Author: claimsbot

1. A system for adjusting a voltage balancing of cells in lithium ion multicell battery packs, the system comprising:
a vertical interface connected to a battery pack and configured to output synchronized inputs of a reading balance signal defining a voltage reading period and a balance period and a reading hold signal inducing each cell voltage to be held before the voltage reading period;
an interface connected to the battery pack and configured to output an address clock for designating an address of a cell whose voltage is being held; and
a control section of a cell balancing adjusting circuit connected to the vertical interface and the interface and configured to receive signal outputs therefrom to adjust a balancing of cells.
2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control section of the cell balancing adjusting circuit comprises an address counter for sequentially changing lines of the cells according to the address clock.
3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a voltage detecting switch section configured to read a voltage of one of the cells and a current switch section configured to supply a balance current to one of the cells.
4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the control section turns off a balance current, determines a balance target value and decides to which cell the balance current is allowed to flow, during the voltage reading period.
5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the control section allows the balance current to flow the decided cell during the balance period.
6. The system according to claim 2, wherein the address counter produces a reset pulse by a time difference between the reading balance signal and the reading hold signal.
7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the interface is configured to output an input of a balance hold signal for independently reading a cell voltage within the balance period.
8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the vertical interface is disposed between adjacent battery packs.
9. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:
hold condensers configured to respectively hold each voltage of cells according to the reading hold signal.
10. A method for adjusting a voltage balancing of cells in lithium ion multicell battery packs, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving synchronized inputs of a reading balance signal defining a voltage reading period and a balance period and a reading hold signal inducing each cell voltage to be held;
holding each cell voltage before the voltage reading period according to the synchronized reading hold signal;
selecting each cell using an address counter clock and reading a voltage of the selected cell, during the voltage reading period;
determining a cell to which a balance current is allowed to flow, based on a balance target value; and
allowing the balance current to flow to the determined cell during the balance period.
11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the balance current flows to either a cell charge direction or cell discharge direction according to a comparison of the read voltage of the cell and the balance target value.
12. The method according to claim 10, wherein a hold of the cell voltage is performed after turning off the balance current based on the reading balance signal.
13. The method according to claim 10, wherein during the voltage reading period, the voltage of the selected cell is read after holding voltages of the cells, responsive to a reading hold signal.
14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of holding is performed when the voltage level of the reading hold signal is changed.

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 data forwarding controller for performing data forwarding control via a network, comprising:
a plurality of data inputoutput ports;
means for storing a MAC learning table in which a MAC address of data for forwarding is associated with an output port; and
a control section for updating said MAC learning table,
wherein said control section is configured to set, for a mobile node, in said MAC learning table, a plurality of entries associating different output ports with a MAC address of said mobile node, and output data addressed to said MAC address of said mobile node received via said network, to said plurality of output ports in parallel, based on said plurality of entries set in said MAC learning table, and
said control section is configured to set an entry in said MAC learning table as an additional entry based on a MAC address of a next access point contained in a handover start message received from said mobile node, wherein said additional entry sets a port to which said next access point is connected, as an output port corresponding to said MAC address of said mobile node, and output said data addressed to said MAC address of said mobile node received via said network in parallel, to said output ports listed in said plurality of entries as to said MAC address of said mobile node set in said MAC learning table, wherein said output ports are a plurality of ports to which a current access point and said next access point of said mobile node are connected.
2. The data forwarding controller according to claim 1,wherein said control section is configured to set a plurality of entries respectively setting a port to which a current access point of said mobile node is connected and port(s) to which one or more next access points of said mobile node is connected, as output ports corresponding to said MAC address of said mobile node, and output said data addressed to said MAC address of said mobile node received via said network to said plurality of output ports set in said plurality of entries in parallel.
3. The data forwarding controller according to claim 1, wherein said control section is configured to transmit a handover setting completion message to said mobile node from which said handover start message is received, on condition that said setting of said additional entry in said MAC learning table based on said handover start message is completed.
4. The data forwarding controller according to claim 1, wherein said control section is configured to delete, based on a MAC address of an old access point contained in a handover end message received from said mobile node, an entry setting a port to which said old access point is connected, as an output port corresponding to said MAC address of said mobile node, from said MAC learning table.
