Patent ID: 7426430

Claim:
A control unit for activating an occupant protection device in a motor vehicle, the control unit comprising: a first arithmetic unit supplying a clock signal and having a first pulse count comparator unit with an input and an output, a first resetter with an input and an output, and a reset input, said output of said first pulse count comparator unit being connected to said input of said first resetter; a second arithmetic unit supplying a clock signal and having a second pulse count comparator unit, a second resetter, and a reset input connected directly or indirectly to said output of said first resetter, said second pulse count comparator unit having an input and an output, said second resetter having an input connected to said output of said second pulse count comparator unit and said second resetter having an output connected directly or indirectly to said reset input of said first arithmetic unit; an activating unit supplying a clock signal; said first arithmetic unit, said second arithmetic unit and said activating unit being respectively clocked asynchronously relative to one another; a first logical AND gate having an input side receiving both the clock signal of said first arithmetic unit and the clock signal of said activating unit and having an output feeding an output signal to said input of said second pulse count comparator unit; a second logical AND gate having an input side receiving both the clock signal of said second arithmetic unit and the clock signal of said activating unit, said second logical AND gate having an output feeding an output signal to said input of said first pulse count comparator unit; said first resetter resetting said second arithmetic unit by outputting a first reset signal if said first pulse count comparator unit detects an inadmissible number of pulses per unit of time in the output signal of said second AND gate; and said second resetter resetting said first arithmetic unit by outputting a second reset signal if said second pulse count comparator unit detects an inadmissible number of pulses per unit of time in the output signal of said first AND gate.