert Bosch GmbH
- Inventors: Juergen Bauer; Rajendranath Goswami; Volker Pitzal; Ute Gappa; Udo Schulz
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US6393342B2

## CPC

- G06F 9/4411: {Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers}
- G05B 19/0426: {Programming the control sequence}
- G05B 2219/25092: Customized control features, configuration
- G05B 2219/25109: Eeprom loaded from external device with configuration data
- G05B 2219/2637: Vehicle, car, auto, wheelchair
- Y10S 707/99953: Recoverability
- Y10S 707/99954: Version management
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G)
- Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS

## Abstract

A method and a device for controlling operating sequences in a vehicle using at least one control unit having at least one non-volatile memory element, control being performed as a function of the respective vehicle version and/or control unit version, and the respective functions are selected during function selection by defining an identifier according to the version used, at least one predefinable data record and/or program code in the memory element corresponding to the selected functions, and the data record and/or program code being selected from a plurality of data records and/or program codes. The plurality of data records and/or program codes is generated during a version selection, the identifier containing configuration parameters, and the configuration parameters being used for determining the data record and/or the program code, the respective identifier, i.e. the configuration parameters being used for the selection of the version and the selection of the function.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of controlling an operating sequence in a vehicle in accordance with at least one control unit including at least one non-volatile memory element, comprising the steps of:
performing a control as a function of at least one of a respective vehicle version and a control unit version;
generating at least one of a plurality of data records and a plurality of program codes during a version selection operation;
selecting at least one of a predefinable data record and a program code from at least one of a corresponding one of the plurality of data records and a corresponding one of the plurality of program codes;
selecting respective functions during a function selection operation by defining an identifier according to the at least one of the respective vehicle version and the control unit version, wherein the at least one of the predefinable data record and the program code is stored in the at least one non-volatile memory element and corresponds to the selected functions;
determining the at least one of the predefinable data record and the program code in accordance with configuration parameters included in the identifier; and
selecting the respective functions and the at least one of the respective vehicle version and the control unit version in accordance with the configuration parameters in the identifier.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:
storing a structure of the identifier in a configuration file for a software generation and in the predefinable data record.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein:
the identifier includes a first parameter as one of the configuration parameters,
the first parameter indicates at least one of the at least one non-volatile memory element and a memory location from which a value is to be read as a second parameter, and
the second parameter defines, as another one of the configuration parameters, the at least one of the predefinable data record and the program code to be selected.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method according to claim 3, further comprising the steps of:
defining the first parameter so that the value is read from the predefinable data record and a subsequent modification of the first parameter is prevented; and
storing the predefinable data record in the at least one non-volatile memory element.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method according to claim 4, further comprising the steps of:
performing a conditional specification in accordance with the first parameter; and
storing data to be conditionally specified between unique identification symbols in the predefinable data record.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The method according to claim 3, further comprising the steps of:
defining the first parameter so that the value is read from an additional non-volatile memory; and
reading the value from the predefinable data record in the event of an invalid read access in the additional non-volatile memory.

### Claim 7 (depends on 3)

The method according to claim 3, further comprising the steps of:
defining the first parameter so that the value is read from the predefinable data record; and
changing the first parameter so that the value is read from an additional non-volatile memory.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
loading the identifier with different identifier versions, wherein:
a first identifier and a second identifier are included in the predefinable data record as the different identifier versions,
a third identifier is included in an additional non-volatile memory, and
the first identifier is predefined and the second identifier is predefinable; and
selecting the one of the different identifier versions with which the identifier is loaded as a function of a value of the second identifier.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method according to claim 8, wherein:
a fourth identifier is included in the predefinable data record and is predefinable, the method further comprising the step of:
selecting the one of the different identifier versions with which the identifier is loaded from the first identifier, the second identifier, and the third identifier as a function of the fourth identifier and the second identifier.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The method according to claim 8, wherein:
a coding identifier is included in the identifier, the coding identifier indicating whether the third identifier is stored in the additional non-volatile memory, the method further comprising the step of:
selecting the one of the different identifier versions with which the identifier is loaded as a function of the coding identifier.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The method according to claim 8, wherein:
a safety identifier is included in the identifier, the safety identifier indicating whether the third identifier in the at least one non-volatile memory element is correct, the method further comprising the step of:
selecting the one of the different identifier versions with which the identifier is loaded as a function of the safety identifier.

### Claim 12

A control unit for controlling an operating sequence in a vehicle including at least one non-volatile memory element, comprising:
an arrangement for performing a control as a function of at least one of a respective vehicle version and a control unit version;
an arrangement for generating at least one of a plurality of data records and a plurality of program codes during a version selection operation;
an arrangement for selecting at least one of a predefinable data record and a program code from at least one of a corresponding one of the plurality of data records and a corresponding one of the plurality of program codes;
an arrangement for selecting respective functions during a function selection operation by defining an identifier according to the at least one of the respective vehicle version and the control unit version, wherein the at least one of the predefinable data record and the program code is stored in the at least one non-volatile memory element and corresponds to the selected functions;
an arrangement for determining the at least one of the predefinable data record and the program code in accordance with configuration parameters included in the identifier; and
an arrangement for selecting the respective functions and the at least one of the respective vehicle version and the control unit version in accordance with the configuration parameters in the identifier.