Apparatus for the control of repetitive events dependent on operating parameters of internal combustion engines

Claim 2

Apparatus for controlling repetitive events dependent upon operating parameters of a vehicular internal combustion engine, and including at least one of: ignition events; fuel injection events; transmission events, comprising a vehicular computer (11); means (11a, 11b) applying vehicle operation signals to the computer; an engine rotation sensor (10) coupled to a rotating shaft of the engine, said sensor being connected to and applying engine rotation signals to the computer, the computer generating a sequence of control signals (U21) having a predetermined common characteristic in dependence on the signals applied thereto and in accordance with a program stored therein; at least one output control stage (13, 14) for triggering the event or events to be controlled; at least one auxiliary control device (17, 18) connected to the engine rotation sensor (10) and receiving the engine rotation signals; a controllable switching device (12) having its output connected to the input of the at least one output control stage (13, 14) and inputs, respectively, connected to the output of the computer (11) and to the auxiliary control device, or devices (17, 18) and operative to selectively switch the outputs to one of the inputs; an error decoding stage (19) connected to the computer (11) and receiving output signals from the computer, said error decoding stage (19) controlling the controllable switching device (12) to connect the respective output control stage to the associated auxiliary control device (17, 18) and disconnect the circuit path from the computer (11) to said output control stage upon detection of a computer malfunction or operatig error: wherein the error decoding stage includes means (29) for generating a signal sequence having a characteristic which is similar to said predetermined characteristic; and a retriggerable timing and comparison element (22-28) connect to and comparing the relative relationship of the characteristic of the signal sequence from said sequence generating means (29) with the predetermined characteristic of the control signals received from the computer and providing an "error" outpout if the characteristics of the signal sequence and the control signals from the computer do not have a predetermined relationship to thereby provide an output indication of computer malfunction or operating error.

Claim 3

Apparatus for controlling repetitive events dependent upon operating parameters of a vehicular internal combustion engine, and including at least one of: ignition events; fuel injection events; transmission events, comprising a vehicular computer (11); means (11a, 11b) applying vehicle operating signals to the computer; an engine rotation sensor (10) coupled to a rotating shaft of the engine, said sensor being connected to and applying engine rotation signals to the computer, the computer generating a sequence of control signals in dependence on the signals applied thereto in accordance with a program stored therein in which each of said control signals (U21) has a predetermined pulse duration during normal operation of the computer; at least one output control stage (13, 14) for triggering the event or events to be controlled; at least one auxiliary control device (17, 18) connected to the engine rotation sensor (10) and receiving the engine rotation signals; a controllable switching device (12) having its output connected to the input of the at least one output control stage (13, 14) and inputs, respectively, connected to the output of the computer (11) and to the auxiliary control device, or devices (17, 18) and operative to selectively switch the output to one of the inputs; an error decoding stage (19) connected to the computer (11) and receiving output signals from the computer, said error decoding stage (19) controlling the controllable switching device (12) to connect the respective output control stage to the associated auxiliary control device (17, 18) and disconnect the circuit path from the computer (11) to said output control stage upon detection of a computer malfunction or operating error; a source (29) of clock signals (U29); a retriggerable timing element connected to and controlled by said source of clock signals (U29) and establishing a timing duration or holding time, based on the repetition rate of said clock signals, which is longer than said predetermined pulse duration of the control signals (U21) from the computer (11); and a comparator (28, R) comparing the relative timing relationships of the control signals from the computer (11) and the timing duration, or holding time established by the retriggerable timing element each time a control signal from the computer is received if said relationship is at a predetermined value indicative of normal operation of the computer, said comparator providing an "error" output upon determining that the timing relationships of the control signals (U21) from the computer (11) and the timing duration or holding time of the retriggerable timing element (22-27) has shifted such that the signals from the computer exceed said predetermined timing duration or holding time.

