Fraunhofer-gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forschung E.v.

Other

Johann Hauer

Stefan Moedl

Michael Reinhold

Josef Sauerer

Matthias Voelker

Harald Neubauer

Matthias Oberst

Marcus Hartmann

Rainer Rodenheber

Jens Egerer

Olivier Leman

Antonios Nikas

Matthias Völker

Stefan MÖDL

Joakim Bergs

A capacity measuring circuit includes a measuring voltage source configured to feed a sinusoidal voltage signal to a first terminal of a capacity to be measured so as to cause a temporal change in a charge stored on the capacity to be measured. The capacity measuring circuit additionally includes a delta-sigma modulator. The delta-sigma modulator is configured to receive a charge from a second terminal of the capacity to be measured and to provide a digital output signal which is dependent on a quantity of the charge received from the capacity to be measured. The capacity measuring circuit may be employed in a sensor system.

Capacity measuring circuit, sensor system and method for measuring a capacity using a sinusoidal voltage signal

A transmission device for two electric pulse measurement signals includes a first measurement signal input, a second measurement signal input, a differential measurement signal output and a signal converter. The first measurement signal input serves for receiving a first single-ended measurement signal, the second measurement signal input for receiving a second single-ended measurement signal, wherein the signal converter is implemented, when receiving a first one of the single-ended measurement signals, to convert either the first single-ended measurement signal or the second single-ended measurement signal into a combined differential measurement signal and provide the same at the differential measurement signal output. Here, the differential measurement signal includes a first differential portion which may be allocated to the first single-ended measurement signal and a second differential portion which may be allocated to the second single-ended measurement signal.

Transmission device and sensor system

A shift register has a first latch and a second latch and a first output circuit and a second output circuit. The first latch and the second latch are series-connected. The latches are implemented to take over a signal state applied to their data inputs in a transparent state and to maintain the taken-over signal state in a non-transparent operating state. Clock inputs of the latches are switched such that the second latch is in the transparent operating state when the first latch is in the non-transparent operating state and vice versa. The first output circuit is implemented to provide a predetermined level independent of the signal state existing in the first latch at a first shift register output of the shift register in the transparent operating state and to provide a level depending on the signal state stored in the first latch in the non-transparent operating state of the first latch. The second output circuit is implemented to provide a predetermined level independent of the signal state existing in the second latch at a second shift register output of the shift register in the transparent operating state of the second latch and to provide a level depending on the signal state stored in the second latch in the non-transparent operating state of the second latch.

Shift register and one-of-many shift register

A hybrid analog-to-digital converter includes a plurality of converting circuits. Each converting circuit is configured to provide a digital signal based on an analog input signal by performing a successive approximation conversion to obtain, as a result of the successive approximation conversion, a first number of bits of the digital signal, and by subsequently performing a slope conversion based on a common variable reference voltage to obtain a second number of bits of the digital signal, the second number of bits corresponding to a residual between the analog input signal and the result of the successive approximation conversion. The hybrid analog-to-digital converter further includes a common variable reference voltage provider configured to provide to each converting circuit of the plurality of converting circuits the common variable reference voltage.

Hybrid analog-to-digital converter, an image sensor and a method for providing a plurality of digital signals

The present invention is based on the finding that a capacitance can be measured precisely and efficiently when, in a delta-sigma modulator having an operational amplifier, a first capacitor connectable to an input of the operational amplifier, and a second capacitor in a feedback branch of the operational amplifier, a reference signal source is connectable to the first capacitor, wherein the first or second capacitor may represent a capacitance to be measured. Due to the fact that, in contrast to what is conventional, no input quantity is measured and digitalized at the input of the delta-sigma modulator, but instead a defined reference signal source is coupled at the input and a device of the delta-sigma modulator itself represents the measuring quantity, an extremely compact circuit is provided allowing capacitances to be measured quickly and reliably, the measuring result being additionally made available in a digital form.

Capacitance measuring circuit

A method for setting the trigger power of transmitter diodes that transmit data via optical paths allows the transmission power to be adjusted and adapted to the communication distance. The trigger power is determined for the present communication distance on the basis of a test signal before data transmission begins. A circuit arrangement implementing the method includes a driver circuit with a switching device that switches a circuit junction point selectively to a supply voltage or to a constant reference voltage, a voltage-controlled resistor which delivers the driver current and is controlled from the circuit junction point, and a voltage-controlled measuring resistor which delivers a measured current with a fixed relationship to the driver current and is controlled from the circuit junction point. Since the set trigger power can be reduced, the power consumption for data transmission can be reduced considerably.

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Erlangen, Germany

Johann Hauer