All The Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:
an interface configured to receive energy-related information from at least one monitoring device, the energy-related information associated with a plurality of elements in a hierarchically-arranged domain, each element representing one of a plurality of physical areas, one of a plurality of equipment components, or a combination of at least one physical area and at least one equipment component;
a memory configured to store the energy-related information; and
a processing system configured to:
identify energy usage associated with each element;
generate a graphical user interface including a plurality of sections, each section representative of a specified one of the elements and having a size that is based on energy usage associated with the specified element relative to energy usage associated with other elements;
present at least a portion of the graphical user interface to a user; and
generate and present to the user, in response to identifying a selection of one of the sections in the graphical user interface, a graph including energy usage over a period of time for a selected element represented by the selected section,

wherein each section has a color, the size of each section is based on an energy usage by that section’s associated element, and a color and a color intensity of each section are based on a comparison of the energy usage by that section’s associated element to a baseline energy usage for that section’s associated element.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface comprises:
a treemap comprising the sections; and
one or more graphs including energy-related information associated with one or more of the elements.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the energy usage associated with each element is one of an annual energy usage or an average energy usage;
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the graph including the energy usage for the selected element comprises:
a daily usage plot including the energy usage for the selected element versus time for each of a specified number of days.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the graph including the energy usage for the selected element comprises:
a variance plot including (i) the energy usage for the selected element versus temperature for each of a specified number of days and (ii) bins defining temperature ranges and identifying variations of the energy usage for the selected element within the temperature ranges.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the graph including the energy usage for the selected element comprises:
a daily trend summary including multiple shaded areas graphically identifying the energy usage for the selected element for each of a specified number of days.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the physical areas include at least one of: enterprises, buildings, and plants.
8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the one or more graphs including the energy-related information present information associated with a potential cost avoidance and a potential carbon emission avoidance.
9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to generate one or more of: a mosaic plot, a time-series plot, and an XY scatter plot.
10. A method comprising:
receiving, from at least one monitoring device, energy-related information associated with a plurality of elements in a hierarchically-arranged domain, wherein each element represents one of a plurality of physical areas, one of a plurality of equipment components, or a combination of at least one physical area and at least one equipment component;
identifying energy usage associated with each element;
generating a graphical user interface including a plurality of sections, each section representative of a specified one of the elements and having a size that is based on energy usage associated with the specified element relative to energy usage associated with other elements;
presenting at least a portion of the graphical user interface to a user; and
generating and presenting to the user, in response to identifying a selection of one of the sections in the graphical user interface, a graph including energy usage over a period of time for a selected element represented by the selected section,
wherein each section has a color, the size of each section is based on an energy usage by that section’s associated element, and a color and a color intensity of each section are based on a comparison of the energy usage by that section’s associated element to a baseline energy usage for that section’s associated element.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the graphical user interface comprises:
a treemap comprising the sections; and
one or more graphs including energy-related information associated with one or more of the elements.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the energy usage associated with each element is one of an annual energy usage or an average energy usage.
13. The method of claim 10, wherein the graph including the energy usage for the selected element comprises at least one of:
a daily usage plot including the energy usage for the selected element versus time for each of a specified number of days;
a variance plot including (i) the energy usage for the selected element versus temperature for each of a specified number of days and (ii) bins defining temperature ranges and identifying variations of the energy usage for the selected element within the temperature ranges; and
a daily trend summary including multiple shaded areas graphically identifying the energy usage for the selected element for each of a specified number of days.
14. The method of claim 10, wherein the physical areas include at least one of: enterprises, buildings, and plants.
15. The method of claim 10, wherein the graph including the energy usage for the selected element comprises highlighted and non-highlighted areas defining occupied and unoccupied times for the physical areas.
16. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more graphs including the energy-related information present information associated with a potential cost avoidance and a potential carbon emission avoidance.
17. A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying a computer program, the computer program comprising:
computer readable program code for receiving, from at least one monitoring device, energy-related information associated with multiple elements in a hierarchically-arranged domain, each element representing one of a plurality of physical areas, one of a plurality of equipment components, or a combination of at least one physical area and at least one equipment component;
computer readable program code for identifying energy usage associated with each element;
computer readable program code for generating a graphical user interface including a plurality of sections, each section representative of a specified one of the elements and having a size that is based on energy usage associated with the specified element relative to energy usage associated with other elements;
computer readable program code for presenting at least a portion of the graphical user interface to a user; and
computer readable program code for generating and presenting to the user, in response to identifying a selection of one of the sections in the graphical user interface, a graph including energy usage over a period of time for a selected element represented by the selected section,
wherein each section has a color, the size of each section is based on an energy usage by that section’s associated element, and a color and a color intensity of each section are based on a comparison of the energy usage by that section’s associated element to a baseline energy usage for that section’s associated element.
