Patents by Inventor Steffen Walker

Steffen Walker 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: 11936498
    Abstract: A device and method for a serial bus system. The device has a transmit signal analysis module for counting edges of a transmit signal to be transmitted on a bus of the bus system; a receive signal analysis module for counting edges of a receive signal generated from a signal transmitted on the bus because of the transmit signal; and an evaluation module for evaluating the difference that results from a comparison of the edges counted by the transmit signal analysis module and the edges counted by the receive signal analysis module. If the signal propagation time on the bus is greater than the bit time of the receive signal, the evaluation module signals whether the amount of the difference is less than or equal to a predefined value or whether the amount of the difference is greater than the predefined value, the predefined value being greater than zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Florian Hartwich, Arthur Mutter, Steffen Walker
  • Patent number: 11909553
    Abstract: A frame screening unit for a user station of a serial bus system, a user station for a serial bus system, and a method for communicating in a serial bus system. The frame screening unit includes a screen block for generating a select signal that selects whether or not a communication control device of the user station is allowed to receive a reception signal that has been generated from a frame received serially at that time from the bus for a message, and a reception signal selection block for screening the reception signal, as a function of the select signal generated by the screen block, so that the reception signal is not transmitted to the communication control device of the user station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Arthur Mutter, Steffen Walker
  • Patent number: 11876641
    Abstract: A transceiver device for a user station of a serial bus system, a communication control device, and a method. The transceiver device includes a first terminal for receiving a transmission signal from a communication control device, a transmission module for transmitting the transmission signal onto a bus of the bus system, a reception module for receiving the signal from the bus, the reception module being designed to generate a digital reception signal from the signal received from the bus, a second terminal for sending the digital reception signal to the communication control device and for receiving an operating mode changeover signal from the communication control device, and a changeover feedback block for outputting feedback regarding a changeover of the operating mode that has taken place as a result of the operating mode changeover signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: ROBE IT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Steffen Walker, Arthur Mutter, Florian Hartwich
  • Patent number: 11848797
    Abstract: A communication control device for a user station for a serial bus system and a method for communicating in a serial bus system. The communication control device controls a communication of the user station with at least one other user station of the bus system, and to generate a transmission signal for transmission onto a bus of the bus system and/or to receive a signal from the bus. The communication control device is designed to generate the transmission signal according to a frame. The communication control device is designed to generate the transmission signal in such a way that in the transmission signal, the bit time of at least one bit is adapted as a function of an edge height that is to be provided between the at least one bit and the preceding bit in a signal in which the bit is to be transferred via the bus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Steffen Walker, Arthur Mutter, Simon Weissenmayer
  • Publication number: 20230401167
    Abstract: A transfer device for a differential bus system. The transfer device includes a first bus connection and a second bus connection for connection to a transfer medium of the differential bus system, a transmitting device that is connected and/or connectable to the first bus connection and the second bus connection, and an impedance adaptation circuit that is designed to influence an impedance at the first bus connection and/or at the second bus connection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2021
    Publication date: December 14, 2023
    Inventors: Sebastian Stegemann, Steffen Walker
  • Patent number: 11838146
    Abstract: A subscriber station for a serial bus system. The subscriber station has a communication control device for controlling a communication of the subscriber station with at least one other subscriber station of the bus system, a transmitting/receiving device for transmitting a transmission signal in a frame on a bus of the bus system, and a scheduling unit for scheduling a temporal access of the subscriber station to the bus in at least one time slot of a cycle of temporally consecutive time slots, at least one time slot being provided in a cycle for each subscriber station for transmitting its transmission signal and the cycle repeating cyclically. The scheduling unit is designed to determine an assignment that specifies which time slot of the cycle the transmitting/receiving device is allowed to use for transmitting the frame for the transmission signal on the bus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Arthur Mutter, Florian Hartwich, Steffen Walker
  • Patent number: 11838145
    Abstract: A communication control device for a subscriber station of a serial bus system. The communication control device has a communication control module for generating a transmitted signal for controlling a communication of the subscriber station with at least one other subscriber station of the bus system, in which bus system at least a first communication phase and a second communication phase are used for exchanging messages between subscriber stations of the bus system, a first terminal for transmitting, in an operating mode of the first communication phase, the transmitted signal to a transmitting/receiving device, a second terminal for receiving, in the operating mode of the first communication phase, a digital received signal from the transmitting/receiving device, and an operating mode switching module for switching the transmission direction of the first and the second terminal in the second communication phase to the same direction for differential signal transmission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Arthur Mutter, Florian Hartwich, Steffen Walker
