The paper discusses the application of the current-source concept in the gate drivers for silicon carbide transistors. There is a common expectation that all SiC devices will be switched very fast in order to reach very low values of switching energies. This may be achieved with the use of suitable gate drivers and one of possibilities is a solution with the current source. The basic idea is to store energy in magnetic field of a small inductor and then release it to generate the current peak of the gate current. The paper describes principles of the current-source driver as well as various aspects of practical implementation. Then, the switching performance of the driven SiC transistors is illustrated by double-pulse test results of the normally-ON and normally-OFF JFETs. Other issues such as problem of the drain-gate capacitance and power consumption are also discussed on the base of experimental results. All presented results show that the currentsource concept is an interesting option to fast and efficient driving of SiC transistors.

The paper deals with hardware solution of a fully digital dead-time generator. The circuit is applicable to the H-bridges based on any type of semiconductor switching devices including SiC, IGBT, Si-MOSFET and up-to-date GaN HEMTs. The generation of dead-times is ensured by commercially available silicon delay lines. High temperature stability is obtained by self-compensation of propagation delay of logic elements thanks to the symmetry of design topology. The circuit can be set-up to generate dead-times in the range from 10 ns to 500 ns. Longer dead-times are also available by simple cascading of the silicon delay lines. The key motivation for development of the circuit was unavailability of ready to use integrated solutions on the market. Moreover, contrary to the other solutions the proposed circuit is immune to prospective oscillations of an input PWM signal. The paper brings a detailed analysis of the circuit principle, results of the verification of a sample solution and an example of practical application as well.

Thanks to a very high luminous efficacy of LED lamps (over 160 lm/W) they are the most preferred light sources in lighting applications today. The useful lifetime of LED modules exceeds 50,000 hours. Chromatic parameters of lamps making use of SSL (Solid State Lighting) have already equalled classic solutions, although they were noticeably worse not so long ago. High values of the Colour Rendering Index (CRI) and ease of control over the luminous flux cause that lamps with LEDs have become very attractive solutions. Today, the most important problem concerns LED drivers supplied from the 230 VAC mains. The lifetime of switched-mode converters, including electrolytic capacitors, is considerably shorter than that of LEDs. This paper discusses the features of alternative drivers for LED modules which are supplied directly from the 230 VAC mains and do not contain any electrolytic capacitors. In particular, power factor and efficiency of lamps with one or two LED strings are analysed and some hints concerning optimal design of such lamps are given. A unique feature of this work is a detailed analysis of harmonics contents in the supply current of such drivers, proving their conformity with the relevant standard. Finally, some problems associated with flicker resulting from the considered type of supply are mentioned.

To examine the correlation of driver visual behaviors and subjective levels of fatigue, a total of 36 commercial drivers were invited to participate in 2-h, 3-h, and 4-h naturalistic driving tests during which their eye fixation, saccade, blinking variables, and self-awareness of their fatigue levels were recorded. Then, one-way ANOVA was applied to analyze the variations of each variable among different age groups over varying time periods. The statistical analysis revealed that driving duration had a significant effect on the variation of visual behaviors and feelings of fatigue. After 2h of driving, only the average closure duration value and subjective level of fatigue had an increase of one-fifth or more. After 4h of driving, however, all these variables had a significant change except for the number of saccades and pupil diameter measurements. Particularly, driver saccadic eye movement was more sensitive to driving fatigue, and the elderly were more likely to be affected by the duration of the drive. Finally, a predictor of driver fatigue was determined to detect the real-time level of fatigue and alert at the critical moment.

Forms and means of theatrical expression in ancient Roman culture, abounding in the diversity of artistic forms, had perfect conditions for development. The cultural activity of man has naturally created the need for stage performances. This publication presents a detailed analysis of the provisions of the synods summoned and debating in the 4th and 5th centuries, A.D. T heir content was carefully referenced, in relation to actors, mimes and circus drivers. The reason for such an outline of research is the classification common to all these professions generally describing them as representatives of performing arts. The analysis on this matter was subjected, inter alia, to canons proclaimed in Elvira (306), Arles (314), Carthage (15 June 401), Hippo (427) and again in Arles (442–506). In order to more fully illustrate the issue cited in the subject, the situation of representatives of performing arts was also discussed on the example of actors in Roman public law and a short description of the history of synods in the ancient Church was presented.