Abstract: An electronic ballast including a rectifying circuit to provide a signal representative of the current signal associated with a buck inductor, a monitoring circuit to provide a monitoring circuit signal when the signal representative of the buck inductor is within a specified range, and a comparing circuit coupled to the rectifying circuit and the monitoring circuit and operable to alter the output of the power converter circuit driving the lamps in response to comparisons between the signals from the rectifying circuit and the monitoring circuit to control power conditions in the ballasts.

Abstract: The present invention is an overvoltage protection and automatic re-strike circuit for an electronic ballast. The electronic ballast has an inverter, a shut-down circuit, a safety circuit, a monitoring circuit, and an overvoltage protection circuit. The inverter provides an appropriate alternating current power supply to operate the lamp. The shut-down, safety, monitoring, and overvoltage protection circuits are coupled to the inverter and provide the overvoltage protection and automatic re-striking functions. During an overvoltage condition, the overvoltage protection circuit will temporarily disable the inverter. Subsequent to the overvoltage condition, the overvoltage protection circuit permits the inverter to attempt to re-ignite the lamp. After a predetermined number of unsuccessful re-ignition attempts, the safety circuit will permanently disable the inverter to avoid damage to the ballast.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for simultaneous hue phase-shifting and a system for 3-D surface profilometry, wherein a single structured-light fringe pattern with encoded multiple trapezoidal color fringes is projected on an object so as to obtain a color image having deformed fringe patterns and then a hue information extracted from a HSI color model associated with the fringe pattern is transformed into a hue phase-shifting information for restructuring the 3-D surface profile of the object. Since the color structured light is composed of a plurality of colorful light having phase shifts with each other in spatial domain, the single structured-light pattern comprises multiple hue phase-shifting information so that the phase shifting and unwrapping can be performed by one-shot 3-D surface reconstruction process without needs of traditional conventional phase wrapping and Euler's transformation procedures such that the efficiency of phase shifting and 3-D surface measurement can be improved.

Abstract: The present invention provides an NAT (Network Address Translator) traversal method in Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) for solving the problems of SIP in Internet phone (VoIP) under current Internet environment. In other words, the present invention solves the SIP problems caused by NAT (Network Address Translator) that P2P (Peer to Peer) transmission cannot traverse the NAT firewall directly.

Abstract: In a communication system including a plurality of pairs of a transmitting device 2 and a receiving device 3, the transmission performance in the pairs is to be improved. The transmitting device 2-k transmits a transmission signal sk(t) to the receiving device 3-k a plurality of number of times. The receiving device 3-k updates the weight matrix Wk and the hopping pattern Pk used by the FIR filter which performs filtering on the transmission signal rk(t) at a predetermined time interval. The receiving device 3-k transmits the updated hopping pattern Pk to the transmitting device 2-k. The transmitting device 2-k receives the hopping pattern Pk to be used for subsequent spread spectrum.

Abstract: A pump assembly and estimation and control system therefor, the pump adapted for continuous flow pumping of blood. In a particular form, the pump is a centrifugal pump wherein the impeller is entirely sealed within the pump housing and is exclusively hydrodynamically suspended therein against movement in three translational and two rotational degrees of freedom as the impeller rotates within the fluid urged by electromagnetic means external to the pump cavity. Hydrodynamic suspension is assisted by the impeller having deformities therein such as blades with surfaces tapered from the leading edges to the trailing edges of bottom and top surfaces thereof.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for simultaneously acquiring interferograms created with a plurality of different interference conditions are provided in the present invention. In the present invention, an object beam and a reference beam are used to interfere with each other and there are a plurality of sub-fields of interference simultaneously generated. All the sub-fields of interference can be simultaneously acquired by an image acquiring device with single shooting action so as to form the plurality of interferograms. Moreover, the present invention also provides a method for solving the phase information of the object beam from the interferograms formed by the foregoing said method.

Abstract: Object To provide a technique for efficiently forming a metal oxide thin film made of zinc oxide or the like on a substrate at a low cost, without requiring a large amount of electrical energy. Means of Solution H2 gas and O2 gas or, H2O2 gas, is introduced into a catalytic reactor to make contact with a catalyst to generate H2O gas, and the H2O gas is jetted from the catalytic reactor to react with a metal compound gas, to thereby deposit a metal oxide thin film on a substrate and fabricate the metal oxide thin film.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides an element for emission of thermal radiation. The element comprises particles arranged for receiving thermal energy and emitting at least a portion of the received thermal energy in the form of the thermal radiation. The thermal radiation predominantly has a wavelength or wavelength range within an atmospheric window wavelength range in which the atmosphere of the Earth has a reduced average absorption and emission compared with an average absorption and emission in an adjacent wavelength range whereby absorption by the element of radiation from the atmosphere is reduced.