  • Patent number: 11831465
    Abstract: An overlap detection unit for a user station of a serial bus system. The overlap detection unit includes a collision detection block for detecting bus states on a bus of the bus system, in which, in order to transmit a message, bus states of user stations of the bus system are generated on the bus with a first physical layer in a first communication phase, and are generated with a second physical layer in a second communication phase, the second physical layer being different from the first physical layer. The collision detection block generates a signal whose value indicates whether or not the bus states in the second communication phase have a level that corresponds to an overlap of the first and second physical layers or an overlap of two second physical layers, and the collision detection block is designed to output the signal for the user station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Arthur Mutter, Steffen Walker
  • Patent number: 11824577
    Abstract: A receive module. The receive module has a first voltage divider for adjusting a first receive threshold; a first comparator, connected to the first voltage divider, for evaluating differential signals received from a bus of the bus system using the first receive threshold; a second voltage divider for adjusting a second receive threshold or a third receive threshold; a second comparator, connected to the second voltage divider, for evaluating the differential signals using the second or third receive threshold adjusted by the second voltage divider; and a switching unit for the switchover between the second and third receive threshold as a function of an operating mode of the receive module, to which the receive module is to be switched for a first or second communications phase of a communication on the bus, the first and second voltage dividers being connected to the bus in each case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Steffen Walker, Arthur Mutter, Felix Lang
  • Patent number: 11750176
    Abstract: A reflection attenuation device for a bus of a bus system and a method for attenuating reflections during a data transfer in a bus system. The reflection attenuation device may close off a free end of bus lines of the bus in a transceiver device of a user station of the bus system. Alternatively, the reflection attenuation device may be connected to a branch point of the bus which is a star point or is used to connect a user station to the bus. Thus, bus users in a vehicle trailer are also connectable to the bus system of the vehicle, as needed. The reflection attenuation device includes at least one pair of electrical semiconductor components connected in parallel, and at least one capacitor that is connected in series to the pair of electrical semiconductor components connected in parallel, for attenuating reflections on a bus line of the bus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Andreas Mueller, Simon Weissenmayer, Steffen Walker
  • Patent number: 11736314
    Abstract: An emission reduction device for a CAN bus system. The device includes an evaluation block for evaluating signals that are transferred differentially on two bus lines, the evaluation block being designed to form the sum voltage of the differentially transferred signals, and a comparison block for comparing the sum voltage in such a way that the difference between the sum voltage for a dominant bus state and the sum voltage for a recessive bus state has a predetermined minimum value, the recessive bus state being overwritable by a dominant bus state. For the comparison, the comparison block is designed to modify at least one property of the transceiver device via a setting in a block of the transceiver device until the difference between the sum voltage for a dominant bus state and the sum voltage for a recessive bus state has the predetermined minimum value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Steffen Walker, Felix Lang, Markus Foehrenbach, Stefan Palm
  • Patent number: 11729020
    Abstract: A transmitting/receiving device for a bus system and a method for reducing an oscillation tendency in the case of coupled-in interferences, in particular, in the transition between different bus states. The transmitting/receiving device has a transmitting stage for transmitting a transmit signal to a first bus wire of a bus of the bus system, and for transmitting the transmit signal to a second bus wire of the bus, and an oscillation reduction module for damping an oscillation of a bus signal arising at terminals for the bus wires when the transmitting/receiving device acts as the transmitter of the transmit signal. The oscillation reduction module includes a first resistor, which is switchable between the first bus wire and a terminal for ground, and the oscillation reduction module including a second resistor, which is switchable between the second bus wire and a terminal for a voltage supply of the bus system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Axel Pannwitz, Steffen Walker
  • Patent number: 11704272
    Abstract: A method for operating a transfer device for a differential bus system, including a first bus connection and a second bus connection for connecting to a transfer medium of the differential bus system. The method includes: ascertaining a first variable that characterizes a voltage associated with a first bus line of the bus system, ascertaining a second variable that characterizes a voltage associated with a second bus line of the bus system, ascertaining a third variable that characterizes a sum of the first variable and the second variable for a first bus state, ascertaining a fourth variable that characterizes a sum of the first variable and the second variable for a second bus state, the second bus state being different from the first bus state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Felix Lang, Steffen Walker
  • Publication number: 20230223931
    Abstract: An attenuating device for a bus of a controller area network bus system based on differential voltage signals. The bus has first and second bus lines, having an attenuating circuit that provides a variable electrical resistance value between the first and second bus lines and that is operable in at least three circuit states. In a first circuit state, the first and second bus lines are connected via an attenuating resistor having a first resistance value. In a second circuit state, the first and second bus lines are connected via an attenuating resistor having a second resistance value. In a third circuit state, the first and second bus lines are connected via an attenuating resistor having a third resistance value. The first resistance value is lower than the second resistance value. The second resistance value is lower than the third resistance value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2021
