A method and apparatus that controls the clock of a digital circuit, and therefore power consumption, without substantially comprising performance is provided. The apparatus may include monitoring the utilization of a First in First Out (FIFO) buffer. For example in a systems and methods according to the invention, clock speed may be reduced when the FIFO is relatively empty and increased when the FIFO is relatively full. The clock speed may be controlled by a phase locked loop, a clock divider, a clock masking device or a combination of more than one of these methods. Power reduction may also be obtained by controlling the clocking of different stages of a pipelined device. One or more aspects of the inventions may be implemented in combination with other aspects of the invention to further reduce power use.

A digitally controlled oscillator has a high-order ΔΣ modulator configured to be of at least an order higher than a first order and configured to input a digital control signal and output a pseudorandom digital output signal, a first-order ΔΣ modulator configured to input the pseudorandom digital output signal and generate a control pulse signal including a pulse width corresponding to the pseudorandom digital output signal, a low pass filter configured to pass a low frequency component of the control pulse signal, and an oscillator configured to generate a high-frequency output signal whose frequency is controlled based on the control pulse signal outputted by the low pass filter so as to be a frequency corresponding to the digital control signal.

A digitally-controlled oscillator includes a base frequency generator having an odd number of base inverters connected end-to-end to generate an output signal that oscillates at a predetermined frequency and a frequency-adjusting unit connected to the base frequency generator. The frequency-adjusting unit includes a first string of switchable inverters connected in series with each other, the switchable inverters having sizes that decrease from an input end of the first string to the output end of the first string.

Embodiments provide a multi-phase voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) that produces a plurality of output signals having a common frequency and different phases. In one embodiment, the VCO may include a passive conductive structure having a first ring and a plurality of taps spaced around the first ring. The VCO may further include a capacitive load coupled to the passive conductive structure, one or more feedback structures coupled between a pair of opposing taps of the plurality of taps, and one or more current injection devices coupled between a pair of adjacent taps of the plurality of taps.

The present invention discloses an Oven Controlled Crystal Oscillator and a manufacturing method thereof. The Oven Controlled Crystal Oscillator comprises a thermostatic bath, a heating device, a PCB and a signal generating element, where the signal generating element is used for generating a signal of a certain frequency, the heating device, the PCB and the signal generating element are mounted in the thermostatic bath, the signal generating element is mounted in a groove formed on one side of the PCB, while the heating device is mounted against the other side of the PCB that is opposite to the groove. The signal generating element may be a passive crystal resonator or an active crystal oscillator. The Oven Controlled Crystal Oscillator according to the invention is advantageous for a small volume and a high temperature control precision.

A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product are provided. The apparatus tunes a frequency provided by a VCO. The apparatus determines a relative capacitance change associated with a first frequency and a desired frequency from a look-up table. The apparatus adjusts a capacitor circuit in the VCO based on the determined relative capacitance change determined from the look-up table in order to tune from the first frequency to the desired frequency. The apparatus determines that the frequency provided by the VCO is a second frequency different than the desired frequency after adjusting the capacitor circuit. The apparatus performs an iterative search to further adjust the capacitor circuit when a difference between the second frequency and the desired frequency is greater than a threshold.

A system is disclosed for a voltage controlled oscillator (“VCO”) having a large frequency range and a low gain. Passive or active circuitry is introduced between at least one VCO cell in the voltage controlled oscillator and the voltage source for the VCO cell which reduces a gain value for the VCO to maintain stability of the system.

An injection locking oscillator (ILO) comprising a tank circuit having a digitally controlled capacitor bank, a cross-coupled differential transistor pair coupled to the tank circuit, at least one signal injection node, and at least one output node configured to provide an injection locked output signal; a digitally controlled injection-ratio circuit having an injection output coupled to the at least one signal injection node, configured to accept an input signal and to generate an adjustable injection signal applied to the at least one injection node; and, an ILO controller connected to the capacitor bank and the injection-ratio circuit configured to apply a control signal to the capacitor bank to adjust a resonant frequency of the tank circuit and to apply a control signal to the injection-ratio circuit to adjust a signal injection ratio.

