1. A method comprising:
(a) initiating turn off of a first fluorescent lamp of a multi-lamp fluorescent light fixture using a first wireless fluorescent lamp starter unit; and
(b) initiating turn off of a second fluorescent lamp of the multi-lamp fluorescent light fixture using a second wireless fluorescent lamp starter unit, wherein the initiating of (a) and the initiating of (b) occur at substantially the same time.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the time between the initiating of (a) and the initiating of (b) is less than one millisecond.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first starter unit initiates turn off of the first fluorescent lamp when the first starter unit detects that a first Alternating Current (AC) voltage supplied to the first fluorescent lamp has reached a first voltage threshold.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second starter unit initiates turn off of the second fluorescent lamp when the second starter unit detects that a second Alternating Current (AC) voltage supplied to the second fluorescent lamp has reached a second voltage threshold.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
(c) receiving a turn off command from a master unit; and
(d) monitoring a first AC voltage supplied to the first fluorescent lamp in response to receiving the turn off command.
6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:
(e) monitoring a second AC voltage supplied to the second fluorescent lamp in response to receiving the turn off command.
7. The method of claim 5, wherein the receiving of (c) and the monitoring of (d) are performed by the first wireless fluorescent lamp starter unit.
8. The method of claim 6, wherein the receiving of (c) and the monitoring of (e) are performed by the second wireless fluorescent lamp starter unit.
9. The method of claim 5, wherein the turn off command received in (c) is received via a wireless communication from the master unit.
10. The method of claim 5, wherein the turn off command received in (c) is received via a wired connection to the master unit.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless fluorescent lamp starter unit includes a Radio-Frequency (RF) receiver and does not include a glass tube, the wireless fluorescent lamp starter unit having a substantially cylindrical outer surface and a circular bottom surface, and wherein two terminals extend from the circular bottom surface.
12. An apparatus comprising:
a first wireless fluorescent lamp starter unit;
a first fluorescent lamp coupled to the first starter unit;
a second wireless fluorescent lamp starter unit; and
a second fluorescent lamp coupled to the second starter unit, wherein the first starter unit initiates turn off of the first fluorescent lamp at substantially the same time as the second starter unit initiates turn off of the second fluorescent lamp.
13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first starter unit includes a first microcontroller that executes a first amount of firmware, wherein the second starter unit includes a second microcontroller that executes a second amount of firmware, wherein the first fluorescent lamp can be selectively turned off by control of the first microcontroller, and wherein the second fluorescent lamp can be selectively turned off by control of the second microcontroller.
14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first microcontroller monitors a first Alternating Current (AC) voltage supplied to the first fluorescent lamp and initiates turn off of the first fluorescent lamp when the first AC voltage reaches a first voltage threshold.
15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the second microcontroller monitors a second Alternating Current (AC) voltage supplied to the second fluorescent lamp and initiates turn off of the second fluorescent lamp when the second AC voltage reaches a second voltage threshold.
16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the time between when the first starter unit initiates turn off of the first fluorescent lamp and when the second starter unit initiates turn off of the second fluorescent lamp is less than one millisecond.
17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first starter unit includes a Radio-Frequency (RF) receiver that receives a wireless communication onto the first starter unit.
18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the wireless communication received by the receiver is a turn off command.
19. An apparatus comprising:
a first fluorescent lamp coupled to a first ballast, wherein the first ballast is adapted to receive an Alternating Current (AC) line voltage from an AC line voltage supply;
a second fluorescent lamp coupled to a second ballast, wherein the second ballast is adapted to receive the AC line voltage from the AC line voltage supply; and
means for initiating turn off of the first fluorescent lamp and the second fluorescent lamp at substantially the same time without disconnecting the AC line voltage supply.
20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the means includes a first wireless fluorescent lamp starter unit and a second wireless fluorescent lamp starter unit.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for determining the intrinsic gel strength of a water-absorbing hydrogel-forming polymeric material, comprising the steps of:
a) obtaining a hydrogel of the water-absorbing polymeric material, comprising at least about 0.5 gg, of an aqueous liquid;
b) optionally shaping the hydrogel of step a) in the form of a test sample hydrogel;
c) submitting the hydrogel of step a) or of the optional step b) to a controlled shear strain application step and measuring the shear stress or measuring the shear strain;
d) determining from the measured stress or strain of step c), the shear modulus of the hydrogel.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein step b) is performed.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the hydrogel of the water-absorbing polymeric material comprises at least about 5 gg, of an aqueous liquid.
4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the hydrogel of the water-absorbing polymeric material comprises at least about 10 gg, of an aqueous liquid.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the hydrogel is saturated with the liquid.
6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the liquid is a saline solution.
