A combination usable together in an automotive vehicle includes an engine block, a cover, and a band clamp. The engine block includes an opening configured to provide access to an interior volume, a first flange having a periphery that surrounds the opening, and a first engagement surface disposed proximate the first flange. The cover includes a second flange disposed around a periphery of the cover, and a second engagement surface disposed proximate the second flange, the second engagement surface configured to mate with the first engagement surface, wherein when the first engagement surface and the second engagement surface are disposed in engagement with each other the first flange and the second flange in combination define an exterior surface having a first profile. The band clamp includes an interior surface with a second profile that is complementary with the first profile.

Apparatus and method for supplying lubricant to a plurality of lubrication sites. Embodiments include a pump with venting and non-venting piston return, a pump with stirrer and direct feed mechanism, a pump with CAN system and self-diagnostics, a pump with heated housing and reservoir and a pump with stepper motor and overdrive control.

An article of footwear includes an upper and a midsole positioned beneath the upper. The midsole includes an upper portion formed of a first material and a lower portion formed of a second material and positioned beneath the upper portion. The lower portion includes a plurality of support members spaced from adjacent support members. A plurality of connecting members extend between and are connected to adjacent support members, with the connecting members having a height that is less than a height of the support members to which the connecting members are connected, and an upper surface that is substantially flush with an upper surface of the support members to which the connecting members are connected.

An article of footwear with a ball contacting member is disclosed. The ball contacting member enhances the ability of a wearer to kick a ball with a low trajectory. The ball contacting member can be attached to the article of footwear in various different ways.

A smartphone app that causes a smartphone device to actively control a configuration of footwear structural elements located in a footwear sole or removable inner sole insert of a user of the smartphone device, and one or more sensors located in either one or both of the sole or the removable inner sole insert the user's footwear and a sensor including a gyroscope and/or an accelerometer in the smartphone device; and the footwear structural elements being configured for computer control by the smartphone device when the smartphone app is operating on the smartphone device; and wherein instructions of the smartphone app, when executed, cause the smartphone device to, first, process measurement data received from the footwear and smartphone sensors and, second, use the processed measurement data to alter a configuration of the footwear structural elements based on the output from processing measurement data.

An article of footwear includes a first ball control portion, a second ball control portion and a third ball control portion. Each ball control portion includes a group of gripping members configured to facilitate various types of ball control. Each group of gripping members is arranged so that the ball control portions present a series of approximately continuous edges to a ball, which can help maintain a smooth trajectory for a ball.

An electronic personal thermal control apparatus and method may provide heating and cooling for a user. A power source may provide power to a thermal module that is capable of heating or cooling a heat transfer component to a desired temperature. The heating or cooling may be managed by a controller. The components may be placed in a housing. The apparatus may be placed at any suitable position on a user's body, such as the wrist or ankle(s). The housing of the apparatus may be incorporated or combined with clothing, such as wristband(s), apparel, jackets, footwear, or the like.

An air conditioner and control method thereof is provided which may be controlled to adapt operation to changes in power rates. The method may include receiving electric power related information, determining whether a current power rate included in the received information is higher than a preset reference value, determining occupancy of a space to be air conditioned if the current power rate is higher than the preset reference value, and controlling a flow rate of air supplied to the space based on the determined occupancy.

An ice making device may include an ice tray, a water-supply part for supplying water to the ice tray, an electrostatic capacity sensor having two or more electrodes attached to the ice tray, a water quantity detecting section for detecting a water quantity in the ice tray on a basis of variation of an electrostatic capacity between the electrodes of the electrostatic capacity sensor, and an ice frozen detecting section for detecting water supplied to the ice tray having been frozen on the basis of the variation of the electrostatic capacity between the electrodes of the electrostatic capacity sensor. A control unit for the ice making device controls the water-supply part, an ice tray drive part and an ice detecting part on the basis of variation of the electrostatic capacity between the electrodes of the electrostatic capacity sensor.