Various techniques for generating an output clock based on a reference clock. This disclosure relates to generating an output clock signal based on a reference clock signal. In one embodiment, a method includes generating, using information received from a control circuit, an output clock signal using both a first number of edges or an input clock signal and a second, different number of edges of the input clock signal. In this embodiment, the control circuit runs at a frequency that is less than a frequency of the input clock signal. The received information may indicate, for a pulse of the output clock signal, whether the pulse should be generated using the first number of edges or the second number of edges. In some cases, the second number of edges may be the first number of edges plus one. The first and second number of edges may be programmable quantities.

A current output control device is provided that includes: a current cell array section including plural current cell circuits that are each connected in parallel between a first terminal (power source) and a second terminal (ground) that connect between the first terminal and the second terminal in by operation ON so as to increase control current flowing between the first terminal and the second terminal; and a code conversion section (decoder) that generates signals (row codes, column codes) to ON/OFF control current cells so as to change the number of current cells that connect the first terminal and the second terminal according to change in an externally input code and that inputs the generated signals to the current cell array section.

An enhanced negative resistance voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) circuit is provided, in which a parallel connection of a capacitor and a resistor configured to provide frequency-dependent transconductance is present across source nodes of a first pair of field effect transistors in which gate nodes and drain nodes are cross-coupled. The source nodes of the first pair of field effect transistors are electrically shorted to drain nodes of a second pair of field effect transistors of which the gate nodes are electrically shorted to the gate nodes of the first pair of field effect transistors. The parallel connection of the capacitor and the resistor includes a parallel connection of a capacitor and a resistor such that the net transconductance of the first pair of field effect transistors is less at low frequencies where thermal noise and flicker noise are dominant part of the phase noise than at the operational frequency range.

A crystal controlled oscillator includes a crystal package and an IC chip board that includes an IC chip integrating an oscillator circuit. The crystal package includes a first container, a crystal resonator, a lid body, and an external terminal at an outer bottom surface of the first bottom wall layer of the first container. The IC chip integrates an oscillator circuit disposed at an outer bottom surface of the first bottom wall layer of the crystal package. The oscillator circuit connects to the lower side excitation electrode of the crystal resonator from the external terminal to an input side with high impedance. The oscillator circuit connects to the upper side excitation electrode to an output side with low impedance. The upper side excitation electrode is a shielding electrode of the crystal resonator.

An apparatus is disclosed that includes a first cross-coupled transistor pair, a second cross-coupled transistor pair, at least one capacitance unit, and an inductive unit. The first cross-coupled transistor pair and second cross-coupled transistor pair are coupled to a pair of first output nodes and a pair of second output nodes, respectively. The at least one capacitance unit is coupled to at least one of the pair of first output nodes and the pair of second output nodes. The inductive unit is coupled to the first cross-coupled transistor pair at the first output nodes and coupled to the second cross-coupled transistor pair at the second output nodes. The inductive unit generates mutual magnetic coupling between one of the first output nodes and one of the second output nodes and between the other of the first output nodes and the other of the second output nodes.

A solenoid valve, the magnet armature of which is designed to be movable relative to a first valve-closing element, for which purpose the first valve-closing element is accommodated telescopically in a coupling element attached to the magnet armature, wherein the coupling element is guided along the inner wall of a guide sleeve inserted in the valve housing in order to align the magnet armature precisely with the first valve-closing element in the direction of a second valve-closing element which is likewise accommodated in the guide sleeve.

A sheet processing apparatus which is capable of completing a bound document containing appropriately Z-folded sheets when performing folding together with edge cutting and binding. The sheet processing apparatus controls a Z-folding process, a cutting process, and a binding process for a sheet. A first folding position from a free end of the sheet coincides with a position corresponding to half a width of the sheet excluding a cut width of the sheet a binding margin, when the Z-folding process, the cutting process, and the binding process are executed.

The present invention is directed to providing a mechanism for allowing a user to easily take out print products discharged onto a plurality of sheet discharge trays in the discharge order. A control method for controlling a sheet processing apparatus for performing control to discharge sheets onto a plurality of sheet discharge trays includes storing, in a storage unit, the discharge order in which sheets have been discharged onto equal to or more than two sheet discharge trays by executing a job, and performing, upon reception of a take-out instruction for taking out in the discharge order the sheets discharged by executing the job, processing for allowing a user to take out the sheets discharged onto the equal to or more than two sheet discharge trays, in the discharge order stored in the storage unit.

