METHOD FOR MONITORING DATA TRAFFIC BETWEEN CONTROL DEVICES OF A MOTOR VEHICLE AND VEHICLE EQUIPPED ACCORDINGLY

A method monitors data traffic between control devices of a motor vehicle. In the method, at least one data pattern of a packet type and/or data content to be monitored and/or detected is stored in an associative memory such that in response to input data, which contains the respective data pattern, an associated hit signal is generated by the associative memory, and a network processor reads out detection data from received data packets in predetermined monitoring positions and forms input data for the associative memory therefrom. The network processor examines whether a hit signal results by inputting the input data into the associative memory, and a microprocessor recognizes based on transmission schedule data, which describes an intended transmission scheme of the control devices, by a predetermined comparison routine whether the hit signals deviate from the transmission scheme.