Abstract: An audio loudspeaker having an induction motor whose yoke components are formed of powdered iron or other material which is highly magnetically permeable and highly electrically resistive. The oscillating magnetic flux caused by the alternating current applied to the primary coil induces eddy currents in the shorted turn secondary coil but not in the yoke components. This reduces heating of the yoke components, reduces flux modulation, and reduces wasted power.

Abstract: An electromagnetic transducer such as an audio speaker, having a multi-gap geometry in which there are two or more magnetic air gaps over which magnetic flux flows in a same radial orientation. The magnetic flux is provided by one or more radially-charged magnets.

Abstract: A quick-dis/connect coupler including two coupler modules, male and female. Each includes a housing. At least one includes a stopcock valve. The housing bodies are configured such that, as they are engaged/disengaged, each automatically opens/closes the other's stopcock valve. The complete coupler may include seven or fewer components, with five or fewer skus among them. The coupler provides a straight-through, laminar fluid flow path with no dead zones and essentially zero occlusion, and has no springs or other such components inside the fluid flow. The coupler uses inexpensive injection molding and snap-fit components which are dual-latched. The valve-closing springs also provide positive eject force upon disengagement of the coupler.

Abstract: An electromagnetic transducer such as an audio speaker which includes an asymmetric diaphragm to deliver smooth frequency response with reduced distortion by reduction of common modes in the diaphragm. Other benefits such as asymmetric directivity patterns can be realized. The asymmetric cone has a perimeter OD at which a surround may be coupled, and an ID at which a bobbin or spacer may be coupled. The center of the ID is not coincident with the center of the OD. The transducer further includes a stabilization mechanism for reducing rocking of the diaphragm assembly. The stabilization mechanism may include mass balancing of the diaphragm and/or adjustments to the location or symmetry of the suspension components.

Abstract: An electromagnetic transducer such as an audio speaker, having a motor structure in which a shorting ring that sinks eddy currents also serves as a permanent fixture to provide coaxial alignment of two or more components within the transducer. These components could include various combinations of the yoke, the top plate, the magnet, and/or other parts. Ideally, the shorting ring extends axially as close as possible to the voice coil, to a position immediately adjacent the magnetic air gap.

Abstract: A microprocessor including memory storage into which ISA customer code routines can be stored after having been decoded into their machine-native microinstructions. The customer code store is not subject to eviction and the like, as a cache memory would be. ISA level code can specify a routine for storage into the customer code store, at a time prior to its execution. The customer code store thus serves as a write-once execute-many library of pre-decoded routines which ISA level applications can subsequently use, permitting a system manufacturer to create a highly customized and optimized system.

Abstract: A thermally conductive chimney tube extends through a loudspeaker cabinet that encloses a volume of air heated by a speaker driver. The open ends of the chimney are outside the cabinet. A column of air within the chimney is in contact with the external ambient air, but sealed off from the enclosed volume of air. As the speaker driver heats the enclosed volume of air, the material of the chimney transfers the heat to the column of air, which rises and carries the heat away into the external ambient air, cooling the inside of the loudspeaker cabinet and thus cooling the speaker driver.

Abstract: A back-torque limiting slipper clutch. An engine including such a slipper clutch separate from its conventional gearbox clutch. A motor vehicle including such an engine having separate slipper clutch and gearbox clutch. A motorcycle having separate slipper clutch and gearbox clutch. The slipper clutch friction stack tension can be altered statically or dynamically. The slipper clutch may include a secondary output shaft which moves the final output to a point not coaxial with the slipper clutch, such as to move the final output to a different vertical height with respect to a swingarm pivot of the motorcycle.

Abstract: An electromagnetic transducer, such as an audio speaker, includes a return path member which is a pole piece for external magnet geometries or a cup for internal magnet geometries. The magnetic flux return path for the primary drive magnet is through a first portion of the return path member. A first section of a low reluctance magnetic flux return path for a secondary drive magnet is through a second portion of the return path member. A magnetically conductive plate provides a second section of the low reluctance return path from the second portion of the return path member to the secondary drive magnet.

Abstract: A multi-cylinder four-stroke internal combustion engine enabling a method for on-the-fly switching between two or more firing orders. Switching to the new firing order is done without requiring any tear-down of the engine such as to swap camshafts. Switching can be triggered by the rider, or it can be triggered automatically per conditions such as selected gear, RPM range, track location, velocity, and the like.

Abstract: An acoustical transducer such as an audio loudspeaker or a microphone, having a suspension component whose outermost edge extends axially rather than radially and couples with an axial mounting surface in the transducer's frame rather than with a radial flat surface of the frame. The suspension component may be a surround or a spider. Eliminating the radial portions of the suspension component and the frame enables the use of a larger diaphragm within a transducer of unchanged outer dimensions, increasing the amount of air moved by or moving the diaphragm. It also enables closer on-center packing of multiple transducers onto the same baffle such as the front baffle of a speaker enclosure, or, put another way, it enables a higher percentage of the mounting baffle's front surface area to be covered with moving diaphragm area. Radial mounting flanges and their mounting holes are limited to portions of the frame which will not increase the gap space between adjacent transducers or other boundaries.

