Patent ID: 8762799
Filing Date: 2014-06-24
Classification: G11C

Abstract:
1. A method for checking the functional ability of a memory element having a stack memory, wherein the stack memory occupies a defined region within the memory element, and wherein a stack memory pointer is defined, which displays, in the form of an address, a stack memory position, from which data are currently being removed or to which data are currently being written, comprising the steps of: delimiting in the memory element, a first section of defined length using the first section for storing at least one signature, which contains data relevant for checking functional ability of the memory element; delimiting in the memory element, a second section of defined length and using the second section as an auxiliary memory, wherein positions of the first section and the second section are selected in such a manner that the first section and the second section adjoin one another and are arranged outside of a memory region to be checked; checking the memory region to be checked by a modularly built test program, wherein current address of the stack memory pointer is stored before start of the test program and the stack memory pointer is then assigned an address associated with the auxiliary memory, so that during the test program the auxiliary memory is used as working memory; and after terminating the test program the stack memory pointer is reassigned the address of that position, which it displayed before the start of the test program.