Patents by Inventor Axel Pannwitz
Axel Pannwitz has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Publication number: 20080211546Abstract: An integrated driver circuit is provided for a LIN bus comprises a first input terminal, a second input terminal, and an output terminal, which is to be connected to a bus line of the LIN bus and at which an output data signal, dependent on an input data signal, is output, whereby the output data signal is output according to a first or according to at least one second LIN bus specification depending on whether the input data signal is applied at the first input terminal or the at least second input terminal.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 29, 2007Publication date: September 4, 2008Inventor: Axel Pannwitz
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Publication number: 20080211114Abstract: A semiconductor component is provided, particularly for LIN bus systems, having an integrated circuit, which on a top side has a plurality of terminal pads for coupling and/or decoupling of electrical signals, and having a plurality of electrically conductive contact reeds, which are electrically connected at least partially by connecting bonding wires to the respectively assigned terminal pads of the integrated circuit. Also, a connecting bonding wire and a shielding bonding wire is provided, which is disposed with both ends on a uniform electric potential, particularly on one of the contact reeds.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 14, 2007Publication date: September 4, 2008Inventors: Fred Liebermann, Axel Pannwitz
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Publication number: 20080205498Abstract: A method is provided for edge formation of signals and transmitter/receiver component for a bus system. A transmitter/receiver component for a bus system comprises a driver transistor, which is to be looped between a bus line of the bus system and a reference potential and is used to output signals on the bus line, a control unit for the driver transistor, a high-frequency interference detector, which is configured in such a way that it detects a high-frequency interference level on the bus line of the bus system, whereby the control unit is configured in such a way that it controls the driver transistor, depending on the detected high-frequency interference level, in such a way that an edge steepness of the output signals increases when the high-frequency interference level on the bus line increases, and an edge steepness of the output signals decreases when the high-frequency interference level on the bus line decreases.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 4, 2007Publication date: August 28, 2008Inventors: Fred Liebermann, Axel Pannwitz
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Publication number: 20080197912Abstract: A circuit arrangement for generating a temperature-compensated voltage or current reference value (UREF) from a supply voltage (VCC) based on the bandgap principle comprises a PTAT circuit (201) for generating a PTAT signal (I1) proportional to the absolute temperature, a CTAT circuit (202) for generating a CTAT signal (UBE) inversely proportional to the absolute temperature, whereby for generating the temperature-compensated reference value (UREF), the PTAT signal (UBE) and the CTAT signal (I1) are superimposed, and a reference value monitoring circuit (203a, 203b, 203), which generates a reference value monitoring signal (UREF_OK) that indicates whether the reference value (UREF) is validly generated or not. The reference value monitoring circuit (203) is formed in such a way that it evaluates a current (I2) and/or a voltage in the CTAT circuit (202) and/or in the PTAT circuit (201) for generating the reference value monitoring signal (UREF_OK).Type: ApplicationFiled: December 17, 2007Publication date: August 21, 2008Applicant: Atmel Germany GmbHInventor: Axel Pannwitz
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Publication number: 20080015713Abstract: A circuit arrangement is provided for controlling at least one actuator in a motor vehicle, comprising a microcontroller, a watchdog circuit with an active operating mode for monitoring the functionality of the microcontroller and a reduced activity operating mode, and with at least one microcontroller-controlled peripheral unit with a first operating mode for controlling at least one actuator. According to the invention, the peripheral unit has a second operating mode and is designed to change the actuator to a safe mode and/or to keep it in this mode when the peripheral unit is in the second operating mode, and the circuit arrangement is designed to operate the peripheral unit in the second operating mode at least whenever the watchdog circuit is in the reduced activity operating mode. The invention relates furthermore to a corresponding method for controlling at least one actuator in a motor vehicle.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 27, 2007Publication date: January 17, 2008Inventor: Axel Pannwitz
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Patent number: 7030677Abstract: A method and circuits to improve the stability of low dropout voltage regulators having an adaptive biased driving stage. Said improvement of stabilization is valid through the total range of output current possible. A serial impedance is added to the gate capacitance of the PMOS pass device of said LDO. Said serial impedance could be a resistor or a transistor. In case of low load currents said impedance is not dominating, for high load currents said impedance keeps the gate pole close to the resonance frequency of the output tank. In case of medium load currents, wherein the inner resistance of the driving stage is about equal to said serial impedance, the gate pole could get too low. This problem is solved by reducing said serial impedance by shunting. Said shunting can be performed stepwise depending on the size of the load current.Type: GrantFiled: November 12, 2003Date of Patent: April 18, 2006Assignee: Dialog Semiconductor GmbHInventor: Axel Pannwitz
