45results about How to "Robust and simple design" patented technology

A system, method, and computer readable medium adapted to provide software and hardware partitioning for multi-standard video compression and decompression comprises a master-slave bus, a peer-to-peer bus, and an inter-processor communications bus, a prediction engine, a filter engine, and a transform engine, and a video encode control processor, and a video decode control processor adapted to utilize the master-slave bus to interact with the video hardware engines for control flow processing, the peer-to-peer bus for data flow processing, and the inter-processor communications bus for inter-processor communications, and a system data bus adapted to permit data exchange between system resources, the busses, the engines, and the processors.

A tubular heat exchanger preferably of a multi-pass design, has a cylindrical shell with open ends that are releasable covered and sealed by preferably two end caps. Located removably in the shell and axially between the end caps is a core having a plurality of outer tubes and preferably a plurality of inner tubes with each one of the inner tubes extending through a respective one of the outer tubes. A plurality of perforated plates disposed in the shell are sealed releasably to respective ends of the inner and outer tubes thereby forming a plurality of liquid tight chambers for the flow of a plurality of segregated mediums and the transfer of heat therebetween.

A portable electric motor driven air gun powered by a power source. The motor is coupled to a lead screw, which drives a piston. The piston compresses air in a chamber producing high-pressure air. When sufficient energy is stored within the air stream by the piston a valve opens which releases the air to act on the projectile. The compressed air is used to push a projectile such as a paintball, an airsoft ball, a “bb”, or a pellet through a barrel. The lead screw is then reversed and the piston is reset for the next shot. The piston is preferably coupled to a feeding mechanism to facilitate positioning of the projectile for firing. The direction speed and operative modes of the gun are preferably controlled with an electric circuit. The power source is preferably rechargeable and allows the air gun to be operated completely independent from either a wall outlet or a compressed air supply.

A self-relieving choke starting system for a carburetor of a combustion engine has an elongated cammed latch which projects radially outward from a rotating shaft of a choke valve located in an upstream region of a fuel-and-air mixing passage carried by a body of the carburetor. During a first attempt at starting a cold engine, the user manually rotates the choke valve from a spring biased open to a full choke position whereupon a cam end of the latch contacts a follower arm, which projects radially outward from a rotating shaft of a throttle valve located downstream of a venturi of the mixing passage. As the choke valve manually rotates closed, the throttle valve automatically rotates in an open direction against the biasing force of a throttle spring from a slow idle state, for normal engine operation, to a fast idle state for engine starting. Once the choke valve is in the full choke position and the throttle valve is in the fast idle position, a rich mixture of fuel-and-air will flow into the combustion chamber of the engine during the first attempt at starting the cold engine. If the first attempt should fail, the user can manually rotate the choke valve in an open direction to a half-choke position while the throttle valve is automatically maintained in the fast idle position to provide a slightly leaner mixture of the fuel-and-air to the engine for following attempts at cold starting.

A portable electric motor driven air gun powered by a power source. The motor is coupled to a lead screw, which drives a piston. The piston compresses air in a chamber producing high-pressure air. When sufficient energy is stored within the air stream by the piston a valve opens which releases the air to act on the projectile. The compressed air is used to push a projectile such as a paintball, an airsoft ball, a “bb”, or a pellet through a barrel. The lead screw is then reversed and the piston is reset for the next shot. The piston is preferably coupled to a feeding mechanism to facilitate positioning of the projectile for firing. The direction speed and operative modes of the gun are preferably controlled with an electric circuit. The power source is preferably rechargeable and allows the air gun to be operated completely independent from either a wall outlet or a compressed air supply.

A vehicle has at least three drive axles each with a pair of drive wheels, a steering system that directly controls the steering angle between at least two of the drive axles. The vehicle is arranged so that all drive wheels on its right hand side and left hand side, respectively, essentially follow the same wheel tracks when it is driven. The frequency of rotation is individually controllable for each drive wheel. The vehicle includes differential compensating elements arranged to register the relative steering angle for each consecutive pair of drive axles, respectively, and the mutual frequency of rotation for the drive wheels of each drive axle is controlled by the registered relative steering angle associated with the axle. A drive axle arrangement for such a vehicle is also disclosed.

