Function generator

Abstract: An electric power steering provides a differential compensating circuit (54) in which a command current signal is added with a derivative of the command signal to provide a compensated current signal to a control circuit (28) for varying the current to an electric motor (11) arranged to provide power assistance to a steering rack (6). The apparatus provides signals representative of torque and vehicle speed to a function generator (50) to provide a first command signal which is added with a seif-centering command current and the output is provided to give a second command current which is effectively the first command current limited in dependence upon the vehi- de speed. The second command current is operated upon by the differential compensating circuit (54) to obtain the compensated current signal.

Abstract: Programmable logic devices which include multiple blocks of combinatorial function generators and storage elements, and which are interconnected by a programmable interconnect structure are used, among other things, for performing arithmetic functions which use logic for generating the carry function. When a large number of bits is to be processed, the carry function typically causes significant delay or requires significant additional components to achieve a result at high speed. The present invention provides dedicated hardware within the logic blocks for performing the carry function quickly and with a minimum number of components. The invention takes advantage of the fact that a carry signal to be added to two bits can be propagated to the next more significant bit when the two binary bits to be added are unequal, and that one of the bits can serve as the carry signal when the bits are equal. For each bit, a carry propagate signal is generated by a lookup table programmable function generator and is used by dedicated hardware to generate the carry signal.

Abstract: Nonsinusoidal voltage waveforms are quite common in high frequency power conversion magnetics. Low frequency nonsinusoidal waveforms are also common in ac motor applications with waveforms such as pulsewidth modulation and six-step. Previous attempts to model these losses, based on the Steinmetz equation, can work only in a limited range of frequencies, flux density excitations, and waveforms. In this paper, we present a very practical, yet very general and accurate model, for core loss calculations in case of nonsinusoidal voltage waveforms. We show the model is equally applicable to low and high frequencies, metallic as well as nonmetallic (e.g., ferrites) core materials, by comparing the model prediction with measured data for various waveforms, frequencies, and flux densities. The model can be used for the design of high frequency transformers and inductors for use in switched mode power supplies. The model can also be used for ac motors where it is hard to estimate "derating factor" and to avoid uncontrolled temperature rise

Abstract: Gene circuits are dynamical systems that regulate cellular behaviors, often using protein signals as inputs and outputs. Here we have developed an optogenetic 'function generator' method for programming tailor-made gene expression signals in live bacterial cells. We designed precomputed light sequences based on experimentally calibrated mathematical models of light-switchable two-component systems and used them to drive intracellular protein levels to match user-defined reference time courses. We used this approach to generate accelerated and linearized dynamics, sinusoidal oscillations with desired amplitudes and periods, and a complex waveform, all with unprecedented accuracy and precision. We also combined the function generator with a dual fluorescent protein reporter system, analogous to a dual-channel oscilloscope, to reveal that a synthetic repressible promoter linearly transforms repressor signals with an approximate 7-min delay. Our approach will enable a new generation of dynamical analyses of synthetic and natural gene circuits, providing an essential step toward the predictive design and rigorous understanding of biological systems.