Author: claimsbot

1. A vehicle power steering unit comprising:
an engine driven positive displacement hydraulic pump;
a rotary valve coupled to a steering shaft for receiving hydraulic fluid under pressure in a rotary valve inlet and providing a differential pressure to a steering rack piston for a steering boost responsive to a torque exerted on the steering shaft;
a two-position three-way valve coupled between an output of the positive displacement hydraulic pump, the rotary valve inlet and an input of the positive displacement hydraulic pump for controllably coupling the output of the positive displacement hydraulic pump to the rotary valve inlet or the input of the positive displacement hydraulic pump;
an engine speed sensor; and
a controller coupled to the engine speed sensor and the two-position three-way valve to control the two-position three-way valve to control flow rate of hydraulic fluid coupled to the rotary valve to maintain a flow rate of hydraulic fluid coupled to the rotary valve by pulse width modulation of the two-position three-way valve.
2. The vehicle power steering unit of claim 1 wherein the controller is also responsive to hydraulic fluid pressure at the rotary valve inlet.
3. The vehicle power steering unit of claim 1 further comprised of a hydraulic accumulator coupled to the rotary valve inlet.
4. The vehicle power steering unit of claim 1 wherein the controller is also responsive to an engine speed input to the controller.
5. The vehicle power steering unit of claim 1 wherein the controller is also responsive to a vehicle speed input to the controller.
6. The vehicle power steering unit of claim 1 wherein the controller is also responsive to a steering shaft and rack input to the controller.
7. The vehicle power steering unit of claim 1 wherein the controller is also responsive to an engine speed input, a vehicle speed input, and a steering shaft and rack input to the controller.
8. A vehicle power steering unit comprising:
an engine driven hydraulic pump;
a rotary valve coupled to a steering shaft for receiving hydraulic fluid under pressure in a rotary valve inlet and providing a differential pressure to a steering rack piston for a steering boost responsive to a torque exerted on the steering shaft;
a two-position three-valve coupled between an output of the hydraulic pump, the rotary valve inlet and a hydraulic pump input for controllably coupling the output of the hydraulic pump to the rotary valve inlet or an input of the hydraulic pump;
a hydraulic accumulator coupled to the rotary valve inlet;
a pressure sensor coupled to the rotary valve inlet to sense hydraulic pressure coupled to the rotary valve inlet; and
a controller coupled to the pressure sensor and the valve to control the valve to maintain a flow rate of hydraulic fluid coupled to the rotary valve responsive to a pressure sensor output and a vehicle speed input to the controller by pulse width modulation of the two-position three-way valve.
9. The vehicle power steering unit of claim 8 wherein the controller is also responsive to an engine speed input to the controller.
10. The vehicle power steering unit of claim 8 wherein the controller is also responsive to a steering shaft and rack input to the controller.
11. The vehicle power steering unit of claim 8 wherein the controller is also responsive to an engine speed input, and a steering shaft and rack input to the controller.
12. A vehicle power steering unit comprising:
an engine driven hydraulic pump;
a rotary valve coupled to a steering shaft for receiving hydraulic fluid under pressure in a rotary valve inlet and providing a differential pressure to a steering rack piston for a steering boost responsive to a torque exerted on the steering shaft;
a two-position three-way valve coupled between an output of the hydraulic pump, the rotary valve inlet and the hydraulic pump input for controllably coupling the output of the hydraulic pump to the rotary valve inlet or an input of the hydraulic pump;
a hydraulic accumulator coupled to the rotary valve inlet;
a pressure sensor coupled to the rotary valve inlet to sense the hydraulic pressure coupled to the rotary valve inlet; and
a controller coupled to the pressure sensor and the two-position three-way valve to control the two-position three-way valve to maintain a flow rate of hydraulic fluid coupled to the rotary valve responsive to a pressure sensor output to the controller by pulse width modulation of the two-position three-way valve.
