164 results about "Contact patch" patented technology

A method for managing a virtual keyboard is disclosed and may include detecting whether a button is pressed and determining a contact patch size associated with a user digit pressing the button. The method may also include determining a button size associated with the button, determining whether the button size satisfies an optimized condition, querying a user to re-size the button when the button size does not satisfy the optimized condition, and automatically re-sizing the button so the button size satisfies the optimized condition. Further, the method may include querying a user to re-size all buttons and automatically re-sizing all buttons based on an optimized button size.

Energy for in-tire use is generated from the load induced reciprocating deflection of the tire inner walls above the tire-to-road contact patch adjacent to the shoulder of the tire. This energy is used to power in-tire monitoring electronics. For pulsatile energy generation with capacitive capture, the capacitor is optimally selected in real-time as a function of pulse width to maximize energy capture, or as a function of the pulse-captured energy. The resulting energy pulses are also used to measure the time duration of the contact patch from which the contact patch length is determined thus providing real-time tire geometry and, with tire pressure, real time tire load and, with temperature, tire air molar content. The loads on all tires provide real time vehicle mass and mass distribution. For electrical energy generation, magnet-coil, piezo-electric, and other power conversions are applicable. For non-electric energy generation, fluid bellows, rotary pump, and other power conversions are applicable. Further, run flat tires are designed with a cutout to accommodate and protect electronic devices mounted on an inner surface when running flat.

A combination writing pen and stylus is disclosed. The device has an internal ink cartridge deployable through a hole in the stylus tip. The stylus tip extends from a sleeve that is formed of a conductive elastomeric material. The sleeve extends up a rigid shaft of the device such that it contacts a sufficient ground. The stylus tip may be coated with a protective material that adjusts the coefficient of friction and prevents carbon deposits on the touch screen. A sufficient contact patch is achieved to simulate a human finger so as to overcome false positives from common touch screen logic. This is done by altering tip geometries around an air cavity within the sleeve.

A partial bone prosthesis and methods of using the same are disclosed herein. The partial bone prosthesis can be configured for use, for example, on the superior side of the talus or an end of a long bone, such as the tibia. The partial bone prosthesis can anchor to the perimeter of the contact patch between the bone and the prosthesis. For example, the prosthesis can be attached to the talus without drilling holes through the talus, preserving structural integrity and blood flow within the talus.

A tire wear state estimation system estimates forces and sliding velocity generated in a tire contact patch, determines frictional energy from the tire force and sliding velocity, and generates an estimate of tire wear state based upon the frictional work done by the tire. A tire wear estimate, pursuant to the system and methodology, is made by determining the amount of frictional work performed by the tire through the integrated use of tire-mounted, GPS sourced, and vehicle-mounted sensor information.

A writing or drawing tip device for attachment to a touch screen stylus or handle has a rigid body of conductive material with a forward end mandrel having a rounded or elliptical tip, at least one layer of compressible material extending over the tip to produce a deformable rounded tip, and a retaining device which secures the compressible layer to the body at a location to the rear of the rounded tip. The deformable tip is applied to a touch screen to develop a contact patch between the compressible material layer and screen sufficient to trigger an input on the screen, with the amount of force applied to the tip determining the size of the contact patch.

The present invention provides a three-wheel vehicle (10) having an electronic vehicle stability system and a method for stabilizing a three-wheel vehicle. The three-wheel vehicle (10) features a left (22) and right front wheel (24) laterally spaced apart and a single centered rear wheel (18) each having a tire contact patch which together define a triangular pattern of contact tire patches defining left and right rollover axis. The electronic vehicle stability system is adapted to calculate a dynamic status of the vehicle (10) based on inputs received from sensors and to output signals to the braking system to generate a specific moment about one of the left and right rollover axis when the calculated dynamic status of the vehicle exceeds a predetermine threshold indicative of a precursory condition of rollover. The present invention also provides a three-wheel vehicle having a yaw sensor positioned within a radius of 25 cm about the vertical axis (Z) to improve the accuracy of the yaw measurements provided to the electronic vehicle stability system.

Systems and methods of determining tire load from measured tire parameters include using a piezoelectric based sensor to obtain one or more contact patch parameters (e.g., contact patch entry time, contact patch exit time total contact patch time and contact patch angle) and one or more additional sensors to obtain tire pressure. Selected contact patch parameter measurements and pressure values are then compared with known combinations of contact patch parameter values and pressure values stored in a look-up table. A corresponding determined tire load value is then provided as electronic output.

A tire has a piezoelectric flexing element associated with an energy storage device (e.g., a capacitor). The piezoelectric flexure element is mounted in cantilever fashion in a housing so as to be positioned substantially along a plane orthogonal to a radial direction of the tire and, so that a first end of the piezoelement is restrained by the housing. A loading mass is coupled to the second end of the piezoelectric flexure element. A small gap is formed between the inner walls of the housing and the outer surface of the loading mass in order to allow limited flexure of the piezo-electric element. The housing including the piezoelectric is mounted in a tire portion in correspondence of a tread area of the tire, preferably on the inner surface of the tire. The piezoelectric element flexes under the action of the radial acceleration when the tire rotates. The loading mass and the gap are chosen to obtain a) small entity oscillations of the flexure element substantially during a complete revolution of the tire when the tire rotates at low speed; b) large entity oscillations of the flexure element substantially only during the passage of the tire portion including the piezoelectric element in the contact patch. Sufficient electrical power for powering an electronic device included within the tire is obtained, together with a long durability of the piezoelectric element.