Claim 4

Apparatus for controlling repetitive events dependent upon operating parameters of a vehicular internal combustion engine, and including at least one of: ignition events; fuel injection events; transmission events, comprising a vehicular computer (11); means (11a, 11b) applying vehicle operating signals to the computer; an engine rotation sensor (10) coupled to a rotating shaft of the engine, said sensor being connected to and applying engine rotation signals to the computer, the computer generating a sequence of control signals in dependence on the signals applied thereto in accordance with a program stored therein in which each of said control signals (U21) has a predetermined pulse duration during normal operation of the computer; at least one output control stage (13, 14) for triggering the event or events to be controlled; at least one auxiliary control device (17, 18) connected to the engine rotation sensor (10) and receiving the engine rotation signals; a controllable switching device (12) having its output connected to the input of the at least one output control stage (13, 14) and inputs, respectively, connected to the output of the computer (11) and to the auxiliary control device, or devices (17, 18) and operative to selectively switch the output to one of the inputs; an error decoding stage (19) connected to the computer (11) and receiving output signals from the computer, said error decoding stage (19) controlling the controllable switching device (12) to connect the respective output control stage to the associated auxiliary control device (17, 18) and disconnect the circuit path from the computer (11) to said output control stage upon detection of a computer malfunction or operating error; a source (29) of clock signals (U29); a retriggerable timing element connected to and controlled by said source of clock signals (U29) and establishing a timing duration or holding time, based on the repetition rate of said clock signals, which is longer than said predetermined pulse duration of the control signals (U21) from the computer (11); and a comparator (28, R) comparing the relative timing relationships of the control signals from the computer (11) and the timing duration, or holding time established by the retriggerable timing element each time a control signal from the computer is received if said relationship is at a predetermined value indicative of normal operation of the computer, said comparator providing an "error" output upon determining that the timing relationships of the control signals (U21) from the computer (11) and the timing duration or holding time of the retriggerable timing element (22-27) has shifted such that the signals from the computer exceed said predetermined timing duration or holding time.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controllable switching device comprises a multiplexer.

Claim 6

Appararus according to claim 2, further including an error indicator (20) connected to the error decoding stage and furnishing an error output indication if the error decoding stage determines that the signals applied thereto from the computer (11) are improper.

Claim 7

Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controllable switching device comprises a multiplexer.

Claim 8

Apparatus according to claim 1, further including an error indicator (20) connected to the error decoding stage and furnishing an error output indication if the error decoding stage determines that the signals applied thereto from the computer (11) are improper.

Claim 9

Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said common characteristic is the time duration of pulses or pulse gaps from the computer (11); and said retriggerable timing and comparison element (22-28) includes a timing circuit (22-27) and a comparator (28) comparing the relative relationship of said time duration of the signals from the computer (11) with a timing sequence generated by said timing circuit under control of the sequence generating means (29), and generating the "error" output if said relative relationship changes from a predetermined value.

Claim 10

Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the signal sequences generated by the signal sequence generating means comprises a clock signals (29) having a clock frequency which is shorter than the timing duration of the control signals from the computer (11); and said retriggerable timing circuit (22-27) establishes a timing duration under control of a plurality of said clock signals, the comparator comparing the relative relationship of the generated timing duration with control signals (U21) from the computer.

Claim 11

Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the control signals from the computer extend for a time interval spanning a plurality of clock signals, followed by a control signals gap occuring in synchronism with a clock signal gap if the computer is functioning properly, occurrence of signals longer than said plurality of clock signals changing the relative and gaps relationship of occurrence of the respective control signals (U21) and clock signals (U29), and causing the comparator (28) to provide said "error" output.

Claim 12

Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the clock signals (U29) occur at a rate which is faster than the rate of recurrence of the control signals (U21) from the computer to result in computer control signals which span a plurality of clock signals; and wherein the comparator compares the actual number of clock signals (U29) occurring during the occurrence of the control signal (U21) from the computer and provide said "error" output if the relationship of the number of clock signals occurring during the occurrence of the control signal is beyond a predetermined number.

Claim 13

Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said retriggerable timing circuit (22-27) comprises a flip-flop chain having a plurality of stages, and said retriggerable timing circuit (28) comprises a counter (28) controlled by the clock signals (U29).

Claim 14

Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said retriggerable timing element (22-27) comprises a flip-flop chain having a plurality of stages, and said comparator (28) comprises a counter (28) controlled by the clock signals (U29).