Patent ID: 8880827

Claim:
A method for executing a safety-relevant software component and a non-safety-relevant software component on a hardware platform, wherein the hardware platform comprises a computer unit (CPU), a memory, and a write protection mechanism for at least a portion of the memory, the hardware platform further comprising or being connected to a monitoring component and the monitoring component operating independently of the computer unit (CPU), wherein the safety-relevant software component has full write access to at least one certain area of the memory or to an entirety of the memory or the safety-relevant software component has access to at least one certain area of the memory which is separated from at least one separate area of the memory that is provided for access by the non-safety-relevant software component, the method comprising: setting up, using the safety-relevant software component, the write protection mechanism before execution of the non-safety-relevant software component on the computer unit (CPU), against an access of the non-safety-relevant software component to the at least one certain area of the memory for the safety-relevant software component so that the non-safety-relevant software component has write access only in the at least one separate area of the memory that is provided for access by the non-safety relevant software component, and in particular does not have access to the at least one certain area of the memory for the safety-relevant software component; executing the non-safety-relevant software component together with the safety-relevant software component on the computer unit (CPU); shutting down the write protection mechanism again after returning from the non-safety-relevant software component; and monitoring the safety-relevant software component for its proper operation using the monitoring component.