18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the energy usage associated with each element is one of an annual energy usage or an average energy usage.
19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one monitoring device comprises at least one of: a temperature sensor and an energy meter.
20. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein one or more equipment component elements form one equipment element, one or more equipment elements form one plant element, one or more plant elements form one building element, and one or more building elements form one enterprises element.

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 shrouded axial flow fluid turbine comprising:
an aerodynamically contoured turbine shroud having an inlet and configured to produce a non-uniform fluid velocity profile across a rotor plane when exposed to a fluid flow; and
a rotor disposed downstream of the inlet and configured to extract energy from fluid passing through the rotor plane, the rotor comprising:
a central hub; and
a plurality of blades, each blade including:
a root region having a blade root;
a tip region having a blade tip;
a mid-region disposed between the root region and the tip region; and
a blade axis extending radially from the blade root to the blade tip; each blade configured to have a value of power extraction per mass flow rate at a radial position along the blade axis that is greater at a first radius in the tip region of the blade than at second radius in the mid-region of the blade when exposed to the non-uniform fluid velocity profile.
2. The shrouded axial flow fluid turbine of claim 1, wherein an average value of power extraction per mass flow rate for radial positions along the blade axis in the tip region is larger than an average value of power extraction per mass flow rate for radial positions along the blade axis in the mid-region when exposed to the non-uniform fluid velocity profile.
3. The shrouded axial flow fluid turbine of claim 1, wherein an average value of power extraction per mass flow rate for radial positions along the blade axis in the mid-region is larger than an average value of power extraction per mass flow rate for radial positions along the blade axis in the root region when exposed to the non-uniform fluid velocity profile.
4. The shrouded axial flow fluid turbine of claim 1, wherein each blade is configured to have a value of power extraction per mass flow rate at a radial position along the blade axis that varies as a function of distance of the radial position from a central axis of rotation of the rotor when exposed to the non-uniform fluid velocity profile.
5. The shrouded axial flow fluid turbine of claim 1, wherein a pitch, a chord length and a camber of each blade at each radial position along the blade axis are configured to produce a non-uniform power extraction per mass flow rate profile along the blade axis.
6. The shrouded axial flow fluid turbine of claim 1, wherein, for each blade, an average value of power extraction per mass flow rate for radial positions along the blade axis in the tip region is between 20% and 45% greater than an average value of power extraction per mass flow rate for radial positions along the blade axis from the blade root to the blade tip.
7. The shrouded axial flow fluid turbine of claim 1, wherein, for each blade, an average value of power extraction per mass flow rate for radial positions along the blade axis in the root region is between 20% and 45% less than an average value of power extraction per mass flow rate for radial positions along the blade axis from the blade root to the blade tip.
8. The shrouded axial flow fluid turbine of claim 1, wherein the turbine shroud further comprises one or more mixing devices disposed downstream of the rotor and extending downstream.
9. The axial flow fluid turbine of claim 10, wherein the one or more mixing devices comprise mixer lobes.
10. The axial flow fluid turbine of claim 10, further comprising an ejector shroud downstream of the turbine shroud.
11. The axial flow fluid turbine of claim 12, wherein turbine shroud with one or more mixing devices and the ejector shroud form a mixer-ejector pump, and the wherein the non-uniform flow velocity profile at the rotor plane is created, in part, by the mixer-ejector pump.
12. The axial flow fluid turbine of claim 10, wherein the mixing devices function as flow straighteners to straighten a fluid flow downstream of the rotor.
13. A rotor blade coupleable to a rotor of a shrouded fluid turbine having a turbine shroud that produces a non-uniform fluid velocity profile across a rotor plane when exposed to a fluid flow, the rotor including a central hub configured to receive one or more rotor blades, the rotor blade comprising:
a root region having a blade root;
a tip region having a blade tip;
a mid-region disposed between the root region and the tip region; and
a blade axis extending from the blade root to the blade tip;
wherein the blade is configured to, when connected with the central hub, have a value of power extraction per mass flow rate at a radial position along the blade axis that is greater at a first radius in the tip region of the blade than at a second radius in the mid-region of the blade when exposed to the non-uniform fluid velocity profile.
