A High-Frequency Resonant Inverter Using Current-Vector Control Scheme and Its Performance Evaluations

The authors introduce a new configuration of resonant-type high-frequency inverter having inherent fast control response of the output power and variable-voltage variable-frequency (VVVF) capability. The circuit is composed of a parallel combination of two series-resonant inverters with common input and output terminals. Both inverter units are operated at synchronous frequency and with an adjustable phase difference from 0° to 180°, allowing control of the output power from full to null power, respectively. Operation of this inverter is explained and computer-simulated operating waveforms and characteristic curves are shown in terms of normalized control variables and circuit parameters. A prototype inverter using Power MOSFET modules has been originally tested with a high-frequency induction heating and melting load to demonstrate experimentally the proposed control principle and the steady-state inverter performances under parallel tuned load conditions.     

Mechanical and magnetic properties of Ni-Co dispersed Al2O3 nanocomposites

Effects of the fabrication processing on the microstructure and properties of composites were investigated. High-density Ni-Co dispersed-Al₂O₃ (Al₂O₃/Ni-Co) composites were obtained by hydrogen reduction and consolidated using hot pressing and pulse electric current sintering (PECS) of Al₂O₃, Ni(NO₃)₂·6H₂O and Co(NO₃)₂·6H₂O powder mixtures. Microstructural investigations of the hot-pressed composite fabricated using again wet/dry ball-milled powder mixture after calcination revealed that fine Ni-Co particles, about 145 nm in diameter, dispersed homogeneously at the matrix grain boundaries. In particular, fine microstructure of dispersion with the average size of 90 nm was realized for the specimen consolidated by PECS method. High strength of over 1 GPa and hardness of 19 GPa were measured for the nanocomposites prepared from the again ball-milled powder mixture. The ferromagnetism of nano-sized Ni-Co contributes to the magnetic properties of the composites. A change in the coercive force with dispersion size was observed. Also, the extent of magnetic response by an applied stress was strongly influenced by the size of Ni-Co particles. The relations between microstructure and mechanical as well as magnetic properties are discussed.     

A 0.18-μm 256-Mb DDR-SDRAM with low-cost post-mold tuning methodfor DLL replica

A 200-MHz double-data-rate synchronous-DRAM (DDR-SDRAM) was developed. The chip contains a delay-locked loop (DLL) which performs over a wide range of operating conditions. Post-mold-tuning allows precise replica programming. A 200-MHz intra-chip data bus is suitable for DDR operation     

Visualization of Knoop Indentation Damage of Silicon Nitride by Plasma Etching

A visualizing technique for indentation damage of ceramics was developed. Plasma etching was used to enhance the view of cracks and the subsurface microcracking crush zone following Knoop indentation of hot pressed Si₃N₄. The microcracking zone was readily identified from the surface view of the indented surface as a grain-falling-off region (GFOR), defined as a region in which grains were removed by preferential etching using CF₄ gas, followed by ultrasonic cleaning. A fissure-like opening corresponding to the indentation cracks was also observed. It is inferred that the formation of the GFOR region and the fissure-like opening were caused by the etching/cleaning treatment. Meanwhile, the etching on a section which included diagonals of the impression provided a section view of the microcracking zone.     

Three-phase current-fed soft-switching PWM converter with auxiliarycommutation inductors and resonant snubber

A new three-phase current-fed soft-switching PWM converter is presented. This converter utilises two types of switching commutation scheme to improve the PWM current utilisation rate. It is shown by means of computer simulation that this converter has low THD and offers unity power factor correction     

Purification, characterization, and sequence determination of phospholipase D secreted by Streptoverticillium cinnamoneum

Phospholipase D (PLD), secreted into the culture medium of an actinomycete, Streptoverticillium cinnamoneum, has been purified to homogeneity and characterized. The Stv. cinnamoneum PLD efficiently catalyzes both the hydrolysis and transphosphatidylation of various phospholipids, including phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylcholine (PC), and phosphatidylserine (PS). However, the substrate specificity differs between the two reactions; PE serves as the most preferred substrate for the hydrolysis, but PC and PS are better substrates than PE for the transphosphatidylation. In addition, the transphosphatidylation but not the hydrolysis of PE and PC is markedly activated on the addition of metal ions, especially Al3+. Nucleotide and amino acid sequence determination of the Stv. cinnamoneum PLD revealed the presence of common structural motifs identified in all PLD sequences from various species.     

Improved control strategy on buck-type PFC converter

In general, a single phase buck-type power factor correction (PFC) converter has a significant problem of the increase in volumetric size and weight, because this type of converter has to employ a smoothing inductor designed for high inductance to reduce the harmonic components included in the line input current. A new control strategy is proposed for a buck-type PFC converter which can greatly reduce the size and weight of its smoothing inductor     

Load-adaptive frequency tracking control implementation oftwo-phase resonant inverter for ultrasonic motor

The operating principles of newly developed ultrasonic motors (USMs) that are attractive as compact and high-torque actuators are described. A two-phase high-frequency resonant inverter for driving the USM is presented. The unique operating characteristics of the USM are examined using the inverter. Two principles of resonant frequency tracking control strategy, one concerned with a sensor interface scheme mounted on the USM and a second sensorless interface scheme based on electromechanical conversion theory, are described. These control methods are realized by analog-oriented signal processing and the PLL technique. The revolving speed control obtained by this inverter-fed USM system with two types of resonant frequency tracking control methods is illustrated and discussed using an experimental breadboard