Method, system and computer programme product for monitoring the function of a safety monitoring system of a control unit

• US 9,020,684 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2012
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Pfaffeneder, Bernd, Kalbeck, Alexander, Goss, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US13/981,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20140012463A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,190 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29.1, 701/29.7, 701/32.7, 340/438
• US Class Current: 701/29.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/221 Procedure or apparatus for checking or keeping in a correct functioning condition of brake systems hydraulic pressure systems in general F15B19/00, F15B21/04; testing structures or apparatus G01M
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for monitoring the function of a safety monitoring system of a control unit of an actuator system of a motor vehicle, wherein it is checked by the function monitoring whether the safety monitoring is performed faultlessly, wherein the safety monitoring is carried out by a first monitoring entity and the function monitoring is carried out by a second monitoring entity, wherein the first monitoring entity sends a result of the safety monitoring as an information item to the second monitoring entity at defined time intervals, wherein the first monitoring entity and the second monitoring entity are free of a common interface, wherein the information item is received by the second monitoring entity by utilizing an interface between the second monitoring entity and the control unit, and wherein the information item is coded in a format which cannot be interpreted by the control unit.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for monitoring the function of a safety monitoring system of a control unit of an actuator system of a motor vehicle, wherein it is checked by the function monitoring whether the safety monitoring is performed faultlessly, wherein the safety monitoring is carried out by a first monitoring entity and the function monitoring is carried out by a second monitoring entity, wherein the first monitoring entity sends a result of the safety monitoring as an information item to the second monitoring entity at defined time intervals, wherein the first monitoring entity and the second monitoring entity are free of a common interface, wherein the information item is received by the second monitoring entity by utilizing an interface between the second monitoring entity and the control unit, and wherein the information item is coded in a format which cannot be interpreted by the control unit.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second monitoring entity initiates at least one safety measure for compensating for a malfunction of the first monitoring entity and/or a malfunction of the control unit in the case where the function monitoring shows that the information item, received by the second monitoring entity, about the safety monitoring deviates from predefined nominal transmission signals with regard to content and/or time intervals, wherein a deviation of the information item, received by the second monitoring entity, about the safety monitoring from the predefined nominal transmission signals with regard to content and/or time intervals comprises:

a malfunction of the first monitoring entity and/or

a malfunction of the control unit.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second monitoring entity initiates at least one safety measure for compensating for a maifunction of the first monitoring entity and/or a malfunction of the control unit in the case where the function monitoring shows that the information item, received by the second monitoring entity, about the safety monitoring deviates from predefined nominal transmission signals with regard to content and/or time intervals, wherein a deviation of the information item, received by the second monitoring entity, about the safety monitoring from the predefined nominal transmission signals with regard to content and/or time intervals comprises:

a transmission error of the information item and/or

an error in the information.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the second monitoring entity generates a warning message in the case where the function monitoring shows that the information item, received by the second monitoring entity, about the safety monitoring deviates from predefined nominal transmission signals with regard to the content and/or the time intervals.

5. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second monitoring entity generates a warning message in the case where the function monitoring shows that the information item, received by the second monitoring entity, about the safety monitoring deviates from predefined nominal transmission signals with regard to the content and/or the time intervals.

6. A non-transitory computer program product comprising processor-executable instructions for performing the method steps as claimed in claim 1.

7. A method for safety monitoring of a control unit of an actuator system of a motor vehicle, wherein safety monitoring of the control unit is carried out by a first monitoring entity, wherein the control unit and the first monitoring entity form a system,

wherein the first monitoring entity sends a result of the safety monitoring as an information item to a second monitoring entity, which can be coupled to the system, at temporarily defined time intervals, wherein the first monitoring entity and the second monitoring entity are free of a common interface, wherein an interface serves as the interface of the system for the second monitoring entity, wherein the system transmits the information item from the control unit to the second monitoring entity by utilizing the interface, and wherein the first monitoring entity codes the information in a format which cannot be interpreted by the control unit.

8. A computer program product comprising processor-executable instructions for performing the method steps as claimed in claim 7.

9. A system comprising a control unit for an actuator system of a motor vehicle and a first monitoring entity, wherein the first monitoring entity is designed for performing safety monitoring of the control unit, wherein the first monitoring entity is also designed for sending a result of the safety monitoring as an information item to a second monitoring entity, which can be coupled to the system, at temporarily defined time intervals, wherein the first monitoring entity and the second monitoring entity are free of a common interface, wherein the control unit has an interface for the second monitoring entity, wherein the system is designed for transmitting the information item from the control unit to the second monitoring entity by utilizing the interface, and wherein the information item is coded in a format which cannot be interpreted by the control unit.

10. A system for monitoring the function of a safety monitoring system of a control unit of an actuator system of a motor vehicle, wherein the system has a first monitoring entity, a second monitoring entity and the control unit, wherein the function monitoring is designed for performing a check as to whether the safety monitoring is performed faultlessly, wherein the first monitoring entity is designed for performing the safety monitoring and the second monitoring entity is designed for performing the function monitoring, wherein the first monitoring entity is designed for sending a result of the safety monitoring as an information item to the second monitoring entity at temporarily defined time intervals, wherein the first monitoring entity and the second monitoring entity are free of a common interface, wherein the second monitoring entity is designed for receiving the information item by utilizing an interface between the second monitoring entity and the control unit, and wherein the information item is coded in a format which cannot be interpreted by the control unit.