Method and controller for program control of a computer program having multitasking capability

• US 20040059772A1
• Filed: 06/20/2003
• Published: 03/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Bieringer, Mathias
• Granted Patent: US 7,729,785 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques

Abstract

A method and a controller for controlling the execution of a computer program having multitasking capability on a computing element, especially on a microprocessor, of a controller (20) for controlling and/or regulating a system. The system may take up various possible system states. At the beginning of the execution of a function, in order that the input variables required for carrying out the function of computer program are present with certainty, the following steps may be executed: subdividing the computer program into a plurality of functionally linked functionalities; defining possible operating states for the functionalities; defining the possible system states of the system, in that specifiable operating states are allocated to the functionalities for each system state; ascertaining the dependencies of the functionalities upon one another, a first functionality being dependent upon a second functionality if at least one input variable of the first functionality is ascertained in the second functionality; and centrally specifying the operating states required for a certain system state, taking into consideration the ascertained dependencies among the functionalities and further boundary conditions.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the execution of a computer program, having multitasking capability, on a computing element of a controller for at least one of controlling and regulating a system that can take up various possible system states, comprising:

subdividing the computer program into a plurality of functionally linked functionalities;

defining possible operating states for the functionalities;

defining possible system states of the system;

allocating specifiable operating states to the functionalities for each system state;

ascertaining dependencies of the functionalities on one another, a first functionality being dependent upon a second functionality if at least one input variable of the first functionality is ascertained in the second functionality; and

centrally specifying the operating states required for a certain system state, taking into consideration the ascertained dependencies among the functionalities and further boundary conditions.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the operating states is defined by an operating state variable which is able to take up various operating state values.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein each of the operating state variables is able to take up operating state values corresponding to “

full functionality”

, “

limited functionality” and

“

no functionality”

settings.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein for taking into consideration the ascertained dependencies among the functionalities, staggering in time a processing of the functionalities which characterize the certain system state in such a way that the second functionality is processed before the first functionality, so as to ascertain the at least one input variable of the first functionality.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein for taking into consideration the ascertained dependencies among the functionalities, the at least one input variable for the first functionality is ascertained in a way other than by processing the second functionality.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

ascertaining the at least one input variable for the first functionality by at least one of modeling the input variable from other variables, ascertaining a substitute variable, or ascertaining the input variable with using an alternative algorithm.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the operating states are specified by the functionalities which characterize a certain system state, as a function of at least one fault appearing in the system.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the operating states are specified by the functionalities, which characterize a certain system state, as a function of actual operating states of the functionalities.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

at least one of controlling and regulating a system in a vehicle using the computer program.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the vehicle is a motor vehicle.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

at least one controlling and regulating a driving dynamics system in a motor vehicle using the computer program.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

at least one of controlling and regulating a system in a building using the computer program.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

controlling or regulating at least one of an alarm system, a heating system, air conditioning system or an access control system in a building using the computer program.

14. A computer-readable storage media storing a set of instructions for controlling a computer program having multitasking capability of a computing element of a controller for at least one of controlling and regulating a system that is able to take up various possible system states, the set of instructions capable of being executed on the computing element, the set of instructions causing the computing element to perform:

subdividing the computer program into a plurality of functionally linked functionalities;

defining possible operating states for the functionalities;

defining possible system states of the system;

allocating specifiable operating states to the functionalities for each system state;

ascertaining dependencies of the functionalities on one another, a first functionality being dependent upon a second functionality if at least one input variable of the first functionality is ascertained in the second functionality; and

centrally specifying the operating states required for a certain system state, taking into consideration the ascertained dependencies among the functionalities and further boundary conditions.

15. The storage medium as recited in claim 14, wherein the set of instructions is stored on one of a read-only memory, a random access memory, or on a flash memory.

16. A controller for at least one of controlling and regulating a system which is able to take up various possible system states, the controller including a computing element on which a computer program having multitasking capability is able to be run, comprising:

means for subdividing the computer program into a plurality of functionally linked functionalities;

the means for defining permissible operating states of the functionalities;

the means for defining possible system states and allocating to the operating states specifiable settings for each system states;

for ascertaining the functionalities depending on one another, a first functionality being dependent upon a second functionality if at least one input variable the first functionality is ascertained in the second functionality; and

means for centrally specifying the operating states required for a certain system state, taking into consideration the ascertained dependencies among the functionalities and further boundary conditions.

17. The controller as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

means for executing the computer program.