Patent ID: 7082023

Claim:
A method for function monitoring of an electronic-mechanical position switch, the electronic-mechanical position switch including: a housing; an actuation tappet; a potentiometer configured to be acted upon by the actuation tappet; an electronic switching contact; a microcontroller configured to emit a dynamically-changing watchdog signal and to detect a wiper potential present at a wiper of the potentiometer, compare the wiper potential to a stored threshold value and, depending on whether the wiper potential is above or below the threshold value, trigger a closing or opening of the electronic switching contact via a control signal; a power supply device; and a terminal; the method comprising the consecutive steps: A) discontinuing, at a first test interval, an emitting of the watchdog signal and, in response, interrupting a power supply to the electronic switching contact using a switching device configured to monitor the watchdog signal; B) monitoring the electronic switching contact by the microcontroller and, if a first state transition of the electronic switching contact from a closed into an open state occurs, emitting again the watchdog signal, and, if the first state transition does not occur, setting the control signal as to open the electronic switching contact; C) switching over, during a second test interval that is staggered with respect to the first test interval, the control signal as to open the electronic switching contact; and D) monitoring the electronic switching contact by the microcontroller and, if a second state transition of the electronic switching contact from the closed into the open state occurs, switching the control signal back as to close the electronic switching contact, and, if the second state transition does not occur, terminating the emitting of the watchdog signal.