Obtained is an air-conditioning apparatus that is capable of saving energy. A pressure in a passage of the second refrigerant flow switching device in which a refrigerant from an outdoor unit flows into is higher than a pressure in a passage of the second refrigerant flow switching device in which the refrigerant flows out to the outdoor unit regardless of switching states of a first refrigerant flow switching device, the second refrigerant flow switching devices, and a third refrigerant flow switching device.

An industrial fluid circulating system having at least one fluid circulation circuit, includes a plurality of pumps connected in parallel to circulate the fluid through each of the fluid circulation circuit, a separate motor driving each pump, a load detector to sense operating loads on the system and each circuit, and a speed control to vary the speed of each motor to thereby vary the pumping capacity of each pump in response to the detected load on the system, each pump of each respective circuit running simultaneously at a substantially similar speed or a predetermined equal reduced speed of the respective circuit or an almost equal reduced speed or a similar reduced speed.

This invention relates to a multi-room air conditioning system with a plurality of indoor expansion valves. A method for sequencing the initialization of each indoor expansion valve upon system startup is disclosed. The method includes the following steps: 1. Initializing expansion valves corresponding to active indoor units,2. Turning on the compressor,3. Adjusting the indoor expansion valves corresponding to active indoor units,4. Initializing and adjusting indoor expansion valves corresponding to inactive indoor units.

A system and method for controlling automatic defrost of a refrigerator device adaptively moves the defrost cycle to a time period of comparatively low compressor activity based on an evaluation of compressor usage over a cyclically recurring time interval. An adaptive defrost controller (ADC) analyzes stored data to develop a profile for compressor activity vs. time. From this profile, high compressor activity times of the time interval are distinguished from low compressor activity times in the time interval and a defrost cycle is scheduled based on the results of the analyzed data.

A system configured to thermally regulate exhaust portions of a power plant system (e.g. steam turbine) is disclosed. In one embodiment, a system includes: a condenser adapted to connect to and thermally regulate exhaust portions of a steam turbine; and a cooling system operably connected to the condenser and adapted to supply a cooling fluid to the condenser, the cooling system including a solar absorption chiller adapted to adjust a temperature of the cooling fluid.

Provided is an air conditioner. The air conditioner includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, an evaporator, and a supercooling device configured to supercool a refrigerant passing through the condenser. The supercooling device includes a supercooling main body in which the refrigerant passing through the condenser and a refrigerant to be injected into the compressor are introduced, a first passage disposed within the supercooling main body so that the refrigerant passing through the condenser flows in one direction, a second passage disposed on a side of the first passage so that the refrigerant passing through the condenser flows in the other direction, and a third passage in which the refrigerant to be injected into the compressor flows, the third passage being heat-exchanged with at least one of the first and second passages.

Certain disclosed embodiments pertain to controlling temperature in a passenger compartment of a vehicle. For example, a temperature control system (TCS) can include an air channel configured to deliver airflow to the passenger compartment of the vehicle. The TCS can include a one thermal energy source and a heat transfer device connected to the air channel. A first fluid circuit can circulate coolant to the thermal energy source and a thermoelectric device (TED). A second fluid circuit can circulate coolant to the TED and the heat transfer device. A bypass circuit can connect the thermal energy source to the heat transfer device. An actuator can cause coolant to circulate selectively in either the bypass circuit or the first fluid circuit and the second fluid circuit. A control device can operate the actuator when it is determined that the thermal energy source is ready to provide heat to the airflow.

A control system to selectively control the operation of the compressor of a mini-split air conditioning system including at least one remote evaporator operatively coupled to the compressor to receive refrigerant therethrough, a sensor to monitor the operation of the evaporator and to generate an operating control signal to turn-off the compressor when a predetermined operating condition is sensed at the evaporator and a condensate drain pan to receive or catch condensate from the evaporator, the control system comprising a condensate sensor disposed to sense condensate in the condensate drain pan at a predetermined level and to generate a condensate level signal fed to a battery powered control device including an isolated solid state relay coupled to the sensor by a control coupling device to generate a condensate level control signal fed to the sensor causing the sensor to generate the operating control signal fed to turn off the compressor when condensate within the condensate drain pan reaches the predetermined level.

