Abstract: A cooling system for an electrical machine includes at least one set of heat-conducting inserts positioned so as to transmit heat from at least one part of the winding in the stator to a heatsink. The heatsink may be the frame of the machine itself, but could also be a coolant pipe mounted at one or both ends of the stator. One form of insert is arranged between windings to draw heat away from the sides of the poles. Another form of insert is arranged on the ends of the poles to draw heat from that region.

Abstract: A novel coil shape, particularly suitable for 1-phase switched reluctance machines, is disclosed. The coil may be wound on a bobbin which is then inserted into the stator or it may be free standing. The shape is such that it can be inserted into the stator without further deformation of its shape to allow subsequent components of the machine to be assembled.

Abstract: A system for automatically controlling the temperature of the cooking surface of a cooking surface of a solid-surface cooktop and, consequently, the temperature of the cooking utensil on the cooking surface, by detecting cooking utensil-related properties through the solid-surface cooktop. The cooking utensil-related properties include presence/absence, removal/placement, and other physical properties such as utensil type, size, warpage, and temperature and load size. Automatic control is based on monitoring the heat transfer characteristics from the energy source to the cooktop and the utensil to infer the utensil properties. This is achieved by sensing or inferring a parameter indicative of the temperature of a monitored area that includes at least a portion of the cooktop or of the cooking utensil placed on the upper surface of a cooktop, as well as a parameter indicative of power applied to a controllable heat source, and detecting signal properties using an evolutionary algorithm.

Abstract: A method for resolving interferometric ambiguities for an interferometer system with antenna elements employs multiple interferometric elements within the baseline. The overall accuracy of the interferometer system results from the interferometric elements with the longest baseline dimension; the remaining interferometric elements provide a means to correctly resolve ambiguities. According to the method, the baseline locations of additional elements are determined by using an integer fractional location. By so doing, the ambiguities of the overall baseline correspond to a limited number of ambiguities of the fractional baseline so that many of the ambiguities of the overall baseline can be eliminated. According to a preferred method, baseline values are selected to obtain a high probability of correct ambiguity resolution with a minimum number of additional interferometric elements. In this way, the design complexity is reduced.

Abstract: A monitoring and control system for monitoring the boil states of the contents of a cooking utensil located on a cooking surface of a cooktop, indicating the state to a user, and controlling the energy applied to the cooking surface, which may be a glass ceramic. The system includes at least one controllable heat source located below the lower surface of the cooktop so as to heat the cooktop and cooking utensil, at least one sensor located in proximity to the cooktop, which senses the temperature of at least one of the cooktop and the cooking utensil, at least one power indicative signal, and a signal processing device receiving a temperature signal from the sensor, and the power indicative signal. The signal issued by the sensor is representative of the temperature of either the cooktop, or the cooking utensil.

Abstract: In a switched reluctance machine, the air gap between aligned rotor and stator poles is defined to have an inner region of substantially uniform length and outer regions of increasing length. The outer regions are flanked by extension portions on one or both of the poles that form a radiussed transition region on the pole between each outer region and a side wall of the pole. The at least one of the poles has a waist portion between the extension portions and the body of the lamination. As the rotor rotates with respect to the stator, alignment of the poles more gradually modifies the flux path such that radial forces tending to distort the stator and give rise to vibration and acoustic noise are reduced. The waist portion decreases the inductance of the stator winding in the minimum inductance position of the rotor.

Abstract: A reduced vibration and reduced noise controller for a switched reluctance machine system and a method for reducing unwanted vibration and noise produced by a switched reluctance machine system. The energization of the voltage across a phase winding in the switched reluctance machine is controlled such that the voltage across the phase winding varies over time in a controlled manner from a first voltage level to a second voltage level following a predefined switching event. The control of the transition of the voltage across the phase winding from the first voltage level to the second voltage level is accomplished through application of a succession of timed voltage pulses to the phase winding at a fixed point in time after the predefined switching event or through use of a capacitor smoothing circuit.

Abstract: A reduced vibration and reduced noise controller for a switched reluctance machine system. A decoder circuit monitors firing signals which are used to energize a phase winding in the switched reluctance machine over an angular period of rotor rotation. When the firing signals indicate that a predefined switching event has occurred, one or more timed voltage pulses are applied to the phase winding at fixed points in time following the predefined switching event. The timed voltage pulses induce vibration forces in the motor which actively cancel unwanted vibrations in the motor system, thus reducing unwanted vibrations and acoustic noise.

Abstract: A method of controlling a switched reluctance machine having a rotor and a stator with at least one phase winding to reduce iron loss whereby the phase winding is energized over a first angular period of the rotation of the rotor and then current in the phase winding is allowed to freewheel through the phase winding for a second angular period of rotor rotation where, in a first method, the second angular period is greater than the first angular period. Also a method of using freewheeling in high speed applications to reduce iron loss.

Abstract: In an X-ray tube arrangement of the kind in which an electron beam is deflected along a target/anode there is provided means for monitoring the progress of the deflection to correct for errors. Detectors are provided to receive radiation from the regions of intended reversals in the scan. By monitoring maxima and minima in the waveform from those detectors the true position of the reversals can be estimated.

Abstract: Radiographic apparatus is described in which an X-ray tube incorporates a cathode which is heavily driven to produce a strong electron beam. In order to minimize the demands placed on the cathode, the X-radiation emitted by the tube (or the electron beam produced by the cathode and causing the emission of the X-radiation) is monitored and used to control the supply of energy (e.g. heater current) to the cathode.