Patent ID: 7644212

Claim:
A method for detecting locking states in electronic devices (SG i ) which are networked to one another in a distributed manner using a data bus ( 2 ), comprising the following steps: comparing a current message, which is transmitted by at least one of the electronic devices (SG i ) with a previously transmitted message; determining that there is no locking state in the transmitting electronic device (SG i ) if the messages are different; in the transmitting electronic device, coding a message counter into the actual message being transmitted if the messages are the same; decoding the message counter in the electronic device (SG i ) that receives the message; determining that there is no locking state in the transmitting electronic device (SG i ) if the value of the message counter has changed in comparison with a previous value of the message counter in a previously transmitted message, and determining a locking state in the transmitting electronic device (SG i ) if the value of the message counter has not changed after a defined waiting time (t w ).