An ice making system includes a flavored liquid, an ice machine and a refrigerated storage bin. The ice making system continuously produces flavored ice pieces for storage in an ice storage bin. A refrigeration system cools the ice storage bin.

Cooling apparatuses and methods are provided which include one or more coolant-cooled structures associated with an electronics rack, a coolant loop coupled in fluid communication with one or more passages of the coolant-cooled structure(s), one or more heat exchange units coupled to facilitate heat transfer from coolant within the coolant loop, and N controllable components associated with the coolant loop or the heat exchange unit(s), wherein N≧1. The N controllable components facilitate circulation of coolant through the coolant loop or transfer of heat from the coolant via the heat exchange unit(s). A controller is coupled to the N controllable components, and dynamically adjusts operation of the N controllable components, based on Z input parameters and one or more specified constraints, to provide a specified cooling to the coolant-cooled structure(s), while limiting energy consumed by the N controllable components, wherein Z≧1.

A capability determining method for a terminal device, a host, and a system is provided. The capability determining method includes acquiring, by the host, a capability supported by the terminal device. The method also includes determining, by the host according to the capability supported by the terminal device and a capability supported by the host, a capability supported by both the terminal device and the host, and using the capability supported by both the terminal device and the host as an overlapping capability, where the overlapping capability is used by the terminal device to perform capability configuration. The method also includes sending the overlapping capability to the terminal device.

A remote control system includes computing boards and a control board. The control board includes a first network physical layer protocol conversion chip, a network signal switch module and a network signal processing module. The control board is electrically connected to the computing boards and communicated with a remote control manager. The first network physical layer protocol conversion chip is electrically connected to the remote control manager. The network signal switch module is electrically connected to the first network physical layer protocol conversion chip and the computing boards. The network signal processing module is electrically connected to the network signal switch module.

An interconnect switch is provided including switching logic executable to facilitate a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe)-based interconnect, and further including a control host embedded in the switch to provide one or more enhanced routing capabilities. The control host includes a processor device, memory, and software executable by the processor device to process traffic received at one or more ports of the switch to redirect at least a portion of the traffic to provide the one or more enhanced routing capabilities.

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a microcontroller device having a microprocessor, programmable memory components, and programmable analog and digital blocks. The programmable analog and digital blocks are configurable based on programming information stored in the memory components. Programmable interconnect logic, also programmable from the memory components, is used to couple the programmable analog and digital blocks as needed. The advanced microcontroller design also includes programmable input/output blocks for coupling selected signals to external pins. The memory components also include user programs that the embedded microprocessor executes. These programs may include instructions for programming the digital and analog blocks “on-the-fly,” e.g., dynamically. In one implementation, there are a plurality of programmable digital blocks and a plurality of programmable analog blocks.

A technique allows for protecting a PCI device controller from a PCI BDF masquerade attack from Ring-0 and Ring-3 malware. The technique may use Virtualization technologies to create guest virtual machines that can use a hypervisor to allocate ACPI information from ACPI tables to a secure VM and using extended page tables (EPT) and VT-d policies to protect the MMIO memory range during illegal runtime events.

A port of a first device includes remote device detection logic to detect, on a link, a remote second device, determine, from a voltage generated at the port, whether the second device is direct current (DC)-coupled or alternating current (AC)-coupled to the link, and select one of first settings or second settings to be applied at the port in communications over the link with the second device based on whether the second device is DC-coupled or AC-coupled.

