Semiconductor circuit for an electronic unit

• US 6,438,462 B1
• Filed: 09/28/1998
• Issued: 08/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Hanf, Peter, Minuth, Juergen, Setzer, Juergen, Reeb, Max
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): FRANK, ELLIOT L
• Application Number:
  US09/161,593
• Time in Patent Office: 1,422 Days
• Field of Search: 322/28, 322/311, 340/693.4, 361/18, 361/100, 713/340, 700/297
• US Class Current: 700/297
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0315 using multiplexing techniques multiplexing for transmission of signals G08C15/00; multiplexing for electrical communication in general H04J
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode

Abstract

A semiconductor circuit for an electronic unit having at least one microcontroller comprises at least one voltage regulator for providing, from a first supply voltage, at least one second supply voltage for the microcontroller and for circuits of the unit which cooperate with the microcontroller. The circuit further comprises, in monolithic form, a transceiver unit having transmitting and receiving device for coupling a microcontroller to the two-wire bus. This monolithic construction may additionally comprise watchdog functions, various wake-up functions and an interface via which a serial data exchange with the at least one microcontroller is possible. Furthermore, it may have an apparatus for determining, throughout the network, bus subscribers having reference-ground potential faults and for quantifying such faults.

Claims

1. A semiconductor circuit for an electronic control unit having at least one microcontroller, comprising:

first means for providing, from a first supply voltage, at least one second, fixed supply voltage for the least one microcontroller and for circuits of the control unit which cooperate with the at least one microcontroller; and

a transceiver unit having transmitting and receiving means for coupling the at least one microcontroller, which cooperates with the semiconductor circuit, to a two-wire bus;

and further comprising in monolithic form, means for realizing a watchdog function at least for

resetting the microcontroller which cooperates with the transceiver unit of the circuit; and

monitoring the proper functioning of the microcontroller which cooperates with the transceiver unit, for the purpose of monitoring a variable which is significant for the proper functioning or program execution of the said microcontroller;

wherein the means for realizing a watchdog function is directly connected to the first means.

2. The semiconductor circuit according to claim 1, further comprising in monolithic form:

means for generating and communicating, after the at least one supply voltage which feeds the at least one microcontroller is built up, a reset signal to the at least one microcontroller.

3. The semiconductor circuit according to claim 1, further comprising in monolithic form:

means for monitoring at least one of the first supply voltage and the at least one second supply voltage with regard to at least one limit value; and

means for outputting an INTERRUPT signal or RESET signal to at least the microcontroller which cooperates with the transceiver unit, when the limit value is undershot or exceeded.

4. A semiconductor circuit for an electronic control unit having at least one microcontroller, comprising:

first means for providing, from a first supply voltage, at least one second, fixed supply voltage for the at least one microcontroller and for circuits of the control unit which cooperate with the at least one microcontroller; and

a transceiver unit having transmitting and receiving means for coupling the at least one microcontroller, which cooperates with the semiconductor circuit, to a two-wire bus;

wherein,

the first means can be operated both by a regulating transistor which is circuit-internal, and is connected with a regulating transistor, which is external to the circuit; and

the semiconductor circuit has a terminal for driving the control electrode of an external regulating transistor which cooperates with the semiconductor circuit.

5. The semiconductor circuit according to claim 4, wherein operability of the first means by a circuit-internal regulating transistor or by a circuit-external regulating transistor can be selected by one of driving and programming.

6. A semiconductor circuit for an electronic control unit having at least one microcontroller, comprising:

first means for providing, from a first supply voltage, at least one second, fixed supply voltage for the at least one microcontroller and for circuits of the control unit which cooperate with the at least one microcontroller; and

a transceiver unit having transmitting and receiving means for coupling the at least one microcontroller, which cooperates with the semiconductor circuit, to a two-wire bus;

and further comprising in monolithic form, an interface for serial exchange of data and control signals between the semiconductor circuit and at least the microcontroller which cooperates with the transceiver function thereof;

wherein

driving or programming of at least one characteristic circuit function is possible via the interface;

the first means can be operated both by a regulating transistor which is circuit-internal, and is connected to with a regulating transistor, which is external to the circuit; and

the semiconductor circuit has a terminal for driving a control electrode of the external regulating transistor which cooperates with the semiconductor circuit.

7. A semiconductor circuit for an electronic control unit having at least one microcontroller, comprising:

first means for providing, from a first supply voltage, at least one second, fixed supply voltage for the at least one microcontroller and for circuits of the control unit which cooperate with the at least one microcontroller; and

a transceiver unit having transmitting and receiving means for coupling the at least one microcontroller, which cooperates with the semiconductor circuit, to a two-wire bus;

wherein,

said first means comprises a first voltage regulator connected to supply a second supply voltage for the at least one microcontroller, and a second voltage regulator connected to provide a third supply voltage for the circuits of the control unit which cooperate with the microcontroller;

said voltage regulators are configured to be activated and deactivated by means of a control signal; and

said first means further comprises control means, which cause the second and third supply voltages to be built up and/or reduced non-simultaneously in a defined manner, in dependence on a control signal.

8. The semiconductor circuit according to claim 7, wherein said control means are configured, so that upon activation, the second supply voltage for the at least one microcontroller can be built up before the third supply voltage for the circuits which cooperate with said at least one microcontroller.

