Did You Know...
...that several people are credited with the invention of the flush toilet? Most people have heard of Thomas Crapper (1837-1910), the sanitary engineer who invented the valve-and-siphon arrangement that made the modern toilet possible. Another claimant to "the throne" was British inventor Alexander Cumming who patented a toilet in 1775. Then there's a nameless Minoan (a native of ancient Crete) who lived 4,000 years ago who supposedly was ahead of his time and created the first flush toilet!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8164867 | Method for protection of energy storage source, and in particular motor vehicle battery A method for protection of an energy storage source (2), in particular a battery of a motor vehicle, against possible overloading caused by prolonged application of an electric voltage to the energy storage source, this voltage being generated at least partia... | 04/24/2012 |
| 7933101 | Generator power plant protection system and method A typical power plant has a plurality of generators; at least one load; at least one bus interconnecting the generators and the at least one load. The plant is operated on an uncorrected droop configuration for speed control and voltage control. The plant further in... | 04/26/2011 |
| 7383133 | Diffuse seismic imaging systems and methods Systems and methods are disclosed to construct subsurface images from diffuse seismic energy. Various disclosed system embodiments include multiple seismic sensors that each convert received seismic energy into one or more seismic signals. One or more processor comb... | 06/03/2008 |
| 7375933 | High voltage design structure for high temperature superconducting device In accordance with the present invention, modular corona shields are employed in a HTS device to reduce the electric field surrounding the HTS device. In a exemplary embodiment a fault current limiter module in the insulation region of a cryogenic cooling system has... | 05/20/2008 |
| 7369386 | Overcurrent protection for solid state switching system Current sensing resistors are connected directly to output terminals of MOSFETs forming the series switching stage of a PWM sinewave dimmer. An analog sensed current signal is coupled through an EMI resistant current link to comparators that provide an overcurrent i... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7332895 | Regulator for eliminating noises generated by automotive power generator A regulator for eliminating noises generated by an automotive power generator is composed of a front-end circuit, a semiconductor power element, a resistor, and a capacitor. The front-end circuit includes a plurality of electronic components for offering control sig... | 02/19/2008 |
| 7262520 | Robust power distribution systems and methods The present invention provides systems and methods that allow for individual power sources to be disconnected and reconnected without interrupting the power supply from the other power sources and that allow for these power sources to provide power at substantially ... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7199987 | Diode system having zener diodes and a generator A diode system and a generator, uses Zener diodes. The diode system has AC voltage terminals and DC voltage terminals, in which the Zener diodes are operable in the forward direction to rectify an AC voltage present at the AC voltage terminals, in which a lower limi... | 04/03/2007 |
| 7184252 | Surge protector with input transformer A surge protector for alternating current service includes at least an incoming hot line and a neutral line, but usually includes an incoming hot line, an incoming neutral line and a safety ground line. The surge protector has an input transformer and a series conne... | 02/27/2007 |
| 7095597 | Distributed static var compensation (DSVC) system for wind and water turbine applications A power generating system wherein a variable speed turbine is mounted on top of a tower or tethered underwater. The reactive component of turbine generated electrical power is corrected automatically through electronic switched power-factor capacitor banks that are ... | 08/22/2006 |
| 7091637 | AC generator for vehicle having rectifying unit An ac generator for a vehicle includes a rotor for providing a magnetic field, a stator having a stator core in which a plurality of phase-windings is mounted to generate electromotive force when the magnetic field is supplied, a rectifying unit which includes posit... | 08/15/2006 |
| 7068487 | Surge protector A surge protector for alternating current service includes at least an incoming hot line and a neutral line, but usually includes an incoming hot line, an incoming neutral line and a safety ground line. The surge protector has a series connected transformer with inp... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7003409 | Predictive failure analysis and failure isolation using current sensing A method, system, and computer program for predicting the failure of an electronic circuit. One embodiment of the invention monitors the current utilization, environment conditions, and operating conditions of the electronic circuit. A system manager is altered if t... | 02/21/2006 |