13. The vehicle power steering unit of claim 12 wherein the controller is also responsive to an engine speed input to the controller.
14. The vehicle power steering unit of claim 12 wherein the controller is also responsive to a steering shaft and rack input to the controller.
15. The vehicle power steering unit of claim 12 wherein the controller is also responsive to an engine speed input, and a steering shaft and rack input to the controller.
16. The vehicle power steering unit of claim 12 wherein the controller is also responsive to an engine speed input, a vehicle speed input and a steering shaft and rack input to the controller.

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 of operating a heart rate monitor of a wearable fitness monitoring device, wherein the heart rate monitor comprises a light source and a light detector, the method comprising:
(a) operating the heart rate monitor in a first mode while also operating in a skin characterization mode for determining a characteristic of a user’s skin, wherein the first mode is configured to determine one or more characteristics of the user’s heartbeat waveform, and wherein the skin characterization mode comprises generating data points representing emission intensity from the light source and corresponding detection levels from the light detector;
(b) fitting the data points of the skin characterization mode to a linear mathematical relationship relating light source emission intensity to light detector detection level;
(c) using the linear mathematical relationship to determine a light source emission intensity setting that provides a pre-determined light detector detection level identified as providing good heart rate monitor performance; and
(d) adjusting the light source emission intensity to said setting determined in (c) for operating in the first mode.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-determined light detector detection level was previously determined to have a high signal to noise ratio.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to (b),
determining a slope of a line fitting the data points representing emission intensity from the light source and corresponding detection levels from the light detector; and
setting the light source emission intensity for operating in the first mode based on the determined slope and pre-set values of emission intensity levels.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the heart rate monitor comprises a photoplethysmographic sensor.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics of the user’s heartbeat waveform comprises the user’s heart rate.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the light source emission intensity setting is about 120 mW or less.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein operating in the first mode and operating in the skin characterization mode are performed concurrently.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein operating in the first mode and operating in the skin characterization mode concurrently comprises periodically determining a response characteristic of the user’s skin while continuously operating in the first mode.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein operating in the skin characterization mode occurs no more than about 50% of the time.
10. The method of claim 8, wherein operating in the first mode comprises pulsing the light source in the heart rate monitor at a first frequency and detecting light from the light source, after the light has interacted with the user’s skin, at the first frequency, and wherein operating in the skin characterization mode comprises pulsing a light source in the heart rate monitor at a second frequency and detecting light from the light source, after the light has interacted with the user’s skin, at the second frequency.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second frequency is greater than the first frequency.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein operating in the skin characterization mode further comprises determining an intensity level andor pattern of two or more light pulses, after the light has interacted with the user’s skin, detected at the second frequency.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein operating the heart rate monitor in the skin characterization mode comprises emitting a succession of light pulses, and wherein some of the light pulses have variable intensity and other light pulses having constant intensity compared to one another.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein operating the heart rate monitor in the skin characterization mode comprises emitting a succession of light pulses, and wherein at least two of the light pulses have variable intensity compared to one another.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein operating the heart rate monitor in the skin characterization mode comprises emitting a succession of light pulses, and wherein at least four of the light pulses have variable intensity compared to one another.
16. The method of claim 1, wherein the wearable fitness monitoring device comprises a motion detecting sensor.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the motion detecting sensor comprises an accelerometer, a magnetometer, an altimeter, a GPS detector, gyroscope, or a combination of any of these.
