Abstract: The invention relates to a fuel container of plastics material with functional components arranged inside the container which are fastened to the container wall and at least some of which are connected to electric or hydraulic lines and/or are interconnected via such lines. The invention further relates to a method for maintenance of such a fuel container. The functional components are provided with fastening means for receiving a functionally identical functional component. In the event of maintenance, the fuel container is opened. An exchange component is fastened to the functional component to be serviced, the functional component to be serviced serving as a mounting for the exchange component. The lines connected to the functional component are plugged into the other functional component and the container is closed again while the component to be serviced remains in the fuel container.

Abstract: The invention concerns a fuel tank for a motor vehicle, comprising at least one venting device which is connected to a fuel vapor filter, wherein the venting device includes at least one collecting container for receiving liquid fuel. The fuel tank is distinguished in that disposed within the collecting container is a delivery pump for emptying it into the delivery volume of the fuel tank.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system and process for creating mass property models for new product designs. Engineers are able to use this robust model to perform various assessments. The system morphs legacy mass property values into new design project configurations. This is done by building linear transformations in four-dimensional homogeneous coordinates. The transformations capture source and target geometric characteristic shapes. Filtering techniques are used to retrieve relevant source mass properties from the database. These detailed mass properties are collected into bay wise functional groups and then converted to equivalent mass particulates. These point masses are transformed from the source domain to the target domain, and summed back together to generate target mass property data. The process outputs detailed mass property distributions used in engineering models and reports and is continually updated to accommodate detailed designs throughout project development.

Abstract: A bed knife for a mower includes a cutting implement for cutting a material. The bed knife includes a mounting portion that mounts to the mower, and a cutting area at which the cutting implement cooperates with the bed knife to cut the material. The bed knife further includes a serrated portion including a plurality of teeth.

Abstract: A valve assembly controller is configured with a table having a set of command signal values representing commanded positions of a valve element to obtain a desired flow rates through a fluid pathway. The table also includes a set of empirically measured drive signal values representing the actual positions of the valve element required to obtain the desired flow rates through the fluid pathway. During operation, in order to obtain a desired flow rate through the fluid pathway, the controller intercepts a command signal from a command signal source and provides the valve assembly with a corresponding drive signal based upon the table values. The controller therefore controls the positioning of the valve element such that the valve element is opened to a position either greater or less than the commanded position in order to provide the desired flow through the fluid pathway.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a method for automatically reducing the effect of a component of an external force that is laterally incident on a rotorcraft. A signal of the rotorcraft indicative of and proportional to the component is monitored. An absolute value of the signal and a preset high limit are compared. If the absolute value is greater than the preset high limit, manual heading control of the rotorcraft is disabled and the heading of the rotorcraft is adjusted with respect to the external force so as to decrease the lateral component of the external force experienced by the rotorcraft.

Abstract: A turf maintenance vehicle, wherein the vehicle includes a traction drive system structured and operable to provide movement of the vehicle across a ground surface, and an electric motor structured and operable to provide rotation of a cutting device that includes a plurality of cutting blades. The vehicle additionally includes a vehicle controller that is configured to receive a programmable vehicle clip rate data input and monitor a groundspeed of the vehicle and a rotational speed of the cutting device as the vehicle moves across the ground surface. The controller is additionally configured to actively control the electric motor based on the monitored vehicle groundspeed to thereby actively control the rotational speed of the cutting device in order to maintain the programmed clip rate of the vehicle as the vehicle moves across the ground surface.

Abstract: A heterodyne receiver includes first and second laser sources such as laser diodes which generate optical receiver oscillator (RO) signals having respective RO frequencies. Temperature control circuitry controls a temperature difference between the operating temperatures of the sources such that the RO frequencies differ by a difference frequency corresponding to the temperature difference, the difference frequency being offset from a frequency of a modulated millimeter-wave signal by a predetermined intermediate frequency. An electro-optical nonlinear mixer such as a photodiode receives the optical RO signals and the modulated millimeter-wave signal and generates an electrical intermediate-frequency (IF) signal, which is provided to an electrical amplifier/detector to detect the output signal corresponding to the modulation of the modulated millimeter-wave signal.

Abstract: The actuator has a shaft having a starting point resistance feature, and a low resistance portion. The actuator has a motor configured to rotate the shaft, the motor outputting a current feedback signal to indicate current exiting the motor. The actuator has a interference portion in proximity to the shaft, the interference portion configured to facilitate a resistance to shaft rotation when the shaft rotates, the resistance to shaft rotation causing a magnitude of the current signal to be greater when the starting point resistance feature passes in front of the interference portion than when the low resistance portion passes in front of the interference portion.

Abstract: An ice management system is configured for an aircraft having at least one rotor, each rotor having a plurality of blades. The system has an electrical power supply adapted to be carried by the aircraft remote from the rotor, and at least one heater is carried by the rotor for heating at least a portion of the rotor. A solid-state control relay is carried by the rotor and conductively coupled between the power supply and each heater for selectively controlling the flow of electrical power from the power supply to each heater. In addition, the system may incorporate a solid-state feed relay carried by the aircraft remote from the rotor and conductively coupled between the power supply and the control relay for selectively controlling the flow of electrical power to the control relay.