5. The data forwarding controller according to claim 1, wherein said control section is configured to receive data from access points performing data forward to said mobile node, and set an entry in MAC learning table corresponding to output ports for MAC addresses of said access points, based on said data.
6. A data communication system comprising a communication terminal apparatus of a mobile type which performs data transmissionreception via a network and which changes access points based on data receiving conditions, and a data forwarding controller which performs data forwarding control via said network,
wherein said communication terminal apparatus is configured to acquire a MAC address of a next access point to which said communication terminal apparatus is scheduled to be connected next, and broadcast a handover start message containing said MAC address of said acquired next access point;
said data forwarding controller is configured to set an entry in a MAC learning table as an additional entry based on said MAC address of said next access point contained in said handover start message received from said communication terminal apparatus, wherein said entry sets a port to which said next access point is connected, as an output port corresponding to a MAC address of said communication terminal apparatus; and
output data addressed to said MAC address of said communication terminal apparatus received via said network, in parallel to output ports listed in a plurality of entries as to said MAC address of said communication terminal apparatus set in said MAC learning table, wherein said output ports are a plurality of ports to which a current access point and said next access point of said communication terminal apparatus are connected.
7. The data communication system according to claim 6, wherein said communication terminal apparatus is configured to perform a handover process on condition that said communication terminal apparatus receives a handover setting completion message from said data forwarding controller as a response to said handover start message.
8. The data communication system according to claim 6, wherein said data forwarding controller is configured to transmit a handover setting completion message to said communication terminal apparatus from which said handover start message is received, on condition that said setting of said additional entry in said MAC learning table based on said handover start message is completed.
9. The data communication system according to claim 6, wherein said data forwarding controller is configured to delete, based on a MAC address of an old access point contained in a handover end message received from said communication terminal apparatus, an entry setting a port to which said old access point is connected, as an output port corresponding to said MAC address of said communication terminal apparatus, from said MAC learning table.
10. A method of controlling data forwarding via a network, comprising the steps of:
(a) setting, for a mobile node, in a MAC learning table in which a MAC address of data for forwarding is associated with an output port, a plurality of entries associating different output ports with a MAC address of said mobile node; and
(b) outputting data addressed to said MAC address of said mobile node received via said network, to said plurality of output ports in parallel based on said plurality of entries set in said MAC learning table,
wherein said step (a) comprises setting an entry in said MAC learning table as an additional entry based on a MAC address of a next access point contained in a handover start message received from said mobile node, wherein said additional entry sets a port to which said next access point is connected, as an output port corresponding to said MAC address of said mobile node; and said step (b) comprises outputting said data addressed to said MAC address of said mobile node received via said network, in parallel to said output ports listed in said plurality of entries as to said MAC address of said mobile node set in said MAC learning table, wherein said output ports are a plurality of ports to which a current access point and said next access point of said mobile node are connected.
11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said step (a) comprises setting a plurality of entries respectively setting a port to which a current access point of said mobile node is connected and port(s) to which one or more next access points of said mobile node is connected, as output ports corresponding to said MAC address of said mobile node; and said step (b) comprises outputting said data addressed to said MAC address of said mobile node received via said network, to said plurality of output ports set in said plurality of entries in parallel.
12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of:
transmitting a handover setting completion message to said mobile node from which said handover start message is received, on condition that said setting of said additional entry in said MAC learning table based on said handover start message is completed.
13. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of:
deleting, based on a MAC address of an old access point contained in a handover end message received from said mobile node, an entry setting a port to which said old access point is connected, as an output port corresponding to said MAC address of said mobile node, from said MAC learning table.
14. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of:
receiving data from access points performing data forwarding to said mobile node, and setting an entry corresponding to output ports for MAC addresses of said access points in said MAC learning table, based on said data.
15. A data communication method comprising a communication terminal apparatus of a mobile type which performs data transmissionreception via a network and which changes access points based on data receiving conditions, and a data forwarding controller which performs data forwarding control via said network,
wherein said communication terminal apparatus acquires a MAC address of a next access point to which said communication terminal apparatus is scheduled to be connected next, and broadcasts a handover start message containing said MAC address of said acquired next access point;
said data forwarding controller sets an entry in a MAC learning table as an additional entry based on said MAC address of said next access point contained in said handover start message received from said communication terminal apparatus, wherein said additional entry sets a port to which said next access point is connected, as an output port corresponding to a MAC address of said communication terminal apparatus; and
outputs data addressed to said MAC address of said communication terminal apparatus received via said network, in parallel to output ports listed in a plurality of entries as to said MAC address of said communication terminal apparatus set in said MAC learning table, wherein said output ports are a plurality of ports to which a current access point and said next access point of said communication terminal apparatus are connected.