A semiconductor device includes a plurality of circuits, a general bus configured to be connected to each of the plurality of circuits and to provide a general channel among the plurality of circuits, and a designated bus configured to be connected to a subgroup of circuits from among the plurality of circuits and to provide a designated channel among the subgroup of circuits.

In a system where multiple controllers share a link interface but are not all (1) compatible with the same configuration of the physical layer or (2) using the same clocking, a configuration arbitration subsystem intercepts, organizes, and re-clocks configuration-access requests from the various controller agents. Priorities are assigned according to stored policies. The configuration arbiter grants configuration access to the top-priority agent, synchronizing the agent's message with the arbiter's clock. Lower-priority agents' messages are stored in command queues until they ascend to top priority. Besides preventing timing conflicts and streamlining the coordination of clocks, the configuration arbiter may provide access to physical-layer registers beyond the controllers' built-in capabilities to further optimize configuration.

An electronic apparatus is provided, the electronic apparatus including: an interface comprising interface circuitry configured to be connectable with at least one of a plurality of sensor modules for sensing an object; a programmable circuit configured to be selectively loaded with at least one of a plurality of hardware images corresponding to the plurality of sensor modules, and to process a sensing signal obtained by sensing the object through the sensor module corresponding to the loaded hardware image; and a controller configured to determine at least one hardware image corresponding to the sensor module connected to the interface from among the plurality of hardware images, and to load the at least one determined hardware image to the programmable circuit.

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a microcontroller device having a microprocessor, programmable memory components, and programmable analog and digital blocks. The programmable analog and digital blocks are configurable based on programming information stored in the memory components. Programmable interconnect logic, also programmable from the memory components, is used to couple the programmable analog and digital blocks as needed. The advanced microcontroller design also includes programmable input/output blocks for coupling selected signals to external pins. The memory components also include user programs that the embedded microprocessor executes. These programs may include instructions for programming the digital and analog blocks “on-the-fly,” e.g., dynamically. In one implementation, there are a plurality of programmable digital blocks and a plurality of programmable analog blocks.

An embedded controller is provided for a computer, including a processor, first one or more logic elements providing a serial peripheral interface (SPI) module to communicatively couple the embedded controller to an SPI bus as an SPI slave, and second one or more logic elements providing a platform environment control interface (PECI)-over-SPI engine, to build an SPI packet providing an encapsulated PECI command and send a notification to an SPI master that the packet is available.

Exhaust capture and containment are enhanced by means of automatic or manual side skirts, a sensitive breach detector based on interference effects, a combination of vertical and horizontal edge jets, and/or corner jets that are directed to the center diagonally from corners. Associated control functions are described.

A heater assembly can be used with a gas appliance. The gas appliance can be a dual fuel appliance for use with one of a first fuel type or a second fuel type different than the first. The heater assembly can include a fuel regulator valve including a main pressure regulator to regulate the fuel pressure, at least one auxiliary pressure regulator, a first fuel source connection for connecting the first fuel type to the heater assembly, and a second fuel source connection for connecting the second fuel type to the heater assembly. The one or more auxiliary pressure regulators introduce a backline pressure to the main pressure regulator, thereby adjusting the fuel pressure to fall within a predetermined range.

A system may include a tube through which hot fluid is transported from one end to another, wherein the tube radiates heat energy and transfers heat energy to surrounding air by convection. The system may also include a reflector that reflects the radiated heat and a hood that captures the heat energy from the surrounding air through convection, wherein the hood radiates the captured heat energy. The reflector may include a bi-involute curved surface.

The teachings generally relate to a system for converting solar energy into electrical energy and thermal energy using a self-contained system having a plurality of channels for the heat transfer using a respective plurality of fluids.

Systems, methods, and controllers for controlling gas-fired appliances such as warm air furnaces are disclosed. An illustrative furnace system can include a burner unit in communication with a combustion air flow conduit and heat exchanger, a variable speed inducer fan or blower adapted to provide a flow of combustion air to the burner unit, a furnace controller and motor speed control unit adapted to regulate the speed of the inducer fan or blower, and a pneumatically modulated gas valve adapted to variably output gas pressure to the burner unit based at least in part on the combustion air flow.