Abstract: A drive system is provided for a utility vehicle and includes an alternating-current (AC) motor for providing a drive torque. An AC motor controller receives a battery voltage signal, throttle pedal position signal, brake pedal position signal, key switch signal, forward/neutral/reverse (FNR) signal, and run/tow signal indicative of the utility vehicle being configured to be driven and being configured to be towed. The AC motor controller generates an AC drive signal for the AC motor, wherein the AC drive signal is based on the battery voltage signal, throttle pedal position signal, brake pedal position signal, key switch signal, FNR signal, and run/tow signal.

Abstract: The electrical tape has a flexible conductor strip defining a conductor strip contact surface configured to interact with a first electrical connector and a second electrical connector, the flexible conductor strip being arranged to provide electrical connectivity between the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector. The electrical tape has a flexible insulator portion substantially surrounding the flexible conductor strip, the flexible insulator portion being arranged to expose the conductor strip contact surface along the length of the tape.

Abstract: A proprotor blade (27a, 27b, 127a, 127b) having a fixed, spanwise, leading edge slot (215) located in at least the inboard portion of the proprotor is disclosed. The slot (215) is formed by a selectively shaped slat (217) disposed in a selectively shaped recessed area (219) located at the leading edge (202) of the main portion of the proprotor blade. The slot (215) is selectively shaped so the a portion of the airflow over the lower airfoil surface of the proprotor blade is diverted between the main portion of the proprotor blade and the slat (217) and exits at the upper airfoil surface of the proprotor blade. The present invention may be used on both military-type tiltrotor aircraft (11) and civilian-type tiltrotor aircraft (111) with only minor variations to accommodate the different shapes of the proprotor blades.

Abstract: A torsionally de-coupled engine mount system (13) for use in tilt rotor aircraft (11) applications is disclosed, in which an engine is mounted at its forward end to a prop rotor gear box by means of a forward mount (303) that is a simple adapter fitting, and at its aft end to a pylon assembly by an aft mount (305) that is a simple bi-pod fitting. The forward mount (303) counteracts forces and moments in six degrees of freedom, but the aft mount (305) only counteracts lateral and vertical loads. The contribution from the engine to the overall dynamic response of the aircraft is tuned by selectively tailoring the size, shape, weight, and material of the forward mount (303). The engine mount system torsionally de-couples the engines from the prop rotors, thereby preventing rotor torque from being induced into the engines.

Abstract: The electrical tape has a flexible conductor strip defining a conductor strip contact surface configured to interact with a first electrical connector and a second electrical connector, the flexible conductor strip being arranged to provide electrical connectivity between the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector. The electrical tape has a flexible insulator portion substantially surrounding the flexible conductor strip, the flexible insulator portion being arranged to expose the conductor strip contact surface along the length of the tape.

Abstract: A hydraulic actuator is configured to provide redundant boost control to an aircraft within approximately the same space required by a single hydraulic cylinder. The hydraulic actuator includes a housing and a piston assembly disposed within the housing. The piston assembly includes a ram, a first piston secured to the ram, and second and third pistons disposed on the ram such that the second and third pistons are translatable relative to the longitudinal axis of the ram. The pistons form two hydraulically separate actuator cylinders within the space required by a single cylinder which results in a reduction in the weight and size of the hydraulic actuator.

Abstract: A knockout punch is provided with a member such that when the punch and the die are drawn together by the draw stud to make a hole in a workpiece, the member on the punch will locate the punch assembly in a pilot hole. In three embodiments of the invention, the member is formed integrally with the punch and extends from the punch proximate to a bore in the punch which is used to connect the punch to the draw stud. In another embodiment of the invention, the member is provided as an insert which is connected to the punch within a counterbore. The punch is also provided with a pair of piercing portions for piercing through the workpiece after the member has centered the punch assembly with the pilot hole and a pair of cutting portions for shearing the workpiece after the piercing portions have pierced the workpiece.

Abstract: A rotor blade of a helicopter is presented. In an embodiment, the rotor blade includes a body; and a heating mat arranged in the body and configured to supply heat to said body. The heating mat includes a first plurality of fibers and a second plurality of fibers electrically connected to the first plurality of fibers. The first plurality of fibers define a positive angle smaller than about +45° relative to a first direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the body. The second plurality of fibers define a negative angle greater than about ?45° relative to the first direction.

Abstract: The invention relates to a thermoplastic fuel tank (1) for motor vehicles, with at least on stiffening element within the fuel tank (1), wherein the stiffening element extends between two opposite tank walls (4) in such a manner that it counteracts deformation caused by internal pressure of the fuel tank (1). According to the invention, two ends of the stiffening element arranged within the fuel tank (1) engage behind the tank wall (4) from the outside.