Method and device for monitoring a device equipped with a microprocessor
First Claim
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1. A method of monitoring an electrical system which is equipped with a microprocessor, said method comprising:
- performing in the microprocessor at least one computation on input data received at an input terminal of the microprocessor;
performing in a monitoring device, which is distinct and physically separate from the microprocessor, at least one logic operation by logic gates on the identical input data;
the microprocessor and the monitoring device performing, in parallel, said computation and/or logic operations on the identical input data;
comparing the results of said at least one computation performed on said input data in the microprocessor, with the results of said at least one logic operation performed on the identical input data in the monitoring device, and deducing from the compared results diagnostic result information about the functioning of the microprocessor; and
transmitting a feedback signal to the electrical system from an output terminal of the monitoring device, wherein the feedback signal represents said diagnostic result information about the microprocessor.
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Abstract
A method of monitoring a device which is equipped with a microprocessor, which method includes computation in the microprocessor on input data; performing a logic operation by logic gates in an external monitoring device on the same input data; comparing the results of the computation and the logic operation, and deriving from the compared results a diagnostic of the microprocessor, and optionally then switching the microprocessor to a backup safety mode. A device for carrying out such monitoring is also described.
16 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method of monitoring an electrical system which is equipped with a microprocessor, said method comprising:
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performing in the microprocessor at least one computation on input data received at an input terminal of the microprocessor; performing in a monitoring device, which is distinct and physically separate from the microprocessor, at least one logic operation by logic gates on the identical input data; the microprocessor and the monitoring device performing, in parallel, said computation and/or logic operations on the identical input data; comparing the results of said at least one computation performed on said input data in the microprocessor, with the results of said at least one logic operation performed on the identical input data in the monitoring device, and deducing from the compared results diagnostic result information about the functioning of the microprocessor; and transmitting a feedback signal to the electrical system from an output terminal of the monitoring device, wherein the feedback signal represents said diagnostic result information about the microprocessor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15)
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12. A monitoring device for an electrical system equipped with a microprocessor to be monitored, said monitoring device comprising:
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at least one input terminal for receiving input data supplied to a microprocessor, which monitoring device is distinct and physically separate from, and in parallel with, microprocessor, a hardwired logic unit for independently performing in the monitoring device logic operations by logic gates on the identical input data, a comparator unit for producing comparative diagnostic information by comparing the results of an independent computation performed, in parallel, on said input data by the microprocessor with results obtained by the hardwired logic unit on the identical input data, and deducing from the comparison of said results diagnostic result information about the functioning of the microprocessor, and an output terminal of the monitoring device for transmitting to the electrical system a feedback signal representing the diagnostic result information about the microprocessor. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 16)
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Specification