A surveillance platform for the sensing, measuring, monitoring and controlling equipment and environments, such as food storage and retailing environments, data center environments, and other environments in which equipment performance, operating status, and environmental condition monitoring is desirable, is provided. The surveillance platform can facilitate reporting, visualizing, acknowledging, analyzing, calculating, event generating, notifying, trending, and tracking, of operational events occurring within the environment. Such techniques can be used to protect articles such as food articles, medical articles, computing devices and equipment, artifacts, documents, and the like.

A surveillance platform for the sensing, measuring, monitoring and controlling equipment and environments, such as food storage and retailing environments, data center environments, and other environments in which equipment performance, operating status, and environmental condition monitoring is desirable, is provided. The surveillance platform can facilitate reporting, visualizing, acknowledging, analyzing, calculating, event generating, notifying, trending, and tracking, of operational events occurring within the environment. Such techniques can be used to protect articles such as food articles, medical articles, computing devices and equipment, artifacts, documents, and the like.

A power converter includes a semiconductor element disposed on a substrate, a thermistor element for detecting the temperature of the substrate, the thermistor element being disposed on the substrate, a current detection resistor having one end connected to a ground side node and another end that is grounded, a first voltage detection unit configured to detect a first potential at the other end of the current detection resistor and a second potential at the ground side node, and output a first detection signal, a control unit configured to control the semiconductor element based on the first detection signal, a temperature detection resistor having one end that is connected to a reference potential and another end that is connected to a detection node, and a temperature detection unit configured to detect a temperature based on a third potential at the detection node, and output a temperature information signal.

A power converter includes a semiconductor element disposed on a substrate, a thermistor element for detecting the temperature of the substrate, the thermistor element being disposed on the substrate, a current detection resistor having one end connected to a ground side node and another end that is grounded, a first voltage detection unit configured to detect a first potential at the other end of the current detection resistor and a second potential at the ground side node, and output a first detection signal, a control unit configured to control the semiconductor element based on the first detection signal, a temperature detection resistor having one end that is connected to a reference potential and another end that is connected to a detection node, and a temperature detection unit configured to detect a temperature based on a third potential at the detection node, and output a temperature information signal.

An embodiment provides an apparatus, including: a cartridge including a base and a lid; at least one fluid line located between the base and the lid of the cartridge; at least one heating element located either on the base or the lid and aligned in intimate contact with the at least one fluid line; at least one heat sensing element in intimate contact with the at least one fluid line, where the at least one heat sensing element is spaced downstream from the at least one heating element; a supply of power to the cartridge; and a processor in electrical communication with the cartridge that executes a program of instructions to: operate the at least one heating element to produce heating of the at least one fluid line at a first position; and operate the at least one heat sensing element to detect the heat of a fluid within the at least one fluid line at a position downstream of the first position. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

This device for actively discharging an electrical energy storage device has a branch having first and second ends connected respectively to positive and negative terminals of the electrical energy storage device, and between the two ends, a thermistor having a resistance that increases with a temperature of the thermistor and a switch designed to receive a control signal (v.sub.GS) to change from an open state to a closed state, the thermistor and the switch being connected to one another so that, when the switch is closed, a discharge current (i.sub.D) enters through the first end, flows through the thermistor (210) and the switch one after the other, and emerges through the second end; and a device for controlling the switch. The control device is connected to the switch so as to provide the control signal (v.sub.GS) independently of the resistance of the thermistor.

This device for actively discharging an electrical energy storage device has a branch having first and second ends connected respectively to positive and negative terminals of the electrical energy storage device, and between the two ends, a thermistor having a resistance that increases with a temperature of the thermistor and a switch designed to receive a control signal (v.sub.GS) to change from an open state to a closed state, the thermistor and the switch being connected to one another so that, when the switch is closed, a discharge current (i.sub.D) enters through the first end, flows through the thermistor (210) and the switch one after the other, and emerges through the second end; and a device for controlling the switch. The control device is connected to the switch so as to provide the control signal (v.sub.GS) independently of the resistance of the thermistor.

A motor control system includes a three-phase motor winding; and a thermistor that measures a temperature of any one or two of coils of the three-phase motor winding, the motor control system including a coil temperature estimation unit that calculates an estimated temperature of each of the three-phase coils based on a value of a current flowing through the three-phase motor winding. The motor is controlled based on the estimated temperature of the three-phase motor winding when a difference between the estimated temperatures of the three-phase motor winding is larger than a predetermined value. The motor is controlled based on a measured value of the thermistor when the difference between the estimated temperatures of the three-phase motor winding is equal to or less than the predetermined value.

A motor control system includes a three-phase motor winding; and a thermistor that measures a temperature of any one or two of coils of the three-phase motor winding, the motor control system including a coil temperature estimation unit that calculates an estimated temperature of each of the three-phase coils based on a value of a current flowing through the three-phase motor winding. The motor is controlled based on the estimated temperature of the three-phase motor winding when a difference between the estimated temperatures of the three-phase motor winding is larger than a predetermined value. The motor is controlled based on a measured value of the thermistor when the difference between the estimated temperatures of the three-phase motor winding is equal to or less than the predetermined value.

Methods and vaporizer apparatuses that estimate, measure and/or predict the amount of vapor and/or material (including active ingredients) released by the vaporizer apparatus. In particular, described herein are electronic vaporizers and methods of using them that determine a dose/amount of vapor and/or a material in the vapor based primarily or exclusively on the electrical and thermal properties, e.g., power or energy applied to the vaporizing element (e.g., heating coil) and the temperature of the material immediately before and as it is vaporized. Dose information may be used to control operation of the device and/or reported to the user.