49results about How to "Minimize parts count" patented technology

A battery management system includes a sensing module, a feeding module, a control module, and a common line adapted for connection to a battery when in use. In some embodiments, a battery management apparatus for managing a substring of cells in a string of cells includes a DC bus, a multiplexer / demultiplexer circuit operative to selectively couple nodes of the substring of cells to the DC bus, a DC / DC converter circuit having a first port configured to be coupled across a plurality of cells of the string and a second port coupled to the DC bus, the DC / DC converter operative to transfer energy between the first and second ports, a sensor circuit coupled to the DC bus, and a controller circuit configured to connect to a communications bus and operatively associated with the multiplexer / demultiplexer circuit, the DC / DC converter and the sensor circuit.

A touch pad device, for use in a portable computer, includes a touch pad housing that is recessed into and integrally formed on a top surface of a key deck. A pad assembly is securely seated into the touch pad housing and includes a touch pad. A pad cover is fastened to the touch pad housing, with the pad assembly installed therebetween, by hooks. Since the touch pad housing is integrally formed on the key deck, the number of component parts of the touch pad device is minimized and the man-hours for assembly is reduced. Further, since the pad cover can be installed and separated from above the key deck, maintenance of the pad assembly is simplified.

A body frame for a vehicle such as a motorcycle with a minimized number of parts. A main frame is connected to a head pipe and supports a rear arm to which a rear wheel is attached. A tank rail is connected to the head pipe at one end and to the main frame at the other end.

A rocker arm assembly (55) for a valve control system in an internal combustion engine including a cylinder head (11), and a poppet valve (15). The valve control system comprises an HLA (41) having a ball plunger portion (39). The assembly (55) comprises a rocker arm (57) including axially spaced apart side walls (59,61) and a portion (63) for engagement with the ball plunger (39). The rocker arm assembly (55) further comprises a cam follower (29) disposed about a mounting shaft (31) extending into shaft openings (65) defined by the side walls (59,61), and a pin member (67) defining a valve pad for engagement with a stem tip portion (17), the pin member extending into pin openings (71) defined by the side walls. The assembly (55) includes a clip member (75) including spaced apart clip side walls (77,79) disposed on the outside of the side walls of the rocker arm (57). A connection portion (81) interconnects the clip side walls to restrain axial movement of the mounting shaft (31) and of the pin member (67). The clip side walls (77,79) include retention portions (85,87) engaging the adjacent side walls (59,61) of the rocker arm and extending therebetween and include terminal portions (91) adjacent the pin member (67) to limit rotation of the pin member about its axis, relative to said rocker arm (57).

Described herein is an assembly and methods of use thereof for controlling or governing the relative speed of motion between the assembly parts via eddy current formation. The assembly and methods also may minimize the number of parts required and may minimize the number of moving parts thereby increasing the mechanical durability of the assembly compared to art designs that may have more moving parts and greater part complexity.

The invention concerns an access plate for use in a vehicle to cover an aperture in an engine ring, where the engine ring and an engine cover seal against each other. The access plate may include a main body portion, made of a first material having a first durometer, extending across the aperture, and defining a first portion of an outer surface that sealingly engages with the second component; and a seal, made of a second lower durometer material, wherein the seal portion is integral with the main body portion, and the seal portion includes an underside surface in opposed relation to the outer surface that sealingly engages with first component. The access plate may include snap clips, to secure the plate to the engine ring, locating pins to locate the access plate on the ring, and tapered end features to assure a good seal against the engine cover.

A vehicle lamp including light sources, a reflective mirror for effecting desired light distribution by reflecting light emitted from the light sources and a lens disposed in front of the reflective mirror. In the vehicle lamp, the reflective mirror has a dummy portion which makes no contribution to effecting light distribution and is exposed to the outside through the lens, and an indicative mark for identifying the lighting device is formed integrally with the dummy portion. As the indicative mark can be visually recognized from the outside through the lens, the indicative mark needed not be formed on the lens. When lighting devices having different light distribution characteristics are provided, it is only needed to produce reflective mirrors respectively having corresponding indicative marks and the rest of the parts including the lens and the lamp body can be provided for common use.

An ultra-high-frequency notch filter (100) comprises a capacitor (102) defining a conductive trace (106) on its body (103) and extending between its terminals (104). The trace has an inductance that forms a parallel LC circuit with the capacitance of the capacitor. When mounted on a printed circuit board (120) to connect two segments of a signal line (124), the notch filter and a ground plane (122) of the PCB form a virtual conductive loop having an inductance and a capacitance whose product is the center frequency of the notch of the notch filter. The center frequency is tuned by varying the width of the trace.