1. A power controlling apparatus provided with a power converting circuit which is connected between a DC circuit and an AC circuit and composed of a switching element enabling power supply bidirectionally and a diode connected to the switching element in parallel thereto, the same power converting apparatus that executes an inverter operation which, by controlling the switching element, DC power from the DC circuit is converted to AC power and is outputted to the AC circuit and a rectification operation which, by the diode, AC power from the AC circuit is converted to DC power and is outputted to the DC circuit,
wherein the switching element connected in parallel to the diode is caused to supply power in the same direction as the corresponding diode in a period of time of power supply made by the diode in the rectification operation.
2. A power controlling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power converting circuit is made into a three-phase power converting circuit in which an assembly, in which a high-potential side switching circuit and a low-potential side switching circuit, each of which being composed of a parallel connector of the switching element and diode, are connected in series, is connected in three phases between a high-potential side terminal and a low-potential side terminal of the DC circuit, and respective series connection points of the high-potential side and low-potential side switching circuits are connected to respective phase terminals of the three-phase AC circuit.
3. A power controlling apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising first detecting means for detecting voltage of respective phases of the three-phase AC circuit and voltage of the DC circuit and for detecting power supply commencement timing of the respective diodes through comparison operations on the basis of the voltage detection values, wherein the switching element connected to the corresponding diodes in parallel thereto is turned on with the power supply commencement timing detected by the first detecting means.
4. A power controlling apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising second detecting means for detecting voltage of a phase (hereinafter called the \u201cnext phase\u201d) delayed by a (\u2154)\u03c0 phase angle from the phase (hereinafter called the \u201ccorresponding phase\u201d) on which the switching element has been turned on and voltage of the DC circuit, and for detecting power supply commencement timing of the next phase diode through comparison operations on the basis of these voltage detection values, wherein the corresponding diode switching element is turned off with the power supply commencement timing detected by the second detecting means.
5. A power controlling apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising delaying means for delaying the timing of turning off the corresponding phase switching element by a prescribed duration of time in the power supply period of the corresponding phase diode.
6. A power controlling apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, by varying the delay time for delaying by the delaying means in accordance with the frequency of the AC circuit, the power supply period expressed in terms of a phase angle of the switching element is made constant regardless of the frequency.
7. A power controlling apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising ON time setting means for turning off the switching element in a prescribed ON-time that is set in the power supply period of a diode connected to the corresponding switching element in parallel thereto after turning on the corresponding switching element, wherein, by varying the ON-time set by the ON-time setting means in accordance with the frequency of the AC circuit, the power supply period expressed in terms of a phase angle of the switching element is made constant regardless of the frequency.
8. A power controlling apparatus according to any one of claims 1 through 7, wherein the DC circuit includes a DC power source that can be charged and discharged, and the AC circuit includes a generatormotor which converts mechanical power to AC power and AC power to mechanical power.
9. A power controlling apparatus according to any one of claims 1 through 8, wherein the switching element is MOSFET.
10. A power controlling apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the diode is a parasitic diode of the MOSFET.
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 sharing information between a concierge with access to a data network and a recipient’s display device, the method comprising:
registering the concierge and a recipient to share information;
establishing a voice connection between the concierge and the recipient;
associating the voice connection with information to be sent across the data network to the recipient’s display device;
initiating a broadcast of the information to the recipient’s display device;
providing a default image to the recipient’s display device;
allowing the recipient to view audio-visual information based on content of a particular URL on the display device, only in response to establishing a voice connection between the concierge and the recipient;
forwarding control information and the audio-visual information to customer premise equipment for storage to allow the recipient to view the stored audio-visual information on the display device after termination of the voice connection in accordance with the control information, the control information defining usage restrictions related to the audio-visual information forbidding printing and faxing and allowing retransmission of the audio-visual information by the recipient to another recipient; and
automatically clearing the default image after a predetermined time associated with the recipient.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the voice connection comprises:
providing a signal that a voice connection between the concierge and the recipient is being established.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
terminating the voice connection between the concierge and the recipient by providing a second termination signal.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the concierge initiates the establishing of the voice connection on a voice communication network.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the recipient is a hotel guest.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined time is when the guest checks out of the hotel.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the concierge is a hotel concierge.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the hotel concierge establishes a voice connection to the recipient by using a hotel code and a room number of the recipient.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the display device is a hotel room television set.
10. A method for providing information from a concierge to a guest recipient via a plurality of modes of communication, the method comprising:
registering the concierge and the guest recipient for sharing of content over the plurality of modes of communication;
linking the concierge and the guest recipient together over a first mode of communication;
receiving content from the concierge via a second mode of communication;
providing content to the guest recipient over a third mode of communication;
providing a default image to the guest recipient;
allowing the guest recipient to view audio-visual information based on content of a particular URL on a display device only in response to linking the concierge and the guest recipient together over the first mode of communication;
forwarding control information and the audio-visual information to customer premise equipment for storage to allow the guest recipient to view the stored audio-visual information on the display device after termination of the link over the first mode of communication in accordance with the control information, the control information defining usage restrictions related to the audio-visual information forbidding printing and faxing and allowing retransmission of the audio-visual information by the recipient to another recipient; and
automatically clearing the default image after a predetermined time associated with the guest recipient.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first mode of communication is a private branch exchange system, the second mode of communication is a distributed information network and the third mode of communication is a cable television system.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein the content is related to a request received from the guest recipient.
13. The method of claim 10, wherein the concierge initiates the link between the concierge and the guest recipient.
14. A method for sharing information between an information provider and an information recipient who initially communicate via a first communication system, the information recipient having a cable based display device for viewing information from the information provider, the method comprising:
receiving content from the information provider designated for the information recipient;
providing the content from the information provider designated for the information recipient, wherein the content is provided initially by a second communication system and then provided via a third communication system to the information recipient’s cable based display device;
providing a default image to the information recipient;
allowing the information recipient to view audio-visual information based on content of a particular URL on the display device, only in response to the information provider and the information recipient communicating via the first communication system;
forwarding control information and the audio-visual information to customer premise equipment for storage to allow the information recipient to view the stored audio-visual information on the display device after termination of communication via the first communication system in accordance with the control information, the control information defining usage restrictions related to the audio-visual information forbidding printing and faxing and allowing retransmission of the audio-visual information by the recipient to another recipient; and
automatically clearing the default image after a predetermined time associated with the information recipient.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the information provider is a hotel concierge.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the information recipient is a hotel guest.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the concierge calls the hotel guest via a hotel PBX system.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein the hotel guest calls the concierge via a hotel PBX system.
19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:
providing a hardcopy of the content to the information recipient.