16. The data communication method according to claim 15, wherein said communication terminal apparatus further performs a handover process on condition that said communication terminal apparatus receives a handover setting completion message from said data forwarding controller as a response to said handover start message.
17. The data communication method according to claim 15, wherein said data forwarding controller further transmits a handover setting completion message to said communication terminal apparatus from which said handover start message is received, on condition that said setting of said additional entry in said MAC learning table based on said handover start message is completed.
18. The data communication method according to claim 15, wherein said data forwarding controller further deletes, based on a MAC address of an old access point contained in a handover end message received from said communication terminal apparatus, an entry setting a port to which said old access point is connected, as an output port corresponding to said MAC address of said communication terminal apparatus, from said MAC learning table.
19. A computer readable medium including computer executable instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for executing a data forwarding controlling process via a network on a computer system, said method comprising the steps of:
setting, for a mobile node, in a MAC learning table in which a MAC address of data for forwarding is associated with an output port, a plurality of entries associating different output ports with a MAC address of said mobile node; and
outputting data addressed to said MAC address of said mobile node received via said network, to said plurality of output ports in parallel based on said plurality of entries set in said MAC learning table,
wherein said step setting includes setting an entry in said MAC learning table as an additional entry based on a MAC address of a next access point contained in a handover start message received from said mobile node, wherein said additional entry sets a port to which said next access point is connected, as an output port corresponding to said MAC address of said mobile node; and said outputting data includes outputting said data addressed to said MAC address of said mobile node received via said network, in parallel to said output ports listed in said plurality of entries as to said MAC address of said mobile node set in said MAC learning table, wherein said output ports are a plurality of ports to which a current access point and said next access point of said mobile node are connected.

1. An ignition system comprising:
a spark plug;
a discharge power supply for applying voltage to the spark plug to generate a spark discharge; and
an AC power supply for supplying AC power to a spark generated by the spark discharge, wherein
the spark plug includes
an insulator having an axial hole extending in an axis direction thereof,
an electrode disposed in the axial hole and having a tip end located frontward of a tip end of the insulator in the axis direction,
a metal shell arranged on a periphery of the insulator, and
a ground electrode fixed to an end portion of the metal shell and forming a gap between the tip end portion of the electrode and the ground electrode,

voltage from the discharge power supply and AC power from the AC power supply are supplied to the gap through the electrode, and
the AC power from the AC power supply is applied to a spark generated by the voltage from the discharge power supply in the gap.
2. The ignition system according to claim 1, wherein, with a wavelength of the AC power set to \u03bb(m), a protruding length of the tip end of the electrode from the tip end of the metal shell along the axis is set to \u03bb8 (m) or less.
3. The ignition system according to claims 1 or 2, wherein an average value of the AC power to be applied to a spark at one spark discharge is set to 50 W or more and 500 W or less.
4. The ignition system according to claims 1 or 2, wherein a size of the gap is set to 1.3 mm or less.
5. The ignition system according to claims 1 or 2, wherein the insulator does not exist in an area with a radius of 1 mm from the center of the gap.
6. The ignition system according to claims 1 or 2, wherein an oscillation frequency of the AC power is set to 5 MHz or more and 100 MHz or less.
7. The ignition system according to claims 1 or 2, wherein electrostatic capacity of a portion of the spark plug, the portion being located frontward of the tip end of the metal shell in the axis direction, is set equal to or less than one hundredth of electrostatic capacity of the whole spark plug.
8. The ignition system according to claims 1 or 2, wherein total volume of portions of the electrode, the ground electrode, and the insulator, the portions being located in an area with a radius of 2.5 mm from the center of the gap, is set to 20 mm3 or less.
9. The ignition system according to claim 8, wherein on a projection plane upon projecting the ground electrode and the center of the gap on a surface orthogonal to a line segment linking the electrode and the ground electrode and forming the shortest distance of the gap with respect to a direction in which the line segment extends,
an area of a projection region of the ground electrode, which is located in an area with a radius of 2 mm from a projection point at the center of the gap, is set to 7.6 mm2 or less.
