Continental Teves, Ag and Company Ohg

Continental Automotive Technologies Gmbh

Micha Heinz

Frank Michel

Wolfgang Fey

Peter Oehler

Axel Schmitz

Mario Engelmann

Adrian Traskov

Ling Chen

Michael Zydek

Michael Kutzner

Andreas Kirschbaum

Jan Truoel

Wolfgang Joeckel

Luc Van Dijk

Michael Zydeck

A method is provided for evaluating wheel sensor signals of a wheel speed sensor where the wheel speed sensor supplies signals that are transmitted using two different protocols. Each protocol comprises a start pulse and a number of data pulses. A first processor unit receives the signals from the sensor and uses the start pulse to determine whether they were transmitted using the first protocol or the second protocol. Depending on the result, the first processor unit signals without a time delay whether a start pulse has been received via an ASO interface of a second processor unit, wherein a variable pulse width is used to indicate whether the start pulse belongs to a data packet that is transmitted with the first protocol or with the second protocol. The second processor provides each incoming ASO signal with a time stamp, so that the speed can be determined.

Method for evaluating wheel sensor signals, assembly for said method, and brake system comprising said assembly

Method and electronic device for the pulse-modulated actuation of a load in a vehicle, a period duration (T) of a frequency (f) of the pulse modulation being able to be divided into an integer number (N) of sections (T), the duration of each of which corresponds to a multiple of a period duration (T) of a clock signal, and the method having the steps of: calculating a frequency (f, f) or period duration (T, T) of a period of the pulse modulation on the basis of underlying frequency modulation, and determining the duration of a respective section (T) of a period duration (T) of the pulse modulation using the calculated frequency (f, f) or period duration (T, T) of a period of the pulse modulation.

Method and electronic device for the pulse-modulated actuation of a load

A method for determining a position of a hydraulic pump includes determining the position and/or change of position of the hydraulic pump based on a current and/or voltage measurement signal as well as a frequency of the measurement signal. The method also includes utilizing the determined position and/or changing of position of the hydraulic pump for actuating the electrical machine.

Method for determining a position and/or change in position of a hydraulic pump of a motor vehicle brake system and motor vehicle brake system

A method for limiting peak currents, particularly depending on a charge quantity provided by a voltage source, and the maximum pitch of the current flanks of an electric motor for an electrohydraulic motor vehicle brake system, particularly a pump motor, controlled by pulse width modulation, wherein a change to an actual duty cycle of the PWM is made by a first duty cycle of the PWM on a second duty cycle at runtime, wherein the change takes place according to a positive or negative pitch value calculated and/or changeable at runtime. The invention further describes an electronic circuit arrangement for the implementation of a method for limiting peak currents and the maximum pitch of current flanks.

Method and circuit arrangement for limiting peak currents and the slope of the current edges

Method in which the current is measured inside an integrated PWM control circuit using at least one A/D converter which is likewise integrated in the circuit is described. The PWM controller is provided for the purpose of driving inductive loads and is arranged, in particular, in an electronic circuit of an electronic controller for a motor vehicle braking system. Before determining the actual current of the PWM controller, which is determined using the at least one A/D converter, the current is smoothed using a low-pass filter. A circuit arrangement for carrying out the above method and its use in electronic motor vehicle control systems is also described herein.

Method and pulse-width-modulated current control circuit for driving inductive loads in motor vehicles

The invention relates to an electronic motor vehicle control system having at least one valve actuating circuit which controls a load current by means of pulse width modulation. The actuating circuit has at least one electronic current measuring circuit which has at least one measurement path with at least one analog/digital converter. The analog/digital converts an analog measurement signal of the load current into a digital measurement signal of the load current and is actuated or designed in such a way as to carry out a plurality of current measurements per PWM period. The at least one measurement path of the current measurement circuit has a signal conservation circuit which provides the analog measurement signal of the load current substantially unchanged, and independent of the actual load current, for at least a defined hold time (t, t).

