Patent ID: 7003382
Filing Date: 2006-02-21
Classification: B60W

Abstract:
1. An electronic control unit for a vehicle having equipment, the control unit comprising: a microcomputer for controlling the equipment; a first power supply circuit that starts supplying the microcomputer with operating power when a predetermined switch signal is applied from an outside, and stops supply of the operating power when the predetermined switch signal disappears; a timer for counting time after the switch signal disappears, and for starting up the first power supply circuit when the counted time reaches a predetermined time; a volatile memory for storing control data to be used for controlling the equipment; a second power supply circuit for supplying the timer and the volatile memory with operating power even after the switch signal disappears; and a nonvolatile memory for storing the control data stored in the volatile memory, wherein, when the counted time reaches the predetermined time, the microcomputer starts operating with the operating power supplied from the first power supply circuit, writes the control data stored in the volatile memory into the nonvolatile memory, stores the written data in the nonvolatile memory, and thereafter stops the power supply from the second power supply circuit to the volatile memory.