1. A liquid vaporizer and a combustion chamber, comprising:
a first body having a cross sectional shape and dimensions substantially equal to the cross sectional shape and dimensions of a cavity in a second body, thereby allowing the first body to be non-permanently inserted into the second body, wherein the outer surface of the first body, the inner surface forming the cavity in the second body, or both is modified to create a vaporization pathway between the first and second bodies when the surfaces mate;
a vaporization pathway inlet for fluid comprising a liquid fuel;
a vaporization pathway outlet for fluid comprising primarily vapor, the vaporization pathway outlet in fluid communication with the combustion chamber: and
a heater in thermal communication with the first body, the second body, or both;
wherein the heater actively controls the temperature of the vaporization pathway, the liquid fuel is vaporized prior to introduction into the combustion chamber, the temperature of the vaporization pathway is actively controlled as a substantially independent operating parameter, and oxidant gas flowing to the combustion chamber is preheated by flowing over at least a portion of the exterior of the combustion chamber.
2. A liquid vaporizer and a combustion chamber, comprising:
a first body having a cross sectional shape and dimensions substantially equal to the cross sectional shape and dimensions of a cavity in a second body, thereby allowing the first body to be non-permanently inserted into the second body wherein the outer surface of the first body, the inner surface forming the cavity in the second body, or both is modified to create a vaporization pathway between the first and second bodies when the surfaces mate;
a vaporization pathway inlet for fluid comprising a liquid fuel;
a vaporization pathway outlet for fluid comprising primarily vapor, the vaporization pathway outlet in fluid communication with the combustion chamber;
a heater in thermal communication with the first body, the second body, or both, wherein the heater actively controls the temperature of the pathway, liquid fuel is vaporized prior to introduction into the combustion chamber, the temperature of the vaporization pathway is actively controlled as a substantially independent operating parameter; and
a flow distribution insert providing flow distribution of oxidant gas flowing to the combustion chamber, wherein the insert is located in a flow path of the oxidant gas upstream from the combustion chamber.
3. The liquid vaporizer as recited in claim 2, wherein the flow distribution insert is thermally conductive and has a large surface area for enhanced heat transfer to the oxidant gases.
4. The liquid vaporizer as recited in claim 2, wherein the flow distribution insert comprises a thermally conductive foam.
5. A liquid fuel vaporizer and burner comprising a vaporization pathway and a heater providing active control of the temperature of the vaporization pathway independently from the operating rate of the liquid fuel burner, wherein liquid fuel is vaporized in the vaporization pathway prior to introduction into a combustion chamber, which combustion chamber is in fluid communication with the vaporization pathway, wherein active control of the temperature of the vaporization pathway occurs over an operating range turndown ratio of up to at least 5 to 1.
6. The liquid fuel vaporizer and burner as recited in claim 5, wherein active control of the temperature of the vaporization pathway occurs over an operating range turndown ratio of up to at least 10 to 1.
7. The liquid fuel vaporizer and burner as recited in claim 5, wherein the vaporization pathway comprises a channel formed between two mated surfaces.
8. The liquid fuel vaporizer and burner as recited in claim 7, wherein the two mated surfaces are separable.
9. The liquid fuel vaporizer and burner as recited in claim 7, wherein the vaporization pathway comprises a channel formed between the screw threads of a screw and the mating threads of a mated surface, wherein the screw threads, the mating threads, or both are modified to provide the channel.
10. The liquid fuel vaporizer and burner as recited in claim 5, wherein the heater comprises an electrical heater.
11. The liquid fuel vaporizer and burner as recited in claim 5, wherein combustion in the combustion chamber delivers heat at a substantially steady rate for durations greater than approximately 30 minutes.
12. The liquid fuel vaporizer and burner as recited in claim 5, wherein vaporized fuel is jetted through a removable orifice into the combustion chamber.
13. The liquid fuel vaporizer and burner as recited in claim 12, wherein the removable orifice is accessible through separation of the two mated surfaces.
