Patent Application
20220337036
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection owned Transient Plasma Systems, Inc. ©Transient Plasma Systems, Inc. 2021. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
This description relates to plasma assisted spark ignition systems and methods, and in particular to an ignitor, for example a spark plug and a power supply operable to provide voltage pulses to the ignitor (e.g., a plurality of voltage pulses per ignition event), where the structure of the ignitor produces a surface flashover on a dielectric (e.g., ceramic, porcelain) insulator of the ignitor allowing the generation of subsequent sparks or arcs across a spark gap of the ignitor or spark plug with relatively lower energy input, improving performance both in terms of lean limits and repeatability, and reducing the production of nitrous oxides (NOx) is improved.
Environmental, climate, and economic concerns make it desirable to operate combustion engines “leaner” (i.e., higher lambda values, which means more air and less fuel in each combustion charge). Conventional spark gap based ignition systems have difficulty consistently igniting lean fuel mixtures.
Researchers and several companies have tried to address the difficulty of consistently igniting lean fuel mixtures by using high energy, non-thermal plasma for ignition.
Various implementations exist, but many ignitors (e.g., the spark plug in a conventional ignition system) have tried to use some form of a corona discharge.
In research, such ignitors demonstrate the theoretical benefits of plasma-based ignition. The large streamers (e.g., a type of transient electrical discharge which forms at the surface of a conductive electrode) create a larger combustion kernel and the plasma induces measurable changes in the aerosol (i.e., fuel air mixture), which appear to improve the quality and probability of combustion. However, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and researchers have reported that such ignitors require excessive power at higher gas pressures and are prone to arc breakdown inside a combustion chamber because of the electrically conductive nature of the resulting combustion kernels. The conventional ignitors themselves are also relatively expensive and complex.
To circumvent some of these problems, researchers and some companies have also tried barrier discharge ignitors, where two electrodes are separated by a dielectric barrier. However, such discharges lose the volumetric opportunity of a corona discharge. In attempt to compensate for the resultant problems, these conventional ignitors are provided with larger electrode distances and extended dielectric surfaces.
These large surfaces and electrode distances drive the power requirement per combustion event to a level that is impractically high for most applications. In addition, the attempts to increase volumetric opportunity are generally not very effective. For example, in one design, the discharge is strongest at the location at which the electrodes are closest, i.e., at the base of the tip, which is a non-ideal location from which to initiate combustion kernels. Again, the ignitors themselves are relatively complex and expensive.
Transient Plasma Systems (TPS) has performed extensive testing with its pulse power technology and conventional (commercial and proven) J-gap spark plugs.
The combustion results in testing have historically been very good but there are improvements that can be implemented with respect to efficiency. First, with a relatively small (<1 mm) spark gap, the voltage potential required to produce significant plasma is very close to the point where the gap breaks down and an arc occurs. When an arc occurs, the voltage collapses, and any field dependent helpful chemistry, ceases.
To compensate for this, the system relies on larger spark gap sizes to create volumetric opportunity and then uses additional higher energy pulses to accelerate kernel growth in lean combustion situations. Both of these adaptations translate into more power flowing through the spark plug, which in general is suboptimal for reducing plug wear.
The systems and methods described herein employ a unique ignitor (e.g., spark plug) driven via voltages pulses (e.g., nanosecond voltage pulses) that provides a greater level of power that flows through the ignitor or spark plug, while improving performance both in terms of lean limits as well as repeatability (i.e., ensuring plasma benefits are present in every combustion event). This may allow the systems and methods to maintain the desirable lean combustion characteristics enabled by a described ignitor (e.g., spark plug), while also limiting the average power draw (i.e., reduce the energy required per ignition event). The electrical energy required for sufficient extension in stable lean limit combustion is reduced significantly by the ignitor (e.g., spark plug) utilized along with the ignition sequence described herein. The described ignition sequence uses plasma assistance to generate a spark (e.g., nanosecond spark), which is sustained by a subsequent sequence of low voltage, low energy pulses. The benefits to this approach may include: 1) a significant reduction in per ignition energy required (pulses delivered after striking the initial spark (e.g., nanosecond spark) per ignition event have 50-100 times less energy than a conventional ignition pulse); and 2) reduced parasitic losses that occur when unwanted discharges occur inside the ignitor or spark plug itself (the reduced voltage required after striking an arc (e.g., a nanosecond arc) lowers the probability of an unwanted internal discharge). These improvements, combined with other energy saving approaches, may advantageously reduce the electrical energy required for stable, lean ignition, resulting in increased ignitor or spark plug durability. While often presented in terms of nanosecond voltage pulses (e.g., voltage pulse with a duration on the order of nanoseconds, for instance equal to or less than 10 nanoseconds), the various apparatus, methods an techniques are not necessarily limited to such durations and may be applied to voltage pulses of longer durations, for instance voltage pulses with durations on the order of several milliseconds.