A robot drive system preferably used for a vessel hull cleaning and / or inspection robot includes a first frame portion rotatably supporting a first axle with a first wheel thereon, and a second frame portion rotatably supporting a second axle with a second wheel thereon. A joint connects the first frame portion to the second frame portion and defines an expendable and contractible portion between the first frame portion and second frame portion. An actuator subsystem is configured expand and contract the expandable and contractible portion to move the first frame portion relative to the second frame portion at the joint to angle the first axle relative to the second axle to steer the robot.

A coaxial connector system comprises a coaxial plug connector and socket connector. The coaxial connectors have a center conductor defining a center axis of the connector and an outer conductor coaxial to the center conductor. The plug connector's outer conductor has a cylindrical shape with slits forming a plurality of spring loaded contact elements, while the socket connector's outer conductor is a cylindrical shape forming a contact surface. Furthermore, the connectors have a mechanical contact surface at a right angle to their center axis and distant from the spring loaded contact elements and the contact surface. Cylindrically precision centering means are provided at the connectors, which fit into each other and precisely align the center axis of the connectors resulting in reduced passive intermodulation. This design allows for further reducing contact gaps between the outer and inner conductors to further improve return loss at high frequencies.

A cutting device comprises a support to hold a roll of rolled media, a surface upon which the media is unrolled, and first and second cutting guides, each oriented substantially perpendicular to the media's unrolling path and supporting first and second cutters. The first cutter is movably supported by the first cutting guide and is capable of cutting the rolled media substantially parallel to the unrolling path. The second cutter is movably supported by the second cutting guide and is capable of cutting the rolled media substantially perpendicular to the unrolling path. The cutting device further comprises means for releasably securing the first cutter at a desired width position along the first cutting guide.

An externally mounted firearm accessory and a method of operating the accessory. The firearm accessory includes a mounting clamp and a collar offset extending from the mounting clamp on the side of the firearm on which the bolt catch / release is located, a shaft that is slidably mounted on the collar, a handle at the forward end of the shaft, and a slot at the rear end of the shaft that receives and holds the charging handle of the firearm accessory. The slot is positioned in relation to the charging handle so that, in operation, a user of the firearm accessory pulls rearward on the handle of the shaft of the firearm accessory to push the charging handle rearward and, thereby, depress and open the latch of the charging handle of the firearm. At this point, the user can then push the handle of the firearm accessory forward to pull the charging handle of the firearm into a closed and latched position. A biased spring mechanism associated with the charging handle can also act to push the charging handle forward.

An adjustable steering column assembly for a vehicle preferably has a bracket for rigid attachment to the vehicle with a first slot defining a longitudinal adjustment path of the assembly. A steering shaft is journaled to a jacket of the assembly for rotation about an axis. A shuttle attaches rigidly to the jacket and adjustably to the bracket for telescoping and tilt adjustment of the assembly. The shuttle has a second slot that defines a collapse path with said second slot preferably having a first portion restraining said steering shaft in a normal state and a second portion that allows said steering shaft to move through said collapse path when in a collapsed state. A pin extends through said first and second slots for coupling said shuttle to said bracket.

Device for the sealed connection between a first and a second closed space, with the closed spaces each comprising a flange and the first door closing off in a sealed manner an opening delimited by the flange, with the connection device comprising: first part (A) for securing the flanges, second part (B) for securing the doors in a sealed manner and of detaching of one of the doors from its flange, third part for releasing the other door in relation to the its flange, fourth part (D) for opening a passage between the first and the second closed space, the device also comprising means for locking (118) the second securing means (B) preventing the separation of the doors as long as the connection between the two closed spaces is effective, the locking means being activated automatically by the actuating of the second securing means (B).