14. The liquid fuel vaporizer and burner of claim 5, wherein the liquid fuel is substantially completely vaporized.
15. The liquid fuel vaporizer and burner of claim 5, wherein the combustion chamber is in thermal communication with the liquid vaporizer and at least a portion of the heat for vaporization is transferred from the combustion chamber.
16. The liquid fuel vaporizer and burner of claim 5, wherein the liquid comprises fuel oil.
17. The liquid fuel vaporizer and burner of claim 5, wherein the heater comprises a heat exchanger.
18. The liquid fuel vaporizer and burner as recited in claim 17, wherein the heat exchanger utilizes, at least in part, recirculated combustion gas in a controlled scheme from a combustion chamber, wherein the combustion chamber is in fluid communication with the liquid vaporizer.
19. The liquid fuel vaporizer and burner of claim 7, wherein the channel is curved to increase the vaporization pathway for heat transfer.
20. The liquid fuel vaporizer and burner of claim 9, wherein modifications to the threads comprise threads that have been truncated, notched, removed, or combinations thereof.
21. The liquid fuel vaporizer and burner as recited in claim 16, wherein the fuel oil is JP-8, diesel, or other low-volatility fuels.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A user request processing method, using an upstream channel, after a three-dimensional scene generated based on a binary format, is transmitted from a server to a terminal, the user request processing method comprising the steps of:
(a) setting downstreamupstream channels between the server and the terminal as initialization;
(b) the terminal forming an upstream channel message if a user request of predetermined processing of a predetermined object is occurred in a scene transmitted from the server to the terminal through the downstream channel, and transmitting the message to the server through the upstream channel;
(c) the server receiving the upstream channel message, interpreting the message, processing the message as the user request of predetermined processing, and transmitting the result to the terminal; and
(d) the terminal substituting the processing result of step (c) for the predetermined object in the scene transmitted in step (b), and providing it to the user.
2. The user request processing method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises the steps of:
(b1) defining the corresponding node in the scene, in which the user request occurred, using information on objects forming the transmitted scene;
(b2) determining the node identifier of the defined node, using information on the objects;
(b3) defining a command to be executed in the server for the defined node, in response to the user request; and
(b4) forming an upstream channel message containing the node identifier and the command.
3. The user request processing method of claim 2, wherein the information on the objects contains node identifiers based on sequence information or locations of nodes corresponding to the objects in the scene generated based on a binary format.
4. The user request processing method of claim 2, wherein step (b2) further comprises the steps of:
(b2-1) determining whether or not the defined node is reusable in the scene, by the presence of a node identifier;
(b2-2) if a node identifier assigned for reuse is in the defined node, using the node identifier; and
(b2-3) if a node identifier assigned for reuse is not in the defined node, using a node identifier which has a node identifier and is immediately above the defined node.
5. The user request processing method of claim 4, wherein in step (b2-3), if the defined node and all other nodes in the scene are not reusable, the node identifier of the defined node is determined as a value which is for all nodes as subjects.
6. The user request processing method of claim 2, wherein step (c) further comprises the steps of:
(c1) receiving the upstream channel message, interpreting the node identifier in the upstream channel message, and defining a subject node to be processed; and
(c2) if a subject node to be processed is defined, confirming a node command in the upstream channel message, and processing the subject node according to the node command.
7. The user request processing method of claim 6, wherein in step (c1), the subject node is defined after confirming at least whether or not the node identifier is for a node contained in the scene, and the structure type of the node indicated by the node identifier.
8. The user request processing method of claim 7, wherein in step (c1), a subject node is defined after confirming information on nodes directly dependent on the node indicated by the node identifier.
9. The user request processing method of claim 7, wherein in step (c1), if the node identifier is a value for all the nodes in the scene as subjects, all the nodes in the scene are defined as subject nodes.
10. The user request processing method of any one of claims 1 through 9, wherein the scene is generated based on a moving picture expert group (MPEG)-4 binary format in an MPEG-4 system, the server has an MPEG-4 scene encoder, and the terminal has an MPEG-4 scene decoder.