The foregoing summary does not encompass the claimed subject matter in its entirety, nor are the various illustrated and/or described implementations or embodiments intended to be limiting. Rather, the illustrated and/or described implementations or embodiments are provided as mere examples.
The present disclosure addresses these and other needs.
Other features of the illustrated and/or described implementations or embodiments will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the illustrated and/or described implementations or embodiments.
In the drawings, identical reference numbers identify similar elements or acts. The sizes and relative positions of elements in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the shapes of various elements and angles are not drawn to scale, and some of these elements are arbitrarily enlarged and positioned to improve drawing legibility. Further, the particular shapes of the elements as drawn, are not intended to convey any information regarding the actual shape of the particular elements, and have been solely selected for ease of recognition in the drawings.
In the following description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various disclosed implementations and embodiments. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognize that embodiments may be practiced without one or more of these specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures associated with pulse generators, for example nanosecond pulse generators, spark ignition sources, for example spark plugs, cables that couple pulse generators to spark ignition sources, for example coaxial cables, plasma generation, gas delivery systems, and/or internal combustion engines have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring descriptions of the implementations and embodiments.
Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims which follow, the word “comprise” and variations thereof, such as, “comprises” and “comprising” are to be construed in an open, inclusive sense, that is, as “including, but not limited to.”
Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. It should also be noted that the term “or” is generally employed in its sense including “and/or” unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.
The headings and Abstract of the Disclosure provided herein are for convenience only and do not interpret the scope or meaning of the embodiments.
The ignitor 102 may, for example, be physically coupled to a portion of an internal combustion engine (ICE) 108, for example with a spark gap 110 of the ignitor 102 positioned in an interior of a combustion chamber 112. A spark produced across the spark gap 110 can ignite a fuel-air mixture 114 contained in the combustion chamber 112 to cause a piston 116 of the internal combustion engine 108 to move outwardly (downward in
The disclosed ignitor (e.g., spark plug 102) employs a structure that is favorable to realizing surface flashover on a dielectric (e.g., ceramic, porcelain) insulator when driven by a power supply 104 (e.g., pulse generator).
As described herein the power supply 104 is operable to generate a plurality of voltage pulses per ignition event. In some implementations, the voltage pulses may have durations on the scale of nanoseconds, hence the power supply may be denominated as a pulse generator or a nanosecond pulse generator. While any power supply capable of providing a plurality of voltage pulses per ignition event may be employed, some specifically advantageous pulse generators employing a closed feedback loop are described herein. The term ignition event refers to a spark or arcing ignited by one voltage pulse applied to an ignitor and maintained by one or more subsequent voltage pulses applied to the ignitor. As described herein, the subsequent voltage pulses in an ignition event may advantageously be provided at a lower amplitude that the initial voltage pulse in the ignition event.
The spark plug 200 includes a casing 210 having a first end 225 and a second end 230. The second end 230 forms a first electrode 210a. The ignitor or spark plug 200 also includes a second electrode 220 that protrudes outwardly from an opening 245 (best illustrated in
As best shown in
The second electrode 220 extends along at least a portion of the longitudinally extending passage and protrudes longitudinally outward from the opening 245 at the second end 230 of the casing 210. As best illustrated in
Conventional spark plugs typically include a center, longitudinally extending, electrode and a J-shaped or L-shaped electrode that is welded to a periphery of a metal casing with the short leg of the J-shape or L-shape extending perpendicularly to the center electrode, defining a spark gap that extends along a longitudinal axis of the conventional spark plug. In contrast to such conventional spark plugs, in the spark plug 200, the first electrode 210a is formed as part of casing 210 itself, in particular as and/or at an opening 245 in an end wall 250 thereof. In contrast to such conventional spark plugs, in the spark plug 200, the second electrode 220 extends through the opening 245 of the casing 210, spaced laterally inward of the first electrode 210a, with the spark gap 255 defined therebetween. The spark gap 255 is advantageously rotated 90 degrees as compared to the spark gap of a conventional J-gap spark plug. The opening 245 has a smooth inner surface or profile, for instance, circular, oval, or as illustrated having multiple lobes, two shown in a figure-8 configuration. This advantageously avoids sharp edges at the electrodes, reducing the risk of arcing. The protrusion of the second electrode 220 past the second end 230 of the casing 210 advantageously positions any sharp edges of the second electrode outside the spark gap 255, again reducing the risk of arcing.
