Device for actuating a plurality of electric motors

1. A device for actuating a plurality of electric motors in a transportation device, said device comprising:

a plurality of output stages and

a control circuit for actuating said output stages, wherein the output stages are connected to a plurality of electric motors, wherein said plurality of output stages are each additionally connected to one further electric motor by the control circuit, and wherein the control circuit actuates each output stage whereby said each output stage actuates one of the plurality of electric motors and the further electric motor, with the output stages being interconnected to one another and to the electric motors in a matrix configuration so that a plurality of row lines and a plurality of column lined at whose points of intersection the plurality of electric motors are arranged, and wherein using each of said plurality of row lines and each of said plurality of column lines, in each case, two of said output stages are connected to power breakers which connect, in accordance with signals of the control circuit, to one of a first and a second potential (earth, U batt ) so that an actuated one of said plurality of electric motors and said further electric motor can be operated either in one direction or the other, wherein, when one of said output stages fails, an error routine provides switching over to another one of said output stares of the matrix, with the said one electric motor being actuated by another one output stage.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein a circuit breaker permits one of said electric motors to be supplied with power by an assigned one of said power supply lines if the voltage drop across the said one electric motor which is caused by the difference in potential between two of said power supply lines of the electric motor is greater than a threshold voltage.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the control circuit actuates ones of the output stages assigned to a particular one of said first or second potential line in such a way that one power breaker is connected to low battery potential and a further power breaker is connected to high battery potential.

4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the output stages are provided with an actuating interface, and the output stages are each embodied as a standardized module so that each module can be used at a different position in the matrix-like structure.

5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein, in specific ones of said output stages, a current measuring circuit is provided, and wherein the control circuit initiates an error routine when there is excess current.

6. A device for actuating a plurality of electric motors in a transportation device, said device comprising:

a plurality of output stages and a control circuit for actuating said output stages whereby the output stages are each connected to at least one of said plurality of electric motors each arranged between two power supply lines wherein said plurality of electric motors are interconnected in a matrix having row lines and column lines wherein each group of two of said plurality of output stages are connected to a first or a second potential line in accordance with signals from said control circuit and wherein said each group are connected to each of said row lines and to each of said column lines and

a circuit breaker provided between each of said plurality of electric motors and a respective assigned one of said first and second potential lines in order to prevent parallel currents as a result of at least one of said plurality of electric motors which is not actuated.

7. The device according to claim 6 , wherein the circuit breaker switches off the flow of current in both directions of the power supply lines.