A sheet processing apparatus and a method of controlling the same align sheets stacked on a stacking unit, by causing a first alignment member and a second alignment member to come into contact with edges of a sheet stacked on the stacking unit in a sheet width direction. In a case that a second sheet that is different from a first sheet stacked on the stacking unit is to be stacked on the first sheet and aligned using the first alignment member and the second alignment member, control is performed to discharge a partition sheet onto the first sheet stacked on the stacking unit.

The invention provides an improved design for the construction of extensible nucleic acid-based, ligand-controlled regulatory systems, and the nucleic acid regulatory systems resulting therefrom. The invention contemplates improving the design of the switches (ligand-controlled regulatory systems) through the design of an information transmission domain (ITD). The improved ITD eliminates free-floating ends of the switching and the competing strands, and localizes competitive hybridization events to a contiguous strand of competing and switching strands in a strand-displacement mechanism-based switch, thereby improving the kinetics of strand-displacement. The improved regulatory systems have many uses in various biological systems, including gene expression control or ligand-concentration sensing.

An embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus, comprising at least one anti-parallel pair VVC network comprised of two parallel VVCs with one biased in the opposite polarity of the other and at least one anti-series VVC network comprised of two VVCs configured in series, one biased in the opposite polarity of the other such that the resulting AC capacitive variations produce a desired capacitance variation.

An improved grounding technique for mechanically adjustable rotary capacitors uses a directly grounded bronze sliding contact to effectively and continuously ground the rotating comb-like blades of the capacitor. RF measurements of the continuity and repeatability of the capacitance settings prove the suitability of the modified capacitors for using in pre-calibrated multi-capacitor MHz range impedance tuners.

A data processing apparatus is monitoring the first port of itself and the second port of itself. If the data processing apparatus receives data via the second port, it conducts a specific process to the data regardless of a data format of the data so as to convert the data into the data format that can be processed regardless of a data format of the data and sends converted data to the first port.

Provided are a backlight unit and a display device having the same. The backlight unit includes a case having an opening, at least one lamp assembly disposed on a side surface of the case and including a light source, an optical transreflective unit on the case, the optical transreflective unit transmitting a portion of first light passing through the opening and reflecting a portion of second light generated from the light source, and an optical sheet including a first diffusion unit on the optical transreflective unit.

A printing device includes at least one printing engine that has actuators and sensors. At least one engine controller is operatively connected to the printing engine, the engine controller uses software to control operations of the printing engine. At least one non-volatile memory is operatively connected to the engine controller. The non-volatile memory stores values used by the engine controller to control operations of the printing engine. Further, at least one adapter card is operatively connected to the non-volatile memory and to the actuators and sensors. The adapter card stores data and receives sensor feedback from the sensors. The adapter card uses the data and the sensor feedback to control the actuators by bypassing the engine controller when communicating with the actuators. The adapter card provides adapter card feedback to the non-volatile memory.

A jointed mechanism including a segment coupled to a joint; and an elongated component coupled to the segment, where applying a pulling force to the elongated component rotates the segment around the joint, elastically deforming the elongated component; wherein the elastic deformation generates an elongated component elastic force sufficient to rotate the segment, in an opposite direction, in absence of the pulling force.

A banking system operates responsive to data read from data bearing records. The system includes an automated banking machine comprising a card reader. The card reader includes a movable read head that can read card data along a magnetic stripe of a card that was inserted long-edge first. The card reader includes a card entry gate. The gate is opened for a card that is determined to be properly oriented for data reading. The card reader can encrypt card data, including account data. The card data is usable by the machine to authorize a user to carry out a financial transfer involving the account.

A banking system is controlled responsive to data read from data bearing records. The banking system includes an automated banking machine. The machine is operable to carry out a financial transaction for a person responsive to a determination that the person is an authorized user of the machine based on correspondence between identifying data read by a reader of the machine and data store information. The machine includes a check acceptor that is operative to receive checks from authorized machine users. The check acceptor is operable to continuously move a received check along its transport path while simultaneously rotationally orienting the check into alignment with the transport path. A check determined not to have at least one property of an acceptable check is returned to the machine user. Acceptable checks are processed and stored in the machine.