    Publication date: July 13, 2023
    Inventors: Sebastian Stegemann, Steffen Walker
  • Patent number: 11677581
    Abstract: A subscriber station for a serial bus system and a method for communicating in a serial bus system. The subscriber station includes a communication control device for controlling a communication of the subscriber station with at least one other subscriber station of the bus system, a transmitting/receiving device for receiving a transmission signal generated by a communication control device of a subscriber station of the bus system in a frame from a bus of the bus system and for generating a reception signal from the received frame, and a connection quality block for detecting and evaluating a quality of a communication connection to a subscriber station of the bus system from the reception signal generated by the transmitting/receiving device by using at least two time quanta, into which the bit time of a bit of the generated reception signal is subdivided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Arthur Mutter, Florian Hartwich, Steffen Walker
  • Patent number: 11632265
    Abstract: A transceiver unit for a user station of a serial bus system. The transceiver unit has a first connection for receiving a transmit signal from a communication control unit, a transmitter for transmitting the transmit signal to a bus of the bus system, a receiver for receiving the signal from the bus, the receiver generating a digital receive signal from the signal received from the bus, a second connection for transmitting the digital receive signal to the communication control unit and for receiving an additional signal from the communication control unit, and an operating mode switching block for evaluating the receive signal output by the receiver and a signal received at the second connection by the communication control unit. The operating mode switching block switches the transmitter and/or the receiver into one of at least two different operating modes as a function of a result of the evaluation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Arthur Mutter, Florian Hartwich, Steffen Walker
  • Publication number: 20230111945
    Abstract: A communication control device for a subscriber station of a serial bus system. The communication control device has a communication control module for generating a transmitted signal for controlling a communication of the subscriber station with at least one other subscriber station of the bus system, in which bus system at least a first communication phase and a second communication phase are used for exchanging messages between subscriber stations of the bus system, a first terminal for transmitting, in an operating mode of the first communication phase, the transmitted signal to a transmitting/receiving device, a second terminal for receiving, in the operating mode of the first communication phase, a digital received signal from the transmitting/receiving device, and an operating mode switching module for switching the transmission direction of the first and the second terminal in the second communication phase to the same direction for differential signal transmission.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2021
    Publication date: April 13, 2023
    Inventors: Arthur Mutter, Florian Hartwich, Steffen Walker
  • Patent number: 11621868
    Abstract: A device for a serial bus system. The device includes a receiver for receiving a signal from a bus, in which for a message that is exchanged between user stations of the bus system, the bus states of a signal received from the bus in the first communication phase differ from bus states of the signal received in the second communication phase. The receiver generates a digital signal based on the received signal, and outputs the signal to a communication control device to evaluate the data. The receiver uses a first reception threshold and a second reception threshold in the second communication phase to generate the digital signal. The second reception threshold has a negative voltage value or has a voltage value that is greater than the largest voltage value that is driven by a user station of the bus system for a bus state in the second communication phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Florian Hartwich, Arthur Mutter, Steffen Walker
  • Publication number: 20230102989
    Abstract: A sensor and a sensor network. The sensor comprises a switchable RC low-pass filter, an evaluation unit, a synchronization unit, and a two-wire interface. The two-wire interface is configured to be connected to a control device to receive an electrical supply voltage, provided by the control device, for supplying the sensor with electrical energy, to receive sync pulses superimposed on the supply voltage for synchronizing a data transmission from the control device, and to transmit data to the control device. The RC low-pass filter generates a reference signal by low-pass filtering an input signal, and to have a first time constant in a first mode and a second time constant in a second mode, wherein the second time constant is shorter than the first time constant. The evaluation unit stabilizes the reference signal by alternately switching the RC low-pass filter into the first mode and into the second mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2021
    Publication date: March 30, 2023
    Applicant: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Steffen Walker, Ricardo Erckert
  • Patent number: 11601301
    Abstract: A transceiver device for a bus system and a method for reducing conducted emissions. The transceiver device has a transmitting stage for transmitting a transmit signal to a first bus wire of a bus of the bus system, in which bus system an exclusive, collision-free access of a user station to the bus of the bus system is at least temporarily ensured, and for transmitting the transmit signal to a second bus wire of the bus, a receiving stage for receiving the bus signal transmitted on the bus wires, and an emission reduction unit for controlling a switch-on path of a first stand-off device in the transmitting stage as a function of whether or not a dominant stage of the transmit signal occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Sebastian Stegemann, Steffen Walker