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Publication number: 20050040799Abstract: A method and circuits to improve the stability of low dropout voltage regulators having an adaptive biased driving stage. Said improvement of stabilization is valid through the total range of output current possible. A serial impedance is added to the gate capacitance of the PMOS pass device of said LDO. Said serial impedance could be a resistor or a transistor. In case of low load currents said impedance is not dominating, for high load currents said impedance keeps the gate pole close to the resonance frequency of the output tank. In case of medium load currents, wherein the inner resistance of the driving stage is about equal to said serial impedance, the gate pole could get too low. This problem is solved by reducing said serial impedance by shunting. Said shunting can be performed stepwise depending on the size of the load current.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 12, 2003Publication date: February 24, 2005Inventor: Axel Pannwitz
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Patent number: 6856124Abstract: A method and a circuit to achieve a low drop-out voltage regulator with a wide output load range has been achieved. A fast loop is introduced in the circuit. The circuit is internally compensated and uses a capacitor to ensure that the internal pole is more dominant than the output pole as in standard Miller compensation. The quiescent current is set being proportional to the output load current. No explicit low power drive stage is required. The whole output range is covered by one output drive stage. By that means the total consumption of quiescent or wasted current is reduced. An excellent PSRR is achieved due to load dependent bias current.Type: GrantFiled: July 9, 2002Date of Patent: February 15, 2005Assignee: Dialog Semiconductor GmbHInventors: David Dearn, John Stuart Malcolm, Axel Pannwitz
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Patent number: 6804098Abstract: The invention refers to a charge/discharge protection circuit for a rechargeable battery being able to differentiate between a temporary overvoltage on the charge/discharge terminals and a permanent overvoltage and in the last case for security reasons to permanently disconnect the battery from the charge/discharge terminals. Hereby said protection circuit comprises a number of partial switches (15[1:]), being either parallel to a load switch (LS) or parallel to the charge terminals, and an overvoltage detector (10) which closes in case of an overvoltage all partial switches via a control logic (11, 12, 13, 17, 18) and which afterwards opens one partial switch after the other. A voltage detector (16), monitoring the remaining voltage over the partial switches, inhibits, however, the opening of at that time next partial switch if the remaining voltage over the still closed partial switches is higher than a predefined limit of said remaining voltage.Type: GrantFiled: January 17, 2003Date of Patent: October 12, 2004Assignee: Dialog Semiconductor GmbHInventor: Axel Pannwitz
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Patent number: 6791809Abstract: A charge/discharge protection circuit with n parallel load current switches and a control logic for the latter, which in an over-voltage event disconnects the battery from the charge/discharge terminals through sequentially controlled melting of integrated fusible links, where the control logic in an over-voltage event, simultaneously closes all load current switches, then following sequentially opens a first number of the load current switches, and at the same time closes the switch segments of a short-circuit switch array associated with the respective load current switch, so that the associated fusible links melt sequentially. After the opening of this first number of load current switches the latter closes again and at the same time the remaining number of still closed load current switches opens, as well as continues to sequentially close the remaining switch segments.Type: GrantFiled: November 26, 2002Date of Patent: September 14, 2004Assignee: Dialog Semiconductor GmbHInventor: Axel Pannwitz
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Patent number: 6710992Abstract: The invention refers to a charge/discharge protection circuit for a rechargeable battery which is protected by a fusible link, where the rechargeable battery comprises a control logic which opens or closes a load switch depending on the magnitude of the battery voltage, the voltage on the charge/discharge terminals of the protection circuit and the charge/discharge current. The protection circuit is designed so that the electric strength needs to match only the actual maximum battery voltage, thus requiring little real estate on an IC chip and also allowing most components to be integrated.Type: GrantFiled: January 24, 2002Date of Patent: March 23, 2004Assignee: Dialog Semiconductor GmbHInventors: Axel Pannwitz, Hans Martin von Staudt, Achim Stellberger