The contact patch of the center land portion partitioned by the center side main grooves protrudes outward in the tire radial direction from the overall standard profile line of the tread portion. The maximum protruding amount is not less than 1.0% and not more than 2.5% of the tire width direction dimension of the center land portion. The contact patch of the intermediate land portion partitioned by the center side main groove and the shoulder side main groove protrudes outward in the tire radial direction from the standard profile line. The maximum protruding amount is not less than 0.7% and not more than 2.0% of the tire width direction dimension of the intermediate land portion. The maximum protruding amount of the center land portion is greater than the maximum protruding amount of the intermediate land portion.

A multi-chip module (MCM) structure comprises more than one semiconductor chip lying in a horizontal plane, the MCM having individual chip contact patches on the chips and a flexible heat sink having lateral compliance and extending in a plane in the MCM and secured in a heat exchange relation to the chips through the contact patches. The MCM has a mismatch between the coefficient of thermal expansion of the heat sink and the MCM and also has chip tilt and chip height mismatches. The flexible heat sink with lateral compliance minimizes or eliminates shear stress and shear strain developed in the horizontal direction at the interface between the heat sink and the chip contact patches by allowing for horizontal expansion and contraction of the heat sink relative to the MCM without moving the individual chip contact patches in a horizontal direction.

A motor is disclosed comprising: at least one stator comprising a magnetic core and at least one magnetic winding, having a cylindrical internal cavity; at least one cylindrical rotor inside said stator, comprising magnetically conductive materials; said rotor having an outer diameter significantly smaller than the inner diameter of said stator, being eccentrically mounted with respect to said stator and able to move within, said fixed member; wherein magnetic normal force is induced in said stator periodically, whereby said rotor is periodically moved by magnetic force with respect to said stator, whereby rotary motion is produced; said motor further having: an output shaft concentric with said stator; transmission means for absorbing oscillation and transmitting rotation; wherein said induced magnetic normal force rotates around the circumference of said stator, such that a contact patch between said rotor and said stator rotates around the inner circumference of said stator; whereby said rotor oscillates and rotates; whereby said transmission means absorb the oscillation of said rotor and transmit the rotation of said rotor to said output shaft; wherein said transmission means is magnetorheostatic fluid. A motor is further disclosed wherein said transmission means comprise bearings and carrier supports, wherein said bearings are used as a clutch.

This invention relates generally to tires having treads that have a configuration and/or properties for providing suitable snow and dry traction, and, more specifically, to a tire that has a tread that has a maximum value for sipe density in the contact patch, a minimum value for lateral groove density in the contact patch, and a minimum value for the longitudinal contact surface ratio. In certain embodiments, the pitch length of pitches or repeating units of tread geometry along the circumferential direction of the tire is within a certain range and the tread depth is below a specified value. Tires with treads having a configuration that falls within these design parameters exhibit a desirably good level of snow and dry traction.

A method and an apparatus for smart automation of robotic surface finishing of a three-dimensional surface of a workpiece is described. A finite element analysis simulation is conducted providing data for generation of a three-dimensional path along the surface of the workpiece. The finite element can include properties of the workpiece, finishing tool, and the robot configured to maneuver the finishing tool. The surface of the workpiece is finished using one or more surface finishing tools along the three-dimensional path. The surface of the workpiece includes at least a flat region and a curved region.

A method for rollover stabilization of a vehicle in critical driving situations, in which a rollover stabilization algorithm intervenes in the driving operation in a critical situation, using an actuator in order to stabilize the vehicle. Different loading states of the vehicle may be taken into consideration in that the vehicle mass as well as the characteristic speed and the ratio of the contact patch forces of the wheels are ascertained, and the rollover stabilization algorithm is executed as a function of the vehicle mass and the estimated vehicle center of gravity.

In a prediction of abrasion characteristic of a tire, a characteristic curve of a tire axis force generated on a tire rotation axis at the slip ratio applied to the tire and changed depending upon the slip ratio is acquired. From the characteristic curve, values of tire dynamic element parameters determining the characteristic curve are derived based on a tire dynamic model constituted by the tire dynamic element parameters. Furthermore, a tire sliding amount based on a sliding region, the sliding region and an adhesive region formed on the contact patch of the tire at the applied slip ratio are calculated by applying the values of the tire dynamic element parameters to the model. Lastly, an abrasion characteristic of a tread part of the tire at the applied slip ratio is predicted by using the tire sliding amount with abrasion characteristic data of a tread rubber of the tread part. According to the prediction results, a tire is designed and produced.

A stylus device for writing or drawing on a touch screen has an elongate barrel for gripping by a user and a stylus tip of rigid, non-compressible material secured to one end of the barrel and having an end face comprising a working surface configured for contact with the touch screen while writing or drawing. The stylus tip is oriented at a predetermined offset angle to the longitudinal axis of the barrel, such that the working surface is not perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis of the barrel. The working surface is applied to a touch screen to develop a contact patch between the working surface and screen sufficient to trigger an input on the screen.

A solid dosage form designed to facilitate rapid and reliable oral, esophageal and GI transit has a surface area of the contact patch, i.e., the area of contact between the dosage form and the bodily surface reduced. The dosage form can be an asymmetric oral dosage unit containing a bioactive, the dosage unit being asymmetric with respect to a rotational axis perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the dosage form, the rotational axis being located substantially at a mid point along the longitudinal axis. The dosage unit may have an outer surface ridged or dimpled or have at least one annular ring so as to reduce the contact patch of the dosage unit with a flat surface compared to non-ridged dosage unit of the same size and shape. The oral dosage unit can also have a spherical shape with or without ridges and/or dimples. Dies for forming these oral dosage units have, in a closed state, a cavity having a shape corresponding to the oral dosage unit.