Abstract: An electrical converter is provided, comprising a first half-bridge sub-module, a switch, and a first capacitor. The half-bridge sub-module is connected to the first capacitor, and the switch is connected to a terminal of the first half-bridge sub-module. The switch includes a plurality of insulated-gate bipolar transistors. The insulated-gate bipolar transistors are serially connected with each other.

Abstract: Certain embodiments may generally relate to power supplies, and more specifically to a linear regulated dimmable light-emitting diode (LED) driver for a direct current (DC) grid connected LED string. A power circuit may include a plurality of pass devices, and a plurality of biasing pass devices electrically connected to the plurality of pass devices. The power circuit may also include a compensator electrically connected to the plurality of biasing pass devices, and a sense resistor electrically connected to the plurality of pass devices, the plurality of biasing pass devices, and the compensator.

Abstract: Certain embodiments may generally relate to a smart fault detection device for power grids, and a method of fault detection for power grids. A method may include receiving raw data samples of currents in grounding conductors and line conductors. The method may also include processing the raw data samples under at least one of a plurality of system operating modes. The method may also include monitoring normal operation and anticipating an impending fault while operating under at least one of the system operating modes. The method may further include extracting fault information based on the monitoring. The method may also include reporting the fault information to a supervisory control and data acquisition system human-machine interface. The method may further include anticipating faults based on an analysis of the raw data samples.

Abstract: A method and apparatus may include receiving a signal from a motor. The signal is received while the motor is operating. The method also includes performing a pre-processing of the signal. The method also includes inputting the signal to a 1D convolutional neural network. The method also includes detecting a fault of the motor based on the output of the neural network.

Abstract: An electrical converter, comprising a plurality of first modules and a plurality of second modules. At least one of the plurality of first modules includes a half-bridge module coupled with a direct current (DC)-link capacitor. A diode connected across the DC-link capacitor and a thyristor. At least one of the plurality of second modules is connected to at least one of the plurality of first modules.

Abstract: The multi-parametric environmental diagnostics and monitoring sensor node (10) provides monitoring and diagnostics of a variety of different ambient environmental factors and is powered by multiple sources of renewable energy. The multi-parametric environmental diagnostics and monitoring sensor node (10) includes a base (38) and a plurality of environmental condition sensors (36a, 36b, 36c, 36d, 36e, 36f) mounted thereon. A controller (47) is also mounted on the base (38), the plurality of environmental condition sensors (36a, 36b, 36c, 36d, 36e, 36f) being in communication therewith. An external photovoltaic cell (18) is mounted to the base and an internal photovoltaic cell (34) is mounted in an opposed orientation on a cover (32). The external photovoltaic cell (18) and the internal photovoltaic cell (34) charge a power storage module (52), which powers the plurality of environmental condition sensors (36a, 36b, 36c, 36d, 36e, 36f) and the controller (47).

Abstract: The compound nozzle for a cement 3D printer to produce thermally insulated composite cement is useful for producing composite thermally insulated cement sections using a 3D printer. The nozzle includes an insulation nozzle concentrically disposed in the central discharge orifice of the compound nozzle to produce a stream of insulation media axially surrounded by a stream of cement mixture extruded from the nozzle to form a wall with a cement exterior and an insulation interior. A motor-driven auger is controlled by a controller, and the cement is supplied from the top either manually or by a concrete pump. The insulating material is supplied to the insulation nozzle by a separate line that uses another pump. The system includes a cleaning mechanism to clean the internal components of the compound nozzle using water jets and a drying system to dry the internal components without disassembling the system.

Abstract: The method for generating a secret key for encrypted wireless communications is a physical layer technique that exploits channel randomness between two nodes, the channel being characterized by reciprocity between the two nodes. Reference signals exchanged by the two nodes are used to faun a channel estimate, including gain location and phase location. The gain and phase locations are compared to threshold values, and locations exceeding the respective thresholds are stored in vectors. The moving differences between gain and phase locations at adjacent sampling times define secondary random processes. The moving difference values are quantized and converted to bit streams, which are concatenated to generate the secret key. Measures are provided to reduce parity errors, thereby reducing the bit mismatch rate (BMR).

Abstract: The non-coherent ultra-wideband receiver receives an ultra-wideband (UWB) signal, consisting of pulses (or “symbols”) and uses on-off keying (OOK) modulation so that when a binary “0” is transmitted, the receiver collects noise-only samples. The receiver collects samples during the symbol (pulse) duration and sorts the samples by magnitude of voltage or energy. The receiver uses the known transmission rate and the estimated signal-to-noise ratio to retrieve a sample index from a look-up table. The receiver then compares the signal sample at the index value with a predetermined threshold voltage (or energy). If the selected sample exceeds the threshold, then it is assumed that all succeeding samples also exceed the threshold (assuming the sort is in ascending magnitude) and the pulse is present and binary “1”. Otherwise, the pulse is absent in the sampling period, and binary “0”. The process is repeated for the signal duration.

Abstract: The method and apparatus for angle of arrival estimation are used for estimating the angle of arrival of a received signal by a switched beam antenna array and a single receiver. The switched beam antenna array first collects an omnidirectional signal to be used as a reference signal. A main beam thereof is then switched to scan an angular region of interest. The collected signals from the switched beams are cross-correlated with the reference signal. The cross-correlation coefficient is the highest at the true angle of arrival and relatively negligible otherwise. The collected signal from each beam angle is cross-correlated with the omnidirectional reference signal to determine the angle of arrival of the received signal.