Normally in the structure of a conventional spark plug, the electrical insulator (e.g., dielectric) surrounding the second electrode is recessed from the second electrode. In contrast, the electrical insulator or dielectric 215 of the ignitor or spark plug 200 is positioned to create a strong field where the field lines are as perpendicular to the desired flashover surface of the dielectric as reasonably possible. For example, for the geometry of the illustrated ignitor or spark plug 200 the electrical insulator or dielectric 215 is positioned at least proximate the first electrode 210a at a predefined distance A. The predefined distance A may, for the illustrated geometry may, for example, be equal to or less than approximately 0.05 inches (+/−10 percent). In some implementations, the electrical insulator or dielectric 215 of the ignitor or spark plug 200 is preferably adjacent and in contact with a portion of the first electrode 210a (i.e., predefined distance A=0.00).
The ignitor, for example the spark plug 200, is driven with voltage pluses with durations on the scale of nanoseconds, which creates an opportunity for surface flashover that is marked with an arrow C (see, e.g.,
Surface flashover of a dielectric can occur when using pulsed power electronics. Although surface flashover varies with the specifics of the material, for the dielectrics (e.g., ceramics, porcelain) used in a typical automotive spark plug, the pulse amplitude required to cause surface flashover is approximately ½ the voltage required to breakdown a spark gap of the same distance. Using ½ the voltage translates into ¼ the power (Ohm's Law shows that power equates to voltage-squared over the same resistance).
With a conventional J-gap spark plug, the TPS system is normally operated above expected spark gap breakdown voltage. If breakdown did not occur with the initial pulses in a combustion event, pulse energy was converted to plasma in some cases, presumably aiding in combustion.
With a system provided with the improved ignitor or spark plug 200 which is structured in the disclosed manner, the TPS system can be operated at roughly half the voltage previously targeted. The first pulse in an ignition event then causes surface flashover. This flashover has two observable effects. First, it extends the measurable lean limit. That is, when tested in a static cell, the spark plug 200 can ignite leaner air fuel mixes when operated at the lower voltage level where flashover occurs than at a higher voltage where the spark gap rapidly breaks down.
Second, although the current flowing between the electrodes in a surface flashover is very low, the spark gap above it subsequently exhibits “spark gap recovery” like behavior. In brief, when an spark gap is broken down and allows a spark its ability to hold off voltage is greatly diminished for a period of time. This state permits the TPS system to operate normally, providing nanosecond pulse sparks to ignite and develop the combustion kernel as needed, but the pulses can be at a greatly diminished amplitude. The ignitor or spark plug 200 structured in the disclosed manner permits this condition to be utilized without the need for an initial, high power, high current pulse to break down the spark gap, reducing power requirements.
Without being tied to theory, the working hypothesis for both these desirable effects is that the surface flashover induces the aerosol changes. Something akin to a pool of free radicals is created that both makes it easier for subsequent pulses to break down the spark gap and form a plume that leads to a larger initial combustion kernel.
It should be noted applicant has developed other intellectual property to sense and respond to different pulse/spark plug outcomes (U.S. provisional patent application 63/156,155, filed Mar. 3, 2021). The disclosed systems and methods permit desired modes of operation to be maintained much more easily because, unlike a J-gap ignitor or other conventional spark plug, in various ones of the disclosed implementations the voltage threshold for plasma operation and spark breakdown are far apart with no overlap.
In addition to significantly lowering power requirements and more consistently inducing desirable plasma effects, the described systems and methods help improve durability and likely combustion outcome another way.
In addition to changing the position at which the dielectric is located, the tip of the second electrode 220 is also relocated, i.e., the tip extends beyond the end of the ignitor or spark plug 200 to a predetermined distance B. In preferred implementations, the distance is approximately 0.03 inches (+/−20 percent).
Tests repeatedly reveal that TPS generator generated nanosecond pulses initiate at the edge of the electrode tip in a J-gap spark plug, presumably because the sharp edge of such a tip induces an enhanced electrical field. This concentrates pulse energy and the edge rapidly deteriorates.