14. The rotor blade of claim 13, wherein a pitch of the blade as a function of radial position along the blade axis is configured to, when connected with the central hub, produces an average value of power extraction per mass flow rate for radial positions along the blade axis in the tip region greater than an average value of power extraction per mass flow rate for radial positions along the blade axis in the mid-region when exposed to the non-uniform fluid velocity profile.
15. The rotor blade of claim 13, wherein a pitch of the blade as a function of radial position along the blade axis is configured to, when connected with the central hub, produce a negative average value of power extraction per mass flow rate or radial positions along the blade axis in the root region when exposed to the non-uniform fluid velocity profile.
16. A rotor configured for use with a shrouded fluid turbine having a turbine shroud that creates a non-uniform fluid velocity profile across a rotor plane when exposed to a fluid flow, the rotor comprising:
a central hub with a central axis of rotation;
one or more rotor blades, each of the one or more rotor blades comprising:
a root region having a blade root that couples with the central hub;
a tip region having a blade tip;
a mid-region disposed between the root region and the tip region; and
a blade axis extending from the blade root to the blade tip;
wherein, for each of the one or more rotor blades, a pitch of the blade as a function of radial position along the blade axis is configured to, when connected with the central hub, produce a power extraction per mass flow rate that is greater at a first radius in the tip region of the blade than at second radius in the mid-region of the blade when exposed to the non-uniform fluid velocity profile.
17. A method of operating a shrouded axial flow fluid turbine including an aerodynamically contoured turbine shroud having an inlet, and a rotor disposed downstream of the turbine shroud inlet, the rotor including a plurality of blades, each blade having a root region including a blade root, a tip region including a blade tip, and a mid-region disposed between the root region and the tip region, the method comprising:
establishing a non-uniform fluid flow through a rotor plane in which an average velocity of fluid flowing through an area of the rotor plane associated with the tip region of each blade is greater than an average velocity of fluid flowing through an area of the rotor plane associated with the mid-region of each blade; and
extracting power from the non-uniform fluid flow using the plurality of blades by extracting a greater average power per mass flow rate over the tip region of each blade than an average power per mass flow rate extracted over the a mid-region of each blade.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the rotor has an axis of rotation, and wherein each blade has a value of power extraction per unit mass flow rate at a radial position along a blade axis that varies as a function of the distance of the radial position from the rotor axis of rotation when exposed to the non-uniform fluid velocity profile.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein, for each blade, an average value of power extraction per mass flow rate for radial positions along the blade axis in the tip region is between 20% and 45% greater than an average value of power extraction per mass flow rate for radial positions along the blade axis from the blade root to the blade tip.
20. The method of claim 17, wherein the turbine shroud further includes one or more mixing devices disposed downstream of the rotor and extending downstream.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein the one or more mixing devices comprise mixer lobes.
22. The method of claims 20, wherein the axial flow fluid turbine further includes an ejector shroud downstream of the turbine shroud.
23. The method of claim 21, wherein turbine shroud with mixing devices and the ejector shroud form a mixer-ejector pump, and the wherein the non-uniform flow velocity profile at the rotor plane is created, in part, by the mixer-ejector pump.
24. The method of claim 20, wherein the mixing devices function as flow straighteners to straighten a fluid flow downstream of the rotor.
25. The method of claim 17, wherein the shrouded axial flow turbine generates electricity from the power extracted from the non-uniform fluid flow by the rotor.
26. A turbine comprising a rotor that (i) is configured to extract energy from a fluid flow characterized by a turbine-induced non-uniform fluid velocity profile across a rotor plane and (ii) includes at least one unevenly-loaded rotor blade having a power-extracting region in which power extraction per mass flow rate at a first radial position relative to an axis of rotation is different than power extraction per mass flow rate at a second radial position relative to the axis of rotation.
27. The turbine of claim 26, wherein an airfoil of the blade at each of the first and second radial positions is configured based on a pitch or a shape of the airfoil to affect the difference between power extraction per mass flow rate at the first radial position and power extraction per mass flow rate at the second radial position.
28. The turbine of claim 26, wherein the turbine-induced non-uniform velocity profile is characterized by a greater flow velocity at the first radial position than at the second radial position and wherein power extraction per mass flow rate at the first radial position is greater than power extraction per mass flow rate at the second radial position.