A method includes transmitting from at least one of the imaging sensors to a controller a short frame data that is collected by the at least one of the imaging sensors when the illumination source is activated to provide the illumination light toward the target object with a first illumination level. The method further includes transmitting subsequently from the at least one of the imaging sensors to the controller a regular frame data that is collected by the at least one of the imaging sensors when the illumination source is activated to provide the illumination light toward the target object with a second illumination level that is determined based upon the short frame data. The size of the regular frame data being at least 50 times larger than the size of the short frame data.

A system and method for controlling an application of a friction modifying agent to an area of contact between a railway wheel and a railway rail over which the wheel is traversing to selectively modify the coefficient of friction at the contact area. A sensor is used for detecting a parameter relating to the operation of the railway train. A controller is responsive to the sensor for selecting one or more of a plurality of friction modifying agents and controls the application of the agent to the rail as a function of the parameter. An applicator is responsive to the controller and applies the friction modifying agent to the area of contact between the railway wheel and rail. A second application of the agent may be predicated upon the effectiveness of a first application of the agent. The selection of the appropriate agent may include a consideration of a current location of the railway vehicle.

Conditioning device (24) and method for drying and/or controlling the temperature of a ballast bed (12) of a railway track system (10), wherein the railway track system (10) has sleepers (14) resting on the ballast bed (12) and rails (16) resting on the sleepers, wherein the conditioning device has a bogie (30) for moving the conditioning device (24). An outlet nozzle (36) for blowing temperature-controlled air into the ballast bed (12) via at least one blowing-in region (26) positioned between two adjacent sleepers (14) is connected to the bogie (30), as is at least one cover plate (42) for essentially air-tight coverage of an upper side, pointing essentially in the direction counter to the direction of gravity, of a side strip (20), provided next to the sleepers (14) in the direction of travel, of the ballast bed (12). In a method for drying and controlling the temperature of a ballast bed (12) of a railway track system (10), an upper side of the ballast bed (12) and/or at least one sleeper (14) and at least one rail (16) are sealed in an essentially air-tight fashion outside a blowing-in region (26) before temperature-controlled air is blown into the ballast bed (12) via the blowing-in region (26).

The invention relates to a catalytic reactor including: at least one first architecture/microstructure including a ceramic and/or metal cellular architecture having a pore size of 2 to 80 ppi and a macroporosity of more than 85%, and a microstructure having a grain size of 100 nm to 5 microns, and skeleton densification of more than 95%, and a catalytic layer; and at least one second architecture/microstructure including a spherical or cylindrical architecture having a pore size of 0.1 to 100 μm and a macroporosity of less than 60%, and a microstructure having a grain size of 20 nm to 10 μm and a skeleton densification of 20% to 90%, and a catalytic layer; the first and second architecture/microstructure being stacked inside said reactor.

Storage apparatus configured to provide an external apparatus with logical storage area as data storage area, the storage apparatus having a physical storage medium configured to generate the logical storage area, and storage controller communicatively coupled to physical storage medium to control data input/output processing between the external apparatus and the logical storage area, wherein the storage controller includes circuit package including circuit board which implements predetermined function of storage controller and a circuit board case to accommodate the circuit board, plurality of cooling fan units that generate cooling air for cooling circuit component mounted on the circuit board of the circuit package, and a chassis having a structure for accommodating the circuit package and the cooling fan units, some of circuit packages are inserted to be accommodated in chassis from opening thereof and are arranged side by side across width direction of chassis.

A stroke controller is mounted on a key duplicator and has a base, a drive shaft, a knob and a driven shaft. The base has a longitudinal shaft hole and a transverse shaft hole. The drive shaft is mounted rotatably through the transverse shaft hole. The knob is mounted on the drive shaft and has a drive gear. The driven shaft is mounted slidably through the longitudinal shaft hole and has a rack section engaging the drive shaft so that rotating the knob drives the driven shaft to slide relative to the base. The stroke controller precisely controls the movement of an original key and a key workpiece clamped on the key duplicator to manufacture a fine key duplicate.