Abstract: A motorcycle having two drive chains. The gearbox output includes a left front sprocket and a right front sprocket. The rear wheel includes a left rear sprocket and a right rear sprocket. Left and right chains connect the respective front and rear sprockets. Power is transmitted to the rear wheel symmetrically. The swingarm is not subjected to asymmetric force that would twist it or pull it to one side, and can be made lighter. Swingarm flex can be better specified, making the swingarm a more useful suspension component, especially aiding the rear wheel while bent over in hard cornering over an irregular road surface.

Abstract: An electromagnetic transducer such as an audio speaker, having an improved geometry in the positioning of its voice coils relative to its magnetic air gaps, facilitating a greater linear travel. The transducer has a push-pull geometry with at least two voice coils. At all positions throughout the linear travel region, less than 100% of the total voice coil windings are active, and less than 100% of the total available magnetic air gap height is active. As the voice coil assembly moves in one direction, the percentage of active windings or magnetic air gap is seamlessly handed off from the upper voice coil or magnetic air gap to the lower voice coil or magnetic air gap, and vice versa in the opposite direction. Some of the available voice coil windings and some of the available magnetic air gap height are left unused throughout the linear travel region, but, in exchange, the distance of the linear travel is dramatically increased.

Abstract: An electromagnetic transducer such as an audio speaker, having a push-push geometry in which there are two or more air gaps and the magnetic flux across the air gaps is in the same orientation. If there are more than one voice coil, the voice coils may thus be generating the same electromagnetic polarity by being wound in the same direction about the bobbin, or by being wound in opposite directions and having separate, opposite polarity electrical connections. The transducer exhibits high linearity over a long travel.

Abstract: A motorcycle or bicycle suspension having adjustable side-to-side flexibility. The suspension includes a telescopic fork and a fork bottom which couples the fork to the axle of a wheel. The fork bottom and the fork are stiff in the direction of travel, to avoid flexing under heavy braking. The fork bottom is flexible in the lateral direction, to improve the ability of the tire to stay in contact with the ground when leaned over and cornering over irregular, bumpy ground. The lateral flexibility of the fork bottom is adjustable by tightening or loosening a tension cable which is attached to the ends of the fork bottom and stretched over a fulcrum in the middle of the fork bottom. Tightening the tension cable increases sideways thrust of the fulcrum against the fork bottom, reducing the lateral flexibility of the fork bottom.

Abstract: A motorcycle or bicycle having a fork with swappable trail adjustment blocks which hold the front axle to the fork. Trail can be adjusted without removing the forks or even loosening them in the triple clamps, and without altering ride height or rake angle. Brake caliper mounts are swapped when the trail adjustment blocks are swapped, moving the brake calipers the same distance and direction as the axle, to maintain a constant radial distance from the axle to the brake pads. The brake caliper mounts pivot on the forks, enabling the brake calipers to be swung outward so the wheel can be changed without removing the brake calipers from the forks.

Abstract: An electromagnetic transducer, such as an audio speaker, includes a return path member which is a pole piece for external magnet geometries or a cup for internal magnet geometries. The magnetic flux return path for the primary drive magnet is through a first portion of the return path member. A first section of a low reluctance magnetic flux return path for a secondary drive magnet is through a second portion of the return path member. A magnetically conductive plate provides a second section of the low reluctance return path from the second portion of the return path member to the secondary drive magnet.

Abstract: A motorcycle or bicycle having a fork with swappable trail adjustment blocks which hold the front axle to the fork. Trail can be adjusted without removing the forks or even loosening them in the triple clamps, and without altering ride height or rake angle. Brake caliper mounts are swapped when the trail adjustment blocks are swapped, moving the brake calipers the same distance and direction as the axle, to maintain a constant radial distance from the axle to the brake pads. The brake caliper mounts pivot on the forks, enabling the brake calipers to be swung outward so the wheel can be changed without removing the brake calipers from the forks.

Abstract: An electromagnetic transducer such as an audio speaker exhibiting highly linear performance over a greatly extended excursion. The motor structure includes a stack of two or more magnet and plate pairs, with the magnets polarized in the same orientation such that the magnetic flux flows in the same direction over all of the magnetic air gaps. The voice coil is handed off from gap to gap with a configuration providing a substantially constant BL over an end-to-end distance at least as large as the thickness of one plate plus twice the thickness of one magnet.

Abstract: An electromagnetic transducer such as an audio speaker employs a slotted yoke and two suspension components enabling very large excursion relative to the size of the diaphragm which results in improved low frequency output. A first suspension component includes an inner ring, flexible springs, and an outer body. The flexible springs extend through the slots of the yoke and couple the inner ring to the outer body. The inner ring, outer body, and flexible springs of the first suspension component may be of monolithic construction or they may be distinct components coupled together. The inner ring couples to the bobbin of the diaphragm assembly, and the outer body couples to the outer cylindrical surface of the yoke or to a mounting ring which is coupled to the outer cylindrical surface of the yoke. A second suspension component, such as a surround, couples the diaphragm assembly and to the mounting ring.