Patents by Inventor Eric Pihet

Eric Pihet 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).

  • Patent number: 7178070
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for monitoring a microcontroller having at least one normal operating state and one state with a reduced power consumption and to a circuit configuration for carrying out the method. The method enables the functionality of the microcontroller to be monitored even in the state with the reduced power consumption. The method includes steps of: during the normal operating state, receiving a status signal having pulses from the microcontroller and resetting the microcontroller if the pulses are not received within a predefined time pattern; and during the state with the reduced power consumption, transmitting a wakeup signal having a sequence of pulses to the microcontroller, and resetting the microcontroller if there is no confirmation by the microcontroller within a predefined time interval after a pulse of the wakeup signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2007
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Eric Pihet, Josef Gerner
  • Patent number: 7053592
    Abstract: A circuit configuration provides an output voltage from an input voltage. The circuit configuration has a voltage regulator with an input terminal for receiving an input voltage, an output terminal for providing an output voltage, and drive input for receiving a drive signal. A drive circuit is coupled to the drive input and switches the voltage regulator on and off in a clocked manner according to a state signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2006
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Eric Pihet, Josef Gerner
  • Patent number: 6948847
    Abstract: A temperature sensor for a MOS circuit configuration is implemented as the gate of a MOS transistor and configured as a two-terminal network with a gate input and a gate output. By measuring the voltage drop across gate it is possible to determine the temperature at its location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2005
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Eric Pihet, Michael Glavanovics, Thomas Krotscheck, Rudolf Zelsacher
  • Patent number: 6922073
    Abstract: A circuit configuration for signal balancing in antiphase bus drivers, particularly for a CAN bus, which have, in each driver path of the bus, a driver amplifier unit and an output stage, driven by the latter, having a power transistor circuit for transmitting an antiphase signal using a two-wire line. A control circuit is connected to one of the driver paths and controls the turn-on resistance of the power transistor circuit in this driver path such that the power transistor circuits in the two driver paths have the same turn-on resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2005
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Ordwin Haase, Eric Pihet
  • Publication number: 20040158781
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for checking for line faults in a bus system (1) which has at least two bus subscribers (2-5) which are connected for the purpose of data communication with one another to a data bus (6) which has at least two bus lines (7, 8), with the bus subscribers (2-5) being able to assume a recessive state and a dominant state, and with an internal high potential (VCC, VCC2) and an internal low potential (GND, GND2) being available in the bus subscribers,
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2003
    Publication date: August 12, 2004
    Inventor: Eric Pihet
  • Publication number: 20040124905
    Abstract: A circuit configuration for signal balancing in antiphase bus drivers, particularly for a CAN bus, which have, in each driver path of the bus, a driver amplifier unit and an output stage, driven by the latter, having a power transistor circuit for transmitting an antiphase signal using a two-wire line. A control circuit is connected to one of the driver paths and controls the turn-on resistance of the power transistor circuit in this driver path such that the power transistor circuits in the two driver paths have the same turn-on resistance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2003
    Publication date: July 1, 2004
    Inventors: Ordwin Haase, Eric Pihet
  • Publication number: 20040004469
    Abstract: A circuit configuration provides an output voltage from an input voltage. The circuit configuration has a voltage regulator with an input terminal for receiving an input voltage, an output terminal for providing an output voltage, and drive input for receiving a drive signal. A drive circuit is coupled to the drive input and switches the voltage regulator on and off in a clocked manner according to a state signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2003
    Publication date: January 8, 2004
    Inventors: Eric Pihet, Josef Gerner
  • Publication number: 20030233156
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for monitoring a microcontroller having at least one normal operating state and one state with a reduced power consumption and to a circuit configuration for carrying out the method. The method enables the functionality of the microcontroller to be monitored even in the state with the reduced power consumption. The method includes steps of: during the normal operating state, receiving a status signal having pulses from the microcontroller and resetting the microcontroller if the pulses are not received within a predefined time pattern; and during the state with the reduced power consumption, transmitting a wakeup signal having a sequence of pulses to the microcontroller, and resetting the microcontroller if there is no confirmation by the microcontroller within a predefined time interval after a pulse of the wakeup signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2003
    Publication date: December 18, 2003
    Inventors: Eric Pihet, Josef Gerner
  • Publication number: 20030210507
    Abstract: A temperature sensor for a MOS circuit configuration is implemented as the gate of a MOS transistor and configured as a two-terminal network with a gate input and a gate output. By measuring the voltage drop across gate it is possible to determine the temperature at its location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2003
    Publication date: November 13, 2003
    Inventors: Eric Pihet, Michael Glavanovics, Thomas Krotscheck, Rudolf Zelsacher