A compensation circuit 76 of an AEC unit 67 of an electronic cassette 13 defines the detection signal of a detection pixel 65 of the electronic cassette 13 as a detection signal corresponding to the detection signal of an old AEC sensor 25. The compensation circuit 76 performs compensation so as to exclude the influence on the detection signal due to a difference in the configuration of an intermediate member disposed between an X-ray source 10 and an FPD 35 of the electronic cassette 13 when the detection pixel 65 is used as an AEC sensor instead of the old AEC sensor 25. The detection signal is transmitted from a detection signal I/F 80 to a detection signal I/F 26 of a source control device 11 as it is (instantaneous value) or as an accumulated value obtained using an integration circuit 77.

A method and system for capturing expert behavior that the expert is not even necessarily conscious of, such as gaze patterns, that are tied to positive outcomes, and to create a catalog (e.g. database) of these behaviors. The system compares the current behavior of a person, for example a novice, against this catalog of expert behaviors. If the current behavior is significantly different, the system would adapt various aspects of the interface to bring the current behavior closer in line to that of the expert.

Secure access to a database of upgrade data is provided by storing an encryption key value in a cable used to interconnect a first device and a second device that is associated with the database of upgrade data. The second device allows access to the database of upgrade data via the cable only when the cable is first positively authenticated by the second device through use of the encryption key value stored in the cable.

A very-low intermediate frequency (VLIF) receiver and a method of controlling a VLIF receiver. The method comprises receiving a first signal, the first signal including one or both of an on-channel signal portion and an adjacent channel interferer (ACI) portion; determining that the first signal includes a portion having a strength that is above a threshold; in response to determining that the first signal includes a portion having a strength that is above the threshold, estimating one or more IQ imbalance parameters for at least a portion of the first signal; and compensating for an IQ imbalance in at least the portion of the first signal using the one or more IQ imbalance parameters.

Systems and methods for controlling the output of a battery pack are disclosed. In one example, a battery pack contactor is opened in response to battery pack current. The system and method may reduce battery pack degradation and increase system flexibility.

In a method for transferring energy between at least two energy storage cells in a controllable energy store that serves to control and to supply electrical energy to an n-phase electric machine, which energy store has n power supply arms which each have at least two series-connected energy storage modules which each include at least one electrical energy storage cell with an associated controllable coupling unit, and are connected to one respective phase of the electric machine, in a charging phase, all coupling units of those energy storage modules which are to be used as an energy source are controlled in such a way that the respectively associated energy storage cells are connected into the respective power supply arm.

A battery pack, and a method of controlling the battery pack are disclosed. The battery pack detects consumption current when a load is not turned on, and shuts off power when a load is turned off or in stand-by mode, thereby preventing consumption current of the load from flowing.

A charging apparatus including a charging unit adapted to charge, in a non-contact manner, an apparatus to be charged placed in a charging region, a detector adapted to detect a charged state of the apparatus to be charged placed in the charging region, and a controller adapted to change a mode of the apparatus to be charged to a mode that inhibits vibration, according to the charged state detected by the detector.

An energy storage system and a method of controlling the same is provided. The energy storage system may directly provide generated DC power or DC power stored in a battery to a DC load without performing a DC/AC conversion or an AC/DC conversion. Furthermore, in the case where a grid operates abnormally (e.g. power interruption) and the energy storage system functions as an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), power stored in a battery may be selectively provided to loads according to power remaining in a battery, and thus stored power may be used stably.

There is provided a battery controller including a storing unit which stores an upper limit voltage and a lower limit voltage, each defining a first voltage range in which a battery is charged/discharged, and a second upper limit voltage and a second lower limit voltage, each defining a second voltage range which is wider than the first voltage range, and a charge/discharge regulation unit which temporarily changes, when charge/discharge is performed in the first voltage range and permission for charge/discharge in the second voltage is received, setting of the battery such that charge/discharge is performed in the second voltage range.

A wind power generator generates power through a rotation of a rotor and is interconnected, and operated with its power generation output previously limited in order to be able to further supply the power to a power system in response to a decrease in system frequency. Thus, a concentrated control system derives a required restricted amount corresponding to a power generation output required to respond to the decrease in system frequency, derives a value by subtracting an amount corresponding to a latent power generation output with which the power generation output can be increased, from the required restricted amount, and sets a restricted amount of the power generation output in each wind power generator to perform the operation with the power generation output previously limited to respond to the decrease in system frequency, based on the above value.