29. A method for manufacturing an unevenly-loaded rotor blade, the method comprising:
identifying along a power extracting region of the blade a first radial position relative to an axis of rotation of the blade having an expected exposure to a greater flow velocity than a second radial position relative to the axis of rotation along the power extracting region of the blade; and
configuring the power-extracting region to affect greater power extraction per mass flow rate at the first axial position than at the second axial position.

1. An improved floral scissors assembly, comprising:
a first handle, having a first pivoting portion disposed at a top end of the first handle, and a clamping jaw integrally extended in a lateral direction from the first pivoting portion;
a blade, having a cutting-edge portion, and pivotally coupled to the first pivoting portion by a root portion of the cutting-edge portion, and the cutting-edge portion being disposed at the top of the first pivoting portion and facing the clamping jaw, and the blade having a long hole formed at an end extended from an internal side of the first pivoting portion, and a stop protrusion having a plurality of sections formed on a sidewall of the long hole;
a second handle, having a second pivoting portion disposed at a top end of the second handle and pivotally coupled to the bottom of the clamping jaw;
a link rod, having a passive end, and the passive end having a stop pin passed into the long hole, and an active end disposed at the other end of the passive end and extended into the second handle;
a switching mechanism, installed at the second handle, and proximate to the second pivoting portion, and the switching mechanism including a slice member exposed from an external side of the second handle, and at least one stop portion disposed on an internal side of the second handle, and the at least one stop portion including an upper fixed position and a lower fixed position on the internal side of the second handle, and the active end of the link rod being switchably limited at the upper fixed position and the lower fixed position by the at least one stop portion, and the stop pin being moved in an opposite direction of the active end and between the upper end and the lower end in the long hole.
2. The improved floral scissors assembly of claim 1, wherein the link rod at the position proximate to the active end is pivotally coupled to the second handle by a shaft, and both ends of the link rod are swung by using the shaft as a fulcrum, and the active end is maintained at a condition of being downwardly pulled by a tension spring; the slice member includes a first switching button and a second switching button embedded into both sides of the second handle respectively, a first stop portion being a transverse rod disposed at the upper fixed position between the two switching buttons and having an end fixed to the first switching button, and a hollow formed between the other end of the first stop portion and the second switching button, and the two switching buttons at the lower fixed position are coupled with each other by a second stop portion which is also a transverse rod, and an active end of the link rod at the upper fixed position is limited and positioned by the first stop portion when the first switching button is pressed into the second handle, and when the second switching button is pressed into the second handle, the first stop portion is moved transversally to leave the fixing position for limiting the active end, and the active end is pulled downwardly by the tension spring to move downward to the lower fixed position and limited and positioned by the second stop portion.
3. The improved floral scissors assembly of claim 2, further comprising a torque spring installed between the second pivoting portion of the second handle and the clamping jaw for spreading open the two handles to resume their original positions, and an end of the torque spring abuts the second handle against the internal side of the second pivoting portion, and the other end of the torque spring abuts against the internal side of the clamping jaw.
4. The improved floral scissors assembly of claim 1, wherein the second handle has a long slot formed between the upper fixed position and the lower fixed position and penetrated through both sides of the second handle, and each of the upper fixed position and the lower fixed position on a side of the long slot has a large-diameter hole, and a small-diameter hole with a reduced diameter is formed between the two large-diameter holes, and each of the upper fixed position and the lower fixed position on the other side of the long slot has a recess, and the active end of the link rod is extended towards the internal side of the second handle to the long slot, and a stop portion being a transverse rod with a diameter smaller than the small-diameter hole is passed through the long slot, and the stop portion is also passed through the active end, and the slice member has a press end formed at an end of the stop portion, and the other end of the stop portion has a stop end, and a positioning portion is disposed between the press end and the stop end, and the positioning portion has a diameter smaller than the large-diameter hole and greater than the small-diameter hole, and the press end and the stop end are disposed on the external side of the second handle, and the positioning portion is disposed on the internal side of the second handle, and a compression spring is installed between the positioning portion and the active end of the second handle, and when the positioning portion is acted by the compression spring to push in a direction towards the press end to the upper fixed position and lower fixed position, the positioning portion is extended into the large-diameter hole, and the stop end is embedded into each of the recesses.
