Abstract: A fuel injector includes a nozzle body, at least one injection orifice formed through an injection end of the nozzle body, and a tubular valve disposed in a bore of the nozzle body that moves between open and closed positions. Apertures formed through a wall of the tubular valve permit fuel to flow freely between opposite ends and along an inner surface of the valve, regardless of any limitations imposed by an annular gap between the valve and nozzle body. The injector provides exceptionally high fuel flow rates without increasing valve lift or injection orifice size over conventional diesel fuel injectors, making it ideal for synthetic fuels such as DME.

Abstract: A desmodromic mechanism exhibits reciprocating motion of a pair of cam followers driven by a single cam. The mechanism is useful in a fuel pump that pressurizes a liquid for delivery to a fuel rail of a combustion engine. A desmodromic lever is symmetric about its rotational axis and maintains continuous contact between cam lobes and cam followers for the entirety of each rotational cycle. The mechanism is particularly useful in multi-piston pumps required to deliver higher than normal volumes of liquid fuel, as is the case with low energy density alternatives to diesel fuel.

Abstract: Vehicle occupant restraint systems that include a compact, web-mounted airbag that can be deployed during a crash event are described herein. In some embodiments, the web (e.g., a shoulder belt) passes through the stowed airbag during normal use and, when the airbag inflates and deploys, the airbag extends along the length of the web (for example, along the entire length, or at least most of the length, of the web) to protect the occupant. In some embodiments, the restraint systems include shoulder belts having first and second overlapping web portions, and when the airbag inflates and deploys, the airbag extends along the length of the first web portion between the first web portion and the second web portion.

Abstract: A virtual edge router network for providing managed services to distributed remote office locations can include routing components that are capable of being autonomously deployed at the network edge, as well as remotely managed, thereby obviating the need for on-site technical support in remote offices of the a small and medium business (SMB) client. Autonomous deployment and remote management is achieved through abstraction of the control and management planes from the data plane. Virtual edge routers may include virtual forwarding units and virtual remote agents instantiated on host devices in each remote office location, as well as a virtual network controller instantiated on a host device in a head-office location. A data plane of the virtual edge router communicatively couples the virtual forwarding units to one another, while a control plane communicatively couples the virtual network controller to each virtual data forwarding unit.

Abstract: Vehicle occupant restraint systems that include a compact, web-mounted airbag that can be deployed during a crash event are described herein. In some embodiments, the web (e.g., a shoulder belt) passes through the stowed airbag during normal use and, when the airbag inflates and deploys, the airbag extends along the length of the web (for example, along the entire length, or at least most of the length, of the web) to protect the occupant. In some embodiments, the restraint systems include shoulder belts having first and second overlapping web portions, and when the airbag inflates and deploys, the airbag extends along the length of the first web portion between the first web portion and the second web portion.

Abstract: Virtual machines can be remotely configured on distributed host devices by communicating management instructions over remote access tunnels. The management instructions prompt virtual remote agents on instantiated on the distributed host devices to configure virtual machines on the distributed host devices. The management instruction may prompt the virtual remote agents to instantiate a new virtual machine, to re-configure an existing virtual machine, or to create, remove, and/or modify virtual paths between two or more virtual machines on the distributed host device. Management signaling can be broadcast over multiple management tunnels to coordinate the configuration of multiple virtual machines at different distributed host devices based on a single virtual machine installation instance in an MSP server.

Abstract: A virtual edge router network for providing managed services to distributed remote office locations can include routing components that are capable of being autonomously deployed at the network edge, as well as remotely managed, thereby obviating the need for on-site technical support in remote offices of the a small and medium business (SMB) client. Autonomous deployment and remote management is achieved through abstraction of the control and management planes from the data plane. Virtual edge routers may include virtual forwarding units and virtual remote agents instantiated on host devices in each remote office location, as well as a virtual network controller instantiated on a host device in a head-office location. A data plane of the virtual edge router communicatively couples the virtual forwarding units to one another, while a control plane communicatively couples the virtual network controller to each virtual data forwarding unit.

Abstract: An electric drive system includes a first engine and a second engine. A first electric generator is adapted to be driven by the first engine and to generate a first output. A second electric generator is adapted to be driven by the second engine and to generate a second output. An energy storage device is adapted to receive the first output from the first electric generator and the second output from the second electric generator. An electric motor is operatively connected to the energy storage device. The electric motor is operable to generate mechanical power.

Abstract: In a system (10) for evaluating a structure (20), the structure (20) has a predetermined baseline thermal signature. The system (10) includes a thermal source (30) located at least partially inside the structure (20). The thermal source (30) is operable to generate a predetermined amount of heat, which heats the structure (20). The system (10) also includes a detection device (40) that is operable to determine the temperature at various points of the structure (20). The system (10) further includes a computer (50) that is coupled to the detection device (40). The computer (50) is operable to generate a thermal signature of the structure (20) based on the temperature at the various points. The generated thermal signature of the structure (20) is compared to the baseline thermal signature of the structure (20) to determine whether anomalies exist in the structure (20).

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a spectral nondestructive method for evaluating substrate surface characteristics of a sample substrate. The sample substrate has a sample substrate surface and a generally visually nontransmissive sample coating disposed on the sample substrate surface. The sample coating is transmissive within a first infrared spectral wavelength range and the sample substrate is reflective within the first infrared spectral wavelength range. The method begins with directing infrared radiation from an infrared radiation source towards the coated sample substrate. Specular and diffuse infrared radiation reflected from the coated sample substrate is collected. The reflected radiation is measured as a function of wavelength in the first infrared spectral wavelength range to obtain measured reflectance data representative of the reflectance of the coated sample substrate.