Method and device for controlling processes in conjunction with a drive

• US 6,732,285 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2000
• Issued: 05/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Stober, Markus, Sommer, Rainer, Ege, Taskin
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): WANG, ALBERT C
• Application Number:
  US09/672,891
• Time in Patent Office: 1,314 Days
• Field of Search: 713/330, 701/48, 123/198.DC
• US Class Current: 713/330
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0421 Multiprocessor system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25289 Energy saving, brown out, standby, sleep, powerdown modus for microcomputer

Abstract

A method and a device for controlling processes with the help of process quantities in conjunction with a drive, in particular an engine for driving a vehicle, the processes being executed and controlled at the time the drive is shut off and/or thereafter, and the power supply to the processes and control being maintained by an energy storage devices at the time the drive is shut off and/or thereafter, the processes being controlled by at least two processors and the first processor disconnecting the at least second processor and itself from the power supply when the process quantities of the processes assigned to the respective processors each meet at least one predefinable condition.

Claims

1. A method for controlling processes with process quantities in conjunction with a drive, comprising the steps of:

executing and controlling the processes at least one of a time when the drive is shut off and a time thereafter, the processes being controlled by at least two processors including at least a first processor and a second processor;

causing at least one energy storage device to maintain a power supply to the processes and a process control at least one of the time when the drive is shut off and the time thereafter; and

causing the first processor to disconnect the first processor and the second processor from the power supply when the process quantities of the processes assigned to respective ones of the at least two processors each meet at least one predefinable condition, wherein only the first processor determines whether all of the process quantities have met the at least one predefinable condition.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the drive corresponds to an engine for driving a vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the first processor disconnects the first processor and the second processor from the power supply at the earliest when the process quantities of the processes assigned to respective ones of the at least two processors each indicate an end of the process control and the second processor has communicated the end of the process control to the first processor.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the first processor disconnects the first processor and the second processor from the power supply after a lapse of at least one predefinable time period.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

assigning different priorities to the processes;

causing the first processor to disconnect the first processor and the second processor from the power supply when the process quantities of higher priority processes assigned to respective ones of the first processor and the second processor each indicate an end of the process control and the second processor has communicated the end of the process control of the higher priority processes to the first processor.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the first processor disconnects the first processor and the second processor after a predefinable time only when the process quantities of higher priority processes assigned to respective ones of the at least two processors each indicate an end of the process control and the second processor has communicated the end of the process control of the higher priority processes to the first processor.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

causing more than the at least two processors to control the processes;

causing at least a third processor to communicate to the second processor that a respective one of the at least one predefinable condition of the process quantities has been met;

causing the second processor to communicate to the first processor that the respective one of the at least one predefinable condition of the process quantities of the third processor and the second processor has been met; and

causing the first processor to disconnect the first processor, the second processor, and the third processor from the power supply at the earliest when the process quantities of the processes assigned to respective ones of the at least two processors have each met at least one of the at least one predefinable condition.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

each one of the at least two processors disconnects the first processor and

the second processor from the power supply when the process quantities each meet one of the at least one predefinable condition.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

initially switching at least one of the second processor and a third processor into a passive standby state; and

after performing the switching step, causing the first processor to simultaneously disconnect each one of the at least two processors from the power supply when the process quantities each meet the at least one predefinable condition.

10. A device for controlling processes with process quantities in conjunction with a drive, comprising:

a first arrangement for executing and controlling the processes at least one of a time when the drive is shut off and a time thereafter; and

at least one energy storage device for maintaining a power supply at least one of the time when the drive is shut off and the time thereafter, wherein;

the first arrangement includes at least two processors for controlling the processes,

the at least two processors include a first processor and a second processor,

the first processor disconnects the first processor and the second processor from the power supply when the process quantities of the processes assigned to respective ones of the at least two processors each meet a predefinable condition, and

only the first processor includes an arrangement for determining whether all of the process quantities have met the predefinable condition.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein:

the drive corresponds to an engine for driving a vehicle.