5. The improved floral scissors assembly of claim 4, wherein the second handle includes a tension spring installed on the internal side of the second pivoting portion for spreading open the two handles to resume their original positions, and an end of the tension spring is coupled between the active end and passive end of the link rod, and the other end of the tension spring is coupled to a side proximate to the exterior of the clamping jaw.

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 liquid crystal shutter device for a camera, comprising:
a power supply;
an image recording plate;
a switch having first and second positions, wherein when the switch is in one of its positions, light is allowed to enter the camera through the shutter device to be recorded on the image recording plate, and when the switch is in its other position, light is prevented from entering the camera through the shutter device and being recorded on the image recording plate;
a liquid crystal box connected to the power supply and the switch, the liquid crystal box including:
a first electric plate, including a first transparent base and a first transparent electroplated layer, the first base being coated with the first electroplated layer;
a first polarizing filter formed on a surface of the first electric plate;
a second electric plate parallel to the first electric plate, the second electric plate including a second transparent base and a second transparent electroplated layer, the second base being coated with the second electroplated layer;
a second polarizing filter, the axial direction of the second polarizing filter being perpendicular to that of the first polarizing filter, the second polarizing filter being formed on a surface of the second electric plate; and
a predetermined amount of liquid crystal contained between the first electric plate and the second electric plate;
wherein the power supply, the switch, and the liquid crystal box are electrically connected in series and form a control circuit.
2. The liquid crystal shutter device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second bases are made of glass.
3. The liquid crystal shutter device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second electroplated layers are made of an oxide of indium and tin.
4. The liquid crystal shutter device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal shutter device further comprises a rheostat capable of adjusting the voltage difference between the first electric plate and the second electric plate.
5. The liquid crystal shutter device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal is made of nematic phase material.
6. The liquid crystal shutter device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the liquid crystal is selected from the group consisting of lithium niobate, lithium molybdate, and potassium dihydrogen phosphate.
7. A camera comprising:
a lens module; and
a liquid crystal shutter located in front of the lens module, the liquid crystal shutter including:
a power supply;
a switch;
a liquid crystal box connected to the power supply and the switch, the liquid crystal box including:
a first electric plate having a plurality of first parallel grooves defined therein;
a first polarizing filter formed on a surface of the first electric plate, an extending direction of the first parallel grooves of the first electric plate being the same as an axial direction of the first polarizing filter;
a second electric plate parallel to the first electric plate, the second electric plate having a plurality of second parallel grooves defined therein, an extending direction of the second parallel grooves being perpendicular to that of the first parallel grooves;
a second polarizing filter, the axial direction of the second polarizing filter being perpendicular to that of the first polarizing filter, the second polarizing filter being formed on a surface of the second electric plate; and
a predetermined amount of liquid crystal contained between the first electric plate and the second electric plate;
wherein the power supply, the switch, and the liquid crystal box are electrically connected in series and form a control circuit, and wherein the control circuit further includes a rheostat capable of adjusting the voltage between the first electric plate and the second electric plate.
8. The camera as claimed in claim 7, wherein at least one of the first and second electric plates comprises a base and an electroplated layer, the base being coated with the electroplated layer.
9. The camera as claimed in claim 8, wherein the electroplated layer is made of an oxide of indium and tin.
10. A liquid crystal shutter device for a camera, comprising;
a first transparent electric plate with a plurality of first parallel grooves formed in one surface thereof;
a first transparent polarizing filter formed an opposite surface of the first electric plate, the first polarizing filter having a first optical axis parallel to the first grooves;
a second transparent electric plate spaced from and parallel to the first electric plate, the second electric plate having a plurality of second parallel grooves formed in one surface thereof, the second grooves being substantially perpendicular to the first grooves, the surfaces of the first and second electric plates that form the first and second grooves facing each other;
a second transparent polarizing filter formed on an opposite surface of the second electric plate, the second polarizing filter having a second optical axis parallel to the second grooves;
a predetermined amount of liquid crystal molecules contained between the first electric plate and the second electric plate; and
a switch circuit connected to the first and second electric plates so as to selectively establish an electric field between the first and second electric plates for changing a direction of the liquid crystal molecules, thereby selectively allowing the rays of light to pass through and stopping the rays of light from passing trough the first and second polarizing filters.
11. The liquid crystal shutter device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the liquid crystal shutter device further comprises a rheostat capable of adjusting the voltage difference between the first electric plate and the second electric plate.
12. The liquid crystal shutter device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the liquid crystal is made of nematic phase material.