Abstract: A vapor inhaler includes a handle with a battery. A heater is connected to the handle and the heater has heater air intake openings for receiving air. The heater has heater air conduits for exhausting air. A cartridge housing is connected to the heater. The cartridge housing has a cartridge housing lid and a cartridge housing lid grille mounted to the cartridge housing lid. The cartridge housing produces vapor. A main body is connected to the cartridge housing, and the main body further includes a mouthpiece. A regulator valve is mounted to the main body. The regulator valve has a regulator valve secondary opening that provides a supplemental ambient air supply when the regulator valve is in an open position. The regulator valve does not provide a supplemental ambient air supply when the regulator valve is in closed position.

Abstract: A universal serial bus (USB) power supply is disclosed as including a main body (12) and a cable (24) releasably connectable with each other, the main body (12) being releasably connectable to a direct current (DC) power source and having a USB receptacle (20) electrically connectable with the DC power source. The cable (24) includes a USB plug (26) releasably connectable with the USB receptacle (20) to establish electrical connection and data communication there-between and a connector (30) electrically connected with the USB plug (26). The power supply is operable in a detached mode in which the main body (12) is out of connection with the cable (24) and in an attached mode in which the main body (12) is releasably connected with the cable (24). The power supply is adapted, when in the attached mode, to automatically change the voltage of a DC power output from the connector (30).

Abstract: An apparatus for transferring electromagnetic energy includes a coil arrangement operable to transmit magnetic flux to a receiver or to receive magnetic flux from a transmitter, wherein the coil arrangement includes a main coil and at least one auxiliary coil electrically combined with the main coil such that the combination of the main coil and the at least one auxiliary coil is arranged to alter an electromagnetic coupling between the coil arrangement and the transmitter or the receiver to increase an operation alignment range between the coil arrangement and the transmitter or the receiver.

Abstract: A dc link module for a power circuit includes a first connector for connecting to a first power conversion circuit, a second connector for connecting to a second power conversion circuit, wherein the second power conversion circuit is connected to a load circuit arranged to at least intermittently operate as a power source to the power circuit, at least one dc link capacitors arranged between said first connector and said second connector for processing a voltage signal received at said first connector or said second connector, and at least one voltage compensation circuits arranged between said first connector and said second connector, said one or more voltage compensation circuits arranged to generate a voltage signal

Abstract: A power flow control apparatus comprising a current distribution circuit arranged to distribute an input current into a plurality of branches such that the input current is distributed into a plurality of individual branch currents; wherein each of the plurality of branches includes an inductive arrangement arranged to form an inductive coupling with an associated inductive arrangement of at least one other associated branch, and a plurality of compensator units in electrical communication with the plurality of branches, wherein each compensator unit is arranged to deliver a branch compensating voltage relative to the branch current.

Abstract: A current distribution apparatus comprising a common current source arranged to deliver an input current into a plurality of branches such that the input current is distributed into a plurality of individual branch currents, wherein each of the plurality of branches includes an inductive arrangement arranged to form an inductive coupling with an associated inductive arrangement of at least one other associated branch.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for burning-in an electronic ballast for a lamp. The apparatus comprises a first stage for emulating an input impedance characteristic of a lamp for the electronic ballast and a second stage connected to the first stage for providing energy feedback to a power supply. An input of the first stage connects in use to the electronic ballast to be burnt-in. An output of the second stage connects in use to the power supply to provide energy feedback to said power supply from the electronic ballast being burnt-in. The energy-recyclable burn-in apparatus can emulate the lamp characteristics from start up to the steady state, process high-frequency ballast output power and recycle the power back into the power grid. The burn-in method includes operating the apparatus for a predetermined period of time such that a voltage applied to the electronic ballast simulates a steady-state operation of a lamp for the electronic ballast.

Abstract: A design specifications-driven platform (100) for analog, mixed-signal and radio frequency verification with one embodiment comprising a client (160) and server (150) is presented. The server comprises an analog verification database (110), a code and document generator (1020), a design to specifications consistency checker (103), a symbol generator (104), a coverage analyzer (105), a server interface (106), a web server (111), and an analog verification server application (101). The client comprises a web browser (130), generated datasheets and reports (120), generated models, regression tests, netlists, connect modules, and symbols (121), generated simulation scripts (122), a client interface (124), design data (131), simulators (132), and a design data extractor (123).

Abstract: An apparatus and method for burning-in an electronic ballast for a lamp. The apparatus comprises a first stage for emulating an input impedance characteristic of a lamp for the electronic ballast and a second stage connected to the first stage for providing energy feedback to a power supply. An input of the first stage connects in use to the electronic ballast to be burnt-in. An output of the second stage connects in use to the power supply to provide energy feedback to said power supply from the electronic ballast being burnt-in. The energy-recyclable burn-in apparatus can emulate the lamp characteristics from start up to the steady state, process high-frequency ballast output power and recycle the power back into the power grid. The burn-in method includes operating the apparatus for a predetermined period of time such that a voltage applied to the electronic ballast simulates a steady-state operation of a lamp for the electronic ballast.

Abstract: An extension to a simulator (801) that allows the user to specify real numbers, voltages, and currents (808) on ports of an electrical net is presented. The computer using the analog wire functionality routines (805), the routines for determining nets (804), the net manager (803), and the pin manager (802) resolves unspecified values on said electrical nets. The user may specify at least one value on said port and may specify whether said port is driven. The extension includes additional math functions (1901).

