A system and method for combining power from DC power sources. Each power source is coupled to a converter. Each converter converts input power to output power by monitoring and maintaining the input power at a maximum power point. Substantially all input power is converted to the output power, and the controlling is performed by allowing output voltage of the converter to vary. The converters are coupled in series. An inverter is connected in parallel with the series connection of the converters and inverts a DC input to the inverter from the converters into an AC output. The inverter maintains the voltage at the inverter input at a desirable voltage by varying the amount of the series current drawn from the converters. The series current and the output power of the converters, determine the output voltage at each converter.

Distributed Power Harvesting Systems Using DC Power Sources

Disclosed is an LCD apparatus having a reduced size and weight. The LCD apparatus includes a bottom chassis having a bottom surface and first to fourth sidewalls. The sidewall of the bottom chassis includes a supporting member for preventing a light guiding plate from being moved and a fixing boss for fixing an optical sheet. The bottom chassis includes a lamp insertion portion for receiving a lamp unit, which is disposed on the third and fourth sidewalls of the bottom chassis. The bottom chassis receives a reflecting plate, the light guiding plate and the optical sheet. A mold frame is coupled to the bottom chassis to fix the reflecting plate, the light guiding plate and the optical sheet to the bottom chassis. A display unit disposed on the mold frame is fixed to the mold frame by a top chassis coupled to the mold frame. Accordingly, a bottom mold frame for receiving a backlight assembly is removed, so that it is able to reduce a cost of the LCD apparatus and a weight thereof.

Liquid crystal display apparatus

A monitoring system and method for monitoring performance of individual powers sources in a distributed power source system A monitoring module is coupled to each of the power sources, or to each string of serially connected power sources, to monitor and collect data regarding current, voltage, temperature and other environmental factors at the power source The collected data is transmitted over a power line to a central analysis station for analysis Data collected from each source indicates malfunction or degradation at the source Comparison of data collected from adjacent sources filters for environmental factors impacting neighboring sources such as cloudy days for a solar panel Comparison of data collected from the same source at different times indicates soiling or degradation of the source with time or periodic events such as a moving shade from an adjacent building

Monitoring of Distributed Power Harvesting Systems Using DC Power Sources

Method for distributed power harvesting using DC power sources

The invention provides an image display device that has an especially satisfactory display quality for animated images, and sufficiently suppresses the irregularities of display quality among pixels. The image display device includes a light emitting drive means that drives a light emitting means, based on an analog display signal inputted to the pixels, and a light emitting control switch for controlling a light-on or light-off of the light emitting means on one end of the light emitting drive means in each pixel.

Image Display Device

A scanning backlight unit (BU) for a matrix display comprises a plurality of light sources (L1, ...,Ln). A driver (2) supplies drive signals (D1, ...,Dn) to the light sources (L1, ...,Ln). A controller (3) controls the driver (2) to separately activate the light sources (L1, ...,Ln) to obtain light-emitting regions (5) being active. A light sensor (4) is associated with a group of at least two of the light sources (L1, ...,Ln) to supply a sensor signal (SES) which indicates a luminance (LU) of the group. The controller (3) reads the sensor signal (SES) at different instants (ts1, ..., tsn) at which mutually different subsets of the light sources (L1, ...,Ln) of the group are active to control the driver (2) to supply power levels to the light sources (L1, ...,Ln) of the group to obtain a luminance (LU1, ...,LUn) of each one of the light sources (L1, ...,Ln) of the group in dependence on the sensor signal (SES).

Scanning backlight for a matrix display

A conversion circuit for converting solar power into an alternating 3-phase maims (M) comprises a converter (conv) for converting the power from a solar cell (sc) into an unipolar converter output voltage provided between a first and a second converter output terminal of the converter, the converter having a constant power output regulation. The conversion circuit further comprises an inverter (Inv) for cyclically switching one of 3 3-phase output terminals to the first converter output terminal, one to the second converter output terminal and one intermittently to the first and second converter output terminal. With this conversion circuit and method, high capacity energy storage components (such as a capacitor having a large capacitance) can be avoided in the conversion circuit.

3-phase solar converter circuit and method

The present invention relates to a control element having a rotary knob (4), having a magnetic circuit and having at least one coil (1) The rotary knob (4) is supported so as to be rotatable with respect to at least a part of the magnetic circuit, the gap (5) present between the rotary knob (4) and the magnetic circuit is filled with a magnetorheologic fluid, and the coil (1) is arranged to exert a variable braking action on the rotary knob (4)

Electronically controlled rotary fluid-knob as a haptical control element

A resonant DC/DC converter for supplying an output power comprises a switching device (18) for supplying a switched voltage (UWR) to a resonant circuit (20) having a transformer (T). The switched voltage (UWR) is derived from an intermediate circuit voltage (Uz) having a fixed pulse width and frequency so that the zero crossings of the resonant current (Ires) generated in the resonant current are defined. The switching configuration of an inverter circuit (18) is selected by a control device (31) to either increase, decrease or maintain at a substantially constant level the resonant current according to the polarity of the switched voltage, so as to control the output power as required.

Resonant dc/dc converter with zero current switching

A system (100) for controlling a plurality of light sources (104a-f) by means of light groups, wherein each light group synchronously controls a subset of the plurality of light sources. The system (100) comprises: a central controller (102); a plurality of light sources (104a-f) wired to the central controller (102); and a light sensor (106a-c) wired to the central controller (102). The central controller (102) is configured to: receive a measurement signal from the light sensor; based on the received measurement signal, determine a subset of light sources that are in optical contact with the light sensor; and include the subset of light sources in a light group associated with the light sensor.

Peter Luerkens

Papers

Scanning backlight for a matrix display

3-phase solar converter circuit and method

Electronically controlled rotary fluid-knob as a haptical control element

Resonant dc/dc converter with zero current switching

System for controlling a plurality of light sources