| 6979979 | Gas turbine engine starter-generator exciter starting system and method including a capacitance circuit element A rotating electrical machine, such as an aircraft starter-generator, that includes an exciter that has its stator windings supplied with electrical power from a power supply. One or more switches are electrically coupled between the exciter stator winding and the p... | 12/27/2005 |
| 6934654 | System and method for exact compensation of fundamental phasors A measured phasor representing a sinusoidal power signal waveform is produced by orthogonal FIR filters, one of which produces the real part of the phasor and the other of which produces the imaginary part. The frequency difference between the rated frequency of the... | 08/23/2005 |
| 6921985 | Low voltage ride through for wind turbine generators A wind turbine. The wind turbine includes a blade pitch control system to vary a pitch of one or more blades and a turbine controller coupled with the blade pitch control system. A first power source is coupled with the turbine controller and with the blade pitch co... | 07/26/2005 |
| 6795287 | Static excitation system having capability of eliminating shaft vibrations of a generator and overvoltage when underexited A static excitation system that can eliminate shaft vibrations of a generator and overvoltage when it is underexited is provided. The static excitation system includes an initial excitation equipment; a step-down transformer; a 3-phase diode bridge; a boost chopper ... | 09/21/2004 |
| 6753836 | Liquid crystal device driver circuit for electrostatic discharge protection A liquid crystal device (LCD) driver circuit includes first through N-th input pads for respectively receiving first through N-th voltages (N>1). First through N-th electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection units are respectively connected to the first through N-th i... | 06/22/2004 |
| 6741436 | Microprocessor-controlled DC to DC converter with fault protection A DC/DC converter features a programmable controller in a feedback control loop thereof. The programmable controller enables easy changes to operating parameters by reprogramming the controller's application software. Additionally, the converter features a hardware-... | 05/25/2004 |
| 6738238 | Fire detection system including an automatic polarity sensing power and signal interface A fire detection system comprising a control panel comprised of one or more controllers for controlling a plurality of devices. A pair of lines are operably connected to the control panel and the devices for communicating signals between said control panel and said ... | 05/18/2004 |
| 6704182 | Method for protection of a matrix converter against overvoltages, and an active overvoltage device A method and a device for protecting a matrix converter is disclosed. The matrix converter has nine bi-directional circuit-breakers which are arranged in a 3×3 switch matrix. A highest potential is detected from all input and/or output potentials or from... | 03/09/2004 |
| 6654215 | Photodetector circuit with avalanche photodiode A photodetector circuit having a power supply and an avalanche photodiode coupled electrically thereto. The power supply includes a first portion, which supplies a substantially constant current, and a second portion, which supplies a substantially consta... | 11/25/2003 |
| 6453421 | Processor system with power supply selection mechanism A microprocessor motherboard and system include a microprocessor having external input and external output connections. The microprocessor includes a conductive path formed between one of the external input connections and an external output connection fo... | 09/17/2002 |
| 6351692 | Method and apparatus for configuring a genset controller for operation with particular gensets A genset controller that is configurable for controlling a variety of types of gensets, as well as a method of configuring a genset controller for controlling a genset, are disclosed. The genset controller includes a memory for storing a plurality of soft... | 02/26/2002 |
| 6324039 | Circuit for protection against slow circuit breaker closure during synchronization of a generator and an associated electrical system The protecting apparatus includes a circuit for automatically and continuously determining the difference voltage between the voltage at the input side of a connecting circuit breaker and the voltage at an output side thereof between an electric generator... | 11/27/2001 |
| 6252753 | Energy service stabilizer An electrical power distribution system having geographically separated plural generation stations and geographically separated loads is improved by dynamically offsetting a nominal real power operating point of a main control system driving a power contr... | 06/26/2001 |
