Abstract: A method supplies a lighting device with electrical energy, wherein the lighting device includes at least two integrated circuits with at least one LED group by a current source associated with this LED group. The method includes generating a supply voltage by a voltage regulator, adjusting a LED group current passing the LED groups by one of the respective current sources , detecting the voltage drops across the current sources, selecting one voltage drop of each integrated circuit as a characteristic voltage drop, generating a control value of the respective integrated circuit, according to the characteristic voltage drop, reducing the control voltage when the control voltage is greater than a control value of the respective integrated circuit, and controlling the output voltage in accordance with the control voltage and/or in accordance with a control bus voltage derived from the control voltage.

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 for controlling an electric motor including a mechanical commutator, includes determining points in time at which commutation takes place by a sensor or without a sensor. The method further includes controlling the electric motor by a supply voltage signal having a sequence of pulses. The method further includes modulating the supply voltage signal by a modulation signal to reduce the magnitude of the supply voltage signal at the commutation points in time.

Abstract: A lidar receiver circuit for receiving optical signals using photodetectors to detect events or objects in the surrounding area, with a redundancy of receiver circuits for reducing failure probability, including a photodetector array for receiving optical signals and outputting a measurement signal, wherein the photodetectors are arranged as a two-dimensional matrix, a plurality of receiver circuits for receiving the measurement signal; a plurality of multiplexers, which are electrically arranged between the array and circuits and are connected thereto; wherein at least one of the multiplexers is connected to a column of photodetectors and at least two receiver circuits; each circuit is configured to receive and process the measurement signals of a column; a column of photodetectors is assigned to each receiver circuit by default; and the multiplexers connect a column to a receiver circuit other than the receiver circuit, which is assigned to the column of photodetectors by default.

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: The disclosure relates to a method and an associated device for detecting uneven surfaces in vehicle environments. The method comprises emitting a first ultrasonic pulse or first ultrasonic burst and emitting a second ultrasonic pulse or second ultrasonic burst, and receiving a first reflection signal of the first ultrasonic pulse or a first reflection signal of the first ultrasonic burst and receiving a second reflection signal of the second ultrasonic pulse or a second reflection signal of the second ultrasonic burst. In the further course of the method, a comparison is made of the first reflection signal with the second reflection signal, and the presence of a surface unevenness in the vehicle's environment, or the presence of a surface curvature in the vehicle's environment, is determined.

Abstract: A timing generator as master clock for an electronic circuit includes a coarse code and a plurality of fine codes, has a ring oscillator with an uneven number n of delay elements, each of which has a delay output at which clock signal is present; clock dividers which are connected to the delay outputs and at whose output a clock divider output signal is output; start circuit for generating initialization signal to trigger clock dividers, and clock generator that further processes clock signal and generates a coarse code, and an output at which generated timestamp is output, wherein the fine codes of timestamp are formed from clock divider output signals of the clock dividers, and the coarse code and the fine codes contain redundant information that a time shift of the fine codes relative to the coarse code by at most (n?1)/2 time differences results in a correct timestamp.

Abstract: A timing generator as master clock for an electronic circuit includes a coarse code and a plurality of fine codes, has a ring oscillator with an uneven number n of delay elements, each of which has a delay output at which clock signal is present; clock dividers which are connected to the delay outputs and at whose output a clock divider output signal is output; start circuit for generating initialization signal to trigger clock dividers, and clock generator that further processes clock signal and generates a coarse code, and an output at which generated timestamp is output, wherein the fine codes of timestamp are formed from clock divider output signals of the clock dividers, and the coarse code and the fine codes contain redundant information that a time shift of the fine codes relative to the coarse code by at most (n?1)/2 time differences results in a correct timestamp.

Abstract: A control device includes a data bus interface, which can be a CAN bus data bus interface, a computer core (microcontroller) and a number nLED of a plurality of driver circuits, wherein nLED is a positive integer greater than 1. Each driver circuit is designed to be able to supply at least one lamp group with electrical power. The nLED driver circuits are thus designed to be able to supply at least nLED lamp groups with electrical power. Each lamp group comprises one or more lamps, which can comprise one or more light-emitting diodes. The data bus interface and the computer core (microcontroller) and the nLED driver circuits are accommodated on a common semiconductor substrate.

Abstract: A device includes a voltage regulator, circuits, and a current bus. Each of the circuits includes at least one LED driver. The voltage regulator supplies electrical energy to a plurality of LED groups. Each of the circuits includes a voltage measuring circuit for detecting voltage drops across the LED drivers. The LED drivers set the currents through the LED groups. Each of the circuits includes a local controller. The local controller withdraws a current from the control bus in dependence on the detected voltage drops of the LED drivers included in the circuit. A bias current source injects a bias current into the control bus. The control bus sums the currents in the current bus. The output of the regulator is controlled based on the summed current.

