Abstract: A self-contained, small, lightweight, portable, renewable, modular integrated power source. The power source consists of a recharging means such as solar cells that are laminated onto a rechargeable energy source such as a solid state polymer battery which in turn is laminated onto a substrate containing circuits which manage the polymer battery charging. Charging of the battery can occur via solar energy or, alternatively, via RF coupling using external RF charging equipment or a hand held generator. For added support, the integrated power source is then bonded to an applications housing or structure. This integrated power source can independently power the electronic application. It can also serve as casing or housing by taking the shape of the application enclosure.

Abstract: A starter/alternator system (24) for hybrid electric vehicle (10) having an internal combustion engine (12) and an energy storage device (34) has a controller (30) coupled to the starter/alternator (26). The controller (30) has a state of charge manager (40) that monitors the state of charge of the energy storage device. The controller has eight battery state-of-charge threshold values that determine the hybrid operating mode of the hybrid electric vehicle. The value of the battery state-of-charge relative to the threshold values is a factor in the determination of the hybrid mode, for example; regenerative braking, charging, battery bleed, boost. The starter/alternator may be operated as a generator or a motor, depending upon the mode.

Abstract: A platinum/Rhodium resistance thermal probe is used as an active device which acts both as a highly localized heat source and as a detector to perform localized differential calorimetry, by thermally inducing and detecting events such as glass transitions, meltings, recystallizations and thermal decomposition within volumes of material estimated at a few &mgr;m3. Furthermore, the probe is used to image variations in thermal conductivity and diffusivity, to perform depth profiling and sub-surface imaging. The maximum depth of the sample that is imaged is controlled by generating and detecting evanescent temperature waves in the sample.

Abstract: A switching power supply produces a regulated output voltage. An output inductor is connected at one end to a power switch circuit having a duty cycle. The other end of the output inductor has a regulated output voltage. A voltage feedback circuit produces a voltage feedback signal representative of the regulated output voltage. A current feedback circuit produces a composite signal representative of inductor current, the composite signal having an ac component and a dc component. An error amplifier produces an error signal representative of the difference between a reference voltage and the voltage feedback signal. A pulse width modulator comparator compares the error signal to a composite signal representing a summing of the voltage feedback signal with a current sensing signal representative of output inductor current, the composite signal having an ac component and a dc component.

Abstract: A battery operating system includes an array of individual component batteries configured with compound series parallel connections to form a network. The array of individual component batteries is configured to provide a two-dimensional battery network having X columns and Y rows. Each column in the network comprises Y batteries electrically connected in series to form a string of batteries. Each of the X columns or strings are then further electrically connected together in parallel, to produce a network of X columns of batteries connected together in parallel, each of the X columns having Y batteries connected together in series. Finally, each of the individual component batteries is further configured with compound interconnections, such that each of the individual component batteries are connected in parallel with all adjacent individual component batteries in the same row.

Abstract: The design and fabrication of a highly integrated, intelligent integral horsepower, three-phase induction motor drive is based on multichip module (MCM) technology. A conventional three-phase induction motor is transformed into a stand-alone variable-speed drive by way of MCM technology. This solid-state controller-known as a multichip power module (MCPM)-uses known good die (KGD) to obtain minimal footprint, volume, and mass, while maximizing efficiency, reliability, and manufacturability. This is done by integrating the low-power control and high-power sections onto a single substrate. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an integrated circuit assembly formed on a single substrate is capable of transforming and controlling AC power input to DC power output responsive to input signals.

Abstract: A board mountable power supply module is described. The power supply module includes a power train for converting an input voltage into a regulated output voltage and a controller operable to control the power train. The power train is connected to the input and output voltages through an input voltage pin, an output voltage pin and a common pin. The controller includes a multifunction control pin, which allows for disabling the power supply module and for trimming the output voltage. Additionally, two or more power supply modules can be connected in parallel to form a power supply that is capable of meeting increased load current requirements. Each of the multifunction control pins in the power supply is electrically connected together to improve current sharing between modules by reducing internal variances between modules.

Abstract: A control circuit for controlling current of batteries at the end of the charging phase, especially for lithium batteries, including an input/output circuit, placed between a battery charger and a battery, and an output stage, including two transistors, wherein the resistance of one of the two transistors is modulated to increase the value of the total resistance and to cause a lower turning off current of said output stage.

Abstract: In an AC voltage detection circuit, a chopper charging circuit converts an induced voltage of an AC generator to a chopper voltage and charges a main capacitor. When the chopper voltage becomes a predetermined voltage or less, the chopper charging circuit charges an auxiliary capacitor and detects a power generation state of the AC generator at an early stage based on a potential obtained by adding the potential between output terminals of the AC generator and the auxiliary capacitor and starts the charging.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer-readable medium containing computer programming instructions are disclosed for allowing threads in a multi-threaded process to continue operating when a single offending thread within the process causes a critical signal and crashes. A critical signal directed to a particular multi-threaded process resulting from the execution of an offending thread in the process is handled by a critical signal thread. The critical signal thread is invoked when the process receives a critical signal and prevents the entire process from shutting down because of one bad thread in the process. The critical signal thread terminates the resources and connections associated with the offending thread. It does this without effecting the performance of other non-offending threads in the process thereby preventing the termination of other connections in the process because of illegal or invalid operations of a single thread.

