Method and device for activating and/or deactivating distributed control units

• US 6,907,329 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2002
• Issued: 06/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Lueders, Uwe, Kostorz, Wolfgang, Junger, Andreas, Moritz, Rainer, Elbracht, Berthold, Haensel, Jens
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US10/317,826
• Publication Number:
  US 20030229402A1
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/29, 701/33, 701/36, 701/96, 701/300, 701/301, 702 60- 64, 713/321, 713/324, 367/99, 367118-130, 307/10.1, 340/903, 340/435, 340/436, 340/438, 342/66, 342/69, 342/70
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0421 Multiprocessor system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2219 Processor starts application program only if it receives predetermined data
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2236 Master determines critical time when each of slaves must be controlled

Abstract

A method and a device for activating and/or deactivating distributed control units is described, the microcomputer of a central control unit delivering corresponding activation or deactivation commands to the decentralized control units over an interface module as part of a point-to-point link.

Claims

1. A method of at least one of activating and deactivating distributed control units, comprising:

providing point-to-point wiring between a central control unit and decentralized control units;

transmitting a corresponding signal from the central control unit to a corresponding decentralized control unit via an interface, the signal being one of an activation signal and a deactivation signal; and

prompting, by the central control unit, at least one of an activation and a deactivation of selected ones of the decentralized control units via one of a command and a data set;

wherein the decentralized control units are controlled in a state of reduced power consumption.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the activation/deactivation command is valid for one of:

(a) individual ones of the decentralized control units, (b) a predetermined group of the decentralized control units, and (c) all of the decentralized control units.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the decentralized control units control sensors for environment sensing of a motor vehicle, deactivation of individual ones of the sensors being performed in predetermined operating states of the vehicle.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined operating states include a state of one of:

(a) high speed, (b) vehicle standstill, and (c) vehicle maintenance.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one of the activation and deactivation is prompted by a microcomputer of the central control unit via an SPI interface and a current-based dual wire interface.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the state of reduced power consumption prevents current peaks in a power supply to the decentralized control units.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the decentralized control units have a continuous power supply via a standby/wake-up capability.

8. A device for at least one of activating and deactivating distributed control units, comprising:

a central control unit;

decentralized control units;

a point-to-point interface linking the central control unit to the decentralized control units;

a microcomputer generating a command for one of activation and deactivation and transmitting the command to the decentralized control units; and

an interface module receiving the command of the microcomputer via an interface and delivering the command via another interface to selected ones of the decentralized control units;

wherein the decentralized control units are controlled in a state of reduced power consumption.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the decentralized control units are for sensors for sensing an environment of a motor vehicle.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the sensors are radar sensors.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein interference between the radar sensors is reduced via selecting active sensors and shutting down unneeded sensors.