11. A user request processing apparatus using an upstream channel in a system providing bidirectional communication services, the user request processing apparatus comprising:
a server for transmitting through a downstream channel a three-dimensional scene generated based on a binary format, receiving and interpreting an upstream channel message, and processing the message as user’s request of predetermined processing; and
a terminal for forming an upstream channel message if a user request of predetermined processing for a predetermined object in the scene transmitted from the server occurs, and transmitting the message to the server through an upstream channel.
12. The user request processing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the terminal comprises:
a node interpreter for defining a corresponding node in the scene, for which the user request occurred, using information on the objects forming the transmitted scene;
a node identifier determiner for determining a node identifier of the defined node, using information on the objects;
a command generator for defining a command to be processed in the server, in response to the user request for the defined node; and
an upstream channel message transmitter forming an upstream channel message containing the node identifier and the command.
13. The user request processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein information on the objects includes node identifiers according to sequence information or locations of nodes corresponding to objects in the scene generated based on the binary format.
14. The user request processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the node identifier determiner further comprises:
a node identifier presence determiner for determining whether or not the defined node is reusable in the scene, by the presence of a node identifier, and if a node identifier assigned for reuse exists in the defined node, using the corresponding node identifier; and
a node identifier generator for using the node identifier of a node, which is immediately above the defined node and has a node identifier, if a node identifier assigned for reuse does not exist in the defined node.
15. The user request processing apparatus of claim 14, wherein the node identifier generator sets the node identifier of the defined node to a value for all nodes as subjects, if the defined node and all other nodes in the scene are not reusable.
16. The user request processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the server comprises:
an upstream channel message receiver for receiving the upstream channel message;
a node interpreter for interpreting the node identifier in the upstream channel message and defining subject nodes to be processed; and
a command processor for confirming node commands in the upstream channel message, if the subject nodes are defined, and processing the subject nodes according to the node commands.
17. The user request processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the node interpreter defines a subject node after confirming at least whether or not the node identifier is for a node contained in the scene, and the structure type of the node indicated by the node identifier.
18. The user request processing apparatus of claim 17, wherein the node interpreter defines a subject node after confirming information on nodes directly dependent on the node indicated by the node identifier.
19. The user request processing apparatus of claim 17, wherein the node interpreter defines all the nodes in the scene as subject nodes if the node identifier is a value for all the nodes in the scene as subjects.
20. The user request processing apparatus of any one of claims 11 through 19, wherein the scene is generated based on a moving picture expert group (MPEG)-4 binary format in an MPEG-4 system, the server has an MPEG-4 scene encoder, and the terminal has an MPEG-4 scene decoder.
21. A user request processing method using an upstream channel in interactive multimedia contents services, the user request processing method comprising the steps of:
(a) setting downstreamupstream channels between the server and the terminal as initialization;
(b) the terminal forming an upstream channel message if a user request of predetermined processing of a predetermined element is occurred in a multimedia content transmitted from the server to the terminal through the downstream channel, and transmitting the message to the server through the upstream channel;
(c) the server receiving the upstream channel message, interpreting the message, processing the message as the user request of predetermined processing, and transmitting the result to the terminal; and
(d) the terminal substituting the processing result of step (c) for the predetermined element in the multimedia content transmitted in step (b), and providing it to the user.
22. The user request processing method of claim 21, wherein the upstream channel message in step (b) is formed to have at least an inherent identifier, which can be confirmed in a server assigned for the predetermined element, and a command corresponding to the user request of predetermined processing.
23. A user request processing apparatus using an upstream channel in a system providing bidirectional communication services, the user request processing apparatus comprising:
a server for transmitting multimedia contents through a downstream channel, receiving and interpreting an upstream channel message, and processing the message as user’s request of predetermined processing; and
a terminal for forming an upstream channel message if a user request of predetermined processing for a predetermined element in the multimedia contents transmitted from the server occurs, and transmitting the message to the server through an upstream channel.
24. The user request processing apparatus of claim 23, wherein the upstream channel message in step (b) is formed to have at least an inherent identifier, which can be confirmed in a server assigned for the predetermined element, and a command corresponding to the user request of predetermined processing.