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Publication number: 20040021440Abstract: The invention refers to a charge/discharge protection circuit for a rechargeable battery being able to differentiate between a temporary overvoltage on the charge/discharge terminals and a permanent overvoltage and in the last case for security reasons to permanently disconnect the battery from the charge/discharge terminals. Hereby said protection circuit comprises a number of partial switches (15[1:]), being either parallel to a load switch (LS) or parallel to the charge terminals, and an overvoltage detector (10) which closes in case of an overvoltage all partial switches via a control logic (11, 12, 13, 17, 18) and which afterwards opens one partial switch after the other. A voltage detector (16), monitoring the remaining voltage over the partial switches, inhibits, however, the opening of at that time next partial switch if the remaining voltage over the still closed partial switches is higher than a predefined limit of said remaining voltage.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 17, 2003Publication date: February 5, 2004Applicant: Dialog Semiconductor GmbH.Inventor: Axel Pannwitz
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Patent number: 6687103Abstract: The invention refers to a charge/discharge protection circuit for a rechargeable battery, where the protection circuit is integrated on a single chip, including the fusible link, the load current switch and the short-circuit switch. This is achieved by dividing the functions of the fusible link, the load current switch, and the short-circuit switch into in parallel arranged T-sections, each of which is designed for only a fraction of the nominal load so that each of the easily integrated fuse segments carry only the respective fraction of the nominal current. It is important that the entire protection circuit or its control logic will not be destroyed before through an unduly high over-voltage, in which case the sequential melting of the fuse segments would no longer be guaranteed. This is handled by a semiconductor switch which short-circuits the over-voltage immediately.Type: GrantFiled: August 2, 2002Date of Patent: February 3, 2004Assignee: Dialog Semiconductor GmbHInventor: Axel Pannwitz
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Publication number: 20040004468Abstract: A method and a circuit to achieve a low drop-out voltage regulator with a wide output load range has been achieved. A fast loop is introduced in the circuit. The circuit is internally compensated and uses a capacitor to ensure that the internal pole is more dominant than the output pole as in standard Miller compensation. The quiescent current is set being proportional to the output load current. No explicit low power drive stage is required. The whole output range is covered by one output drive stage. By that means the total consumption of quiescent or wasted current is reduced. An excellent PSRR is achieved due to load dependent bias current.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 9, 2002Publication date: January 8, 2004Applicant: Dialog Semiconductor GmbHInventors: David Dearn, John Stuart Malcolm, Axel Pannwitz
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Publication number: 20030099075Abstract: A charge/discharge protection circuit with n parallel load current switches and a control logic for the latter, which in an over-voltage event disconnects the battery from the charge/discharge terminals through sequentially controlled melting of integrated fusible links, can be placed on a smaller and therefore more economical chip, if the control logic (6) in an over-voltage event, simultaneously closes all load current switches (10 [1:n]), then following sequentially opens a first number of the load current switches, and at the same time closes the switch segment (12 [1:(m−1)]) of a short-circuit switch array associated with the respective load current switch, so that the former associated fusible links (11 [1:(m−1)]) melt sequentially; after the opening of this first number of load current switches the latter closes again and at the same time the remaining number (10 [m:n]) of still closed load current switches opens, as well as continues to sequentiallyType: ApplicationFiled: November 26, 2002Publication date: May 29, 2003Applicant: Dialog Semiconductor GmbHInventor: Axel Pannwitz
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Publication number: 20030025480Abstract: The invention refers to a charge/discharge protection circuit for a rechargeable battery, where the protection circuit is integrated on a single chip, including the fusible link, the load current switch and the short-circuit switch. This is achieved by dividing the functions of the fusible link, the load current switch, and the short-circuit switch into in parallel arranged T-sections, each of which is designed for only a fraction of the nominal load so that each of the easily integrated fuse segments carry only the respective fraction of the nominal current. It is important that the entire protection circuit or its control logic will not be destroyed before through an unduly high over-voltage, in which case the sequential melting of the fuse segments would no longer be guaranteed. This is handled by a semiconductor switch which short-circuits the over-voltage immediately.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 2, 2002Publication date: February 6, 2003Applicant: Dialog Semiconductor GmbH.Inventor: Axel Pannwitz
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Publication number: 20020097543Abstract: The invention refers to a charge/discharge protection circuit for a rechargeable battery which is protected by a fusible link, where the rechargeable battery comprises a control logic which opens or closes a load switch depending on the magnitude of the battery voltage, the voltage on the charge/discharge terminals of the protection circuit and the charge/discharge current. The protection circuit is designed so that the electric strength needs to match only the actual maximum battery voltage, thus requiring little real estate on an IC chip and also allowing most components to be integrated.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 24, 2002Publication date: July 25, 2002Applicant: Dialog Semiconductor GmbHInventors: Axel Pannwitz, Hans Martin Von Staudt, Achim Stellberger