3538 results about "Ground contact" patented technology

A structurally supported tire includes a ground contacting tread portion, a reinforced annular band disposed radially inward of the tread portion, and a plurality of web spokes extending transversely across and radially inward from the reinforced annular band and anchored in a wheel or hub. The reinforced annular band comprises an elastomeric shear layer, at least a first membrane adhered to the radially inward extent of the elastomeric shear layer and at least a second membrane adhered to the radially outward extent of the elastomeric shear layer. Each of the membranes has a longitudinal tensile modulus sufficiently greater than the shear modulus of the shear layer so that when under load the ground contacting portion of the tire deforms to a flat contact region through shear strain in the shear layer while maintaining constant the length of the membranes, the web spokes transmitting load forces between the annular band and the hub through tension in the web spokes not connected to the ground contacting portion of the tire.

An article of footwear includes a sole having a forefoot portion, a heel portion and an outsole having a bottom surface including a primary ground contacting surface. The bottom surface of the outsole includes a forefoot bulge and a heel bulge which provide the footwear with controlled instability for providing dynamic conditioning of the wearer's muscles during the gait cycle.

A compliant wheel includes a compliant band and a plurality of web spokes extending transversely across and inward from the reinforced compliant band for attachment to a hub. The compliant band bends to comply with a contact surface and to envelope obstacles. The web spokes transmit load forces between the compliant band and the hub through tension in the web spokes not connected to the ground contacting portion of the wheel. The outer surface of the compliant band may be formed to include a tread, or a separate tread band may be attached.

A midsole structure for a shoe which improves a ride feeling and stability of the midfoot portion of the sole assembly during running. The sole assembly 1 of the shoe includes the upper plate 3 disposed on the upper side of the midfoot portion M and formed of a hard elastic member, the lower plate 4 disposed under the upper plate 3 to form the void S with the upper plate 3, formed of a hard elastic member, and having a downwardly convexedly curved shape, the midfoot outsole 6 attached on the bottom surface 4a of the lower plate 4, having the ground contact surface 6a, and provided discretely in the longitudinal direction from the outsole 5 of the heel portion H and the outsole 7 of the forefoot portion F of the sole assembly 1, and the connections 8, 9 provided on the front and rear ends of the midfoot portion M and interconnecting the upper plate 3 with the lower plate 4 in the vertical direction.

The invention relates to articles of footwear having traction elements, and systems and methods for manufacturing same. An example shoe includes an upper and a sole plate, the sole plate including a lower surface adapted for ground contact having a first sole portion including first traction elements, the first traction elements having a distal end and a side wall with extensions extending from a central core, and a second sole portion including second traction elements, the second traction elements having at least one geometrical feature differing in one or more aspects from a corresponding geometrical feature of the first traction elements.

An apparatus and method for transporting a payload over a surface is provided. A vehicle supports a payload with a support partially enclosed by an enclosure. Two laterally disposed ground-contacting elements are coupled to at least one of the enclosure or support. A motorized drive is coupled to the ground-contacting elements. A controller coupled to the drive governs the operation of the drive at least in response to the position of the center of gravity of the vehicle to dynamically control balancing of the vehicle.

A device for transporting a human subject over a surface. The device is a dynamically balancing vehicle having a control loop for providing balance. The device includes a platform defining a fore-aft plane. The platform supports a payload including the human subject. A ground contacting module is included which may include one or more wheels. A ground-contacting member is movably coupled to the platform. The platform and the ground-contacting module form an assembly having a center of gravity that is defined with respect to the ground-contacting member and which includes any loads on the device. The device further includes a support. The support may be a seat for supporting the subject and the support is coupled to the platform in such a manner as to permit variation of the position of the center of gravity in the fore-aft plane by translation and rotation of at least a portion of the support. In one embodiment, translation and rotation of the seat of the device are mechanically coupled together.

A footwear construction including a sole and an adjustable heel element selectively rotatable about an axis of rotation to configure the heel element in a fitness mode or a stability mode. The heel element can include a ground contacting surface having a first performance contour and a second, different performance contour. In the fitness mode, the first performance contour is positioned rearward of the second performance contour to provide a rolling/rocking motion when the heel region of the footwear engages a walking surface in a gait cycle. In the stability mode, the second performance contour is positioned rearward of the first performance contour to provide a stable impact when the heel region engages a walking surface. The footwear can include an actuator to enable the heel element to rotate and locking elements to hold the heel element in a fixed rotational position. A related method of use also is provided.

