Abstract: An aircraft comprising a fuselage, first and second wings positioned on either side of the fuselage, wherein each wing includes an inner part connected to the fuselage and an outer part continuing the inner part, the end of each inner part connected to the fuselage having a height greater than half the height of the fuselage and extending over a length greater than or equal to half of a distance separating the nose and the tail of the fuselage.

Abstract: A method for preparing an electroporation device to deliver an electroporation treatment includes steps of delivering a charge current from at least one battery through a charge circuit to a supercapacitor unit and charging the supercapacitor unit with the charge current. The charging step includes measuring one or more input parameters of the charge current while the charge current is in at least one charge state of a plurality of charge states of charging the supercapacitor unit. The charging step also includes at least one step of transitioning the charge current between charge states of the plurality of charge states responsive to the one or more measured input parameters. Transitioning the charge current includes adjusting a magnitude of the charge current. In this method, the measuring and transitioning steps are automatically controlled by a control unit executing machine-readable instructions.

Abstract: A process of joining a wing to an aircraft fuselage comprising the steps of: mapping the wing root of the wing, mapping the center-wing-box (CWB) of the aircraft fuselage, determining the position to provide the hole pattern on the CWB, providing the holes on the CWB, and attaching the wing root to the CWB. Primary and secondary templates with corresponding hole patterns may be used in combination with targets and laser trackers to implement the process. The hole pattern of the wing root can therefore be duplicated on the CWB at a position such that when the wings are joined to the fuselage, the aircraft will have optimum flight performance and dynamic symmetry. A predictive fit is thus provided, based on virtual representation and analysis, and advantageously permits the hole pattern to be provided without requiring the CWB and wing root to be brought together.

Abstract: An aircraft comprising a fuselage, first and second wings positioned on either side of the fuselage, wherein each wing includes an inner part connected to the fuselage and an outer part continuing the inner part, the end of each inner part connected to the fuselage having a height greater than half the height of the fuselage and extending over a length greater than or equal to half of a distance separating the nose and the tail of the fuselage.

Abstract: A process of joining a wing to an aircraft fuselage comprising the steps of: mapping the wing root of the wing, mapping the center-wing-box (CWB) of the aircraft fuselage, determining the position to provide the hole pattern on the CWB, providing the holes on the CWB, and attaching the wing root to the CWB. Primary and secondary templates with corresponding hole patterns may be used in combination with targets and laser trackers to implement the process. The hole pattern of the wing root can therefore be duplicated on the CWB at a position such that when the wings are joined to the fuselage, the aircraft will have optimum flight performance and dynamic symmetry. A predictive fit is thus provided, based on virtual representation and analysis, and advantageously permits the hole pattern to be provided without requiring the CWB and wing root to be brought together.

Abstract: A cable guide or cleat for a cable, comprises, in one embodiment, a pivot mounting, a base section on the mounting and an upper section that, when fastened to the base section, a cylindrical guide with clearance for a cable to be passed through the guide for installation, and an insert piece designed to be inserted when the cable is in its final position, so that the base and upper sections, clamp the cable in place. The clearance allows the cable guide to be used first without the insert, when laying the cable, facilitating the laying of the cable round bends in particular. Then, when the cable is in place, the cleat is released again and the insert put in place, so that when the cleat is fastened the cable is securely clamped. Disclosed systems obviate the need for separate temporary guides that would otherwise need storing.

Abstract: A cable guide or cleat for a cable, comprises, in one embodiment, a pivot mounting, a base section on the mounting and an upper section that, when fastened to the base section, a cylindrical guide with clearance for a cable to be passed through the guide for installation, and an insert piece designed to be inserted when the cable is in its final position, so that the base and upper sections, clamp the cable in place. The clearance allows the cable guide to be used first without the insert, when laying the cable, facilitating the laying of the cable round bends in particular. Then, when the cable is in place, the cleat is released again and the insert put in place, so that when the cleat is fastened the cable is securely clamped. Disclosed systems obviate the need for separate temporary guides that would otherwise need storing.

Abstract: A cable clamp for an electrical cable, comprising a first member and a second member that can cooperatively retain a cable between them; wherein the first member has been formed by extrusion in the general axial direction of a cable as it is to be retained in the clamp, at least a portion of the axial cross-section of the first member comprising a receiving part having a curved shape within which a portion of the cable is to be located, and a flange extending from either side of the receiving part; and the second member is attachable at either end to a flange of the first member so as to retain the cable within the receiving part of the first member.

Abstract: A device for holding together elongate objects such as high-power electrical cables has a frame (30), a strap (12) designed to be fixed at one end to the device and to pass round the cables back to the device with its other end, a spindle (20) rotatably mounted in the frame so as to be generally parallel to the elongate objects in use, the other end of the strap being attachable to the spindle once passed round the cables, and then wound round the spindle by turning the latter in order to tighten the strap round the objects; and a locking mechanism constituted by at least one non-circular section of the spindle (20) and a matching non-circular aperture (33) in the frame, and by the spindle being displaceable along its length with respect to the frame by tightening a locknut (22) so that the non-circular section engages in the corresponding aperture when it is desired to lock it against rotation.

Abstract: A cable clamp for an electrical cable, comprising a first member and a second member that can cooperatively retain a cable between them; wherein the first member has been formed by extrusion in the general axial direction of a cable as it is to be retained in the clamp, at least a portion of the axial cross-section of the first member comprising a receiving part having a curved shape within which a portion of the cables to be located, and a flange extending from either side of the receiving part; and the second member is attachable at either end to a flange of the first member so as to retain the cable within the receiving part of the first member.

