Abstract: A specialized variable speed drive of the present invention is capable of controlling a motor and increasing the efficiency of both an ACIM or DCBL motor by biasing operation in favor of a class AB mode. The variable speed drive may be configured with two gate drivers where one gate driver is a class D gate driver and the second gate driver is either a class AB gate driver or a class C gate driver. The system also operates to reduce electro-magnetic interference in the operation of motors while increasing the reliability of the overall VSD system.

Abstract: An apparatus used as a platform for developing embedded real-time software for controlling fault tolerant opto-electro-mechanical systems. The platform provides a portable model-based design environment conducive to validation and verification of the Control Laws and of the Plant model. The platform is also useful for observing the overall system behavior by injecting faults or failures which can be destructive, expensive or difficult if applied to the real system. The platform is comprised of multiplicities of serial data ports, serial port converters, single board microcontrollers, and external interfaces. The apparatus includes at least one interface board that cross connects at least two microcontrollers and allows the downloading of the Plant and Control algorithms to each microcontroller through available serial interfaces enabling evaluation of the modeled system behavior.

Abstract: An apparatus used as a platform for Developing Embedded Real-time Software with a laptop or a Personal Computer, multiplicity of USB to CANbus converters, multiplicity of USB to RS-232 converter, multiplicity of single board microcontrollers, Interface board interfacing the microcontrollers, and software development tool-chain. The preferred embodiment uses at least one of the microcontrollers as the System Controller, and at least one microcontroller as the Plant or System Under Control. The interface board acts as signal conditioner, between the System controller and the Plant. The serial interfaces are used to download executable code into the microcontrollers, observe the overall system behavior, and inject faults or failure into the plant model.

Abstract: The objective of this invention is to simplify and provide a versatile device capable of accurately measuring seismic activity. The technique is based on magnetic levitation. The concept of magnetic levitation has been around since the 1960's, and it has been used extensively for high speed trains, however its use in seismology has been described in U.S. Pat No. 3,626,364 issued to Simon et al. However the present invention utilizes a four-vector magnetic field instead of three separate scalar magnetic fields. The advantages of present approach is reduction of three seismic masses to a single seismic mass.To detect seismic activity using this concept, a seismic mass must be magnetically suspended. A seismic mass trapped in a magnetic field still possesses its inertia. Therefore, as the magnetic field moves under the influence of seismic activity, the seismic mass will tend to stay in the same place. The controller, however tends to keep the seismic mass in its place.