Abstract: An arrangement for supplying voltage to a number of loads for example, in a vehicle includes a vehicle power supply system (6) which has at least two energy stores. A first energy store is connected in a starter circuit element (6a) to a starter (8) for starting an engine; and a second energy store is connected in a load circuit element to the load. The starter circuit element is connected to the load circuit element via a coupling element, and loads which are classified as being safety-relevant can be connected to the starter circuit element via an additional coupling element.

Abstract: To enable indoor and outdoor physical conditions to be detected for very fine control thereof. Self-contained transmitting sensors 10-1 through 10-8 which monitor physical quantities and convert them into electrical data signals for radio-transmission are disposed in desired positions in housing. The wirelessly transmitted data signals are received by a portable information terminal 20 for controlling the operation of a device 30 to be controlled based upon the received information and its information history. By wearing a self-contained transmitting sensor 10-9 on a user 40 physical quantities such as temperature, humidity and illumination at a place in which the user is located can be controlled to desired values wherever the user moves.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for tracking and documenting environmental compliance in a pulp mill, related primarily to the bypassing of liquid hazardous pollutants from a capture and treatment system. The method and system provide continuous information regarding the input materials, the output products, and the operations of equipment in the pulping process. The continuous information is provided to a central processor for determindation of emission levels that exceed certain predetermined levels. The method and system permit personnel to verify compliance with environmental regulations, verify the reliability of pollutant collection and treatment equipment and record the actions taken to correct an inappropriate emission or equipment failure.

Abstract: A method for analyzing a system for safety to personnel or other systems is disclosed comprising: identifying at least one operating parameter of a first subcomponent of said product; identifying an inherent hazard of said first subcomponents based on an analysis of the at least one operating parameter; identifying features of the structure or operation of the subcomponent corresponding to the inherent hazard; identifying modifications or controls for the identified features which would mitigate the inherent hazard; prioritizing the identified features with respect to the effect that each of said features has on safety of the product; and determining whether an unsafe condition could result from the inherent hazard.

Abstract: A distribution goodness-of-fit test device for testing whether measured data matches an estimated probability distribution has a counting section determination unit, a counting unit and a goodness-of-fit test unit. The counting section determination unit determines according to the number of the measured data, widths of counting sections for counting the measured data. The counting unit counts the numbers of data in the respective determined counting sections. Also, the goodness-of-fit test unit performs a goodness-of-fit test based on the numbers of data in the respective counting sections.

Abstract: A method of optimizing a set of steps in a semi-conductor processing system comprising a software control program, wherein the semi-conductor processing system includes a first function, a second function, and a third function, and further includes a memory for storing a set of variables, and wherein the set of steps further includes a first step, a second step, and a third step. The invention includes generating the first step on an editor application, wherein the first function is added to the first step, and if required, a first set of user input instructions is added. The invention also includes generating the second step on the editor application, wherein the second function is added to the second step, and if required, a second set of user input instructions is added; and generating the third step on the editor application, wherein the third function is added to the third step, and if required, a third set of user input instructions is added.

Abstract: Apparatus includes a main body having a function of reducing performance of the apparatus during operation, an AC adapter which is connectable to the main body and supplies power to the main body from a commercial power source, and a rechargeable battery which is connectable to the main body and discharges to supply power to the main body. Apparatus operates without reducing the performance even while the power supplied from the AC adapter is turned off and the power is supplied from the battery during a peak shift period (e.g. mid-day summer where limiting the power supplied by the AC adapter is desirable) in a state where both the AC adapter and the battery are connected to the main body, and thereafter, the power supplied from the AC adapter is turned on and power is supplied to the main body from the AC adapter even during the peak shift period.

Abstract: A system and method for monitoring and controlling an aquatic environment thus regulating the aquatic environment and maximizing the stability of the aquatic ecosystem. This system uses sensor and data fusion algorithms to perform system anomaly analysis and predictive failure diagnostics based on the output of sensors associated with the aquatic environment control devices. Based on the system anomaly analysis and/or predictive failure diagnostics, the system may continuously adjust the system parameters to maintain an efficient and stable aquatic environment, alert local or remote monitors of failed or impending failure of control devices. In addition, the system may present the system anomaly analysis and predictive failure diagnostics information at a local or remote location to enable the monitor to address any problems presented in situ.

Abstract: A posture angle processing apparatus includes a magnetic sensor, a gravitational acceleration sensor, a position information acquisition device, and a dip angle database device wherein a correlation of the absolute location and a geomagnetic dip angle at the corresponding point is stored. Based on the absolute location of the current point, a dip angle estimation and determination device reads the geomagnetic dip angle at the current point, calculates an angle formed by a horizontal plane and the magnetic vector, compares the angle formed by the magnetic vector and the horizontal plane with the geomagnetic dip angle of the current point, and outputs either a true signal or a false signal depending on the error between the angle and the geomagnetic dip angle.

Abstract: A method for estimating the average-case activity in a digital circuit includes the steps of identifying a state machine in the digital circuit, and propagating activity values through the state machine to obtain activity information at an output of a flop in the state machine using a predetermined formula.

