Patent ID: 7826962
Filing Date: 2010-11-02
Classification: G05B

Abstract:
1. An electronic control apparatus comprising: a microcomputer control configured to control an actuator mounted on a vehicle in accordance with an input signal indicative of a vehicle running state, and to self-monitor whether or not said control is functioning properly based on said input signal; a monitor module separate from said microcomputer and communicably connected to said microcomputer and having a digital circuit configured to monitor whether or not said self-monitoring is functioning properly; said monitor module including a reference counter counting up a clock serving as an operation reference of said digital circuit; and said microcomputer including a module monitoring section configured to take in a count value of said reference counter at regular time intervals and to monitor whether or not said monitor module is functioning properly by judging that said monitoring module is not functioning properly when count values taken in at successive time intervals do not change during a predetermined time period.