A connector (100) having multiple contacts (102) includes a supply contact (104), a ground contact (106) and at least one other contact (108) for providing attach/detach detection to an accessory or accessory connector. The supply and ground contacts (104, 106) are longer than the detect contact (108) so that power is connected prior to any of the other contacts and power is removed after any of the other contacts are detached. Logical control circuitry (318) interfaces with the connector (100) to minimize sparks upon detachment from the accessory (304).

A mezzanine style electrical connector is disclosed. The connector includes first and second arrays of electrical contacts extending through a connector housing. Each contact array may include single ended signal conductors or differential signal pairs or a combination of both. The contact arrays are disposed adjacent to one another such that cross-talk between adjacent signal contacts is limited, even in the absence of any electrical shielding or ground contacts between the contact arrays.

The invention comprises a survey pole having a survey pole bottom end, with a position-transducer coupled to a survey pole top end. A ground contact spike is on the bottom end. The survey pole uses an AINS as a combined tilt and heading sensor. The AINS provides heading and Euler angle outputs characterizing the tilt of the survey pole. The heading and Euler angle outputs are used by a computer and program to perform position transfers from a position-transducer at the pole top end to the GCZVI switch or spike on the ground using a set of position offset or transfer equations. The position-transducer is either a GNSS or an RTS serving as a position-transducer. The transfer of the position data from the position of the position-transducer provides the earth referenced or grid referenced position of the spike at the survey pole survey bottom end.

The invention provides a fracturing blender truck. The fracturing blender truck comprises a chassis, a sand blending device, a four-connecting-rod mechanism and a power system. The sand blending device is arranged above the chassis and provided with a sand blender, and a closed-type mixing pump serves as the sand blender. The four-connecting-rod mechanism is capable of driving the sand blending device to move to enable a base of the closed-type mixing pump to contact with the ground, a first connecting rod and a third connecting rod of the four-connecting-rod mechanism are arranged on the chassis rotatably, and the sand blending device is arranged on a second connecting rod of the four-connecting-rod mechanism. The power system arranged on the chassis is connected with the first connecting rod and drives the four-connecting-rod mechanism to rotate to enable the closed-type mixing pump to contact with the ground. The fracturing blender truck has the advantages that the closed-type mixing pump serves as the sand blender, and the second connecting rod of the four-connecting-rod mechanism is used for bearing the sand blending device to enable the base of the closed-type mixing pump to be capable of contacting with the ground, so that the height of the closed-type mixing pump is decreased, suction capacity of the closed-type mixing pump is improved, a great quantity of fracturing fluid can be guided out, delivery capacity of the fracturing blender truck is increased, and the requirements on large-scale fracturing operation can be met.

A stereo class-D audio system includes a first die including four monolithically integrated NMOS high-side devices and a second a second die including four monolithically integrated PMOS low-side devices. The audio system also includes a set of electrical contacts for connecting the high and low-side devices to components within the a stereo class-D audio system, the set of electrical contacts including at least one supply contact for connecting the drains of the high-side devices to a supply voltage (V_cc) and at least one ground contact for connecting the drains of the low-side devices to ground, the electrical contacts also including respective contacts for each source of the high and low-side devices allowing the source of each high-side device to be connected to the source of a respective low-side device to form two H-bridge circuits.

Disclosed is an electrical interconnect system using multiple grounding methods to reduce or prevent spurious signals from interfering with high density contacts carrying high speed transmissions. A first connector includes an insulative pillar partially surrounded by a plurality of signal contacts. A ground contact is at least partially located within the insulative pillar. A second connector includes a corresponding plurality of flexible signal contacts for mating with the signal contacts adjacent the insulative pillar. The second connector also includes a ground contact for receiving the ground contact of the first connector. The ground contacts provide a first method of providing a ground path to reduce spurious signals from entering the signal path. An electrically conducting shield is located outside the signal contacts when the first and the second connectors are mated. The first connector includes a member which provides a ground path between the first connector and the electrically conducting shield. Advantageously, the electrical interconnect system has two grounding methods which are particularly important in a high density electrical interconnect system where the contacts are closely spaced and susceptible to noise and other spurious signals.