Atmel Corporation

Atmel Automotive Gmbh

Atmel Germany Gmbh

Wolfgang Roeper

Friedemann Schmidt

Hans-Peter Waible

Horst Haefner

Reinhard Reimann

Juergen Schnabel

Hermann Hammel

Burkhard Gehring

Thorsten Fahlbusch

Gerald Krimmer

Juergen Eckert

Hendrik Ahlendorf

Hans-Werner Groh

Michael Hecker

Wolfgang Schneider

Michael Vogt

A multi-cell battery stack includes a microcontroller and a string of battery management and protection IC devices connected to one another in a daisy chain configuration. Each battery management and protection IC device can include a communication interface circuit includes pairs of differential input signal lines, receivers including respective current comparator circuits to receive differential signals on the differential input signal lines, and transmitters to provide outgoing differential signals on the differential input signal lines. A digital circuit block allows signals to pass between the receivers and transmitters.

Differential interface for inter-device communication in a battery management and protection system

A gate drive circuit is disclosed that charges the gate of a switching transistor to a voltage that is high enough to turn the switching transistor fully on and then prevent the charge from flowing back into the gate drive circuit. The gate drive circuit works with a ground rectifier switch by providing a fully differential connection of the switching transistor and its capacitor and resistor in parallel with the antenna.

Gate control circuit for MOS switch

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a first input current from a battery through a first connection and a second connection and generating a first output current through a third connection to a first node and a fourth connection to a second node. The first and second nodes are configured to output the first output current to an energy store configured to store a charge. The method includes receiving a second input current through the third connection from the first node and the fourth connection from the second nodes and generating a second output current through the first and second connections to charge the battery.

Charge equalization between series-connected battery cells

In one embodiment, a circuit comprising a first set of one or more semiconductor switches coupled to a first node and a first terminal of an energy store configured to store energy, and a second set of one or more semiconductor switches coupled to a second node and a second terminal of the energy store, each of the first and second sets of semiconductor switches being configured to couple to a terminal of a battery cell.

A d.c. signal controlled oscillator includes a frequency-determining network having a control input and a modulation input. A phase regulating loop includes the oscillator and components that provide a control signal to the control input. A circuit apparatus for driving the oscillator includes a modulation generator that provides a modulation signal to the modulation input, and a circuit arrangement that autonomously generates a signal depending on and representing a slope of the modulation and provides this slope signal to the modulation generator, which generates the modulation signal dependent on the slope signal. A method of operating the oscillator involves switching a frequency divider successively to two different frequencies, respectively sampling and holding the two different arising control voltages, forming a difference between the two control voltages, and activating the modulation generator so that a modulation swing of the modulation signal is determined by this difference between the control voltages.

Method and apparatus for driving a direct current or voltage controlled oscillator with modulation slope feedback

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Neuenstein, Germany

Wolfgang Roeper