Abstract: A system and a method for estimating component parameters relating to electric components of an electric circuit comprising the steps of receiving one or more sample variables associated with the electric circuit, applying the one or more sample variables to one or more component relationships associated with an arrangement of the electric components of the electric circuit, and processing the one or more component relationships with an approximation process to determine one or more estimated component parameters.

Abstract: A system and method for emulating a gas discharge lamp comprising an input arranged to direct electric current from a lamp ballast to a delay circuit, wherein the delay circuit is arranged to establish an electrical communication between the lamp ballast and an electric lamp when a predetermined condition associated with one or more characteristics of the gas discharge lamp is attained.

Abstract: A driver circuit for adapting an LED lamp or an LED lamp array to be used in a lamp fitting for a non-LED type lamp without modification of the lamp fitting. The LED lamp or LED lamp array can be inserted into the lamp fitting as a replacement for a non-LED lamp. The driver circuit has a first stage with a filter circuit and having an input connectable to any of an ac power supply, an electromagnetic ballast or an electronic ballast of the lamp fitting; a second stage with a high frequency switched network and having an input connected to an output of the first stage; and a third stage with an ac/dc converter and having an input connected to an output of the second stage and an output connectable to an LED lamp. The third stage is configured to deliver dc power to a connected LED lamp. The second stage is configured to operate in a low frequency mode and in a high frequency mode.

Abstract: The invention comprises a driver circuit for adapting an LED lamp or an LED lamp array to be used in a lamp fitting for a non-LED type lamp without modification of the lamp fitting. The driver circuit is such that the LED lamp or LED lamp array can be inserted into the lamp fitting as a replacement for a non-LED lamp such that the combined unit of the LED lamp and the driver circuit are retained in the lamp fitting and make electrical connections with the lamp fitting's electrical contacts for powering the inserted lamp. The driver circuit enables the LED lamp of lamp array to operate with any of an ac power supply, an electromagnetic ballast or an electronic ballast.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for burning-in an electronic ballast for a lamp. The apparatus comprises a first stage for emulating an input impedance characteristic of a lamp for the electronic ballast and a second stage connected to the first stage for providing energy feedback to a power supply. An input of the first stage connects in use to the electronic ballast to be burnt-in. An output of the second stage connects in use to the power supply to provide energy feedback to said power supply from the electronic ballast being burnt-in. The energy-recyclable burn-in apparatus can emulate the lamp characteristics from start up to the steady state, process high-frequency ballast output power and recycle the power back into the power grid. The burn-in method includes operating the apparatus for a predetermined period of time such that a voltage applied to the electronic ballast simulates a steady-state operation of a lamp for the electronic ballast.

Abstract: Reducing, suppressing or canceling series parasitic inductance and/or resistive effects that affect the frequency response of components, elements and/or circuits in an electronic circuit or system that exhibit capacitance is disclosed. Noise generated by series parasitic inductance and/or parasitic resistance of the components, the physical orientation of the components, and/or the layout of components, devices and/or conductive tracks (board traces) on printed circuit boards within an electronic circuit or system is reduced, suppressed or canceled. The reduction, suppression or cancellation is achieved by adding a voltage source in series with a part or component of the electronic circuit or system that exhibits capacitance, the current source being adapted to deliver a compensating voltage of roughly equal magnitude and roughly opposite phase to parasitic voltage associated with the part or component.

Abstract: An output compensator for a regulator is provided that can improve the dynamic response of a regulator, and which does not require the redesigning of the power conversion stage or control stage of the regulator, but simple circuit connection of the compensator circuit to the output stage of the regulator. The compensator senses an output signal at a passive component at an output of the regulator; generates a compensating signal based on a difference signal, the difference being a difference between a level of a reference signal for the regulator and the sensed output signal; and applies the compensating signal to the passive output component to reduce the difference between the level of the reference signal and the sensed output signal. The passive output component may be, for example, a capacitor or an inductor, depending on the operation of the regulator.

Abstract: Reducing, suppressing or canceling parallel parasitic capacitance and/or resistive effects that affect the frequency response of components, elements and/or circuits in an electronic circuit or system that exhibit inductance is disclosed. Noise generated by parallel parasitic capacitance and/or parasitic resistance of the components, the physical orientation of the components, and/or the layout of components, devices and/or conductive tracks (board traces) on printed circuit boards within an electronic circuit or system is reduced, suppressed or canceled. The reduction, suppression or cancelation is achieved by adding a current source in parallel with a part or component of the electronic circuit or system that exhibits inductance, the current source being adapted to deliver a compensating current of roughly equal magnitude and roughly opposite phase to parasitic current associated with the part or component.

Abstract: Dimming of an electrical lamp of the type driven by a ballast is provided by a reactive power device in series between the AC supply and the ballast. The reactive power device provides a variable auxiliary voltage out of phase by 90 or 270 degrees with the current such that a smaller magnitude voltage is applied to the lamp. The dimming device has a switch to enable/disable dimming. When the switch is enabled, the voltage applied to the lamp is controlled by a half-bridge inverter with a pair of totem pole power electronic switches, along with a pair of DC series capacitors and a low-pass filter.

Abstract: A method for forming a self-aligned contact between two MOS transistors is described. The method supports the use of low-resistivity silicides for the formation of contacts in nanometer applications that employ polycide techniques. Silicon nitride and photoresist material act as dual masks in the formation of the self-aligned contact.