Volkswagen Ag

Daimler Chrysler Ag

Daimler-benz Ag

Daug Deutsche Automobilgesellschaft Mbh

Ulrich Bahr

Michael Daetz

Ernst Lissel

Axel Schoft

Stephanus Buettgenbach

A device for detecting objects, especially used as a parking assistance device in a motor vehicle, includes a plurality of distance sensors, at least one microcontroller configured to control the distance sensors and an output unit. The distance sensors emit a signal in accordance with an identifier that is modified over time by the microcontroller.

Method and device for detecting objects, especially used as a parking assistance device in a motor vehicle

A sensor arrangement for spatially or temporally varying measurements of force or pressure includes a support fabric in which conductive column fibers and a line fibers are integrated and the material of the conductive fibers is chosen so that a contact resistance at a contact point between a column fiber and a line fiber is dependent on the force or pressure applied to the contact point. An electronics evaluation unit receives signals from the conductive fibers to measure the applied force or pressure.

Sensor arrangement for spatially and temporally varying measurements of force or pressure

A circuit arrangement measures an ion current generated in the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine during an iron current flow phase following an ignition phase. A voltage drop across a feedback resistor (R.sub.1) connected in parallel to an inverting amplifier is measured since the voltage drop is proportional to the ion current resistance. The amplifier is connected with its inverting input to a low voltage end of a secondary winding of an ignition transformer or coil. The high voltage end of the secondary winding is connected through a spark gap of a spark plug to ground, whereby the spark plug functions as an ion current sensor during the ion current flow phase. Negative voltage peaks flowing during an ignition phase and the ignition current flowing during the ignition phase are diverted through respective first and second circuit branches. The first branch has a first semiconductor diode (D.sub.1) grounding the low voltage end of the secondary winding for discharging the negative high voltage peaks while blocking the ignition current. The other diverting branch has a second semiconductor (D.sub.2) connected in parallel to the inverting amplifier.

Circuit arrangement for measuring an ion current in a combustion chamber

An arrangement for determining the distance of objects has a number of electrostatic ultrasonic transducers which are formed from superposed layers. Fixed electrodes for the transducers and conductive tracks connected to them are formed in a first structured metal layer. The other layers are an insulation layer and a full-surface second metal layer on the insulation layer which provides counterelectrodes for the electrodes provided by the first metal layer.

Arrangement for determining the distance of objects

An ion current in the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine is measured by using the spark plug as an ion current sensor. The ignition circuit arrangement has an ignition coil or transformer with a primary winding forming a primary circuit and a secondary winding forming a secondary circuit in which the spark plug is connected. A measuring voltage is applied to the secondary circuit by circuit components forming a measuring circuit for measuring the ion current. The measuring circuit provides a measuring voltage at a value that is lower than the battery voltage of the ignition system or corresponds to the battery voltage at most. A rectifying element is connected to the secondary circuit which feeds the secondary or ignition current into the battery circuit of the ignition system while an ion current caused to flow by the measuring voltage applied to the secondary circuit is measured between sparking times when no ignition current is flowing.

An electronic ignition system for an internal combustion engine is so controlled that an ignition current or secondary current caused by an ignition spark at the respective spark plug in the secondary coil of an ignition transformer is evaluated for initiating, if necessary, follow-up charges of the primary coil to thereby generate further ignition impulses. The initial loading or charging impulse is provided by a respective control circuit. The total sparking time at the respective spark plug thus corresponds to a sequence of individual impulses, each of which causes an ignition spark. The detection of the ignition current in the secondary coils is performed with an ignition current measuring circuit arrangement connected to the secondary coils. This measuring circuit (SC) generates a signal representing the secondary or ignition current represented as a voltage drop across a measuring resistor (R.sub.2). The voltage drop signal is supplied to an evaluating circuit which in turn generates a follow-up loading signal in response to the result of the evaluation of the measured voltage drop signal.

Growing community of inventors

Braunschweig, Germany

Ulrich Bahr