Motor vehicle control unit having a processor providing a first and second chip select for use in a first and second operating mode respectively

US6430673B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Siemens Aktiengesellschaft · DE

Inventors

• Eberhard De Wille · Burglengenfeld, DE
• Klaus Lindner · Steinen, DE
• Ludwig Lutz · Sinzing, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 13, 1999
• Grant date: Aug 6, 2002
• Expiry date: Aug 13, 2019

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G05B19/0423
• WIPO field: Control
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A control unit that includes a processor having at least a first chip select output and a second chip select output. A signal provided by the first chip select output is activated during a normal operating mode of the control unit, and a signal provided by the second chip select output is activated during an application mode of the control unit. The control unit also includes a RAM memory having a chip select input for selecting the RAM memory and having a memory area for use as an application memory. A combination element electrically couples the signal provided by the first chip select output and the signal provided by the second chip select output to the chip select input of the RAM memory such that the signal provided by the first chip select output and the signal provided by the second chip select output do not have a perturbing effect on each other. The memory area for use as an application memory is available as the application memory when the signal provided by the second chip select output is activated during the application mode of the control unit. The new control unit enables the standard commercially available processor to be used to implement a specific application wi…