60results about How to "Minimize wear" patented technology

A touch screen overlay apparatus for use in association with a touch screen having a rigid contact surface. The touch screen overlay apparatus comprises a flexible membrane that covers at least a portion of the rigid contact surface. This flexible membrane is removably maintained in a predetermined position over the rigid contact surface to provide a more tactually desirable surface for manual actuation than the rigid contact surface. Furthermore, the flexible membrane may include one of said one or more raised dome-shaped regions which are disposed on the membrane so as to be in substantial registration with input regions on the rigid contact surface to provide tactile landmarks for the user.

A touch screen overlay apparatus for use in association with a touch screen having a rigid contact surface. The touch screen overlay apparatus comprises a flexible membrane that covers at least a portion of the rigid contact surface. This flexible membrane is removably maintained in a predetermined position over the rigid contact surface to provide a more tactually desirable surface for manual actuation than the rigid contact surface. Furthermore, the flexible membrane may include one of said one or more raised dome-shaped regions which are disposed on the membrane so as to be in substantial registration with input regions on the rigid contact surface to provide tactile landmarks for the user.

A bearing, a composite structure, an implant and a method for producing a bearing with a micro-rough bearing surface are proposed. An improvement in the bearing properties—minimization of particle formation and reduction of friction—and a universally usable composite structure are achieved by the surface of the bearing or of the composite structure being roughened by etching and possibly provided with a coating, preferably consisting of plastic.

Prosthetic wrist implants and methods are provided. The prosthetic wrist implant includes a radial component including a base member having an upper bearing surface and a lower surface having an elongated radial stem for fixation to a radius bone. The elongated radial stem can be in an off-center position in relation to a center of the lower surface. A carpal component is also provided including a substantially planar base member having an upper surface and a lower surface with at least one socket protrusion extending therefrom, and may further included an elongated carpal post member for fixation to one or more carpal bones. An articulating bearing component for placement between the radial and carpal components is provided and includes an upper surface defining at least one socket recess and a lower bearing surface for cooperative engagement with the upper bearing surface of the radial component. The socket protrusion of the carpal component is adapted to linearly engage the socket recess of the bearing component to desirably limit rotational and translational movement of the carpal component relative to the bearing component.

A multi-battery charging system for reduced fuel consumption and emissions for an automotive vehicle. The system starts the vehicle with a start battery in a fuel savings manner, removing electrical torque from the alternator shaft, and allows a second (run) battery to provide all or some of the current required by the vehicle loads as a fuel savings measure. The system also utilizes an electrically heated catalytic converter (EHC) and a third (EHC or storage) battery to provide a 3 to 15 second preheat and / or a 20 second current, during vehicle start, to the EHC heater coil, e.g., of a small EHC located in series with a standard catalytic converter for emissions reduction to reduce emissions during start. The start battery is recharged after start and switched out of the system fully charged for future vehicle starts. The run battery is recharged when its charge level drops below a predetermined level with an on board battery charging device powered from a 115 volt or 220 volt ac power line source external to the vehicle.

In the embodiments described in the specification, a rim-driven propulsion pod arrangement has a cylindrical housing with a duct providing a flow path for water and a rotor assembly supported from a central shaft and containing a rotating blade row and driven by a rim drive permanent magnet motor recessed in the housing. An array of vanes downstream from the rotating blade row is arranged to straighten the flow of water emerging from the rotating blade row. Radial bearing members on the rotor have a hardness less than that of the shaft on which the rotor is supported and relatively soft protrusions are provided in the space between the rotor and the housing to limit excursion of the rotor. A thrust bearing has wedges arranged to form a water wedge between facing surfaces of the rotor and the rotor support during rotation of the rotor.

Starter motor systems are described, wherein the systems include a unidirectional clutch system that cooperates with a pulley system to start an internal combustion engine through the front-end accessory drive system. The starter motor systems are especially well suited for new, high fuel efficiency automobiles in which the engine is shut down (e.g., when the automobile stops) and subsequently started (e.g., when the accelerator pedal is depressed).

A bushing and washer forming a bearing assembly at the outer radial end of a stator vane, the outer bearing assembly, and the bearing assembly at the inner radial end of the stator vane, the inner bearing assembly, that facilitate durability, effectiveness and reduced cost. Both the inner and outer bearing assemblies are designed to rotate relative to the vane shaft and the respective mating shroud or case to even out the wear around the circumference of the bushing. When a rotating bushing is used, a flange on the bushing is designed to be positioned on the inside of the case, so that a pressure differential across the case applies a force to the vane to move it outwardly against the flange and the flange against the case, thereby minimizing air leakage.