As the edge deteriorates, field enhancement is reduced, raising the voltage requirement for reliable breakdown higher. In addition to concentrating on the electrode edge, arcs also disadvantageously strike a concentrated point on the J-gap counter electrode. As that spot erodes, the effective gap size increases, requiring higher voltages and power for continued operation.
With the sharp edge moved out of the spark gap 255 to the distance B, in the manner shown in
The unipolar ATC sense circuit 600 has an input terminal 602 to receive an input signal (Signal) and an output terminal 604 to provide an output signal (Processed Signal) via a comparator U1. The input signal (Signal) may be supplied from a probe that measures and attenuates a high voltage pulse output from a pulse generator.
The unipolar ATC sense circuit 600 features clamping diodes D1, D2 at the input terminal 602, to clamp the input signal (Signal) between −VF and VDD1+VF, where VF is a forward voltage of the clamping diodes D1 and D2. This diode clamping circuit permits only unipolar, in this case positive, voltages to appear at a positive input terminal of the comparator U1.
The unipolar ATC sense circuit 600 also includes a filter (encompassed by broken line box 606) comprised of resistors R1 and R2 and a capacitor C1 to filter the input signal (Signal). The filtered and attenuated signal is input to comparator U1, which compares the attenuated and filtered signal against a DC reference provided by the adjustable voltage source Vi. A bandwidth of the filter 606 ((R1+R2)−C1) and a waveshape of the input signal (Signal) work together to create outputs from the comparator U1 with sufficiently discrete durations that a duration of the output (interchangeably Mode or Processed Signal) of the comparator U1, can be measured and used to differentiate the type of discharge or discharge mode that has occurred. The comparator U1 has an open-collector output to enable input-to-output level-shifting, enabling a wider input amplitude dynamic range, while guaranteeing an output voltage that is within nominal maximum operating limits of a set of electronics that receive the output signal (Processed Signal).
The unipolar ATC sense circuit 600 also includes a dump circuit (encompassed by broken line box 608), comprising a transistor Q1, an dump input 610, and resistors R4, R5, R6 for a clearing signal (Dump). The clearing signal (Dump) is used to gate the transistor Q1 so that the capacitor C1 of the filter can be rapidly discharged, and the unipolar ATC sense circuit 600 reset for a subsequent measurement, after the output signal (interchangeably Mode or Processed Signal Mode) has been processed.
In operation, the unipolar ATC circuit 600 differentiates between different types of discharges driven by an electrical pulse. The input (Signal) to the ATC circuit 600 is derived from a voltage or current of an electrical pulse. This signal looks significantly different for different discharge modes due to the differences in discharge impedance and transmission line effects from a cable that connects a pulse generator to a load (e.g., ignitor, or spark plug 200). By filtering the attenuated signal with an R-C filter, a processed signal (Processed Signal) is derived that is compared against a buffered analog voltage reference provided by an adjustable DC voltage source Vi. The duration of time that the processed signal (Processed Signal) exceeds the reference voltage is different for different discharge modes. This result in output signals from the common-collector comparator U1, that have different durations corresponding to the mode of discharge. The Dump input drives a transistor Q1 that discharges the signal on capacitor C1 to reset the ATC circuit 300 before another pulse is fired by the pulse generator. The discharge mode is determined based on three factors: did a PWM pulse occur, if a PWM pulse occurred when did the PWM pulse start relative to the original pulse event (i.e., delay), and what is the duty cycle of the PWM pulse (i.e., pulse duration).
The bipolar ATC circuit 700 has an input terminal 602 to receive an input signal (Signal) and an output terminal 604 to provide an output signal (Processed Signal) via a comparator U1. The input signal (Signal) may be supplied from a probe that measures and attenuates a high voltage pulse output from a pulse generator.
The bipolar ATC circuit 700 features a bipolar adding circuit (encompassed by broken line box 706) that sums positive and negative portions of a waveform of the input signal (Signal). The bipolar adding circuit comprises diodes D2 and D3, capacitors C1 and C2, and resistors R2 and
The bipolar ATC circuit 700 also includes a diode D1 that clamps a maximum positive voltage from the input (Signal) to VDD1+VF, where VF is a forward voltage drop of the diode D1. The bipolar ATC circuit 400 also includes a diode D4 that clamps the signal produced by the bipolar adding circuit to a minimum voltage of −VF, where VF is a forward voltage of the diode D4.
