Patent ID: 7112899

Claim:
A device to control at least one electrical load, the load being a coil of an electromagnetic actuator, having a first load connection and a second load connection, comprising: a first controlled switch, wherein the first load connection, via the first controlled switch, is connectable to an operating-voltage potential; and a second controlled switch, wherein the second load connection is connectable to a reference-voltage potential via the second controlled switch; wherein a detection circuit is connected to at least one of the load connections, the detection circuit detecting at least one potential at a terminal of the at least one of the load connections; and wherein the device includes an operating mode in which signaling in the form of at least one switching state of one of the controlled switches occurs to the load terminal of the other controlled switch via the load, and a detection of the voltage resulting therefrom by the detection circuit occurs at the load terminal of the other controlled switch.