Abstract: An improved residential electrical energy system is described based on the use of a smart load center or power distribution panel configured to select the use of utility power or power derived from storage batteries independently for each of a number of load circuits based on availability of utility power and battery charge state information.

Abstract: A method and circuit arrangement is described for start-up and shut-down of high power DC to AC inverters which limits inrush current for capacitor charging, reduces input and output relay contact stress and discharges internal capacitors upon shut down. A preferred inrush limiting component has a higher resistance when hot than when cold, such as an incandescent filament lamp.

Abstract: Transformerless bimodal inverters provide grid-tie outputs for back-feeding solar-originated power from a battery to a utility power grid in a grid-tied mode, simultaneously or alternatively with providing a constant-voltage AC output for powering AC appliances or loads directly in a standalone mode. The inverters continue to operate in the standalone mode without interruption should the grid-tied mode cease, e.g., due to anti-islanding during a grid outage or other fault condition not affecting the standalone mode. Conversely, the inverters continue to operate in the grid-tied mode should the standalone mode trip out, e.g., due to a current overload or other condition not affecting the grid-tied mode.

Abstract: An illustrative aspect of the invention provides a filtration apparatus comprising a filtration element having a plurality of filtration media sheets and at least one reinforcement element positioned intermediate adjacent filtration media sheets. The reinforcement element has a body that is formed from a planar member having a plurality of apertures to allow passage of fluid therethrough. At least a portion of a surface of the reinforcement element is in contact with one of the filtration media sheets. At least a portion of another surface of the reinforcement element is in contact with the other filtration media sheet. Each of these surface portions defines a plane that is parallel to the filtration media sheet with which the surface portion is in contact.

Abstract: An advantageous method of converting solar energy from a photovoltaic array into alternating current for feeding into the electricity grid is described based on the use of an inventive rotary machine. The inventive rotary machine has a rotor and a set of stator coils which are excited in a first mode by a polyphase current derived from the solar array and simultaneously in a second, orthogonal mode by a polyphase voltage derived from the electricity grid.

Abstract: A rotary rheometer is disclosed that includes improved control logic. This logic can provide continuously sampled force control logic, compliance control logic, adaptive control logic, anti-windup logic, and/or inertial correction logic.

Abstract: Transformerless bimodal inverters provide grid-tie outputs for back-feeding solar-originated power from a battery to a utility power grid in a grid-tied mode, simultaneously or alternatively with providing a constant-voltage AC output for powering AC appliances or loads directly in a standalone mode. The inverters continue to operate in the standalone mode without interruption should the grid-tied mode cease, e.g., due to anti-islanding during a grid outage or other fault condition not affecting the standalone mode. Conversely, the inverters continue to operate in the grid-tied mode should the standalone mode trip out, e.g., due to a current overload or other condition not affecting the grid-tied mode.

Abstract: Sharing of load current in desired ratios between multiple electrical voltage sources is achieved without coupling between the sources by controlling a selection switch to select each voltage source for a proportion of the time at a high rate, the switching rate components being prevented from being seen by either the load or the sources through use of low-pass filters.

Abstract: A method, circuit and system arrangement is described for providing rapid de-energization for safety reasons of conductors having a DC power source at both ends. The invention is particularly envisaged for use in solar energy systems in which a battery is charged by solar power from a photovoltaic array, the invention comprising controlling the array to interrupt charge current flow and then isolating the battery from the conductors to be de-energized in a fail-safe manner.

Abstract: A DC to AC converter is described in which DC power presented as a set of relatively floating DC power sources of differing DC voltage values is converted to a desired AC power waveform by combining the DC voltage values with sequential sets of associated ternary-valued multiplicative weights of +1, ?1, or 0, and summing the weighted voltage values, so as to produce voltage points on the desired waveform at appropriate time instants.

Abstract: Smart Appliances are defined that assist in reducing energy consumption or cost. The Smart Appliances communicate with Smart Energy sources via the power lines and in particular by injecting communications signals between the live plus neutral power lines on the one hand and the ground line on the other hand, the communications protocol allowing a power source to identify the electrical circuit to which an appliance is connected and thereby to route a selected type of power to the appliance on the correct electrical circuit for that appliance.