Abstract: An intelligent fuel oil monitoring system includes a fuel level detector coupled to a fuel tank of a motor vehicle to detect the amount of the fuel oil in the fuel tank, a microcontroller coupled to the fuel level detector to receive traveling data of the motor vehicle and to establish an average speed-fuel consumption relationship curve and fuel consumption and travel distance relationship curves at different speeds and to calculate the distance the motor vehicle can travel based on the amount of the fuel oil detected by the fuel level detector subject to the fuel consumption and travel distance relationship curve, and a display unit coupled to the microcontroller and controlled by the microcontroller to display data.

Abstract: A vehicle's active electrically controlled non-step speed change mechanism includes an internal combustion engine, a dynamo (motor-generator), a power allotment unit and an active electrically controlled non-step speed changer to control vehicle able to run in the best condition notwithstanding its speed, roadway condition or load thereby achieving the aim of fuel saving and minimizing the environmental contamination due to excess discharge of exhaust gas.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a music selecting system and method, and more particularly, to a technology that suitably determines an emotional quotient of user by preferably using a heart rate and biorhythm of user, and automatically selecting music of specific genre according to the determined emotional quotient, a current time and an age.

Abstract: Indole derivatives, compositions including same, and methods utilizing same for the treatment of amyloid associated diseases, such as type II diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer's dementia or diseases, systemic and localized amyloidosis, and prion-related encephalopathies are provided.

Abstract: The preset invention provides an Intrnet-based automatic security system and method. The security system includes a network server with a database, a network detection module and an automatic transmitting module, and a security device with a microcontroller, a virtual IP network module and wireless transmission module. The network detection module receives the information of security device and detects the networking state. The automatic transmitting module automatically transmits the alarm information from the network detection module to the client and security operator. The microcontroller links security components. The virtual IP network module employs a virtual IP address and links to a virtual IP router through a transmission interface. The security device also contains a polling module automatically linked to the network server for reading data.

Abstract: The present invention provides a vehicle speed warning system and method for acquiring the images thereof. There is a speedometer image acquisition device, mounted correspondingly to the speedometer of the existing panel, and used to acquire the images of the speedometer. An image converter converts the images acquired by a speedometer image acquisition device into digital image data. A processor is used to receive digital image data and analyze the rotating angle of the pointer of speedometer. A memory stores the program of the vehicle speed warning system and digital image data of the speedometer. A display screen displays the speed value and/or the judgment result analyzed by the processor. The setting unit sets the warning threshold of the pointer angle of speedometer. A warning device, used to send a warning signal when the pointer angle of the speedometer exceeds the warning threshold set by the driver.

Abstract: The present invention provides a cathode and a fuel cell, which are built to prevent escape of liquids, e.g. water and fuel solution, from the cell. Thus, according to a first aspect thereof, the present invention provides a cathode suitable for use in a fuel cell having a proton conducting membrane, the cathode comprising a plurality of layers including a catalyst layer and a hydrophobic porous support layer, wherein at least one of said plurality of layers is a liquid water leak-proof layer, which allows gas to pass through it and prevents passage of liquid water and/or aqueous fuel solution.

Abstract: A technique for facilitating coordination of actions by multiple programs involves providing an execution environment for active objects. The execution environment may be an object space. Client programs may write active objects to the object space, which execute on behalf of the client programs. The client programs may obtain the results of the executed active objects, even if the client program is disconnected from the object space while the active object is executing.

Abstract: Described are methods and systems for treating a patient to modify a body passage of the patient. The methods may involve removing tissue from a luminal surface of a body passage such as the esophagus or stomach, for the purpose of inducing a healing response that will result in a reshaping of the body passage.

Abstract: A composition for holographic recording medium, which can be coated in a uniform thickness and enables to simply produce a high definition holographic recording medium is provided. And a holographic medium having a low error rate, high storage capacity, high-performance, high-density, which is produced using the composition for the holographic recording medium, is also provided. The composition comprises a (meth)acrylic acid ester group-containing polymerizable substance, an alicyclic epoxy group-containing cationical polymerizable substance of which is ring-opening polymerized by heat, and a hydroxyl group-containing substance which is reactive with the alicyclic epoxy group-containing cationical polymerizable substance. The holographic recording medium is produced by forming a holographic recording layer on a substrate by applying the composition on the base material and polymerizing the alicyclic epoxy group-containing cationical polymerizable substance and the hydroxyl group-containing substance.

Abstract: In a method of manufacturing a pressed scandate dispenser cathode, firstly, scandium nitrate, barium nitrate, calcium nitrate, aluminum nitrate and ammonium metatungstate (AMT) are dissolved in de-ionized water, respectively, and then mixed with a solution of a cross-link agent such as citric acid and H2O2. After water bathing, the mixed aqueous solution turns into gel, and the powders are obtained after the gel calcination. Secondly, the calcined powders are reduced by hydrogen. Finally, the reduced powders are pressed into shapes and then sintered in the furnace with the atmosphere of hydrogen or by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS 3.202-MK-V) in vacuum.