Abstract: Devices and methods prevent injection of a substrate current into the substrate Sub of a CMOS circuit. The devices detect the potential of a contact of the integrated CMOS circuit, compare the value of the potential detected with a reference value and connect the contact to a leakage circuit node for discharging the current such that same does not flow to ground via the parasitic bipolar lateral structure. The leakage circuit node can be connected to the reference potential line or to another line that has a higher potential than the reference potential line. This electrical connection is activated when the value of the potential of the contact is lower than or equal to a reference value.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a controllable and/or self-controlling object comprising a monolithically integrated entropy source having: a photon source that is designed to emit photons, the photon source comprising a first outer shell, said first outer shell being formed by a first base surface, a first top surface, and at least one first side surface connecting the first base surface and the first top surface to one another; and a photon detector that is designed to detect the photons emitted by the photon source, the first base surface of the photon source being arranged so as to face the photon detector.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a controllable and/or self-controlling robot comprising a monolithically integrated entropy source having: a photon source that is designed to emit photons, the photon source comprising a first outer shell, said first outer shell being formed by a first base surface, a first top surface, and at least one first side surface connecting the first base surface and the first top surface to one another; and a photon detector that is designed to detect the photons emitted by the photon source, the first base surface of the photon source being arranged so as to face the photon detector.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a node of a network, the node comprising a monolithically integrated entropy source having: a photon source that is designed to emit photons, the photon source comprising a first outer shell, said first outer shell being formed by a first base surface, a first top surface, and at least one first side surface connecting the first base surface and the first top surface to one another; and a photon detector that is designed to detect the photons emitted by the photon source, the first base surface of the photon source being arranged so as to face the photon detector.

Abstract: An electrical connector, comprising an electrical contact interface for establishing an electrical contact with another electrical contact interface of another connector, an electrical conductor terminating in the electrical contact interface, and a contact status sensor, wherein the contact status sensor includes a sensor element that can be arranged and is designed to detect a measured value of a predetermined physical parameter of the conductor and/or the contact interface, and a data processing device that is designed to determine an actual status of the electrical contact based on the detected measured value.

Abstract: A method and a device perform data communication between a superordinate computer system of an ultrasonic measurement system and an associated ultrasonic sensor via a modified UART data interface. The method and device exit the UART protocol and use a special signaling protocol and a modification of the UART data interface for the duration of an ultrasonic measurement phase to transmit the arrival of echoes at the ultrasonic sensor promptly to the superordinate computer system and return to the UART protocol for the data transmission from the ultrasonic sensor to the superordinate computer system after the end of the ultrasonic measurement phase.

Abstract: A light receiver circuit with compensation of propagation times has at least one light sensor, one control circuit, one connecting line to a TDC circuit, and a test circuit. The test line is connected to a test signal source. The test circuit connects the test line to the control circuit and forwards the test signal to the control circuit. The control circuit routes a measurement signal of the light sensor to the TDC circuit and a test signal to the connecting line and to the TDC circuit to evaluate the test signal and propagation time of test signal from test circuit to TDC circuit. The light sensor array further includes a plurality of light receiver circuits of such kind. The invention also relates to a Lidar receiver for capturing optical events with a light sensor array with a TDC circuit and a test signal source and with a timecode generator.

Abstract: In a safety switch off of an electric consumer in a vehicle, the current consumption of the consumer is monitored in its active state by a main monitoring unit with respect to a safety switch off threshold which, when reached or exceeded, results in switching off the electronic switch. In a further operating state, in which the current consumption of the line leading to the consumer is lower than in its active state, the current consumption is monitored by an auxiliary monitoring unit with respect to the rate of changes. When the consumer is in the further operating state, the main monitoring unit is deactivated or operated in standby mode. When the consumer is in the further operating state, the main monitoring unit is activated, when the rate of changes in the current consumption reaches a threshold value and/or falls short of or exceeds a voltage range.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for determining an electrical signal characteristic indicative of the magnitude of and/or change in an impedance that varies in response to a magnetic, electric, or electromagnetic field affected by an approaching object. The method includes performing measurements over at least one group of measurement intervals, each group preceded by at least one compensation interval. A sinusoidal excitation voltage is applied to the impedance during each interval, inducing a measuring current. A compensation current is determined during the compensation interval and subtracted from the measuring current of at least one subsequent measurement interval to generate an analog evaluation current. The evaluation current serves as a signal representative of the impedance's magnitude and/or change in the impedance.

Abstract: A method switches off an electrical consumer in a vehicle, which is connected to a supply line provided with an electronic switch. The method includes: monitoring a current consumption of the consumer in a monitoring mode with respect to a safety switch-off threshold, and when the switch-off threshold is exceeded or fallen short of, switching off the electronic switch, switching a main monitoring unit from the standby mode to the monitoring mode when an amplitude of a dynamic change of the current consumption of the consumer reaches or exceeds a first threshold value, and monitoring the current consumption of the consumer in the standby mode by an auxiliary monitoring unit, and when the first threshold value is reached or exceeded, triggering the switching of the main monitoring unit from the standby mode to the monitoring mode.

Abstract: A device for controlling an ultrasonic transducer, includes: a transformer including a first primary-side terminal and a second primary-side terminal, and two secondary-side terminals, to which an ultrasonic transducer can be connected; a first low-side switch arranged between a first node and the first primary-side terminal of the transformer, and a second low-side switch is arranged between the first circuit node, and the second primary-side terminal of the transformer; a first high-side switch arranged between a second node and a first primary-side terminal of the transformer, and a second high-side switch arranged between the second node and a second primary-side terminal of the transformer; and a switch control unit for alternating switching the high-side switches and the low-side switches. An energy source with two terminals can be connected directly or indirectly to the first node and the second node. The switch control unit switches between first and second control phases.