Abstract: A method and apparatus may include receiving a transmission. The method can also include determining a sparsifying dictionary that sparsely approximates a data vector of the transmission. The determining the sparsifying dictionary includes performing a fast Fourier transform and/or an inverse fast Fourier transform. The method also includes configuring a filter based on the determined sparsifying dictionary.

Abstract: Certain embodiments may generally relate to a smart fault detection device for power grids, and a method of fault detection for power grids. A method may include receiving raw data samples of currents in grounding conductors and line conductors. The method may also include processing the raw data samples under at least one of a plurality of system operating modes. The method may also include monitoring normal operation and anticipating an impending fault while operating under at least one of the system operating modes. The method may further include extracting fault information based on the monitoring. The method may also include reporting the fault information to a supervisory control and data acquisition system human-machine interface. The method may further include anticipating faults based on an analysis of the raw data samples.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention encompass methods of forming graphene from graphene oxide and/or graphite oxide using tomato juice.

Abstract: A method of making a copper oxide-titanium dioxide nanocatalyst for performing the catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide is provided. The copper oxide-titanium dioxide nanocatalyst is in the form of copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles supported on mesoporous titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanotubes. The copper oxide-titanium dioxide nanocatalyst is prepared by adding an aqueous solution of Cu(NO3)23H2O to an aqueous suspension of titanium dioxide nanotubes. Deposition precipitation at constant alkaline pH is used to form the copper oxide nanoparticles supported on mesoporous titanium dioxide nanotubes. Aqueous sodium carbonate is used to adjust the pH. The solid matter (copper oxide deposited on titanium dioxide nanotubes) is separated from the suspension, washed, dried and calcined, yielding the copper oxide-titanium dioxide nanocatalyst. Carbon monoxide may then flow over a fixed-bed reactor loaded with the copper oxide-titanium dioxide nanocatalyst at a temperature between 80° C. and 200° C.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for intrusion detection, specifically, identifying masquerade attacks in large scale, multiuser systems, which improves the scoring systems over conventional masquerade detection systems by adopting distinct alignment parameters for each user. For example, the use of DDSGA may result in a masquerade intrusion detection hit ratio of approximately 88.4% with a small false positive rate of approximately 1.7%. DDSGA may also improve the masquerade intrusion detection hit ratio by about 21.9% over convention masquerade detection techniques and lower the Maxion-Townsend cost by approximately 22.5%. It will also improve the computational overhead.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for determining an angle ? an estimate of a true angle ? from a resolver excitation signal Vex(t)=A sin(?t) and modulated resolver output signals Vs(t,?)=A×sin(?)×sin(?t) and VC(t,?)=A×cos(?)×sin(?t), where ? is an angular frequency and t is time, is provided. The apparatus may include a converter comprising a closed loop phase-locked loop (PLL) system configured to produce an angle ? and two digital signals BitØ(?) and Bit1(?) for estimating the true angle ? using Vex(t), Vs(t,?) and VC(t,?) signals.

Abstract: Air drained from a patient's body can be measured after a surgical operation or trauma. The volume of air drained from the body can be determined from the weight of a vessel that has receive effluent drained the body and the volume of air that has escaped from the vessel. The effluent can include any one or a combination of air and liquid.

Abstract: This invention relates to a novel palladium catalyst for the substantially complete oxidative removal of methane from exhaust streams at low operating temperatures compared to other current palladium catalysts and to methods of preparing the catalyst. Use of the catalyst to remove methane from vehicle exhaust streams, crude oil production and processing exhaust streams, petroleum refining exhaust streams and natural gas production and processing exhaust streams.

Abstract: The image-based feedback endoscopy system includes a steering apparatus having a base platform, a pair of servomotors, a rigid tube, and a biasing member. A flexion member has a tether member and a ball screw, the tether member being in communication with the biasing member. The image-based feedback endoscopy system further includes an endoscope having a tip. The endoscope is positioned through the concentric spring such that the tip extends from the biasing member. The endoscope is in communication with the flexion member such that the endoscope is selectively movable by the pair of servomotors selectively controlling the flexion member. The endoscope includes a piezo actuator, a scanning fiber, a lens assembly, and collection fibers. The image-based feedback endoscopy system also includes an image based feedback algorithm, which selectively controls the operation of the pair of servo motors.

Abstract: The method of identifying faulty antenna elements in massive uniform linear antenna arrays is a compressive sensing-based method that takes advantage of the reduction of the measurement matrix for a uniform linear antenna array to a partial discrete Fourier transform (DTF) matrix, whose rows correspond to the measurements' locations. Particularly, the method of identifying faulty antenna elements in massive uniform linear antenna arrays allows the measurements to be taken to reduce the measurement matrix's worst-case coherence, a factor which affects the detection probability of the defective antenna elements. The method constructs a measurement matrix with fewer distinct inner product values to reduce the worst-case coherence. In an alternative embodiment, the method focuses on bounding the inner product between any pair of measurement matrix columns.