The configuration of the remaining components of the bipolar ATC circuit 700 operate in a similar fashion to the corresponding components of the unipolar ATC circuit 600 (
In operation, the rectifying diodes D2, D3 steer positive and negative voltage to capacitors C1, C2, respectively. Both positive and negative signals are low-pass-filtered by the resistor/capacitor pairs R1-C1 and R1-C2. The signals are then recombined through the resistors R2, R11 and fed into the comparator U1.
It has been determined in experiments and simulations that adding the positive and negative portions of the input waveform derived from the high voltage output of the pulse generator increases versatility in the ATC circuit 700 because such enables differentiation between discharge modes measured at more measurement points in a system. Specifically, the unipolar ATC sense circuit 600 works best for input signal that are sensed in close proximity to an ignitor or spark plug because transmission line effects between a pulse generator and the ignitor or spark plug may compromise an integrity of the output signal (Processed Signal) produced by the unipolar ATC sense circuit 600 when the sensing is located spatially away from the ignitor or spark plug. In contrast, the bipolar ATC sense circuit 700 can be located anywhere between the pulse source (e.g., pulse generator) and a load (e.g., ignitor or spark plug), which is enabled by the fact that the oscillating waveforms that occur after the nanosecond duration pulse drives the ignitor or spark plug are relatively symmetric. The bipolar ATC sense circuit 400 advantageously uses rectification and summation of the two filtered waveforms, removing transmission line effects, to provide a sufficiently accurate signal with enough information to process the signal and determine discharge mode and amplitude.
A pulse amplitude of a subsequent pulse may be adjusted based on detected discharge mode, for instance via a pulse width modulated (PWM) charging circuit (e.g., a PWM half-bridge charging circuit or PWM full-bridge charging circuit, powered by DC-DC supply). The PWM half-bridge charging circuit or PWM full-bridge charging circuit turn ON and OFF for appropriate periods of time to ramp a current through an opening switch.
The PWM charging circuitry 800 may advantageously be used to adjust an output voltage amplitude and/or pulse energy of an output of a pulse generator. The PWM charging circuitry 800 has an input terminal 802 to receive a pulse width modulated signal (PWM), a charge output terminal 804 and a charge return terminal 806. The input terminal 802 is coupled to a gate of a first transistor Q1 of the PWM charging circuitry 800 via an isolation transformer ISO to supply the input signal (PWM) thereto. The input signal (PWM) is also supplied to a gate of a second transistor Q2 of the PWM charging circuitry 800.
The PWM charging circuitry 800 also includes a high voltage source HV, a bypass capacitor C1, an inductor L1, and a rectifying diode D1. The high voltage source HV is electrically coupled between the charge output terminal 804 and the charge return terminal 806, via the inductor L1 and the rectifying diode D1. The bypass capacitor C1 and the second transistor Q2 are both electrically coupled in parallel with the high voltage source HV and one another. The bypass capacitor C1 stores sufficient charge to supply a high frequency burst of pulses.
A duration of the input signal (PWM) may advantageously be determined using an algorithm, for example, an algorithm flashed onto a microcontroller or other processor that analyzes the output signal from an ATC sense circuit (e.g., unipolar ATC sense circuit 600, bipolar ATC sense circuit 700). Depending on the type of discharge or discharge mode determined by the microcontroller or other processor, the PWM signal is adjusted to either increase or reduce pulse amplitude and/or to end the pulse train delivered to a load (e.g., ignitor or spark plug). The sense and control circuit described herein is capable of making additional changes to pulse parameters, including, but not limited to, adjusting pulse amplitude in other ways, e.g., by adjusting a DC voltage level that is input to a charging circuit. PWM approach is one method of adjusting voltage amplitude, although other approaches may be employed.
In operation, the PWM charging circuit is gated by the microcontroller or other processor and appropriate gate drive circuitry (
The system 900 includes the bipolar ATC sense circuit 700 (
The one or more sensors 906 can include voltage sensors and/or current sensors that attenuate the signals to achieve an appropriate dynamic range determined, for example by VDD1 of the ATC circuit 700. The one or more sensors 606 can be positioned at one, two, or even more locations from output terminals 904a, 904b of the pulse generator 904 to the input terminals 912a, 912b of a load 200 (e.g., ignitor or spark plug, represented with associated impedance Z). The output terminals 904a, 904b of the pulse generator 904 may be electrically coupled to the input terminals 912a, 912b of the load 200 via one or more cables 914, via one or more a cable/ignitor or cable/spark plug interfaces 916a, 916b. For example, one or more sensors 906 can be positioned at any one or more of: an output 904a, 904b of a pulse generator 904, a cable/ignitor or cable/spark plug interface 916a, 916b, or a location along a cable 914 that connects the pulse generator 904 to the load 200 (e.g., an ignitor or a spark plug).
