watchdog timer


watchdog timer

[′wäch‚dȯg ‚tīm·ər] (control systems) In a flexible manufacturing system, a safety device in the form of a control interface on an automated guided vehicle that shuts down part or all of the system under certain conditions.

watchdog timer

A clock circuit that keeps counting from a set number down to zero. If the event it is monitoring occurs before it reaches zero, it resets to the starting number and starts counting down again. If the timer reaches zero, it performs some action; for example, a diagnostic operation such as rebooting the computer or sending an error message. See watchdog packet.