A magnetic controlled power generator provides a magnetic controlled loading device, power generator and flywheel device to form two independent modules which are easily assembled and disassembled for easy manufacture and maintenance. Besides, the magnetic controlled power generator has simple installation and lightweight components to generate a radial displacement for magnetic flux control, achieving continuous adjustment of the load resistance, thereby having the effect of reducing the cost and weight.

Some embodiments relate to a method of controlling speed of a variable speed generator. The method includes detecting a load of the variable speed generator and determining a target speed for the variable speed generator based on the load supplied by the variable speed generator. The method further includes using a controller to adjust the speed of the variable speed generator based on the target speed. The method may further include correcting the target speed by calculating a correction factor that corrects the target speed based on a voltage produced by the variable speed generator.

According to an embodiment, a method of operating a wind turbine comprising a DC-to-AC voltage converter is provided, the wind turbine being connectable to a grid via the DC-to-AC voltage converter, the method comprising: determining a line voltage of a power line connecting the DC-to-AC voltage converter to the grid; if the determined line voltage exceeds a predefined voltage threshold value, injecting reactive current into the power line, wherein the amount of reactive current injected is chosen such that an output voltage of the DC-to-AC voltage converter is kept within a predetermined voltage range.

A generator system includes a generator having a stationary portion and a rotating portion. An exciter field winding and a main armature winding are disposed on the stationary portion. An exciter armature winding and a main field winding are disposed on the rotating portion. A frequency demodulator is configured to extract a frequency modulated control signal from the exciter armature winding and to demodulate the frequency modulated control signal to generate a demodulated control signal. The generator includes a main field rotating power converter to selectively control current in the main field winding in response to the demodulated command signal. The generator system includes a generator control unit in electrical communication with the generator to monitor the output voltage at the main armature winding and to output an exciter current including the frequency modulated control signal to the exciter field winding based on the output voltage.

A method of controlling combustion of a gas appliance includes the following steps: a) Read a first burning data in a database; b) Burn gas according to the first burning data; c) Obtain a burning efficiency of the gas appliance; and d) Compare the burning efficiency with a predetermined value, and repeat the step b to the step d when the burning efficiency is higher than the value, or read a second burning data in the database and burn gas according to the second burning data when the burning efficiency is lower than the value. The present invention provides plural stages of burning according to the main component of the gas to be burned to increase the total burning efficiency.

A controlled shock animal training device is shown which includes a mounting collar for mounting the device about a portion of the animal's body. The strap has a pair of electrical contacts which are spaced apart on the mounting strap. An electrical circuit, carried on the mounting strap, connects the pair of spaced electrical contacts and provides a controlled voltage output through the contacts upon triggering of an electrical switch within the circuit. A foldable flap formed in the collar interrupts the electrical circuit during installation of the collar. The shock provided is of limited duration and controlled intensity and requires that the electrical switch be opened and then reclosed to repeat the shocking operation.

An electrified livestock controller for guiding animals, preferably pigs, doubles as a gate and a prod. The controller comprises a central panel of generally planar dimensions, comprising a plurality of central, vertically disposed ribs separated from one another by elongated slots. One or more similar accessory panels are hingedly connected to each side of the central panel. The hinge structure facilitates adjustment of the controller for deployment in a variety of configurations. The hinge structure comprises a detent system having a plurality of indexing disks which, when yieldably mated together, facilitate positioning of the panels in a custom configuration. Suitable flush mounted electric strips are defined on all of the ribs, to provide a shocking effect without tissue damage. The system includes a removable cattle prod which, besides functioning as a handle, can be withdrawn from the handle to separately prod animals. Either concurrently with or independently of rib electrification, audio and/or visual effects may be generated to cause Pavlovian conditioning in the animals. A preferred visual effect of ascending motion, which may be induced by a revolving curtain displaying a spiral image, motivates the animals like a prod. The curtain is best operatively disposed behind the vertical ribs of at least one of the panels.