A surgical stapling device particularly suited for endoscopic procedures is described The device includes a handle assembly and an elongated body extending distally from the handle assembly The distal end of the elongated body is adapted to engage a disposable loading unit A control rod having a proximal end operatively connected to the handle assembly includes a distal end extending through the elongated body A control rod locking member is provided to prevent movement of the control rod until the disposable loading unit is fully secured to the elongated body of the stapling device

Surgical Stapling Apparatus

Most of the signal processing that we will study in this course involves local operations on a signal, namely transforming the signal by applying linear combinations of values in the neighborhood of each sample point. You are familiar with such operations from Calculus, namely, taking derivatives and you are also familiar with this from optics namely blurring a signal. We will be looking at sampled signals only. Let's start with a few basic examples. Local difference Suppose we have a 1D image and we take the local difference of intensities, DI(x) = 1 2 (I(x + 1) − I(x − 1)) which give a discrete approximation to a partial derivative. (We compute this for each x in the image.) What is the effect of such a transformation? One key idea is that such a derivative would be useful for marking positions where the intensity changes. Such a change is called an edge. It is important to detect edges in images because they often mark locations at which object properties change. These can include changes in illumination along a surface due to a shadow boundary, or a material (pigment) change, or a change in depth as when one object ends and another begins. The computational problem of finding intensity edges in images is called edge detection. We could look for positions at which DI(x) has a large negative or positive value. Large positive values indicate an edge that goes from low to high intensity, and large negative values indicate an edge that goes from high to low intensity. Example Suppose the image consists of a single (slightly sloped) edge:

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel5/5/31307/01456462.pdf

Linear systems

Wide bandgap semiconductors show superior material properties enabling potential power device operation at higher temperatures, voltages, and switching speeds than current Si technology. As a result, a new generation of power devices is being developed for power converter applications in which traditional Si power devices show limited operation. The use of these new power semiconductor devices will allow both an important improvement in the performance of existing power converters and the development of new power converters, accounting for an increase in the efficiency of the electric energy transformations and a more rational use of the electric energy. At present, SiC and GaN are the more promising semiconductor materials for these new power devices as a consequence of their outstanding properties, commercial availability of starting material, and maturity of their technological processes. This paper presents a review of recent progresses in the development of SiC- and GaN-based power semiconductor devices together with an overall view of the state of the art of this new device generation.

A Survey of Wide Bandgap Power Semiconductor Devices

Light-Emitting Diodes. (Monographs in Electrical and Electronic Engineering.) By A. A. Bergh and P. J. Dean. Pp. viii+591. (Clarendon: Oxford; Oxford University: London, 1976.) £22.

/pdf/light-emitting-diodes-ubzde6g9qc.pdf

Light-emitting diodes

A surgical stapling instrument (1) comprises a body portion (2, 3), a handle (4) and a staple fastening assembly (8). The staple fastening assembly (8) includes a curved cartridge (10), which comprises at least one curved open row of staples, and a curved anvil (22), which is adapted to cooperate with the cartridge (10) for forming the ends of the staples exiting from the cartridge (10). The staple fastening assembly (8) is adapted to allow unobstructed access towards the concave inner faces of the cartridge (10) and the anvil (22). The cartridge (10) can be moved towards the anvil (22) from a spaced position for positioning tissue therebetween to a closed position for clamping the tissue. Preferably, a knife is contained within the cartridge (10) and is positioned such that there is at least one row of staples on at least one side of the knife.

Surgical stapling instrument

A pseudo-resonant DC link for coupling direct current from a DC source to an inverter includes a plurality of switches which are controlled so as to minimize switching loss in the DC link and in the inverter. The DC link includes a capacitor and an inductor coupled through controllable switches in a manner that momentarily reduces to zero the input voltage to the inverter each time that a switch in the inverter is commutated. The controllable switches in the DC link function to allow the capacitor to resonate through the inductor and then be recharged at the end of a commutation interval. The controllable switches in the DC link are timed to that switching generally occurs under conditions of zero current.

Switching converter with pseudo-resonant DC link

In this paper, a high-temperature, high-frequency, wire-bond-based multichip phase-leg module was designed, fabricated, and fully tested. Using paralleled Silicon Carbide (SiC) MOSFETs, the module was rated at 1200 V and 60 A, and was designed for a 25-kW three-phase inverter operating at a switching frequency of 70 kHz, and in a harsh environment up to 200 °C, for aircraft applications. To this end, the temperature-dependent characteristics of the SiC MOSFET were first evaluated. The results demonstrated the superiority of the SiC MOSFET in both static and switching performances compared to Si devices, but meanwhile did reveal the design tradeoff in terms of the device's gate oxide stability. Various high-temperature packaging materials were then extensively surveyed and carefully selected for the module to sustain the harsh environment. The electrical layout of the module was also optimized using a modeling and simulation approach, in order to minimize the device parasitic ringing during high-speed switching. Finally, the static and switching performances of the fabricated module were tested, and the 200 °C continuous operation of the SiC MOSFETs was verified.

A 1200-V, 60-A SiC MOSFET Multichip Phase-Leg Module for High-Temperature, High-Frequency Applications

Magnetic core loss is an important concern for power converters. As the switching frequency increases and converter size reduced, the core loss will have significant impact to the converter efficiency and temperature. Accurate evaluation is important for magnetic design and converter loss estimation. The classic two-winding method is limited to low frequencies (usually below 1 MHz) because it is sensitive to phase discrepancy. In this paper, a new method is proposed for high-frequency core loss measurement that utilizes capacitive cancellation, which is suitable for HF and VHF core loss measurement. The new method greatly reduces the sensitivity to phase discrepancy, which is the dominating error source in the conventional two-winding method. An experimental demonstration is performed at 10 MHz, and the possible errors are analyzed in detail. With the proposed method, the high-frequency core loss can be accurately measured.

New Core Loss Measurement Method for High-Frequency Magnetic Materials

This talk presents the development of an acoustic energy harvester using an electromechanical Helmholtz resonator (EMHR). The EMHR consists of an orifice, cavity, and a piezoelectric diaphragm. When the acoustic wave is incident on the EMHR, a portion of acoustic energy is converted to electrical energy via piezoelectric transduction in the diaphragm of the EMHR. Moreover, the diaphragm is coupled with energy reclamation circuitry to increase the efficiency of the energy conversion. Two power converter topologies are adopted to demonstrate the feasibility of acoustic energy reclamation using an EMHR. The first is comprised of only a rectifier, and the second uses a rectifier connected to a flyback converter to improve load matching. Experimental results indicate that approximately 30 mW of output power is harvested for an incident sound pressure level of 160 dB with a flyback converter. Such power level is sufficient to power a variety of low power electronic devices.

Acoustic energy harvesting using an electromechanical Helmholtz resonator.

A representative switched-capacitor DC-DC converter topology is presented, circuit operation is explained, and control strategies are identified. State-space averaging is used to analyze steady-state performance and to develop control criteria and design equations. The analytical results are verified by SPICE simulation. >

Khai D. T. Ngo

Papers

Switching converter with pseudo-resonant DC link

A 1200-V, 60-A SiC MOSFET Multichip Phase-Leg Module for High-Temperature, High-Frequency Applications

New Core Loss Measurement Method for High-Frequency Magnetic Materials

Acoustic energy harvesting using an electromechanical Helmholtz resonator.

Steady-state analysis and design of a switched-capacitor DC-DC converter