A chain tensioner includes a housing defining a cylinder chamber, and a plunger having a small-diameter end and a spring both mounted in the cylinder chamber. A register ring is fitted in a ring-receiving groove formed in the inner periphery of the cylinder chamber near its open end. A plurality of annular grooves are formed in the outer periphery of the plunger so as to be axially spaced from each other at equal intervals. The register ring is adapted to be press-fitted in one of the annular grooves. With the register ring trapped between an engaging surface of a first annular groove which is one of the annular grooves located nearest to the front end of the plunger and a locking surface of the ring-receiving groove, an outer cylindrical surface of the plunger extending forwardly from the first annular groove has its front portion supported by an inner cylindrical surface of the cylinder chamber extending forwardly from the ring-receiving groove.

The invention comprises an item of footwear, comprising: a) an upper sole, shaped to receive a user's foot, and including a toe cap portion, a heel portion, and a sole portion, which is formed from a lightweight, thermally insulative plastics material; b) a lower sole, formed from a resilient plastics material, the lower sole attached to and at least partially covering the sole portion of the upper sole and operative to protect the upper sole from direct physical contact with the ground and to minimize wear on the upper sole; and c) an upper attached to the upper sole.

A method is provided for improving the wiping capabilities of a windshield wiper by causing the windshield wiper blade to vibrate or oscillate in a direction parallel to the longitudinal centerline of the blade during a windshield wiper sweep. The vibrating mode causes less wear on the blade due to windshield abrasion since the blade edge does not contact the same eroded point on the windshield all the time. Secondly, any debris that is caught underneath the blade is quickly ejected due to the vibrating action. In one embodiment, an electromechanical vibrating unit is secured at one or more positions to the blade, with the actuator being driven by a 12-volt source and provided with a quickie disconnect at the center of the blade support structure. The vibrating actuator may be an electromechanically drive off-centered weight, a vibrating linear actuator, an ultrasonic vibrator, or a vibrator in the form of a piezoelectric crystal, with the primary mode of oscillation translating the blade along its centerline. The result is that debris underneath the blade is thrown out, including leaf stems, leaves and particulate matter, with the periodic translation of the blade providing more uniform water removal during the wiping operation to provide clearer visibility through the windshield regardless of the amount of water on the windshield, whether it be from a sporadic sprinkle or a torrential downpour. Wiper life is extended since the blade edge's position on the windshield is constantly varied during wiper sweeps.

A medical lifting device is provided. The medical lifting device comprises a lifting unit that is operable in a linear motion. A spindle drive is operable to adjust the lifting unit. A first ball joint is disposed in the lifting unit and a second ball joint is disposed where the spindle drive is respectively supported.

The invention relates in general level to a method for coating articulating surfaces of medical products. The invention also relates to coated medical products manufactured by the method. The coating is carried out by employing ultra short pulsed laser deposition wherein pulsed laser beam is preferably scanned with a rotating optical scanner including at least one mirror for reflecting the laser beam. The invention has several both industrially and qualitatively advantageous effects such as high coating production rate, excellent coating properties and overall low manufacturing costs.

A drill pipe including a tube having opposite ends. An internally threaded connector is provided at one of the opposite ends of the tube. An externally threaded connector is provided at the other one of the opposite ends of the tube. The externally threaded connector is adapted to mate with the internally threaded connector on a second drill pipe. A bar code is etched into either the tube, the internally threaded connector, or the externally threaded connector.

A self-adjusting release bearing in the form of a tapered rolling bearing for a separating clutch disposed between an internal combustion engine and a gearbox of a motor vehicle, includes a non-rotating first bearing ring, a revolving second bearing ring, and a plurality of rolling elements guided between the first and second bearing rings. Supported upon a calotte-shaped section of one of the first and second bearing rings in a contact zone is an adjustment ring having a complementary calotte-shaped section to thereby allow pivoting of the release bearing, whereby a sliding element made of thermoplastic material is disposed in the contact zone.

A lubrication system comprising a motor, a positive displacement pump driven by the motor, a lubricant container in fluid communication with the positive displacement pump and at least one lubricant outlet in fluid communication with the lubricant container. The positive displacement pump is arranged to carry out at least one discharge stroke to dispense lubricant from the at least one lubricant outlet when the lubrication system is in use. The lubrication system also comprises a control unit that is arranged to determine an amount of lubricant that is dispensed from the lubricant container via the at least one lubricant outlet when the lubrication system is in use. The control unit is arranged to monitor current supplied to the motor to obtain a motor current signal, and to determine a number of the discharge strokes from the motor current signal.

