Embedded devices and embedded systems
The present invention detects a fault in a function that is provided via hardware upon an apparatus having a variety of components, such as a CPU and an FPGA, capable of changing content to be processed at the application level.
Abstract
The redundancy that is effected by preparing a plurality of units of hardware of an identical configuration results in high costs, complicating the application of same to inexpensive products. The present invention detects a fault in a function that is provided via hardware upon an apparatus having a variety of components, such as a CPU, capable of changing content to be processed at the application level, and an FPGA, capable of changing the content to be processed. When a fault is thus detected, the invention uses configuration information of an apparatus either within the apparatus or within apparatuses upon the network to select an apparatus capable of serving as a substitute, selects software required to implement the function, carries out procedures for facilitating the use of the software upon the substitute hardware (i.e., downloading the software, loading the software into a memory region accessible to the hardware), and carries out the processing in substitution.