Abstract: A scalar magnetometer includes a sensor element, a circuit carrier, a pump radiation source, a radiation receiver and evaluation means. The pump radiation source emits pump radiation. The sensor element preferably includes one or more NV centers in diamond as paramagnetic centers. This paramagnetic center emits fluorescence radiation when irradiated with pump radiation. The radiation receiver converts a intensity signal of the fluorescence radiation into a receiver output signal. The evaluation means detects and/or stores and/or transmits the value of the receiver output signal. The material of the circuit carrier is preferably transparent for the pump radiation in the radiation path between pump radiation source and sensor element and transparent for the fluorescence radiation in the radiation path between sensor element and radiation receiver. The components sensor element, pump radiation source, radiation receiver and evaluation means are preferably mechanically attached to the circuit carrier .

Abstract: An ultrasonic measuring device includes an ultrasonic transducer without voltage converter having two transducer terminals to which an alternately reversible control voltage can be applied for emitting an ultrasonic burst signal in a control phase and to which an evaluation voltage is applied in a reception phase. The ultrasonic transducer decays in a decay phase between the control phase and the reception phase. A control unit generates the control voltage. The control unit comprises a full bridge circuit with two half bridge circuits, each comprising two semiconductor driving switches, which are connected to the two terminals of the ultrasonic transducer. An evaluation unit is provided with two input terminals, each of which is connected to the terminals of the ultrasonic transducer via a connection line. Voltage limiting elements in the two terminal lines limit the voltage applied to the input terminals of the amplifier.

Abstract: A method and a device examine an environment of a vehicle by analyzing echo signals generated by reflection of transmitted ultrasonic signals at an object. Two different ultrasonic burst signals are transmitted in a same direction and into a same area of the environment. Timely offset echo signals are created at an object by reflection of the two ultrasonic burst signals. The two echo signals are evaluated to determine different parameters of an object. The distance of the object is calculated based on the echo signal of the ultrasonic burst signal with the lower number of ultrasonic pulses. Based on the echo signal of the ultrasonic burst signal with the higher number of ultrasonic pulses, the velocity can be calculated at which the vehicle and the object move relative to each other in the direction of transmission of both ultrasonic burst signals or opposite thereto.

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 transmitting the symbol and the at least one signal object parameter to the computer system as data of a recognized signal object. One of the forms in the signal object belonging to the signal object class includes a peak, and one of the transmitted signal object parameters is an amplitude of the peak.

Abstract: A device and a method evaluate signals from one or more Wheatstone bridges. The requirements of ISO 26262 are taken into account by mixing a test signal with the measurement signal before amplification and before analog-to-digital conversion. After amplification and analog-to-digital conversion, the measurement signal and the test signal are unmixed again. If the test signal does not meet the expectation, the amplifier and/or the analog-to-digital converter is determined to be faulty.

Abstract: A control signal for controlling a light emitting device is PWM modulated in time, the PWM modulation comprising PWM pulses and PWM periods. The PWM pulse instantaneous frequency of a PWM pulse is the reciprocal of the instantaneous PWM period of the PWM pulse. The PWM pulse instantaneous frequency depends on the PWM duty cycle of the PWM pulses of the control signal. The PWM pulse instantaneous frequency of the PWM pulses is a first PWM pulse instantaneous frequency at a first PWM duty cycle of the control signal, and is a second PWM pulse instantaneous frequency at a second PWM duty cycle of the control signal. In an operating condition, the first PWM duty cycle is less than the second PWM duty cycle and the first PWM pulse instantaneous frequency is less than the second PWM pulse instantaneous frequency.

Abstract: A device comprises a voltage regulator, circuits, a voltage-to-current converter, a control bus, a resistor and a resistor network. Each of the circuits has at least one LED connector and one LED driver. Each of the circuits has a measuring circuit for detecting voltage differences between the potentials of LED terminals and a reference potential. Further, each of the circuits includes a local controller. The local controller withdraws a current from the control bus in dependence on the detected voltage differences. Bias current sources inject bias currents into the control bus in form of a sum current of the injected bias currents. The resistor performs a current-to-voltage conversion of the sum current to a control voltage. The voltage-to-current converter converts the control voltage into a current. The resistor network converts the current into a voltage value. An output voltage of the voltage regulator depends on the voltage value.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for transmitting data via a vehicle data bus from an ultrasonic system, which comprises at least one ultrasonic transmitter and an ultrasonic receiver, to a data processing device, wherein predetermined signal profile characteristics are extracted from the echo signal received by the at least one ultrasonic receiver of the ultrasonic system. Echo signal data, which represent signal profile characteristics extracted from the echo signal, is created. Said echo signal data is transmitted from the ultrasonic system via the vehicle data bus to the data processing device.

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 fields 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 field is situated in each case on the top side of the two dies, which terminal fields 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.