Abstract: A temperature condition of a motor is estimated more accurately based on a drive amount of the motor. An apparatus for determining overheating of a motor, includes: an information obtaining section that obtains information about a drive amount of a motor and information about a stop time etc. between drive operations of the motor; a calculating section that executes a calculation of calculating an integrated value by successively adding up the drive amount of the motor based on the information about the drive amount obtained by the information obtaining section, and a calculation of subtracting, from the integrated value, a subtraction value corresponding to the stop time etc. that is obtained based on the information about the stop time etc. obtained by the information obtaining section; and a determining section that determines that the motor is in an overheated state when the subtracted integrated value obtained by the calculating section reaches a predetermined value.

Abstract: Delays through components of a programmable device are determined transparently to the user through the use of mimic paths. For each delay path to be measured, at least one mimic path is created that has similar components and characteristics to the actual path to be measured. A signal fed through this mimic path will experience similar delay to a signal passing through the actual path, which can be affected by temperature and voltage variations during operation. A swept clock signal can be passed to a register latching the mimic signal data, producing output that can be fed to lead/lag logic to determine a current value of the delay through the mimic path. This delay can be compared to a previous delay determination to approximate an adjustment to be made to a sampling clock used to latch the actual data into the appropriate register at the middle of the latching window.

Abstract: There are basically two types of rumble strips: shoulder/center rumble strips and in-lane rumble strips. In an embodiment of the invention, there is a device that automatically identifies the type of rumble strip with which a vehicle tire is in contact with. The device may include a processor adapted to receive input indicative of a state of rotation of a first vehicle tire and input indicative of a state of rotation of a second vehicle tire when one or more of the first vehicle tire and the second vehicle tire is in contact with a rumble strip. The processor includes logic to compare the state of rotation of the first vehicle tire to the state of rotation of the second vehicle tire, and determine from the comparison, the type of rumble strip in contact with at least one of the first vehicle tire and the second vehicle tire.

Abstract: A method of determining the delay between two corresponding noise-like signals comprises determining events at which the level of a first of the signal crosses a predetermined threshold, using each event to sample a second signal, combining the samples to produce an output value and determining the delay from the output value. Preferably, each sample is weighted according to one or more characteristics of the event used to define the sample. The magnitude of the output value could be an indication of the delay, or there could be several output values each for a respective differently-delayed version of the second signal, in which case these could be evaluated to select which corresponds to the actual delay.

Abstract: Steric features inherent in the three dimensional disposition of atoms in molecules can be represented as multiplets using a defined set of steric descriptors. The resulting multiplets can be encoded in a compressed form of bitstring known as a bitmap. Such bitmaps can be generated in compressed form and used to compare individual conformers or ensembles of conformers of molecules to each other without decompression. Such comparisons are useful in molecular similarity analysis, in molecular diversity analysis, in database searching, and in conformational analysis.

Abstract: A self-diagnosing system for an encoder. The system includes an encoder circuit for outputting information detected by an encoder; a data preparing section provided in the encoder circuit and preparing data representing a state of an abnormal-state judgment factor in connection with at least one of the encoder and an electric motor combined with the encoder; a signal generating section provided in the encoder circuit and generating an abnormal-state signal when the data prepared in the data preparing section represents an abnormal state of the abnormal-state judgment factor; and a storage section provided in the encoder circuit and storing the data representing a state of the abnormal-state judgment factor when the signal generating section generates the abnormal-state signal. The storage section may store the data prepared in the data preparing section at a desired timing not later than the instant the signal generating section generates the abnormal-state signal.

Abstract: A method selects a group of values for an external impedance used to configure a semiconductor. The external impedance has a tolerance and the group of values include a quantity. The method includes providing a measurement circuit as a portion of the semiconductor; determining tolerances associated with the measurement circuit; selecting one of the external impedance tolerance and the quantity of the group of values; computing the other of the external impedance tolerance and the quantity of the group of values, as a function of the measurement circuit tolerances and the selected one of the external impedance tolerance and the quantity of the group of values; and selecting discrete values for the group of values of the external impedance as a function of the computing.

Abstract: There is provided a test system that tests a device under test.

Abstract: A system for determining an operating limit of at least one battery according to some embodiments of the present invention comprises a voltage module that measures a voltage V across at least one battery during first and second periods. A current sensor that measures current I supplied by the at least one battery during the first and second periods. A limit module estimates a sum of a polarization voltage VP and an open circuit voltage V0 of the at least one battery at the second period based on the voltage V and current I of the at least one battery at the first period and an ohmic resistance R0 of the at least one battery.

Abstract: The thermal decay of data written to a magnetic mass storage medium is determined by measuring and analyzing the time-domain equalized-signal-to-noise ratio (ESNR) and equalized signal-to-total-distortion noise ratio (ESTDR) of written data. In some embodiments, a test track and a reference track are initialized from data. Subsequently, the reference track is re-initialized from the test data, and the time-domain ESNR and/or ESTDR measurements are made of the test track and the reference track, at predetermined time intervals. Later, the time-domain ESNR and ESTDR measurements are analyzed to determine the thermal decay of the data written. In another embodiment of the present invention, the ESNR and/or ESTDR measurements includes reading the data through a non-return-to-zero bus in phases, in which the phases are selected in sequence.