Abstract: A thick-film electric heater having thick-film layers applied directly on a thermally conductive non-flat substrate. Preferably, the substrate is cylindrically shaped. A dielectric layer is silk-screened on the substrate surface. A resistive layer is silk-screened on the dielectric layer to form a circuit for the generation of heat. The resistive layer has at least one resistive trace in a pattern that is discontinuous circumferentially. At least a pair of silk-screened contact pads are applied in electrical communication with the resistive layer for electrical connection to a power source. An insulation layer is applied over the resistive layer.

Abstract: Linear power amplifiers tend to be inefficient. This is a particular problem for RF amplifiers in a cellular base station. In order to improve the efficiency of such amplifiers, attempts have been made to modulate the power supply to the amplifier proportional to the envelope of the signal to be amplified. An UMTS signal requires power supply modulation at frequencies of the order of 10 to 20 megahertz. When quantization noise is taken into account, oversampling becomes desirable. However, switching power supplies at frequencies of the order of 40 or 80 or even 160 megahertz becomes difficult. By modifying the coding of phases of the power supply to be switched so that the number of phases enabled is proportional to the desired power supply output voltage rather than the length of a pulse in a time domain on any particular phase being proportional to the output voltage, dramatic improvements are achieved in switching losses, balance between phases and accurate tracking of the input signal.

Abstract: A method for selecting one of first and second cylinder groups of an internal combustion engine is provided. The first and second cylinder groups are coupled with first and second catalytic converters, respectively. The method includes identifying one of the first and second catalytic converters by comparing first and second catalyst parameters, associated with the first and second catalytic converters, respectively, to one another. The first and second catalyst parameters indicate which one of the catalytic converters is more capable of maintaining reduced emissions while adjusting an engine operational parameter. The method further includes selecting one of the first and second cylinder groups coupled to the identified catalytic converter for changing an engine operational parameter in the selected cylinder group.

Abstract: A method for selecting one of first and second cylinder groups of an internal combustion engine is provided. The first and second cylinder groups are coupled with first and second catalytic converters, respectively. The method includes identifying one of the first and second catalytic converters by comparing first and second catalyst parameters, associated with the first and second catalytic converters, respectively, to one another. The first and second catalyst parameters indicate which one of the catalytic converters is more capable of maintaining reduced emissions while adjusting an engine operational parameter. The method further includes selecting one of the first and second cylinder groups coupled to the identified catalytic converter for changing an-engine operational parameter in the selected cylinder group.

Abstract: A method for controlling the phasing of first and second air/fuel ratio oscillations in first and second cylinder groups, respectively, of an internal combustion engine is provided. The method includes determining a phase difference between the first air/fuel ratio oscillations and the second air/fuel ratio oscillations. The method further includes adjusting a phase of the first air/fuel ratio oscillations so that both first and second air/fuel ratio oscillations are at a predetermined phase offset with respect to one another, while maintaining an average air/fuel bias in the first cylinder group.

Abstract: A method for selecting one of first and second cylinder groups of an internal combustion engine is provided. The first and second cylinder groups are coupled with first and second catalytic converters, respectively. The method includes identifying one of the first and second catalytic converters by comparing first and second catalyst parameters, associated with the first and second catalytic converters, respectively, to one another. The first and second catalyst parameters indicate which one of the catalytic converters is more capable of maintaining reduced emissions while adjusting an engine operational parameter. The method further includes selecting one of the first and second cylinder groups coupled to the identified catalytic converter for changing an engine operational parameter in the selected cylinder group.

Abstract: A method for controlling first and second air/fuel ratio oscillations in first and second cylinder groups, respectively, of an internal combustion engine is provided. The method includes determining a first frequency of the first air/fuel ratio oscillations in the first cylinder group. The method further includes determining a second frequency of the second air/fuel ratio oscillations in the second cylinder group. Finally, the method includes adjusting the first frequency towards the second frequency responsive to a frequency difference between the first and second frequencies.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for connection of a conductor to a thick film pad is disclosed. Pressure and frictional force are combined to produce a reliable metallurgical bond between the conductor and the thick film pad.

Abstract: An amplifier arrangement comprising an amplifier for amplifying an input radio frequency (RF) signal to generate an output RF signal. A linear function processor generates a linear function correction signal which is a linear function of previous samples of the input signal in order to compensate for distortion effects of the amplifier related to the history of the input signal. A non-linear function processor generates a non-linear function of the input signal in order to compensate for instantaneous distortion effects of the amplifier. Then a pre-distortion processor distorts the current input signal in accordance with the linear and nonlinear function correction signals in order to compensate for both types of distortion in the output signal.

Abstract: A control system and method is provided for selecting one of first and second cylinder groups of an internal combustion engine when a frequency of air/fuel ratio oscillations in the selected cylinder group is to be adjusted. The method includes determining which of first and second frequencies of air/fuel ratio oscillations in the first and second cylinder groups, respectively, has a greater frequency. Further, the method includes selecting one of the first and second cylinder groups having the greater frequency of air/fuel ratio oscillations. The selection is made to reduce engine torque fluctuations when changing a frequency of air/fuel ratio oscillations in the selected cylinder group.