A self-relieving choke valve system for a carburetor of a combustion engine automatically opens a choke valve after a successful engine start up and permits the choke valve to automatically close when the engine is shut down. The self-relieving choke valve system is preferably passive in nature and preferably self contained to the carburetor. It has a vacuum motor which preferably receives a vacuum signal from a vacuum source derived from the operating engine to open the choke valve. A lost motion linkage of the self-relieving choke valve system permits the choke valve to fluctuate between a closed position and a slightly open engine start up position without any intervention by the vacuum motor while the engine is being started.

A shutter assembly having at least one shutter and a security bar device for locking closed and providing additional rigidity to the shutter when covering an opening in a dwelling. The bar device has an elongated member preferably engaged releasably to the dwelling in the opening. The member traverses the opening and prevents the shutters from collapsing into the opening when closed. A retention bracket co-extends with and is spaced from the member with a portion of the shutter layered there-between when in the closed position. As such, the retention bracket prevents the shutter from opening when in the closed position. A locking portion of the retention bracket projects laterally to releasably engage the member.

A well test assembly sized for use in a slim-hole of a subterranean well includes an inner moveable sleeve having an inner circulation port and an inner fluid passage port. An outer housing has a first outer circulation port, an outer fluid passage port, and a second outer circulation port. A middle sleeve has: a middle circulation port aligned with the inner circulation port and the first outer circulation port when the assembly is in a lowering position; a middle fluid passage aligned with the inner fluid passage port and the outer fluid passage port when the assembly is in a collection position; and a fluid injection port aligned with the second outer circulation port when the assembly is in a retrieval position. A packer assembly seals an annulus between the middle sleeve and an inner diameter of the slim-hole when the assembly is in a setting position.

An actuation device for a flap mounted pivotably on a compartment, with a push-push kinematic, includes a first actuation part to be fastened on the flap and a second actuation part to be fastened on the component. The first actuation part engages with the second actuation part when the flap is moved from its opened position into its closed position, so that after a first stroke of the first actuation part in the direction of the second actuation part and a subsequent backstroke of the first actuation part, the actuation parts are held on each other in an arresting position. The arresting position is released by a second stroke of the first actuation part in the direction of the second actuation part so that the flap can be moved into its opened position, wherein the first actuation part and the second actuation part are disengaged.

A direct smelting vessel and a hearth cooler element are disclosed. The vessel includes a refractory lined hearth. An inner surface of an upper part of the hearth extends upwardly and outwardly to side walls of the vessel. The upper part of the hearth incorporates a hearth cooler disposed outwardly behind the refractory lining of that part of the hearth and below the cooling panels on the side walls of the vessel. The hearth cooler comprises a plurality of cooler elements. Each cooler element has a hollow open-backed shell structure having base, top and side walls formed integrally in a cast structure and incorporating coolant flow passages.

A device serves the purpose of changing the stress-induced birefringence and / or the thickness (d and D, respectively) of an optical component by elastic deformation caused by means of stress. The optical component is gripped on a circumference, arranged at least approximately perpendicular to the optical axis, at least approximately entirely by at least one clamping element. The at least one clamping element can be actuated by at least one actuator.In the case of a method for this purpose, compressive stress is applied to the optical component, the elastic deformation being varied via a variation in the compressive stress.

The frame-less, split pipe disclosed herein includes a fixed actuator assembly with carries a blade-like pipe wiper element and a sliding actuator assembly which carries a similar blade-like pipe wiper element. Each of the pipe wiper elements is disposed between a clamp and the base of their respective actuator assemblies. The sliding actuator assembly is disposed in a pair of channels disposed above the claim of the fixed actuator assembly. A pair of pneumatic cylinders, one on each side of the fixed actuator assembly moves the sliding actuator assembly between open and closed positions. For installation, removal or maintenance on a pipe wiper it may be split into two open-throated components by removing the pins which attach the operating rods of the pneumatic cylinders to clevises of the sliding actuator assembly.