9. The semiconductor circuit according to claim 7, wherein said control means are configured so that upon deactivation, the second supply voltage for the at least one microcontroller can be reduced after the third supply voltage for the circuits which cooperate with said at least one microcontroller.

10. The semiconductor circuit according to claim 7, wherein:

the first and second voltage regulators are independent of one another except that they are thermally coupled to one another;

the semiconductor circuit further comprises means which are operative when a semiconductor substrate of the semiconductor circuit is heated, due to overloading, up to a critical temperature;

the second voltage regulator is always deactivated before the critical temperature is reached; and

the first voltage regulator is deactivated only after the critical temperature is reached.

11. A semiconductor circuit for an electronic control unit having at least one microcontroller, comprising:

first means for providing, from a first supply voltage, at least one second, fixed supply voltage for the at least one microcontroller and for circuits of the control unit which cooperate with the at least one microcontroller; and

a transceiver unit having transmitting and receiving means for coupling the at least one microcontroller, which cooperates with the semiconductor circuit, to a two-wire bus;

wherein,

the receiving means comprise means for detecting faults in the bus network, which means are configured to enable faults to be detected, and an error signal to be output in the event of an fault, in a bus core-specific manner;

the means for detecting faults in the bus network comprise adjustable selection means which enable at least one indicative error signal to be output; and

the means for detecting faults in the bus network can be set to a freely preselectable number of successive bit signal faults as a criterion for the outputting of an error signal.

12. The semiconductor circuit according to claim 11, further comprising a control path, for setting a selection means by the microcontroller which cooperates with the transceiver function.

13. The semiconductor circuit according to claim 12, wherein the receiving means further comprises a control interface, through which runs the control path for setting up the selection means.

14. A semiconductor circuit for an electronic control unit having at least one microcontroller, comprising:

first means for providing, from a first supply voltage, at least one second, fixed supply voltage for the at least one microcontroller and for circuits of the control unit which cooperate with the at least one microcontroller;

a transceiver unit having transmitting and receiving means for coupling the at least one microcontroller, which cooperates with the semiconductor circuit, to a two-wire bus;

potential influencing means, connected to the transceiver, for influencing at least one source level which is dominant in the case of transmission and/or of at least one signal level which is discriminant in the case of reception; and

means for providing a further, circuit-internal supply voltage or a circuit-internal supply current for supplying the potential influencing means.

15. The semiconductor circuit according to claim 14, further comprising a terminal for external monitoring or capacitive filtering of the circuit-internal supply voltage or of the circuit-internal supply current.

16. The semiconductor circuit according to claim 14, further comprising a particular terminal as reference-ground potential busbar at least of the means for setting or altering in the event of transmission of at least one of the two dominant source levels.

17. A semiconductor circuit for an electronic control unit having at least one microcontroller, comprising:

first means for providing, from a first supply voltage, at least one second, fixed supply voltage for the at least one microcontroller and for circuits of the control unit which cooperate with the at least one microcontroller; and

a transceiver unit having transmitting and receiving means for coupling the at least one microcontroller, which cooperates with the semiconductor circuit, to a two-wire bus;

wherein

said semiconductor circuit has at least one operating state, in which the transmitting means of the transceiver unit has no influence on the bus and the first means is deactivated or switched off; and

said semiconductor circuit further comprises control means which enable the microcontroller that cooperates with the transceiver unit, to put the circuit back into the SLEEP state.

18. A semiconductor circuit for an electronic control unit having at least one microcontroller, comprising:

first means for providing, from a first supply voltage, at least one second, fixed supply voltage for the at least one microcontroller and for circuits of the control unit which cooperate with the at least one microcontroller; and

a transceiver unit having transmitting and receiving means for coupling the at least one microcontroller, which cooperates with the semiconductor circuit, to a two-wire bus;

and further comprising, in monolithic form, autonomous means which is independent of the transceiver unit, for detecting at least one wake-up signal in time periods at least of reduced or increased activity of the at least one microcontroller;

wherein the autonomous means has a plurality of inputs for receiving wake-up signals.

19. A semiconductor circuit for an electronic control unit having at least one microcontroller, comprising:

first means for providing, from a first supply voltage, at least one second, fixed supply voltage for the at least one microcontroller and for circuits of the control unit which cooperate with the at least one microcontroller; and

a transceiver unit having transmitting and receiving means for coupling the at least one microcontroller, which cooperates with the semiconductor circuit, to a two-wire bus;

wherein said semiconductor circuit is programmable with regard to at least one of functions which is included in addition to the first means and/or the limit value of said function and/or the time response of said function and/or a truth condition of the said function, or can be set to predefined values in this regard.

20. A semiconductor circuit for an electronic control unit having at least one microcontroller, comprising:

first means for providing, from a first supply voltage, at least one second, fixed supply voltage for the at least one microcontroller and for circuits of the control unit which cooperate with the at least one microcontroller;

a transceiver unit having transmitting and receiving means for coupling the at least one microcontroller, which cooperates with the semiconductor circuit, to a two-wire bus;

two terminals for connection of two external terminating elements for the two bus cores; and

internal bus fault detection means and internal backup terminating and changeover means to alter the bus termination in the event of a fault.