A device (1) for concentrating solar radiation in an absorber (2), an anchoring frame (8) and an inflatable concentrator pad (3), which has a light-transmissive entry window (4) for coupling in the solar radiation and a reflector film (5) subdividing the concentrator pad (3) into at least two cavities (6, 7), wherein the reflector film (5) is designed to concentrate the solar radiation in the absorber (2) which is arranged in the cavity (6) of the concentrator pad (3), and with an anchoring frame (8), arranged outside of the concentrator pad (3), for anchoring the concentrator pad (3), wherein the absorber (2) is attached to the anchoring frame (8) by means of an absorber mount (15) and the concentrator pad (3) has at least one attachment opening (26) for the absorber mount (15) to pass through.

The present invention relates to a thermal vector system for solar concentration plants, in particular for parabolic trough solar concentration plants, both for industrial and domestic use, comprising a solid state thermal vector. A preferred solar concentration plant comprises one or more solar collectors (1), an heat exchanger (3-5), a heat accumulator (2) and a connecting pipe circuit, in which a solid state thermal vector is pushed through said circuit by mechanical means (6).

A multi-sided, portable outdoor fireplace convertible to an open grill, a rotisserie assembly, and a smoker assembly, the fireplace includes a carriage assembly with a pair of rotatable wheels and at least one leg member; a base pan assembly for containing a solid fuel heat source affixed to the carriage assembly; and a removable screen assembly residing on top of the base pan assembly. When converted to an open grill, the fireplace further includes a grill bracket removably attachable to the screen assembly. When converted to a smoker, the fireplace, in one embodiment, further includes at least one heat/wind shield attachable to the screen assembly; a smoker adaptor body residing on the screen assembly; an adjustable grate support bracket affixed to the interior of the smoker body and a cover.

A coupling for connection of a valve and a control element in a gas cooking appliance is provided. More particularly, the present invention provides a flexible coupling to connect between a control element manipulated by the user and a gas valve that regulates the flow of fuel to a gas burner. By coupling the control and valve by a flexible coupling, options are created for the relative placement of the valve and control, which increases the space available in the interior of the appliance and can increase the space available upon its control panel.

A condensate collector system includes a condensate collector box having at least one condensate outlet port, and a condensate trap fluidly connected to the at least one condensate outlet port. The condensate trap is configured and disposed to be selectively positioned in multiple drain orientations relative to the condensate collector box to accommodate multiple installation configurations of the multi-poise gas furnace.

The present invention is directed to a method for production preformed fabrication casing or associated parts intended to generate fragments initiated by the explosive of contained warhead charges. Molded parts having fragmentation bodies (4, 21, 34) embedded therein are produced by a two-stage powder compaction method followed by sintering together the compacted powder metal. The method described in the present invention defines how in an initial stage the fragmentation bodies (4, 21, 34) are fixed in position using a fixture (2) after which the bodies are covered with powder metal that is then compacted until the powder forms a single molded part (2) after which the fixture is replaced with a secondary quantity of powder that is also compacted to form a self-supporting unit (12) together with the first quantity of powder.

Techniques for determining whether a cellular device is suspect, i.e., perhaps serving as an activator for a device such as a bomb. One way of doing this with cellular telephones that are in the idle state is to use a baiting beacon to bait and automatically call all the cellular telephones in an area that are in the idle state. If the call to a given cellular telephone is not answered by a human voice, the cellular telephone is suspect. Another way of doing this with cellular telephones that are in the traffic state is to use surgical analysis to examine the DTX pattern for the telephone. If it indicates persistent silence, the cellular telephone is suspect. The surgical analysis may also be used to trace the DTX pattern back to another telephone that is controlling the suspect cellular device.