Abstract: The invention in one embodiment is a dynamically configurable bus system, including a dynamic bus; a bus device having a first guaranteed unique identifier and a first physical address on the dynamic bus; and a bus manager having a second guaranteed unique identifier and a second physical address on the dynamic bus. The bus manager maps the first and second guaranteed unique identifiers to the first and second physical addresses, respectively.

Abstract: A network computer including a motherboard powered by a power supply via a single power supply plane, a clock generator, a processor, a system memory, and a network interface. The network computer is configured to assume a low power state in response to a low power event and further configured to transition from the low power state to a full power state in response to a wake up event. The wake up event may comprise a LAN wake up in the form of a command issued by a server computer coupled to the network computer via a network. In one embodiment, the network computer lacks a disk based storage device, but includes local permanent storage comprising a compact flash card. Preferably, the network computer's clock generator is configured to produce a clock signal for the processor when the network computer is in the full power mode, and further configured to produce no clock signal in the low power mode.

Abstract: A power-conserving computer containing a peripheral device that, when used alone, requires the CPU of the computer to be powered-on for only the short period of time needed for the CPU to translate a user-specified command into a command that the CPU then transmits to the peripheral device. Inputs are added to the computer system for direct input of user commands to the peripheral device. The BIOS power-up/reset routine of the computer is modified to detect power-on as a result of user input to the added inputs, to then transmit a corresponding command to the peripheral device, and to finally power down the CPU. The system controller of the computer is electrically shielded from the peripheral device when the system controller is powered-down and the peripheral device is operating.

Abstract: Using the accumulated magnetic tape statistics in a storage medium (Sumlog File) which were retrieved from the unloading of specifically selected magnetic tape media, of a magnetic tape peripheral, a procedure is instituted to take the tape statistics through a Log Analyzer unit to analyze certain pages of data which then is fed to a Jobformatter unit which organizes each page of data into Write errors, Read errors, and other tape statistics returned by the tape peripheral. The Jobformatter sets-up a display of this information onto a display terminal or a printer.

Abstract: A system and method for the stabilization of battery temperature by alternating airflow through an internal ductwork of a cabinet housing electronic equipment and circuitry. Ambient air is drawn through one or more intake vents or louvers provided with the cabinet housing. Regulated airflow through the ductwork allows the cabinet housing's thermal management system to direct either cooler ambient air during warm periods or heated air during colder periods through the cabinet to stabilize the battery temperature as well electronics equipment and circuitry housed in the cabinet. At least a portion of the heated air is expelled through one or more exhaust vents. Because no active components are used for stabilizing battery temperature, thermal regulation is achieved even during utility power outages. Further, thermal energy is provided without the possibility of igniting hydrogen gas products generated by the battery units present in the cabinet.

Abstract: A voltage down converter includes a first voltage down converting circuit and a second voltage down converting circuit. The first voltage down converting circuit supplies an internal power supply voltage VCCS1 to an internal circuit only during a period T when the internal power supply voltage VCCS1 falls below a predetermined voltage according to a signal DCE. In the first voltage down converting circuit, P channel MOS transistors are selectively activated according to the levels of the plurality of voltages, and a voltage down converting partial circuit supplies a current of an amount corresponding to the level of the external power supply voltage VCC to a power supply node. As a result, even during the period T, the internal power supply voltage can be maintained at a level of the reference voltage.

Abstract: An audio wake-up circuit for use to wake up a computer system from a sleep mode. Such an audio wake-up circuit comprises an operational amplifier (Op-Amp) coupled to receive an audio input from a user via an audio input device, and having a feedback network arranged to compare the input audio with an attenuated version of the output audio and make an appropriate amplification; and a switching device coupled to the operational amplifier (Op-Amp) and arranged to assert a power management (PME#) wake event so as to wake up the computer system from a sleep mode, when the input audio from the user exceeds a predetermined level.

Abstract: A data flow control mechanism for a bus supporting two- and three-agent transactions includes a control logic to place an indication of a request onto a computer system bus. The agent placing the indication on the bus then waits to place data corresponding to the request onto the bus until it has received an indication from another agent coupled to the bus that the other agent is ready to receive the data.

Abstract: The battery charging device obtains an open-circuit voltage at the time of 70% capacity based on information stored in a ROM of a battery package prior to the charge, and upon measuring an open-circuit voltage of the battery package by a voltage measuring portion, if this open-circuit voltage is higher than the obtained open-circuit voltage, a second indicator is switched ON to indicate that the remaining capacity is not less than 70% to thereby enable discrimination among batteries requiring charge or that do not prior to starting charging.

Abstract: A bus bridge with a pool of buffers sets including first and second buffer sets. The bridge includes steering logic for directing transactions issued by a first peripheral device to the first buffer set and transactions issued by the second peripheral device to the second buffer set. The bus bridge is configured to pull posted memory write transactions ahead of a delayed read completion transaction in the first buffer set in response to identifying the first peripheral device as a target of a read request issued by a processor. In one embodiment, the bus bridge is further configured to receive first and second device select signals from the first and second peripheral devices respectively. In this embodiment, the device select signals indicate the target of the read request issued by the processor.