Data Processing Device and Method for the Operation Thereof

• US 20080288127A1
• Filed: 10/06/2006
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Nather, Horst
• Application Number:
  US12/092,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20080288127A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence

Abstract

A data processing device (1), particularly a tachograph (DTCO) for a motor vehicle, has functional modules (FM) that control certain functions of the data processing device (1) or connected apparatuses, and data modules (DT) which trigger the functional modules in order to utilize the functions. The disadvantage in prior art lies in the fact that the adjustment effort is substantial because the entire product is adjusted. To decrease the effort required to make modifications while reducing the error proneness of said modifications, a communication module (ComCM) is supplied that cooperates with at least one standard interface module (CM) encompassing memory buffer address areas (SADR 1 to SADR 5), the communication module (ComCM) communicating at least one memory buffer address area (SADR 1) to a first data module (DT) so as to trigger a first functional module (FM).

Claims

1. A data processing device or tachograph (DTCO) for a motor vehicle, comprising:

function modules which control specific functions of the data processing device or connected apparatuses,

data modules which actuate the function modules in order to utilize the functions, and

a communication module which interacts with at least one standard interface module which comprises buffer address areas, wherein the communication module communicates at least one buffer address area to a first data module in order to actuate a first function module.

2. The data processing device according to claim 1, wherein the communication module communicates a buffer address area to the first function module.

3. The data processing device according to claim 1, wherein the function modules each comprise at least one driver module by means of which the function modules are actuated.

4. The data processing device according to claim 1, wherein the buffer address area which is communicated to the data module and the buffer address area which is communicated to the function module are identical.

5. The data processing device according to claim 1, wherein the buffer address area which is communicated to the data module and the buffer address area which is communicated to the function module are different.

6. The data processing device according to claim 1, wherein the driver module or the function module has at least one buffer address area into which data which is to be transmitted to the driver module is input.

7. The data processing device according to claim 1, wherein the communication module communicates to the data module buffer address areas of the standard interface module, specifically a first buffer address area for writing and a second buffer address area for reading, and the communication module communicates, to the function module, buffer address areas of the standard interface module, specifically a third buffer address area for writing and a fourth buffer address area for reading.

8. The data processing device according to claim 1, wherein, in response to the request by a data module for access to a function module, the communication module firstly interrogates the requested function module with respect to the availability for the requested access.

9. The data processing device according to claim 1, wherein the data modules are assigned priorities with respect to the access to function modules, according to which priorities the requests by the function modules are processed under the control of the communication module.

10. The data processing device according to claim 1, wherein the standard interface module transmits the data of the buffer address area of a data module for writing provided with a communication protocol into the buffer address area of a function module for reading.

11. The data processing device according to claim 1, wherein the communication module controls the interaction of data modules, standard interface module and function modules, in particular coordinates the start of reading out of data from a buffer address area with the end of the writing of data into a buffer address area.

12. A method for operating a data processing device or data processing device, comprising the steps of:

providing a communication module which interacts with at least one standard interface module which comprises buffer address areas, in such a way that, in order to actuate a first function module, a first data module sends a request to the communication module, and the communication module communicates at least one buffer address area to the first data module.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the function modules comprise driver modules by means of which the function modules are actuated.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the communication module communicates a buffer address area of the standard interface module to the first function module.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the buffer address area which is communicated to the data module for writing and the buffer address area which is communicated to the function module for reading are identical.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the buffer address area which is communicated to the data module for writing and the buffer address area which is communicated to the function module for reading are different.

17. The method according to claim 12, wherein the communication module communicates to the data module buffer address areas of the standard interface module, specifically a first buffer address area for writing and a second buffer address area for reading, and in that the communication module communicates, to the function module, buffer address areas of the standard interface module, specifically a third buffer address area for writing and a fourth buffer address area for reading.

18. The method according to claim 12, wherein, in response to the request by a data module, the communication module firstly interrogates the requested function module with respect to the availability for the requested access.

19. The method according to claim 12, wherein the data modules are assigned priorities with respect to the access to function modules, according to which priorities the requests by the function modules are processed under the control of the communication module.

20. The method according to claim 12, wherein the standard interface module transmits the data of the buffer address area of the function module for writing provided with a communication protocol into the buffer address area of the function module for reading.

21. The method according to claim 12, wherein the communication module controls the interaction of data modules, standard interface module and function modules, in particular coordinates the start of reading out of data from a buffer address area with the end of the writing of data into a buffer address area.

22. The method according to claim 12, wherein in a first step the data module requests a first buffer address area of the standard interface module for a function module from the communication module, in a second step the communication module requests a fifth buffer address area of the standard interface module for the function module from the function module or the driver module,

in a third step the communication module transfers the fifth buffer address area to the standard interface module,

in a fourth step the standard interface module communicates a first buffer address area for the data module to the communication module,

in a fifth step the communication module transfers the first buffer address area of the standard interface module to the data module,

in a sixth step the data module writes data into the first buffer address area of the standard interface module,

in a seventh step the standard interface module provides the data from the first buffer address area with a communication protocol, and

in an eighth step copies the data into a buffer address area of the driver module.