7. The method according to claim 1, wherein in step c) the hydrogel is obtained by swelling the water-absorbent hydrogel-forming polymeric material or a pre-cursor hydrogel to its equilibrium state in an aqueous liquid, to form the hydrogel of step a).
8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the polymeric material or a precursor-hydrogel is allowed to swell in the liquid for at least about 72 hours.
9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the polymeric material or a precursor-hydrogel is allowed to swell in the liquid for at least about a week.
10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the method step c) involves the use of a rheometer, applying a controlled oscillating shear strain or controlled oscillating shear stress.
11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the water-absorbent hydrogel-forming polymeric material comprises polyacrylate polymers, or derivatives thereof.
12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step a) comprises the step of polymerizing monomers of the polymer in the presence of an aqueous liquid to obtain a hydrogel or hydrogel precursor.
13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the water-absorbent hydrogel-forming polymeric material comprises substantially no surface-crosslinking.
14. The method according to claim 1, comprising the step of determining the liquid content of the hydrogel (\u201ctest capacity\u201d) to be tested, or tested in step d), to determine the intrinsic gel strength of the water-absorbent hydrogel-forming polymer at the \u201ctest capacity\u201d.
15. The method according to claim 14, obtaining in step a) or in the optional step b) multiple hydrogels, comprising different water-absorbent polymeric material, having each a different chemical andor physical property, and comprising a pre-determined amount of liquid (\u201ctest capacity\u201d), and the method comprising the step of comparing the shear modulus values obtained in step d) for each hydrogel of step a), andor the intrinsic gel strength obtained in step d) for each hydrogel of step a), to predict the influence of the difference in the chemical or physical property on the intrinsic gel strength.
16. A method of predicting the absorbent behavior of a water-absorbent hydrogel-forming polymeric material, comprising inputting the intrinsic gel strength value obtained by the method of claim 1 into a model for predicting the absorbent behavior of a water-absorbent hydrogel-forming polymeric material.
17. A method for determining the intrinsic gel strength of a water-absorbent hydrogel-forming polymeric material, comprising the steps of:
a) obtaining a hydrogel of the water-absorbent polymeric material, comprising at least about 0.5 gg, of an aqueous liquid;
b) optionally shaping the hydrogel of step a) in the form of a test sample hydrogel;
c) applying a controlled uniaxial compression strain or stress to the hydrogel of step a) or of optional step b); and
d) determining from the measured stress or strain of step c) the Young compression modulus of the hydrogel.
18. The method according to claim 17, wherein step b) is performed.
19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the hydrogel of the water-absorbing polymeric material comprises at least about 5 gg, of an aqueous liquid.
20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the hydrogel of the water-absorbing polymeric material comprises at least about 10 gg, of an aqueous liquid.
21. The method according to claim 17, wherein the hydrogel is saturated with the liquid.
22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the liquid is a saline solution.
23. The method according to claim 17, wherein in step c) the hydrogel is obtained by swelling the water-absorbent hydrogel-forming polymeric material or a pre-cursor hydrogel to its equilibrium state in an aqueous liquid, to form the hydrogel of step a).
24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the polymeric material or a precursor-hydrogel is allowed to swell in the liquid for at least about 72 hours.
25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the polymeric material or a precursor-hydrogel is allowed to swell in the liquid for at least about a week.
26. The method according to claim 23, wherein the method step c) involves the use of a rheometer, applying a controlled oscillating shear strain or controlled oscillating shear stress.
27. The method according to claim 17, wherein the water-absorbent hydrogel-forming polymeric material comprises polyacrylate polymers, or derivatives thereof.
28. The method according to claim 17, wherein the step a) comprises the step of polymerizing monomers of the polymer in the presence of an aqueous liquid to obtain a hydrogel or hydrogel precursor.
29. The method according to claim 17, wherein the water-absorbent hydrogel-forming polymeric material comprises substantially no surface-crosslinking.
30. The method according to claim 17, comprising the step of determining the liquid content of the hydrogel (\u201ctest capacity\u201d) to be tested, or tested in step d), to determine the intrinsic gel strength of the water-absorbent hydrogel-forming polymer at the \u201ctest capacity\u201d.
31. The method according to claim 30, obtaining in step a) or in the optional step b) multiple hydrogels, comprising different water-absorbent polymeric material, having each a different chemical andor physical property, and comprising a pre-determined amount of liquid (\u201ctest capacity\u201d), and the method comprising the step of comparing the shear modulus values obtained in step d) for each hydrogel of step a), andor the intrinsic gel strength obtained in step d) for each hydrogel of step a), to predict the influence of the difference in the chemical or physical property on the intrinsic gel strength.
32. A method of predicting the absorbent behavior of a water-absorbent hydrogel-forming polymeric material, comprising inputting the intrinsic gel strength value obtained by the method of claim 17 into a model for predicting the absorbent behavior of a water-absorbent hydrogel-forming polymeric material.