In the exemplary implementation illustrated in
The load impedance (Z) is that of an ignitor or spark plug (e.g., load 200) designed to strike a discharge when excited by the electric pulse generated by the pulse generator 904. Depending on the pressure and temperature of the ambient fuel-air mixture surrounding the ignitor and the voltage, duration, and energy of the pulse, the discharge of the ignitor may be one of the following types or modes: no discharge, a transient plasma or non-equilibrium discharge, or a nanosecond spark.
The bipolar sense circuit 700, described in the detailed description for
The output signal (Processed Signal) from the ATC circuit 900 comes from the comparator U1 and is fed to the microcontroller 902. The microcontroller 902 measures the duration of the signal and bins the measured durations according to a defined logic, for example a pre-programmed algorithm. Each bin corresponds to a respective one of the discharge types or discharge modes. This microcontroller 902 is advantageously operable to identify the discharge type or discharge mode before a subsequent pulse is fired, using simple time measurements, enabling the microcontroller 902 executing an algorithm to timely decide how to either adjust to pulse amplitude, modify the pulse repetition rate, end the pulse train, or adjust the number of pulses in a burst.
To determine the discharge mode based on the signal (identified as Processed Signal in
The methods and structures described herein advantageously require very little computational power. The methods and structures described herein advantageously employ time space, which may be measured with conventional timer and timer/capture modules commonly found in microcontrollers. Although variations are possible, a representative algorithm is set out immediately below.
If the algorithm determines to end the pulse train, the microcontroller 902 stops outputting trigger signals to the charging circuit shown in
The foregoing detailed description has set forth various implementations of the devices and/or processes via the use of block diagrams, schematics, and examples. Insofar as such block diagrams, schematics, and examples contain one or more functions and/or operations, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that each function and/or operation within such block diagrams, flowcharts, or examples can be implemented, individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or virtually any combination thereof. In one implementation, the present subject matter may be implemented via Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the implementations disclosed herein, in whole or in part, can be equivalently implemented in standard integrated circuits, as one or more computer programs running on one or more computers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more computer systems), as one or more programs running on one or more controllers (e.g., microcontrollers) as one or more programs running on one or more processors (e.g., microprocessors), as firmware, or as virtually any combination thereof, and that designing the circuitry and/or writing the code for the software and or firmware would be well within the skill of one of ordinary skill in the art in light of this disclosure.
Those of skill in the art will recognize that many of the methods or algorithms set out herein may employ additional acts, may omit some acts, and/or may execute acts in a different order than specified.
In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanisms taught herein are capable of being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that an illustrative implementation applies equally regardless of the particular type of signal bearing media used to actually carry out the distribution. Examples of signal bearing media include, but are not limited to, the following: recordable type media such as floppy disks, hard disk drives, CD ROMs, digital tape, and computer memory.
The various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. All of the above U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patent applications and non-patent publications referred to in this specification and/or listed in the Application Data Sheet, including but not limited to commonly owned: U.S. Pat. No. 10,072,629; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/254,140; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/254,146; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/703,078; U.S. provisional patent application 62/699,475; U.S. provisional patent application 62/844,587; U.S. provisional patent application 62/844,574; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/861,658; and U.S. provisional patent application 63/156,155, are each incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety.
Aspects of the implementations can be modified, if necessary, to employ systems, circuits and concepts of the various patents, applications and publications to provide yet further implementations.
The various embodiments and examples described above are provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed to limit the claimed invention, nor the scope of the various embodiments and examples. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize various modifications and changes that may be made to the claimed invention without following the example embodiments and applications illustrated and described herein, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the claimed invention, which is set forth in the following claims. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific implementations disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible implementations along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by the disclosure.
The application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/177,102 filed Apr. 20, 2021, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
This invention was made with Government support under ASSISTANCE AGREEMENT DE-SC0013824 awarded by the United States Department of Energy. The Government has certain rights in the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63177102 | Apr 2021 | US |
