Patent ID: 9389885
Filing Date: 2016-07-12
CPC Classification: G06F

Claim Text:
1. A method for providing at least two mutually independent time sources for at least one real-time operating system of a data processing device with a plurality of virtual runtime environments, the method comprising the steps of: running a general-purpose operating system in a first virtual runtime environment of the plurality of virtual runtime environments and the at least one real-time operating system running in a second virtual runtime environment of the plurality of virtual runtime environments; managing the plurality of virtual runtime environments by virtualization software; assigning a first processor core to the first virtual runtime environment and assigning a second processor core to the second virtual runtime environment; assigning a first time source exclusively to the at least one real-time operating system, the data processing device including a second time source independent of the first time source, the second time source being configured to periodically generate an interrupt comprising one of an initialization signal, a start signal or a non-maskable interrupt; generating periodically, by the second time source, an interrupt; accessing, by the first processor core assigned to the first virtual runtime environment including the general-purpose operating system of the plurality of virtual runtime environments, the virtualization software with each interrupt triggered by the second time source; updating, by the virtualization software, a content of at least one memory cell which is readable by the at least one real-time operating system; and implementing, by the real-time operating system, the updated at least one memory cell as a time source which is independent of the first time source.