| 6031352 | Active alternator load circuit A control apparatus controlling the operation of pulse width modulator for an electric clutch or electric motor in portable spray painting equipment having a pressure transducer for sensing the pressure, a manually adjustable pressure reference, a compara... | 02/29/2000 |
| 6031701 | Device and method for overvoltage protection An overvoltage protective arrangement to protect an electrical installation against overvoltages, which installation has an onboard power supply system fed by an electrical D.C. generator (9) and electrical devices connected thereto. The overvoltage prote... | 02/29/2000 |
| 5892342 | Self-test circuit for a shorted diode protection panel in a diesel electric locomotive A self-test system for a shorted diode protection circuit in an electric vehicle propulsion system includes a series of relays for selectively coupling a battery in circuit with a field winding of a generator, the shorted diode protection circuit being co... | 04/06/1999 |
| 5805394 | Overvoltage protection circuit for a generating system utilizing a fault current sensing Circuit in combination with a shunting circuit An overvoltage protection circuit utilizes the fault current sensing capabilities of a differential protection circuit in combination with a shunting circuit to protect a power generating system against an overvoltage condition. The circuit offers the com... | 09/08/1998 |
| 5805395 | Half-cycle summation V/Hz relay for generator and transformer over-excitation protection A system for implementing accurate V/Hz value measurement and trip time determination for generator/transformer overexcitation protection independent of the conventional frequency tracking and phasor estimation based on Discrete Fourier Transformation (DF... | 09/08/1998 |
| 5604653 | Protection component for a three-phase alternator used in automobile vehicles A three-phase alternator protection component is associated with a rectifying bridge. Three Shockley diodes and an avalanche diode are interconnected through three electrodes, of a first polarity, of the Shockley diodes, and the electrode, of the opposite... | 02/18/1997 |
| 5594321 | Battery charging apparatus with fault detection The battery charging apparatus includes a generator, main voltage regulator, an auxiliary voltage regulator, at least one consuming device and a protective circuit having circuit portions for recognizing and signalling faults via a charge control lamp. Th... | 01/14/1997 |
| 5568025 | Abnormally detecting device for relay There is disclosed a device for detecting an abnormality in relays which is adapted such that if there is a current flow through a motor (M) when first and second transistors (Q1, Q2) are off resulting from an abnormality such as melting of first and seco... | 10/22/1996 |
| 5532574 | Brushless exciter protection circuit A protection circuit for a brushless excitation system is provided which directly monitors the output voltage of the diode bridge rectifier of the system. The protection circuit includes a reference signal generator subcircuit which provides a reference s... | 07/02/1996 |
| 5528444 | Automatic overvoltage protection for an alternator in a locomotive propulsion system A shorted diode protection system for a traction vehicle propulsion system including a synchronous generator having armature and field windings and a bridge rectifier circuit coupling the generator armature windings to a traction motor employs a normally ... | 06/18/1996 |
| 5453901 | Detection and protection of excitation system from diode failure Loss of excitation and control and subsequent damage to exciter windings in an excitation system for dynamoelectric machines wherein one or more rotating diodes fail in a shorted mode is prevented through the use of an RC circuit for detecting AC voltages... | 09/26/1995 |
| 5444592 | Portable power unit A portable power unit has a protective circuit for cutting off an output current from the power unit when the power unit is in an overload state. An amount of the output current is detected. An output voltage from the power unit is reduced when the amount... | 08/22/1995 |
| 5422778 | Protection system for controller and control wiring induced under voltage faults in an electric power generating system A protection system minimizing utilization equipment's exposure to, and power interruption resulting from, an under voltage condition in an electric power generating system includes generator current sensors, generator speed information, an exciter curren... | 06/06/1995 |
| 5390068 | Microprocessor based integrated generator set controller apparatus and method An electrical generator system integrated controller device utilizing PID control and capable of regulating voltage or current, and frequency simultaneously. The device utilizes a micro-controller (30.1) to monitor the engine generator set (20), then dete... | 02/14/1995 |
