Patent ID: 7049832

Claim:
A circuit arrangement for determining the load current through an inductive load connected to a supply voltage in a clocked manner, the arrangement comprising: a) a current measuring impedance operable to be connected in series with the inductive load, the current measuring impedance including a first connection and a second connection; b) a measuring amplifier including a first amplifier input, a second amplifier input and an amplifier output; c) a level shifter including a first level shifter input, a second level shifter input, a first level shifter output and a second level shifter output, the level shifter operable to map a potential present at the first level shifter input onto a potential shifted by a predetermined potential value at the first level shifter output and to map a potential present at the second level shifter input onto a potential shifted by a predetermined potential value at the second level shifter output; d) at least one first switch operable to connect the first connection of the current measuring impedance to the first amplifier input, the at least one first switch operable in a first mode to connect the first connection of the current measuring impedance to the first amplifier input and bypass the level shifter, and the at least one first switch operable in a second mode to connect the first connection of the current measuring impedance to the first amplifier input with interposition of the level shifter; e) at least one second switch operable to connect the second connection of the current measuring impedance to the second amplifier input, the at least one second switch operable in a first mode to connect the second connection of the current measuring impedance to the first amplifier input and bypass the level shifter, and the at least one second switch operable in a second mode to connect the second connection of the current measuring impedance to the second amplifier input with interposition of the level shifter.