18. A wearable fitness monitoring device comprising:
a motion sensor configured to provide output corresponding to motion by a user wearing the fitness monitoring device;
a photoplethysmographic sensor comprising (i) a periodic light source, (ii) a light detector positioned to receive periodic light emitted by the periodic light source after interacting with a user’s skin, and (iii) circuitry determining a user’s heart rate from an output of the light detector; and
control logic configured to:
(a) operate the photoplethysmographic sensor in a first mode while also operating in a skin characterization mode for determining a characteristic of a user’s skin, wherein the first mode is configured to determine one or more characteristics of the user’s heartbeat waveform, and wherein the skin characterization mode comprises generating data points representing emission intensity from the light source and corresponding detection levels from the light detector;
(b) fit the data points of the skin characterization mode to a linear mathematical relationship relating light source emission intensity to light detector detection level;
(c) use the linear mathematical relationship to determine a light source emission intensity setting that provides a pre-determined light detector detection level identified as providing good heart rate monitor performance; and
(d) adjust the light source emission intensity to said setting determined in (c) for operating in the first mode.
19. The wearable fitness monitoring device of claim 18, wherein the pre-determined light detector detection level was previously determined to have a high signal to noise ratio.
20. The wearable fitness monitoring device of claim 18, wherein the control logic is further configured to, prior to (b),
determine a slope of a line fitting the data points representing emission intensity from the light source and corresponding detection levels from the light detector; and
set the light source emission intensity for operating in the first mode based on the determined slope and pre-set values of emission intensity levels.
21. The wearable fitness monitoring device of claim 18, wherein operating in the first mode and operating in the skin characterization mode are performed concurrently.
22. The wearable fitness monitoring device of claim 21, wherein operating in the first mode comprises pulsing the light source in the photoplethysmographic sensor at a first frequency and detecting light from the light source, after the light has interacted with the user’s skin, at the first frequency, and wherein operating in the skin characterization mode comprises pulsing a light source in the photoplethysmographic sensor at a second frequency and detecting light from the light source, after the light has interacted with the user’s skin, at the second frequency.

1. A wet-chemical synthesis method of producing a Group I-III-VI2 semiconductor material, the method comprising:
forming a solution containing an organic solvent, at least one Group I precursor consisting of at least one compound of at least one Group I element, and at least one Group III precursor consisting of at least one compound of at least one Group III element, wherein the Group I precursor is present in the solution in an amount of less than 120% of a stoichiometric ratio of the at least one Group I element in the Group VI-III-VI2 semiconductor material, and the Group III precursor is present in the solution in an amount of greater than 55% of a stoichiometric ratio of the at least one Group III element in the Group I-III-VI2 semiconductor material.
2. The wet-chemical synthesis method of claim 1, wherein the Group I precursor is present in the solution in an amount of less than 100% of the stoichiometric ratio of the at least one Group I element in the Group I-III-VI2 semiconductor material.
3. The wet-chemical synthesis method of claim 1, wherein the at least one Group III element comprises first and second Group III elements, the first Group III element is present in the solution in an amount of greater than 100% of the stoichiometric ratio of the first Group III element in the Group I-III-VI2semiconductor material, and the second Group III element is present in the solution in an amount of less than 110% of the stoichiometric ratio of the second Group III element in the Group I-III-VI2 semiconductor material.
4. The wet-chemical synthesis method of claim 1, wherein the at least one Group I element is copper.
5. The wet-chemical synthesis method of claim 1, wherein the at least one Group III element comprises first and second Group III elements, the first Group III element is at least one chosen from the group consisting of indium and zinc, and the second Group III element is at least one chosen from the group consisting of gallium and tin.
6. The wet-chemical synthesis method of claim 1, wherein the Group I-III-VI2 semiconductor material is copper indium gallium selenidesulfide.
7. The wet-chemical synthesis method of claim 1, wherein the organic solvent is at least one chosen from the group consisting of alkylamine, fatty acid, and trioctylphosphine.
8. The wet-chemical synthesis method of claim 1, wherein Group I and Group III precursors are chosen from the group consisting of halide, chalcogenide, nitrate, sulfate, citrate, acetate, and acetylacetonate compounds of the Group I and Group III elements.
9. The wet-chemical synthesis method of claim 1, wherein the solution is formed in a hermetically-sealed reaction vessel and the forming step further comprises a degassing process to produce a first reactant.
