Patent ID: 8805549

Claim:
An interface device for connecting ultrasonic sensors of a motor vehicle to a processing unit of an electronic sensor system in the motor vehicle, the interface device comprising: ultrasonic sensors of a motor vehicle connected via the interface device to a processing unit of an electronic sensor system in the motor vehicle; a first sensor interface unit comprising a first number of sensor channels for connecting a first plurality of sensors to the processing unit; a second sensor interface unit comprising a second number of sensor channels, distinct from the first number of channels, for connecting a second plurality of sensors, distinct from the first plurality of sensors, to the processing unit, wherein the processing unit is for controlling the first and second plurality of sensors and analyzing sensor data obtained by the first and second plurality of sensors, wherein the interface device is able to accommodate simultaneously the first and second sensor interface units for connecting to the sensors, and wherein each of the first and second sensor interface units is selected from a plurality of sensor interface units each with a different number of sensor channels; the first sensor interface unit comprises six sensor channels and the second sensor interface unit comprises six sensor channels; and the first sensor interface unit comprises at least one actuator channel which allows the processing unit to control one selected from a group consisting of an acoustic signaling device and an optical signaling device, via the interface device.