An encapsulated propellant charge comprised a sealed combustible container comprised of a consumable material and having a substantially cylindrical shape. The sealed combustible container comprises a top wall, a bottom wall, and a side wall therebetween. The top wall, the bottom wall and the side wall define a chamber; which contains a propellant composition.

The heat exchanger having a heat exchanging channel (11, 21, 31) comprises an inlet (9) and an outlet (33) for a medium flowing through the heat exchanging channel. The heat exchanger has at least two stages (10, 20, 30) being arranged one after the other in view to the flowing direction of the medium, each stage having a heat exchanging channel (11, 21, 31). The first stage has at least one guiding channel (12) arranged parallel to the heat exchanging channel (11). The heat exchanging channel (11, 21, 31) has at the end of the respective stage (10, 20, 30) at least one outlet (13, 23, 33) and the guiding channel (12, 22) of the respective stage is connected with the heat exchanging channel (21, 31) of the next following stage (20, 30). By this unused heat transfer medium is fed to each stage, said heat transfer medium having a higher temperature difference with respect to the respective heat exchanging channel. By this a good heat transfer efficiency is realized even with relatively long flow pathes.

A method, system or computer usable program product for providing alerts of inefficiency of an environmental conditioning system including, responsive to a cycle initiation by the environmental conditioning system, measuring a difference between an intake temperature and an outlet temperature after a predetermined period of time, and responsive to the difference being below a minimum level, generating an alert.

A construction machine includes: a lower propelling body; and an upper slewing body which is slewably mounted on the lower propelling body. The upper slewing body includes: an engine room provided with an intake opening and a discharge opening; a duct provided in the engine room so as to communicate with the discharge opening; and an exhaust gas pipe which guides exhaust gas discharged from the engine into the duct. The discharge opening and an outlet of the duct are open downward from the engine room. A portion on a distal end side of the exhaust gas pipe is inserted into the duct. The duct and the exhaust gas pipe are configured to cause the exhaust gas to be mixed with cooled air in the duct and cause the mixture of the exhaust gas and the cooled air to be discharged downward from the discharge opening.

Embodiments for a charge air cooler are provided. In one example, an engine method comprises increasing intake air flow velocity through a charge air cooler in response to an estimated condensation formation value within the charge air cooler. In this way, condensation accumulation within the charge air cooler may be prevented.

A finned tube includes channels defined between adjacent fins on the tube body outer surface. Wings extend from side walls of the adjacent fins between the fin top and the fin base such that the wings form a barrier which splits the channel into an upper channel and a lower channel. A plurality of holes penetrate the barrier where the wings meet, so liquids and gases can pass into and out of the enclosed area defined by the lower channel. The wings can include alternating upper wings and lower wings, and there can be depressions formed in the fin top.

A semiconductor substrate for use in an integrated circuit, the semiconductor substrate including a channel defined on a surface of the substrate. The channel includes a first wall, a second wall, and a third wall. The first wall is recessed from the surface. The second wall extends from the surface to the first wall. The third wall extends from the surface to the first wall and faces the second wall across the channel. At least one of the second wall and the third wall includes a plurality of structures projecting into the channel from the second wall or the third wall.

A cooling apparatus for an electronics rack is provided which includes a door assembly coupled to the electronics rack at an inlet or air outlet side of the rack. The door assembly includes: an airflow opening configured to facilitate ingress or egress of airflow through the electronics rack with the door assembly mounted to the rack; an air-to-coolant heat exchanger disposed so that airflow through the airflow opening passes across the air-to-coolant heat exchanger, the air-to-coolant heat exchanger being configured to extract heat from the airflow passing thereacross; and a vapor condenser configured to facilitate condensing of dielectric fluid vapor egressing from at least one immersion-cooled electronic component section of the electronics rack. The cooling apparatus, including the door assembly, facilitates air-cooling and immersion-cooling of different electronic components of the electronics rack.