10. The wet-chemical synthesis method of claim 9, wherein the degassing process comprises:
holding the solution at a vacuum level not exceeding 0.05 bar and heating the solution to a first temperature sufficient to boil the organic solvent under the vacuum level; and then
introducing an atmosphere consisting of at least one of a noble gas, nitrogen gas, and carbon dioxide gas into the reaction vessel to attain a pressure of at least 0.08 bar for at least two seconds.
11. The wet-chemical synthesis method of claim 10, wherein after the atmosphere is introduced into the reaction vessel to attain the pressure of at least 0.08 bar for at least two seconds, the degassing process further comprises repeating steps of holding the reaction vessel at the vacuum level not exceeding 0.05 bar and then reintroducing the atmosphere into the reaction vessel to attain a pressure of at least 0.08 bar for at least two seconds, until the first reactant forms.
12. The wet-chemical synthesis method of claim 9, further comprising heating the first reactant within the reaction vessel to a temperature greater than 200\xb0 C. and then introducing a sulfur solution into the reactor vessel to form a product solution, the sulfur solution being introduced into the reaction vessel at a temperature below the temperature of the first reactant.
13. The wet-chemical synthesis method of claim 12, wherein the sulfur solution contains elemental sulfur dissolved in a solvent to achieve a sulfur concentration of about 1 M to about 4 M and the sulfur solution introduces sulfur into the reaction vessel at at least 80% of stoichiometric for sulfur in the Group I-III-VI2 semiconductor material.
14. The wet-chemical synthesis method of claim 12, the method further comprising washing the product solution in a solvent and then treating the product solution to an anti-solvent to yield a dry precipitate comprising nanoparticles and less than 20% by weight solvents.
15. The wet-chemical synthesis method of claim 14, the method further comprising:
dispersing the nanoparticles in a solvent to form a nanoparticle solution;
applying the nanoparticle solution to a substrate;
drying the nanoparticle solution to form a nanoparticle coating on the substrate; and then
annealing the nanoparticle coating in an atmosphere containing a chalcogen to produce an absorber layer of the Group I-III-VI2 semiconductor material.
16. The wet-chemical synthesis method of claim 15, wherein the nanoparticle solution is applied to a surface region of the substrate comprising a contact layer, the contact layer being an electrically and thermally conductive layer of a metal that forms an ohmic junction with the absorber layer.
17. The wet-chemical synthesis method of claim 15, wherein the chalcogen is at least one chosen from the group consisting of elemental tellurium, selenium, and sulfur.
18. The wet-chemical synthesis method of claim 15, wherein the absorber layer consists of semiconducting photo-absorptive nanocrystals of the Group I-III-VI2 semiconductor material.
19. The wet-chemical synthesis method of claim 15, wherein the substrate is a flexible substrate and dispensed from a roll prior to annealing.
20. The wet-chemical synthesis method of claim 19, further comprising coiling the substrate into a roll after annealing.
21. The wet-chemical synthesis method of claim 15, wherein the annealing step comprises heating the substrate and the nanoparticle coating thereon to a temperature of about 200\xb0 C. to about 800\xb0 C. for at least four minutes in an atmosphere at a pressure of greater than 0.05 bar, the atmosphere containing elemental selenium vapor andor at least one gaseous selenium compound.
22. The wet-chemical synthesis method of claim 15, further comprising applying at least one buffer layer over the absorber layer, the buffer layer being an amorphous n-type material having a higher bandgap than the absorber layer.
23. The wet-chemical synthesis method of claim 15, further comprising applying at least one transparent electrically-conductive layer over the absorber layer.
24. The wet-chemical synthesis method of claim 23, wherein the transparent electrically-conductive layer is applied by photo-electroplating bath deposition while illuminated at an intensity of at least 5 lumen.
25. The wet-chemical synthesis method of claim 23, further comprising forming front electrically conductive contacts on the substrate.
