Electronic control apparatus having first microcomputer which forwards externally supplied updating data to a second microcomputer having a lower data receiving performance than the first microcomputer
First Claim
1. An electronic control apparatus comprising a first microcomputer coupled to an external apparatus via an external communication line and a second microcomputer coupled to said first microcomputer via an internal communication line, each of said first microcomputer and second microcomputer comprising an internally disposed rewritable type of non-volatile memory, said first microcomputer comprising a first communication circuit connected to said external communication line and to said internal communication line, and said second microcomputer comprising a second communication circuit connected to said internal communication line, each of said first microcomputer and second microcomputer performing processing based upon data stored in said non-volatile memory thereof, and said first microcomputer and second microcomputer being responsive to write-in data that are directed thereto, transmitted from said external apparatus and received via said first communication circuit, for writing said write-in data into said non-volatile memory thereof, to update said data stored in said non-volatile memory thereof;
- wherein;
said first microcomputer further comprises a volatile memory and storage control circuitry configured to store, in said volatile memory, data that are directed to said second microcomputer and are received from said external apparatus via said external communication line, and data forwarding circuitry configured to read out said data from said volatile memory and transmit said data to said second microcomputer via said internal communication line at a rate determined in accordance with a data receiving performance of said second microcomputer;
said second microcomputer receives said data transmitted by said data forwarding circuitry as write-in data, to be written into said non-volatile memory of said second microcomputer; and
wherein said first microcomputer comprises acquisition circuitry configured to acquire, from said second microcomputer via said internal communication line, previously-written data that have been previously received by said second microcomputer and written into said non-volatile memory of said second microcomputer, and to acquire data corresponding to said previously-written data from said external apparatus,comparator circuitry configured to compare said previously-written data with said corresponding data, andcomparison result notification circuitry configured to transmit notification information concerning results of said comparison performed by said comparator circuitry, to said external apparatus via said external communication line.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An electronic control apparatus such as an ECU of a motor vehicle contains first and second microcomputers, with the first microcomputer having a substantially higher data receiving performance than the second microcomputer. Data for updating a ROM of the second microcomputer, transmitted to the first microcomputer from an external apparatus at a relatively high data rate, are temporarily stored in RAM by the first microcomputer and then transmitted to the second microcomputer at a rate which is appropriate for the receiving performance of the second microcomputer.
9 Citations
6 Claims
-
1. An electronic control apparatus comprising a first microcomputer coupled to an external apparatus via an external communication line and a second microcomputer coupled to said first microcomputer via an internal communication line, each of said first microcomputer and second microcomputer comprising an internally disposed rewritable type of non-volatile memory, said first microcomputer comprising a first communication circuit connected to said external communication line and to said internal communication line, and said second microcomputer comprising a second communication circuit connected to said internal communication line, each of said first microcomputer and second microcomputer performing processing based upon data stored in said non-volatile memory thereof, and said first microcomputer and second microcomputer being responsive to write-in data that are directed thereto, transmitted from said external apparatus and received via said first communication circuit, for writing said write-in data into said non-volatile memory thereof, to update said data stored in said non-volatile memory thereof;
-
wherein; said first microcomputer further comprises a volatile memory and storage control circuitry configured to store, in said volatile memory, data that are directed to said second microcomputer and are received from said external apparatus via said external communication line, and data forwarding circuitry configured to read out said data from said volatile memory and transmit said data to said second microcomputer via said internal communication line at a rate determined in accordance with a data receiving performance of said second microcomputer; said second microcomputer receives said data transmitted by said data forwarding circuitry as write-in data, to be written into said non-volatile memory of said second microcomputer; and wherein said first microcomputer comprises acquisition circuitry configured to acquire, from said second microcomputer via said internal communication line, previously-written data that have been previously received by said second microcomputer and written into said non-volatile memory of said second microcomputer, and to acquire data corresponding to said previously-written data from said external apparatus, comparator circuitry configured to compare said previously-written data with said corresponding data, and comparison result notification circuitry configured to transmit notification information concerning results of said comparison performed by said comparator circuitry, to said external apparatus via said external communication line. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
-
Specification