A counterbalance system for a tilt-in window and its method of operation. Posts are provided on the sides of a tilt-in window sash that rotate when the sash is tilted. A brake structure is attached to each post. Each brake structure has a first contoured surface that rotates with the post when said sash is tilted. A second contoured surface is provided within the window track. The second contoured surface moves up and down in the track with the post but does not rotate with the post when the sash is tilted. When the window sash is tilted for cleaning, the first contoured surface moves against the second contoured surface within the window track. A cam action occurs that moves the first contoured surface away from the second contoured surface. This causes the brake structure to be biased against the track and lock in a fixed position within the track.

An hydraulic head features two or three individual radial pumping pistons and associated pumping chambers, annularly spaced around a cavity in the head where an eccentric drive member with associated outer rolling actuation ring are situated, whereby a rolling interaction is provided between the actuating ring and the inner ends of the pistons for intermittent actuation, and a sliding interaction is provided between the actuation ring and the drive member. The respective inlet and outlet valve trains are also situated in the head, and the head is attachable to an application and / or customer specific mounting plate. The outside diameter of the rolling element is barrel shaped, to compensate for any misalignment of the pistons relative to the drive shaft due, for example, to either tolerance stack up or deflection.

A double color injection machine with a shaft and a disc is revealed.The double color injection machine includes a main body with a shaft and a disc. The disc is arranged with a slotted hole while the main body is disposed with an axial hole for being assembled with a shaft sleeve. The shaft sleeve is inserted through the axial hole to be mounted to the slotted hole of the disc. A first bearing is mounted in the slotted hole and is corresponding to the shaft sleeve. A servo motor is used to drive the shaft to rotate. Thereby by the shaft sleeve on the shaft corresponding to the first bearing of the disc, the shaft is not rotated with the rotation of the disc. When the servomotor drives the shaft to rotate, the disc is not rotated. At the same time, fast and precise positioning is attained.

A control for enhanced range shifting in a computer (48) assisted vehicular compound transmission having a main section (16A) shifted by a manually operated shift lever (31) and a range section (16B) shifted in response to operation of a range shift selector, such as sensing shift lever (31) passing through a predetermined actuation point (AR) in the shift pattern. During a compound up-shift, if the vehicle reaches a speed greater than a predetermined value during a coasting condition and the shift lever is in a low range neutral position, then the range section up-shift is automatically completed without undue wear or damage to the range section synchronized clutch (130). It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. 37 CFR 1.72(b).

A torque transmission device for a powertrain of a motor vehicle has an input area and an output area. A torque path runs from the input area to the output area. A torsional vibration damping unit is positioned first, followed by a gear unit, along the torque path between the input area and the output area. The torsional vibration damping unit provides a first spatial area and an adjoining second spatial area along the torque path, and the gear unit provides an adjoining third spatial area.

A restraint device is disclosed that limits the movement of the cable or rope relative to the traction, thus reducing or eliminating the popping noise associated with the cable or rope snapping back against the traction sheave. In one embodiment, the restraint device comprises a molded component that is fitted to encompass the region of the sheave where separation of the wire rope from the sheave is most likely to occur. The restraint device may be mounted so that it is removable and replaceable with minimal dismantling of the hoist containing the sheave. The restraint device may be reversible so that one restraint device may by used for at least two cycles before being replaced. Indication of the need for replacement may be provided by including a second color material at the depth where wear reaches the allowable limit, thereby providing a visual signal to initiate replacement as seen during service.

A medical lifting device is provided. The medical lifting device comprises a lifting unit that is operable in a linear motion. A spindle drive is operable to adjust the lifting unit. A first ball joint is disposed in the lifting unit and a second ball joint is disposed where the spindle drive is respectively supported.

A hydraulic radial-piston pump transfers the wind energy of the rotor to an adjustable hydraulic motor on ground level, driving an electric generator with constant speed. The pump consists of piston assemblies, located in radial direction between camshaft and housing, supported by spherical bearings at the housing and cylindrical bearings at the camshaft, allowing for self-adjustment of the assemblies. The radial and axial bearings of the camshaft are pivotally mounted allowing for self-adjustment to the housing. At least two planes with cams opposing each other compensate the piston forces in radial direction. Preferably, the pump has four planes symmetrically arranged around a plane between the second and third plane, compensating the piston forces in axial direction. The center of gravity of the rotor is located between or near the bearings of the camshaft. The loads are supported by hydraulic pressure fields, minimizing frictional losses and increasing longevity.

An agricultural ram press has a bale chamber, a baling ram moveable in an oscillating manner in the bale chamber, a feed channel, a feed rake arranged in the feed channel and switchable between a gathering stroke motion which compresses crop in the feed channel and a filling stroke motion which moves the crop from the feed channel into the bale channel, and a drive for driving the feed rake and having a control rod interacting with an adjustable stop to control at least one of the motions of the feed rake.