On Energy Efficiency of Switched-Capacitor Converters

published_or_final_versio

A Survey, Classification and Critical Review of Light-Emitting Diode Drivers

Based on a survey on over 1400 commercial LED drivers and a literature review, a range of LED driver topologies are classified according to their applications, power ratings, performance and their energy storage and regulatory requirements. Both passive and active LED drivers are included in the review and their advantages and disadvantages are discussed. This paper also presents an overall view on the technical and cost aspects of the LED technology, which is useful to both researchers and engineers in the lighting industry. Some general guidelines for selecting driver topologies are included to aid design engineers to make appropriate choices.published_or_final_versio

Classification of Auxiliary Circuit Schemes for Feeding Fast Load Transients in Switching Power Supplies

published_or_final_versio

General Steady-State Analysis and Control Principle of Electric Springs With Active and Reactive Power Compensations

published_or_final_versio

Transient Mitigation of DC–DC Converters for High Output Current Slew Rate Applications

published_or_final_versio

Pre-energized auxiliary circuits for very fast transient loads: Coping with load-informed power management for computer loads

published_or_final_versio

Identifying Buckling Resistance of Reinforced Concrete Columns during Inelastic Deformation

A simple solution method to identify buckling resistance of reinforced concrete (RC) columns during inelastic deformation is presented. Unlike conventional buckling solution methods, this proposed method predicts inelastic buckling loads of RC columns by directly solving the equilibrium differential equation under buckling. The method considers specific deflection configuration, end restraint conditions and inelastic material properties of the deformed column. In order to evaluate the reliability and accuracy of the proposed method, the results obtained from the purposed method are compared with the test results of eccentrically loaded RC columns. In addition, by using the proposed solution procedure, a parametric study is conducted to investigate the effects of critical RC column design parameters on column buckling behavior and resistance, including slenderness ratio, concrete strength, as well as longitudinal reinforcement and stirrup ratios. The results of the parametric study show that the proposed method is rational and can be adopted to effectively identify buckling resistance of RC columns subjected to inelastic damage, especially when load redistributions have occurred in the structure during progressive collapse

Simplified Dynamic Assessment for Reinforced-Concrete Structures Subject to Column Removal Scenarios

A simple yet effective method for dynamic assessment of building structures subject to a sudden column removal is presented. An equivalent single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) dynamic model to predict the realistic dynamic response of the structure after column removal is proposed. This model considers nonzero initial conditions that are likely to occur under blast loading and structural damping, which can significantly affect the dynamic performance under large deformations. Based on the proposed method, dynamic response of a structure subject to a specific dynamic loading released from column removal is analytically solved. Four sets of physical tests of structures subject to column removal, including quasi-static tests and the corresponding multiple free-fall dynamic tests, are employed to verify the proposed assessment method. In addition, the classical pseudostatic assessment is conducted for the test series and compared with the present method. Results obtained from the verification study demonstrate the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed simplified dynamic assessment. In addition, the proposed equivalent SDOF method is simple and can be easily implemented with a spreadsheet by practicing engineers. This advantage allows the proposed method to be employed as a routine design procedure for predicting the dynamic performance of structures subject to column removal

Learning to read and spell english words by Chinese students

This study examined the structural relationships between (a) the latent independent constructs of orthographic and lexical knowledge and phonological sensitivity and (b) the effect of these constructs on the latent construct of literacy manifested by reading aloud and spelling regular and exception English words in 156 Cantonese-speaking Chinese students (M age = 10.8 years) who were learning English as a second language in Hong Kong. Three carefully designed and item-analyzed indicators subserved the construct of orthographic and lexical knowledge, and another three indicators subserved the construct of phonological sensitivity. Our hypothesis of greater contribution of word-specific orthographic and lexical knowledge than phonological sensitivity to learning to read and spell English words in these Chinese children was supported by results from multiple regression, principal component analyses and especially by structural equation modeling. The various goodness-of-fit indexes showed the appropriateness of the indicators in measuring the latent constructs as well as the relationships among these constructs.published_or_final_versio

On the color stability of phosphor-converted white LEDs under DC, PWM, and bilevel drive

Most commercial white LEDs are made from nitride-based blue LEDs coated with yttrium aluminium garnet phosphor, which produce spectra that shift in opposite directions under the influences of drive current and junction temperature changes. This property gives rise to different emitted spectra, hence chromaticity properties, when the LED is driven/dimmed by different current waveforms. By using a commercial white LED sample, LUXEON K2, the effects of drive current and junction temperature on the changes of chromaticity coordinates are studied experimentally. The impact of dc, pulse width modulation (PWM), and bilevel current waveform is discussed through a graphical analysis, followed by experimental verification. It is proven that dc offers the best color stability over dimming due to the counteracting influences of drive current and junction temperature variations, whereas an LED constantly suffers from noneliminable chromaticity changes when driven by the PWM. Theoretical explanations are given to justify these cases, and it is found that, for the case of dc drive, an ideal heat sinks thermal resistance can be selected based on a simple equation to minimize the overall chromaticity change over dimming. This paper provides an in-depth discussion on the relations between the chromaticity properties of phosphor-converted (pc) white LEDs and the driving/dimming methods used. © 2011 IEEE.published_or_final_versio