Abstract: Smart Appliances are defined that assist in reducing energy consumption or cost. The Smart Appliances communicate with Smart Energy sources via the power lines and in particular by injecting communications signals between the live plus neutral power lines on the one hand and the ground line on the other hand, the communications protocol allowing a power source to identify the electrical circuit to which an appliance is connected and thereby to route a selected type of power to the appliance on the correct electrical circuit for that appliance. An addressable electrical outlet is also disclosed as one form of Smart Appliance.

Abstract: Process for making a fabric label (1) containing one piece of unique electronically-readable information; characterized by comprising the following steps: providing a fabric bolt made of a material mainly comprising synthetic fibers at least in the weft, generating at least one array of m×n cells, being n the number of rows and m the number of columns; generating at least one first sequence of variable information (3); associating the variable information (3) to the cells of the previous array in compliance with a predetermined logic; inserting, by the use of an image assembler, the graphic form that can be associated with each of said variable information (3) into a cell of a graphics array (5) with size m×n; printing said array (5) of images on a first medium (8) through a digital printing process; transferring said print, by heating, through a process named sublimation on said bolt (7) to generate a second medium (9) of fabric comprising said array (5); storing in a database the variable information (3) pr

Abstract: An improved solar energy utilization system is described based on the use of a smart load center which can automatically select the use of utility power or solar-derived power independently for each of a number of load circuits based on availability of utility and solar power, preset user priorities, battery charge status, time of day, instantaneous consumption, historical consumption patterns and weather forecasts.

Abstract: Smart Appliances are defined that assist in reducing energy consumption or cost. The Smart Appliances communicate with Smart Energy sources via the power lines and in particular by injecting communications signals between the live plus neutral power lines on the one hand and the ground line on the other hand, the communications protocol allowing a power source to identify the electrical circuit to which an appliance is connected and thereby to route a selected type of power to the appliance on the correct electrical circuit for that appliance.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a mixing chamber for mixing exhaust gas with intake air in an engine. The mixing chamber has an intake air inlet, an exhaust gas inlet and a mixing post. The mixing post is located downstream of the charge air inlet and upstream of a point where the flow of exhaust gas meets the flow of intake air, the mixing post extending across the mixing chamber. The mixing post has a longitudinal axis which is oriented perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the mixing chamber.

Abstract: An acoustic noise canceling microphone arrangement and processor that uses a principal microphone and other microphones that may be incidentally or deliberately located in the vicinity of the principal microphone in order to derive an audio signal of enhanced signal-to-background noise ratio. In one implementation, the principal and incidental microphones comprise the microphone built into a mobile phone and the microphone built into a Bluetooth headset.

Abstract: A solid state power transformer is described for converting an input power signal at a first phase or voltage to an output signal of a second voltage or opposite phase by the use of bidirectional solid state switches switched at a high carrier frequency to produce a double-sideband, suppressed-carrier representation of the input power signal, which is then synchronously demodulated using further similar switches to produce the desired output. It is further disclosed that multiple instances of the above with relative phase-staggering of the switching frequency may be operated in parallel and activated or deactivated according to output current demand to provide maximum efficiency over a wide range of current and power levels.

Abstract: Smart Appliances are defined that assist in reducing energy consumption or cost. The Smart Appliances communicate with Smart Energy sources via the power lines and in particular by injecting communications signals between the live plus neutral power lines on the one hand and the ground line on the other hand, the communications protocol allowing a power source to identify the electrical circuit to which an appliance is connected and thereby to route a selected type of power to the appliance on the correct electrical circuit for that appliance.

Abstract: A method and circuit arrangement is described for start-up and shut-down of high power DC to AC inverters which limits inrush current for capacitor charging, reduces input and output relay contact stress and discharges internal capacitors upon shut down. A preferred inrush limiting component has a higher resistance when hot than when cold, such as an incandescent filament lamp.