Patent ID: 9677480
Date: 2017-06-13
CPC Classifications: B60W,F02D,G05B,G07C

Claim:
1. An automotive internal combustion engine electronic control unit for performing safety-related functions with a predetermined automotive safety integrity level, the electronic control unit comprising: a microcontroller and an integrated circuit distinct from and communicating with the microcontroller; wherein the microcontroller is designed to perform one or more safety-related functions with an automotive safety integrity level that is the same as is required to the automotive electronic control unit; wherein the integrated circuit is designed to perform one or more safety-related functions with an automotive safety integrity level that is lower than that of the microcontroller; wherein the integrated circuit is further designed to perform, for each performed safety-related function, a corresponding diagnosis function designed to detect failures in the performance of the safety-related function; and wherein the microcontroller is designed to perform, for each performed diagnosis function, a corresponding monitoring function designed to monitor the performance of the corresponding diagnosis function by the integrated circuit to detect failures that may compromise the diagnostic capability of the diagnosis function.