Patent ID: 6856940

Claim:
A method of monitoring a functioning of a system, the method comprising: checking input signals, output signals and functions of the system, wherein the system includes lower-level subsystems or is a component of a higher-level system, the system includes components implemented as hardware, the components including at least one of sensors, actuators and function computers, and the system is divided into individual functions; providing via the monitoring functions status information to at least one higher-level, functions-overreaching monitoring instance, the monitoring instance at least partially combining the status information; wherein the monitoring method is structured to provide a plurality of decentralized monitoring functions provided in the individual functions of the system for monitoring the functioning of the individual functions, and to provide the at least one higher-level, functions-overreaching monitoring instance for coordinating the monitoring functions, and wherein the at least one higher-level, functions-overreaching monitoring instance coordinates an administration of a fault memory.