A rear wheel driving apparatus (1) includes: a first right-left communication passage (FP) through which a left reservoir (RL) and a right reservoir (RR) are communicated with each other; and a second right-left communication passage (SP) which is provided in parallel with the first right-left communication passage (FP) and through which the left reservoir (RL) and the right reservoir (RR) are communicated with each other. Thus, flowability of a liquid fluid stored in a case (11) is enhanced, and smoothing of a fluid level is enabled.

A gear unit at least partially filled with oil, wherein a device is provided in the gear unit for lowering the oil level, especially of the oil pan of the gear unit, during operation, the device including at least one temporary storage.

A gear unit having at least one shaft supported by a bearing in the gear unit housing, the spatial region of a bearing of a shaft situated in a cutout of the gear unit housing being limited at least partially towards the interior of the gear unit by a limiting device, in particular one that has a cutout for a shaft supported in the bearing,the lowest point of the cutout effecting a minimum oil level in the spatial region of the bearing.

A gas turbine engine according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes a windmill pump driven by a spool. A first pump driven by said spool with an air-oil cooler is located downstream of the first pump. A second pump is also driven the spool with an air-air precooler located downstream of the second pump. A method of operating a gas turbine engine during a “windmilling” condition includes driving a windmill pump with a spool during a “windmilling ” condition. A lubricant is communicated to a geared architecture with the windmill pump. A first pump is driven by the spool and an air-oil cooler is located downstream of the first pump.

A dual-line pump unit for supplying lubricant includes a reservoir having an interior for holding lubricant. A first pump is provided for pumping lubricant from the reservoir through a first main line to a lubricant distribution system. A second pump is provided for pumping lubricant from the reservoir through a second main line to the lubricant distribution system. During a first stage of operation, the first pump operates to pump lubricant from the reservoir through the first main line to the lubricant distribution system and the second pump is idle, the second main line venting back to the reservoir via the second pump. During a second stage of operation, the second pump operates to pump lubricant from the reservoir through the second main line to the lubricant distribution system and the first pump is idle, the first main line venting back to the reservoir via the first pump.

A high-pressure homogenizer including: a fixed body (7) housing a rotating crankshaft (10);a motor (3) for driving the crankshaft (10);a reduction gear unit (4) interconnected between the crankshaft and transmission elements (5, 6), characterized in that the reduction gear unit (4) is an epicyclic reduction gear unit. Preferably there is provided a lubricant feed line (15) which passes through the fixed body and reaches the epicyclic reduction gear unit (4). Preferably the epicyclic reduction gear unit (4) is constructed integrally with the fixed body (4).

A turbocharger for an internal combustion engine includes a bearing housing with a bearing bore and a thrust wall. The bearing housing includes a journal bearing disposed within the bore. The turbocharger also includes a shaft supported by the journal bearing for rotation about an axis within the bore. The turbocharger also includes a turbine wheel fixed to the shaft and configured to be rotated about the axis by the engine's post-combustion gasses. The turbocharger additionally includes a compressor wheel fixed to the shaft and configured to pressurize an ambient airflow. Furthermore, the turbocharger includes a thrust bearing assembly pressed onto the shaft and configured to transmit thrust forces developed by the turbine wheel to the thrust wall. Pressing the thrust bearing assembly onto the shaft minimizes radial motion between the thrust bearing assembly and the shaft. An internal combustion engine employing such a turbocharger is also disclosed.

A turbocharger for an internal combustion engine includes a shaft, a first turbine wheel, a compressor wheel, and a second turbine wheel. The shaft includes a first end and a second end and is supported for rotation about an axis. The first turbine wheel is mounted on the shaft proximate to the first end and configured to be rotated about the axis by post-combustion gasses emitted by the engine. The compressor wheel is mounted on the shaft between the first and second ends and configured to pressurize an airflow being received from the ambient for delivery to the engine. The second turbine wheel is mounted on the shaft proximate to the second end and configured to be rotated about the axis by a pressurized fluid. An internal combustion engine employing such a turbocharger is also disclosed.

A gear train lubricating device configured to supply lubricating oil OL to a gear included in a gear train is provided. The gear train lubricating device includes: a shroud covering, among components constituting the gear, at least teeth of the gear; and a lubricating oil supply port through which the lubricating oil OL is supplied to a meshing position of the gear. The shroud has an outlet port formed therein, through which the supplied lubricating oil OL is discharged. The outlet port is formed in a portion of the shroud that is positioned radially outward from the gear, such that the outlet port is disposed at an angular position that is 90°±15° forward from the meshing position in a rotation direction R1 of the gear.

A shaft assembly includes a gear with a gear bore having a splined bore section adjacent to an oil dam. A shaft includes a first splined end section and a second splined end section, the first splined end section engageable with the splined inner diameter, the shaft having a bore with a bore diameter greater than a diameter of the oil dam, a first set of radial apertures axially inboard of the first splined end section in communication with the shaft inner bore and a second set of radial apertures axially inboard of the second splined end section in communication with the shaft inner bore that altogether provide lubrication of the splined end sections.