Abstract: A method for transmitting data from an ultrasonic sensor to a computer system includes forming a feature vector signal from an electric reception signal; recognizing signal objects in the reception signal and classifying the signal objects according to predetermined signal object classes. The signal objects are forms or sequences of forms. At least one object parameter allocated to the signal object and one symbol for the signal object class are allocated to each signal object, or for each signal object, at least one signal object parameter and a symbol object are determined. The method further includes determining a chirp value as an allocated signal object parameter. The method further includes transmitting the symbol and the at least one signal object parameter to the computer system as data of a recognized signal object, wherein the at least one signal object parameter includes a signal object parameter indicating the chirp value.

Abstract: Provided is a control system which is configured to provide control and/or regulating signals, comprising a system bus with a system controller, wherein the system controller is configured to execute system functions of the control system; a measurement bus with a measurement controller, wherein the measurement controller is configured to execute measurement functions for acquiring and/or processing measurement data and/or output functions for adapting and/or outputting control and/or regulating signals, wherein the measurement controller includes or is a deterministic, programmable finite-state machine and is configured such that the measurement functions and/or output functions executable by the measurement controller are fully simulatable, and wherein the measurement controller is operable using a predetermined program code, wherein the measurement controller has a ROM memory and the predetermined program code is provided in the ROM memory; and a bus interface providing a communication connection between t

Abstract: A method for transmitting data from an ultrasonic sensor to a computer system includes forming a feature vector signal from an electric reception signal; recognizing signal objects in the reception signal and classifying the signal objects according to predetermined signal object classes. At least one object parameter allocated to the signal object and one symbol for the signal object class are allocated to each signal object, or for each signal object, at least one signal object parameter and a symbol object are determined. The method further includes transmitting the symbol and the at least one signal object parameter to the computer system as data of a recognized signal object, wherein the transmission of the at least one symbol of the recognized signal object class includes a transmission of a signal object class of a signal object including a predefined temporal sequence of other signal objects.

Abstract: A secure microcontroller for controlling devices in automobiles comprises a semiconductor substrate, memory elements, at least one internal bus, at least one 8/16/32/64-bit microcontroller core, one or more data interfaces and at least one quantum process-based generator for true random numbers. The memory elements, the data interface, the quantum process-based generator and the microcontroller core are connected to the internal bus. The quantum process-based generator generates and provides a random number at the request of the microcontroller core. The microcontroller core generates a key using a program from one or more of its memory elements and the random number. The microcontroller core uses a program from one or more of its memory elements and the key to encrypt and decrypt data which it exchanges with devices external to the secure microcontroller. The semiconductor substrate integrally comprises the sub-devices of the secure microcontroller mentioned herein.

Abstract: A device comprises a quantum random number generator, and further comprises following device parts: a first SPAD diode, a second SPAD diode, an optical fiber which optically couples the first SPAD diode and the second SPAD diode to one another, an amplifier and/or filter, an analog-to-digital converter, a comparator, a time-to-digital converter, and an entropy extraction device converting output values of the time-to-digital converter into first and second values and generates random bits therefrom.

Abstract: A sensor system includes a quantum dot including one or more paramagnetic centers. It comprises a control and evaluation device including a pump radiation source, a radiation receiver and which irradiates the quantum dot depending on a transmission signal. The quantum dot emits fluorescence radiation upon irradiation with the pump radiation, which depends on the magnetic flux density and/or on another physical parameter. The control and evaluation device generates an output signal including a measured value as a function of the fluorescence radiation. The control and evaluation device compensatingly readjusts the sensitivity of the quantum dot for the magnetic flux density and/or the other physical parameter by means of one or more compensation coils.

Abstract: A light module has a carrier with a circuit die. On the top side of the carrier, a light-emitting diode die and a charge store component are electrically connected to the conduction path terminal areas of a transistor by means of die-to-die bondings. The electrical connection between the two dies and the conduction path of the transistor is as short as possible. A terminal area is situated in each case on the top side of the two dies, which terminal areas are connected to one another using a first bonding wire. The charge store component is charged by means of a charging circuit which is electrically connected to the charge store component via a second bonding wire. The second bonding wire is longer than the first bonding wire. The light module may be part of a LIDAR apparatus.

Abstract: A gateway for connection to a host processor and multiple slaves, which are organized in a point-to-point (P2P) topology, is provided. The gateway has an independent channel for each of the slaves, and the gateway can receive multiple control signals, each including at least one control signal for a particular predetermined slave from the multiple slaves, from the host processor. The host processor determines whether the slaves for which the at least one control signal has been received are in an operational state; and to simultaneously output the control signals received from the host processor to the slaves for which the at least one control signal has been received only when all of the slaves for which the at least one control signal has been received are in the operational state.

Abstract: A method classifies an object on the basis of the height of the object based on an ultrasonic signal. The method comprises: receiving the reflected ultrasonic signal; determining a first total value in a first predefined range around a global maximum of the ultrasonic signal; determining a second total value in a second predefined range preceding the first predefined range; determining a third total value in a third predefined range following the first predefined range; determining a first difference value based on a weighted subtraction operation applied to the third total value and the first total value; determining a second difference value based on a weighted subtraction operation applied to the second total value and the first total value; and classifying the object based on the sign of the first difference value and the second difference value into one of at least two height categories.