124results about How to "Effective constraints" patented technology

Embodiments of the disclosure include an apparatus and methods for using a piezoelectric device, that includes an outer flextensional casing, a first cell and a last cell serially coupled to each other and coupled to the outer flextensional casing such that each cell having a flextensional cell structure and each cell receives an input force and provides an output force that is amplified based on the input force. The apparatus further includes a piezoelectric stack coupled to each cell such that the piezoelectric stack of each cell provides piezoelectric energy based on the output force for each cell. Further, the last cell receives an input force that is the output force from the first cell and the last cell provides an output apparatus force In addition, the piezoelectric energy harvested is based on the output apparatus force. Moreover, the apparatus provides displacement based on the output apparatus force.

To provide an air bag apparatus for a small size vehicle, wherein a seat for a driver is provided at a rear portion of a vehicle body and an instrument panel, which a driver on the seat can visually observe is provided at a front portion of the vehicle body. The air bag apparatus assures a wide range of inflation and expansion of an air bag and can be applied to a conventional small size vehicle without a significant design change. A plurality of air bags which can constrain a driver on a seat from a forward direction are connected to each other by a connection mechanism and are accommodated in a folded state in an instrument panel.

A hull locating arrangement for a multi-hulled vessel having a body at least partially suspended above at least a first and a second hull by support components is disclosed. The hull locating arrangement comprises, for a hull, a first locating linkage and a second locating linkage to together constrain the hull in the lateral, longitudinal, roll and yaw directions relative to the body. The first and second locating linkages are longitudinally spaced, and the first locating linkage includes a first part and a second part, one of the parts of the first locating linkage being pivotally connected to the body about a body end pivot axis, and the other of the parts being pivotally connected to the hull about a hull end pivot axis. The first locating linkage is also arranged to permit relative motion between the first and second parts along at least one sliding axis to thereby permit the first locating linkage to vary in length between the body end pivot axis and the hull end pivot axis. The support components include a first support component adjacent the first locating linkage, the first support component including a first support element providing a support force supporting a portion of the body above the first hull. The support force of the first support element has a line of action that is within thirty degrees of parallel to a first linkage plane extending through the body end pivot axis and the hull end pivot axis.

A method of obtaining a three-dimensional deformation of an organ which is deformable over time and extends in a three-dimensional space from at least two sets of data (DS(t1), DS(t2)) representing points of said organ and corresponding to distinct times (t1, t2) in the deformation of the organ. A correspondence (SEL(t1,t2)) between the points in the sets of data being determined (COR), said method uses a definition (DEF) of notional planes (Pi) on which there are defined explicit equations (EQi) of the deformation of the organ including unknown parameters (PARi(t1, t2)). The parameters (PARi(t1, t2)) are calculated (CAL) for each equation (EQi) and the explicit equations (Esp.) obtained are then utilized (EXT) in order to define the deformation in the three-dimensional space (DEF3D(t1,t2)) by weighting functions defined for the points in the space.

A pig tail spring exhaust hanger includes a pig tail coil having at one end an upper arm and at the other end a lower arm. The upper arm is mounted to the vehicle underbody, and the lower arm is connected to the exhaust system, wherein the orientation of the upper and lower arms is substantially vertical and the orientation of the central axis of the pig tail coil is substantially horizontal. This arrangement provides a moment at each of the upper and lower arms which act to suspended weight of the exhaust system radially with respect to the pig tail coil.