A lubrication system for a gear system for a wind turbine is disclosed. The lubrication system comprises a reservoir adapted to contain lubricant, first pump means arranged to supply lubricant from the reservoir to the gear system via a first fluid connection, and vacuum generating means arranged in fluid connection with the reservoir, thereby maintaining a total air pressure in the reservoir which is lower than an ambient pressure during normal operation. The lowered total air pressure in the reservoir draws lubricant from the gear system into the reservoir, thereby increasing the lubricant level in the reservoir and decreasing the lubricant level in the gear system, allowing the lubrication system to be operated in a ‘dry sump mode’. In the case of an emergency or during start-up the vacuum generating means is stopped, thereby increasing the total air pressure in the reservoir. This causes a decrease in the lubricant level in the reservoir and an increase in the lubricant level in the gear system, allowing the lubrication system to be operated in a ‘wet sump mode’.

A lubrication system for a work tool, such as a demolition hammer, on a machine, such as an excavator or a loader. The lubrication system is mounted on drive line fluid connectors of the machine, such as hydraulic or pneumatic hoses. The lubrication system is fully supported by the connectors only and does not require mounting to the machine itself. The lubrication system includes a movable spool powered by the drive fluid of the machine, the spool reciprocating within a sleeve to force lubricant through passages to the work tool.

A lubrication apparatus for lubricating a surface of at least one component of a piece of equipment, which includes a lubrication mist generating unit in which air and a lubricant are combined to form a lubricant mist. A device is included for directly connecting the lubrication mist generating unit to the equipment at a position adjacent the surface to be lubricated.

An arrangement of an oil pump (8) and its drive in a transmission (1) that has a transmission housing (2) and at least one transmission shaft (3). The oil pump (8) is arranged coaxially with the at least one transmission shaft (3). The oil pump (8) is arranged on and can be driven by the at least one transmission shaft (3).

A system and method for lubricating gears in a wind turbine blade pitch drive are provided, wherein the pitch drive comprises a drive pinion gear with gear teeth that engage a pitch bearing gear coupled to a respective wind turbine blade. A grease distributor is configured to mount onto and rotate with the pinion gear, and is configured to deliver grease from an external grease supply to at least one valley defined between adjacent teeth of the pinion gear in a contact area of the pinion gear with the bearing gear without the distributor contacting inter-engaging teeth of the bearing gear.

A gas turbine engine includes a geared architecture with a multiple of intermediate gears, and a baffle with an oil scavenge scoop adjacent to each of the multiple of intermediate gears. A geared architecture and method are also disclosed.

An article of footwear having an upper secured to an outsole in combination having three toe pockets, the first toe pocket having a configuration to separately receive within a big toe of a wearer, and the second toe pocket having a configuration to separately receive within a second toe of the wearer, and the third toe pocket having a configuration to receive within the remaining third toe, fourth toe and fifth toe of the wearer.

An illumination system is housed in a footwear, the footwear including a sole and an upper. A structure and a liner form inner layers connected to the upper. A plurality of illumination sources are electrically connected to a power source and positioned adjacent to the liner. The illumination sources are positioned between the liner and upper. A batting is designed to be light diffusing, while the upper has a light diffusing section. The light emitted from the plurality of illumination sources is diffused as it passes through the batting and light diffusing section. Aesthetic designs can be creating, either through the arrangement of the plurality of illumination sources or the provision of a light impermeable section on the upper. The light impermeable section, in combination with the light diffusion section, can be used to form or outline an aesthetic design. The result is an internally illuminated footwear with diffused light.

In one embodiment, an article of footwear includes a sole and an upper attached to the sole. The upper and sole and configured to envelop at least a portion of human foot. The upper further includes a forefoot member attached to a forefoot portion of the sole and a heel member attached to a heel portion of the sole. The forefoot member and heel member are detached from each other at a location above the sole to enable individual adjustment of the forefoot member and the heel member.

An interchangeable cleat system for an article of footwear includes an outer sole member with a plurality of fixed cleat members and a plurality of removable cleat members. The spacing between the removable cleat members and the fixed cleat members may be approximately constant in at least one portion of the article of footwear. The differences in height between the removable cleat members and the fixed cleat members may be approximately constant within a portion of the outer sole member. The cleat system can include at least three sets of cleat members that can be interchanged over different portions of the outer sole member.

Systems and methods for toning footwear include a combination of a support ring, an insole with a cushioning material configured to contact a user's foot, and an outsole with one or more convex regions to create instability in the footwear. The support ring or stiffener band can be coupled to the outsole between the insole on one side and the forefoot and heel toning convexities on the other side. In some embodiments, the stiffener band can be formed of a material different from and stiffer than the material of the outsole. In accordance with various embodiments, when a user wears the toning footwear while walking, an increase in both the toning and strengthening of the calves, hamstrings and/or glutes results.

