Method of assuring integrity of information being stored

• US 5,138,548 A
• Filed: 01/03/1990
• Issued: 08/11/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Kienle, Karin
• Primary Examiner(s): CANGIALOSI, SALVATORE A
• Application Number:
  US07/458,666
• Time in Patent Office: 951 Days
• Field of Search: 364/245.2, 364/245.3, 364/246.6, 364/970, 364/970.1, 364/970.2, 364/246.9, 364/286.6, 364/431.12
• US Class Current: 714/48
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23049 Control panel serial, RS232 connected to controller
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23051 Remote control, enter program remote, detachable programmer
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23215 Check data validity in ram, keep correct validity, compare rom ram
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23411 Voltage supply or allow, not inhibit signal to memory on connection of programmer
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23427 Selection out of several programs, parameters

Abstract

A device for controlling technical installations and machines, particularly combustion engines in motor vehicle, is proposed, having at least one microprocessor, at least one permenently programmed memory, and at least one freely programmable memory, in which vehicle-specific data, retrieval codes of the data, and at least one address pointer can be input into the freely programmable memory (6). Further proposed is a control scheme according to which are stored, in the freely programmable memory, first the data, then the associated retrieval codes and finally an address pointer which contains the addresses of the data.

Claims

1. Method for assuring integrity of information being stored in a control device having:

at least one microprocessor (4),

at least one permanently programmed memory (ROM

     7) for storage of control programs, and

at least one freely programmable and reprogrammable read memory (EPROM

     6) having a plurality of memory locations,

comprising the steps of

storing in said read memory (6) information including an address pointer which begins at a fixed start address, said address pointer referencing addresses of at least one of the following types of information;

data,

fields, and

constants, which are stored together with the address pointer in the read memory (6), and

updating said information by at least partially replacing previously stored information by current information of the same type(s) as that previously stored wherein loss of previously stored data by faulty overwriting is avoided by first identifying free memory locations and subsequently writing said current information only into free memory locations which contain no previously stored information.

2. Method according to claim 1,

characterized in that

the address pointer for current data, fields and/or characteristic curves are written into the address group of the address pointer which follows the original address record.

3. Method according to claim 1,

further comprising the steps of

searching through addresses stored in the address pointer, by means of a program stored in the permanently programmed memory (7), until a group of free memory locations is found, and

interpreting, as a current address pointer, contents of a group of addresses immediately preceding said free memory locations.

4. Method according to claim 2,

further comprising the steps of

searching through addresses stored in the address pointer, by means of a program stored in the permanently programmed memory (7), until a group of free memory locations is found, and

interpreting, as a current address pointer, contents of a group of addresses immediately preceding said free memory locations.

5. Method according to claim 1,

further comprising the steps of

writing new data, fields and characteristic-curves into free memory locations by means of a programming device (1),

testing for error during said writing of data, fields and/or characteristic-curves, and, upon detection of such error, carrying out a further writing operation at other free memory locations and

referencing, by the address pointer, said other locations.

6. Method according to claim 2,

further comprising the steps of

writing new data, fields and characteristic-curves into free memory locations by means of a programming device (1),

testing for error during said writing of data, fields and/or characteristic-curves, and, upon detection of such error, carrying out a further writing operation at other free memory locations and

referencing, by the address pointer, said other locations.

7. Method according to claim 3,

further comprising the steps of

writing new data, fields and characteristic-curves into free memory locations by means of a programming device (1),

testing for error during said writing of data, fields and/or characteristic-curves, and, upon detection of such error, carrying out a further writing operation at other free memory locations and

referencing, by the address pointer, said other locations.

8. Method according to claim 4,

further comprising the steps of

writing new data, fields and characteristic-curves into free memory locations by means of a programming device (1),

testing for error during said writing of data, fields and/or characteristic-curves, and, upon detection of such error, carrying out a further writing operation at other free memory locations and

referencing, by the address pointer, said other locations.