System for controlling an in-vehicle device

• US 8,825,220 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2011
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Nito, Yoshiharu, Suzuki, Tsuneo
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): BRUSHABER, FREDERICK M
• Application Number:
  US13/220,877
• Publication Number:
  US 20120101656A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,099 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/20 Means to switch the anti-theft system on or off

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a system for controlling an in-vehicle device is provided. The system has an in-vehicle device and an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit generates control signals to control the in-vehicle device and transmits the generated control signals to the in-vehicle device. The in-vehicle device has a semiconductor integrated circuit and a semiconductor memory circuit. The semiconductor integrated circuit is capable of performing a plurality of functional operations. The semiconductor memory circuit stores pieces of setting information necessary to perform the respective functional operations. The electronic control unit has a designation signal generation unit to output designation signals as the control signals. Each of the designation signals designates one of the pieces of setting information to be read from the semiconductor memory circuit. The semiconductor integrated circuit receives the designated one of the pieces of setting information which is read from the semiconductor memory circuit.

Claims

1. A system for controlling an in-vehicle device, comprising an in-vehicle device and an electronic control unit, the electronic control unit generating control signals to control the in-vehicle device and transmitting the generated control signals to the in-vehicle device via a wire harness, the in-vehicle device is provided with a semiconductor integrated circuit and a semiconductor memory circuit, wherein

the semiconductor integrated circuit includes a functional operation control unit, a memory read control unit and a majority determination calculating unit, the functional operation control unit being provided for outputting control signals to control functional operations,

the semiconductor memory circuit includes channels and storing plural sets of n-multiplexed information pieces of setting information which are necessary to perform the respective functional operations in the channels in a channel unit, where “

n”

is an odd number equal to or greater than three,

the electronic control unit is provided with a designation signal generation unit connected to the memory read control unit via the wire harness, the designation signal generation unit outputting static designation signals as the control signals to the memory read control unit so as to generate address signals, the n-multiplexed pieces of setting information being read from the channels of the semiconductor memory circuit according to designation by the address signals and being output to the functional operation control unit, and

the majority determination calculating unit receives the read n-multiplexed information pieces of setting information and determines information pieces to be output to the functional operation control unit of the semiconductor integrated circuit by majority determination logic, the majority determination calculating unit comparing the data values of the n-multiplexed information pieces with each other and deeming the majority of the data values as correct data values to output the data of the majority to the functional operation control unit so as to select the functional operations.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor integrated circuit is provided with a circuit to generate a trigger signal to start reading one of the pieces of setting information from the semiconductor memory circuit, the trigger signal being generated when power is applied to the semiconductor integrated circuit, which results in that the semiconductor integrated circuit outputs a read start signal and the address signals to the semiconductor memory circuit automatically.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit is provided with an encoder to encode and transmit the designation signals, and the semiconductor integrated circuit includes a decoder which decodes the received encoded designation signals to designate the pieces of setting information stored in the semiconductor memory circuit respectively.

4. A system for controlling an in-vehicle device, comprising an in-vehicle device and an electronic control unit, the electronic control unit generating control signals to control the in-vehicle device and transmitting the generated control signals to the in-vehicle device via a wire harness, the in-vehicle device is provided with a semiconductor integrated circuit and a semiconductor memory circuit, wherein

the semiconductor integrated circuit includes a functional operation control unit which is provided for outputting control signals to control functional operations,

the semiconductor memory circuit includes channels and storing pieces of setting information which are necessary to perform the respective functional operations in the channels in a channel unit,

the electronic control unit is provided with a designation signal generation unit connected to the semiconductor integrated circuit via the wire harness, the designation signal generation unit outputting static designation signals as the control signals to generate address signals, the pieces of setting information being read from the channels of the semiconductor memory circuit according to designation by the address signals and being output to the functional operation control unit, and

the semiconductor integrated circuit is provided with a circuit to generate a trigger signal to start reading one of the pieces of setting information from the semiconductor memory circuit, the trigger signal being generated when power is applied to the semiconductor integrated circuit, which results in that the semiconductor integrated circuit outputs a read start signal to the semiconductor memory circuit automatically.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the electronic control unit is provided with an encoder to encode and transmit the designation signals, and the semiconductor integrated circuit includes a decoder which decodes the received encoded designation signals to designate the pieces of setting information stored in the semiconductor memory circuit respectively.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein the semiconductor integrated circuit includes a memory read control unit, the designation signals from the designation signal generation unit is provided to the memory read control unit via the wire harness, and output the address signals to the semiconductor memory circuit to read the pieces of setting information from the channels of the semiconductor memory circuit.

7. A system for controlling an in-vehicle device, comprising an in-vehicle device and an electronic control unit, the electronic control unit generating control signals to control the in-vehicle device and transmitting the generated control signals to the in-vehicle device via a wire harness, the in-vehicle device is provided with a semiconductor integrated circuit and a semiconductor memory circuit, wherein

the semiconductor integrated circuit includes a functional operation control unit which is provided for outputting control signals to control functional operations,

the semiconductor memory circuit includes channels and storing pieces of setting information which are necessary to perform the respective functional operations in the channels in a channel unit,

the electronic control unit is provided with a designation signal generation unit connected to the semiconductor integrated circuit via the wire harness, the designation signal generation unit outputting static designation signals as the control signals so as to generate address signals, the pieces of setting information being read from the channels of the semiconductor memory circuit according to designation by the address signals and being output to the functional operation control unit, and

the semiconductor integrated circuit is provided with a memory read control unit, the memory read control unit receiving the designation signals and the trigger signal from the electronic control unit and outputting a read start signal and the address signals to the semiconductor memory circuit.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the electronic control unit is provided with an encoder to encode and transmit the designation signals, and the semiconductor integrated circuit includes a decoder which decodes the received encoded designation signals to designate the pieces of setting information stored in the semiconductor memory circuit respectively.