10. The ignition system according to claim 8, wherein
the ground electrode includes a gap corresponding portion corresponding to the gap in the axis direction, and
a minimum width of the gap corresponding portion is set to 3.0 mm or less.
11. The ignition system according to claim 8, wherein, when viewed from the tip end side in the axis direction, at least part of a tip end surface of the electrode is configured to be visually identifiable.
12. The ignition system according to claim 8, wherein
at least the tip end portion of the electrode forms a circular column, and
an outside diameter of the tip end portion of the electrode is set to 3.0 mm or less.
13. The ignition system according to claim 8, wherein a protruding length of the ground electrode from the end of the metal shell along the axis is set to 10 mm or less.
14. A spark plug used for the ignition system according to claim 1.

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. Ceramics having excellent high-frequency characteristics which contain SiO2, Al2O3, MgO, ZnO and B2O3 as constituent components, said ceramics comprising:
30 to 50% by weight of a crystal phase containing ZnO and Al2O3;
5 to 15% by weight of a crystal phase containing SiO2 and MgO; and
40 to 60% by weight of an amorphous phase comprising substantially SiO2 or SiO2 and B2O3;
wherein the content of an SiO2 crystal phase is suppressed to be not larger than 6% by weight, and the dielectric loss at 60 GHz is not larger than 15104.
2. Ceramics according to claim 1, wherein the content of B2O3 in said amorphous phase is not larger than 100 ppm.
3. Ceramics according to claim 1, wherein the content of a willemite crystal phase containing SiO2 and ZnO is suppressed to be not larger than 6% by weight.
4. Ceramics according to claim 1, wherein the content of carbon is not larger than 100 ppm.
5. Ceramics according to claim 1, wherein Co is contained in an amount of from 0.05 to 5% by weight calculated as CoO.
6. Ceramics according to claim 5, wherein Co is contained at least in the crystal phase that contains ZnO and Al2O3 and in the amorphous phase.
7. Ceramics according to claim 5, wherein the color position is such that the brightness L* is lower than 80 and the chroma C* is higher than 20 in the L*a*b color display system.
8. A method of producing ceramics having excellent high-frequency characteristics, comprising:
preparing a mixture of starting materials of 65 to 85% by weight of a crystallized glass containing SiO2, Al2O3, MgO, ZnO and B2O3, 5 to 20% by weight of a ZnO powder, and 1 to 20% by weight of an amorphous silica powder containing not larger than 500 ppm of impurities calculated as metals;
preparing a slurry by adding an organic binder to said mixture;
molding said slurry; and
removing the binder from the obtained molded article, followed by firing at 800 to 1000 C.
9. The method of producing ceramics according to claim 8, wherein said amorphous silica powder has an average particle diameter of from 1.2 to 6 m, and contains particles having particle diameters of not smaller than 2 m in an amount of not larger than 15% by weight.
10. The method of producing ceramics according to claim 8, wherein the binder is removed by the heat treatment conducted in two stages at 650 to 710 C. and at 720 to 770 C.
11. The method of producing ceramics according to claim 10, wherein the heat treatment is conducted at 650 to 710 C. for not shorter than one hour and at 720 to 800 C. for not shorter than one hour.
12. The method of producing ceramics according to claim 8, wherein said starting material mixture contains the Co3O4 powder having a specific surface area of not smaller than 10 m2g in an amount of from 0.05 to 5% by weight calculated as CoO.
13. A high-frequency wiring board comprising an insulating substrate formed of ceramics of claim 1, and a wiring layer which is formed on the surface of andor inside of said insulating substrate and is capable of transmitting signals of high frequencies of not lower than 1 GHz.
14. The high-frequency wiring board according to claim 13, wherein said wiring layer is constituted by at least one kind of a strip line, a microstrip line, a coplanar line and a dielectric waveguide line, and is formed by the co-firing with said insulating substrate.
15. The high-frequency wiring board according to claim 14, wherein said wiring layer contains at least one kind of element selected from copper, silver and gold.
16. The high-frequency wiring board according to claim 13, wherein the wiring layer formed on the surface of said insulating substrate contains copper, and an Au layer is plated maintaining a thickness of 1 m on said copper-containing wiring layer.