Appeal No. 94-4061
Application 07/659,683
watchdog circuit means connected to said output lines
for resetting said microprocessor means in response to an
occurrence of said activation signals on said output lines in
other than said predetermined sequence.
15. A method of supervising the operation of a
microprocessor, said method comprising the steps of:
including in a program executed by said microprocessor
a plurality of watchdog instructions which are different from one
another and all of which would be executed during complete
execution of said program, wherein said program includes a first
watchdog instruction in a main loop of said program and a second
watchdog instruction in a sub-routine that is non-conditionally
called for during execution of said main loop;
initiating execution of said program by said
microprocessor;
decoding an output of said microprocessor to produce a
respective one of a plurality of activation signals at a
corresponding one of a plurality of signal terminals on execution
of a respective watchdog instruction such that, if said
microprocessor is operating correctly according to said program,
said activation signals will be provided at respective ones of
said plurality of signal terminals in a predetermined sequence;
and
resetting said microprocessor if said activation
signals are provided at said plurality of signal terminals other
than in said predetermined sequence.
Claims 3, 4, 5, 9, 12, 13 and 15 stand or fall
together. Claims 7 and 16 stand or fall together and claim 6
stands alone (Brief at page 7).
THE REFERENCES
Proto 4,108,359 Aug. 22, 1978
Owens 4,594,685 Jun. 10, 1986
Gercekci 4,763,296 Aug. 9, 1988
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