26. A photovoltaic or opto-electronic device comprising:
a substrate layer; and
an absorber layer overlying the substrate layer, the absorber layer consisting of semiconducting photo-absorptive nanocrystals of a Group Ib-IIIa-VI2, a Group II-VI, a Group III-V, or a Group I2-II-IV-VI4 semiconducting p-type material and less than 10% by weight of one or more solvents, the absorber layer having a smooth, ridged, or rough surface.
27. The photovoltaic or opto-electronic device of claim 26, the device further comprising a contact layer between the substrate and absorber layers, the contact layer being an electrically and thermally conductive layer of a metal that forms an ohmic junction with the absorber layer.
28. The photovoltaic or opto-electronic device of claim 27, wherein the metal of the contact layer is molybdenum, tungsten, titanium, or copper.
29. The photovoltaic or opto-electronic device of claim 26, the device further comprising at least a first buffer layer overlying the absorber layer, the first buffer layer consisting of an amorphous n-type material having a higher bandgap than the absorber layer.
30. The photovoltaic or opto-electronic device of claim 29, wherein the amorphous n-type material of the first buffer layer is cadmium, zinc, or tin sulfide.
31. The photovoltaic or opto-electronic device of claim 30, the device further comprising a second buffer layer overlying the first buffer layer, the second buffer layer consisting of an intrinsic n-type material.
32. The photovoltaic or opto-electronic device of claim 31, wherein the intrinsic n-type material of the second buffer layer is a metal oxide.
33. The photovoltaic or opto-electronic device of claim 26, the device further comprising a transparent electrically-conductive layer overlying the absorber layer.
34. The photovoltaic or opto-electronic device of claim 33, further comprising front electrically conductive contacts electrically contacting the transparent electrically-conductive layer.
35. The photovoltaic or opto-electronic device of claim 26, wherein the nanocrystals are densely packed and each nanocrystal has a height that is greater than 2% of a thickness of the absorber layer.
36. The photovoltaic or opto-electronic device of claim 26, wherein the nanocrystals of the absorber layer consist of the Group Ib-IIIa-VI2 semiconducting p-type material.

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 storage assembly for a vehicle comprising:
a housing having an outlet formed at a rear end thereof;
a cooling and heating cup holder installed in the housing and having a thermoelectric element attached to a side end surface thereof;
a convenience device disposed adjacent to a side of the thermoelectric element in the housing and including a storage tray or an electrical control switch;
a heat exchange pin and a blower disposed at the outlet side of the rear end of the housing; and
a heat pipe having one end connected to the thermoelectric element and an opposing end extended to turn aside or traverse the convenience device and connected to the heat exchange pin.
2. The storage assembly for a vehicle of claim 1, wherein the housing is an armrest housing.
3. The storage assembly for a vehicle of claim 1, wherein the housing includes an inlet formed at a front end thereof.
4. The storage assembly for a vehicle of claim 1, wherein the blower contacts the outlet of the housing, has the heat exchange pin installed at a front end thereof, and sucks internal air of the housing to discharge the sucked internal air through the outlet.
5. The storage assembly for a vehicle of claim 1, wherein the opposing end of the heat pipe is inserted into and embedded in the heat exchange pin.
6. The storage assembly for a vehicle of claim 1, wherein the thermoelectric element has first and second surfaces for heat absorption and heat generation, the first surface being closely adhered to the cup holder and the second surface being closely adhered to the one end of the heat pipe.
7. The storage assembly for a vehicle of claim 1, comprising a plurality of cup holders and a plurality of heat pipes, and opposing ends of the respective heat pipes are inserted into one heat exchange pin to share the heat exchange pin.
8. The storage assembly for a vehicle of claim 1, wherein the heat pipe has one end connected to the thermoelectric element and an opposing end extended to turn aside the storage tray and connected to the heat exchange pin.
9. The storage assembly for a vehicle of claim 1, wherein the heat pipe has one end connected to the thermoelectric element and an opposing end extended to traverse a lower surface of the control switch and connected to the heat exchange pin.