Electronic motor vehicle control system with current measuring circuit

Disclosed is a method of improving the immunity to interference of an integrated circuit () having error signals transferred between a microprocessor chip or multiple processor &#x3bc;C () and an additional component (). For the transfer, a minimum pulse length that is independent of the clock frequency of the microprocessor or the microprocessors is defined, starting from which a signal on an error line having a defined pulse length is interpreted as an error. Also disclosed is an integrated circuit, which is designed so that the above method is implemented. The circuit has a microprocessor chip or multiple processor microcontroller () or microprocessor module and an additional component () having separately arranged power elements. The circuit also has pulse extending devices and/or signal delaying devices for the output of error pulses (') one after the other through at least one error line ().

Method and integrated circuit for increasing the immunity to interference

An integrated circuit arrangement on a common chip or chip support, for safety critical applications, in particular for use in control and regulation units for a motor vehicle braking system, including at least one microprocessor system module, which has at least one core processor, provided with at least one ROM and at least one RAM, at least one power module for controlling external users and at least one monitoring module for monitoring at least parts and/or part systems of the circuit arrangement, the circuit arrangement including at least one temperature sensor for recording a chip temperature.

Integrated circuit arrangement for safety critical regulation systems

An electronic controller for motor vehicle control systems having at least one valve actuation circuit is described herein. The electronic controller uses pulse width modulation to control the load current (i) flowing through an essentially inductive load (L), and has at least one electronic current measuring circuit which has at least one analog/digital converter which converts an analog measurement signal for the load current (i) into a digital measurement signal for the load current (i). The at least one analog/digital converter is a sigma-delta modulator. A method for measuring current using sigma-delta modulation and to the use of the electronic controller in a motor vehicle brake system is also described herein.

Method and electronic regulator with a current measuring circuit for measuring the current by sense-FET and sigma-delta modulation

A device with at least two sensors, especially tire sidewall torsion (SWT) sensors for a motor vehicle control system, wherein the sensors are mounted at varying distances from the tire rotational axis on the chassis or wheel suspension in a stationary manner and wherein the sensors interact with at least one encoder mounted on or in the tire wall or with at least one conventional encoder mounted on or in the tire wall and exhibiting poles. The output signals or output information of the sensors are transmitted to the motor vehicle control system after having been evaluated. In order to provide preprocessed or conditioned data records to the signal processing (DSP&equals;digital signal processor), so that the signal processing software needs to carry out fewer calculating operations to correct the errors in the raw data and determine the tire or wheel forces on the basis of the conditioned data, at least one analog and one digital signal conditioning or processing unit is provided between the motor vehicle control system and the sensors.

System for detecting forces exerted onto a tire

The present invention relates to a circuit arrangement to monitor a regulated output voltage in an automotive vehicle, wherein the regulated output voltage is monitored as to whether defined threshold values have been exceeded and/or have fallen short of, wherein the circuit element for regulating the output voltage and the circuit element to monitor whether threshold values have been exceeded or have fallen short of are integrated in one chip, wherein the adjustment of the output voltage is effected by way of a first reference voltage, and wherein monitoring of the threshold values as to whether they have been exceeded or have fallen short of is conducted by way of a second reference voltage.

Circuit configuration to monitor a regulated output voltage in a motor vehicle

A circuit arrangement for monitoring leakage currents of a circuit which includes a plurality of valve coils connected in parallel to a supply line and adapted to be connected to ground by way of individual switches, and wherein the supply line is connected by way of a main switch to the positive pole of the supply voltage source and, further, to a testing current source used as a test signal source, is designed such that prior to each closing of the main switch, with the individual switches still open, the testing current source is connected to the supply voltage source and thereby activated. The result is an increase of the voltage potential on the supply line. A comparator establishes the difference between the potentials on the supply line and the supply voltage. If the difference exceeds a threshold value, this indicates leakage current.

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Darmstadt, Germany

Micha Heinz