An article of footwear includes an upper and a midsole positioned beneath the upper. The midsole includes an upper portion formed of a first material and a lower portion formed of a second material and positioned beneath the upper portion. The lower portion includes a plurality of support members spaced from adjacent support members. A plurality of connecting members extend between and are connected to adjacent support members, with the connecting members having a height that is less than a height of the support members to which the connecting members are connected, and an upper surface that is substantially flush with an upper surface of the support members to which the connecting members are connected.

An inner sole board having varying regions of flexibility is provided for use in an article of footwear. The inner sole board may include different materials along its length at different locations that vary its flexibility. An inner sole board is manufactured in an injection molding process requiring only one mold. The process includes a first step of providing a mold, a second step of providing an injection molding assembly, a third step of preparing an injection molding assembly and mold, a fourth step of injecting material into the mold, and a fifth step of establishing the dimensions of a first portion. During the injection molding process, the flow rate of at least one material may be controlled by a nozzle gate to control the shape and size of the flex zone it creates. In this manner, the inner sole board may be customized for a specific sport or individual.

An article of footwear with a hydroplaning-resistant outsole and camouflaged toe cap is disclosed. In one example, an article of footwear includes an outsole with a ground contacting surface including a first and second plurality of angled channels angled relative to longitudinal and lateral axes of the footwear. Each angled channel in the first plurality of angled channels extends from the toe to an outer edge of a mid-foot region of the outsole, and each angled channel in the second plurality of angled channels extends from a back portion of the heel to a front portion of the heel. The ground contacting surface also includes a plurality of lateral waved grooves intersecting the first and second plurality of angled channels, and a plurality of lateral waved sipes intersecting the plurality of lateral waved grooves and the first and second plurality of angled channels.

A sole structure for an article of footwear and a method of making the sole structure is disclosed. The sole structure can include an outsole and a midsole. The midsole includes a cavity with a protruding portion. A U-shaped transparent member is configured to cover the cavity so that the protruding portion remains visible from within the cavity.

An article of footwear with a ball contacting member is disclosed. The ball contacting member enhances the ability of a wearer to kick a ball with a low trajectory. The ball contacting member can be attached to the article of footwear in various different ways.

Apparatuses, systems, and methods for applying reduced pressure to a tissue site on a foot are provided. An apparatus may include an insole and a tissue contacting surface covering at least a portion of the insole. At least one portion of the tissue contacting surface is removable to form a void. The apparatus may also include a reduced-pressure interface for receiving reduced pressure from a reduced-pressure source, and at least one flow channel fluidly coupled to the reduced-pressure interface and the void.

An article of footwear with an undulating sole provides a different and unique ride and/or feel to the article of footwear, while also providing a unique aesthetic appeal and adequate cushioning and support. The midsole has an undulating shape substantially similar to a sine wave with a series alternating peaks and troughs, and may include one or more support elements disposed on the midsole to provide desired stiffness or cushioning properties to the midsole.

The sole section of a shoe includes a midsole and an outsole, with the midsole being made from a translucent material. An illumination system is located inside the translucent midsole, causing the translucent midsole to be internally illuminated when the illumination system is active. Due to the translucent nature of the midsole light from the illumination system reflects internally throughout the midsole, increasing illumination. The light will also illuminate adjacent translucent components, such as the outsole if it is also made from a translucent material. Light from the illumination system can be blocked, such as by an opaque outsole or colored mold injection, and used to form an illuminated design or logo. By blacking out or covering sections of the translucent midsole, shapes and letters of visible light can be created in the negative space of the obstruction sections. This allows illuminated designs to easily be incorporated into footwear.

Footwear according to the present disclosure includes an upper and a sole assembly coupled to the upper, with the sole assembly including an outsole with a ground-contacting surface and a midsole positioned above the outsole. The midsole includes a peripheral lasting member that defines a central aperture, and a cushioning member positioned at least above the peripheral lasting member. In some embodiments, the footwear further includes a heel and the midsole includes a heel strike projection that engages the heel. In some embodiments, the midsole further includes a shank. In some embodiments, the cushioning member defines the optional heel strike projection, and in other embodiments, the optional shank defines the optional heel strike projection. In some embodiments, the footwear includes a spur support.

An article of footwear has an upper that includes a knitted component and a sole structure secured to the upper. The knitted component may define a tube formed of unitary knit construction, and a strand may extend through a length of the tube. As another example, the knitted component may have a pair of at least partially coextensive knitted layers formed of unitary knit construction, and a plurality of floating yarns may extend between the knitted layers. In some configurations, the knit type or yarn type may vary in different regions of the knitted component to impart different properties. Additionally, the knitted component may incorporate a thermoplastic yarn that is fused in different regions of the knitted component to impart different properties. A flat knitting process or a variety of other knitting processes may be utilized to form the knitted component.

A smartphone app that causes a smartphone device to actively control a configuration of footwear structural elements located in a footwear sole or removable inner sole insert of a user of the smartphone device, and one or more sensors located in either one or both of the sole or the removable inner sole insert the user's footwear and a sensor including a gyroscope and/or an accelerometer in the smartphone device; and the footwear structural elements being configured for computer control by the smartphone device when the smartphone app is operating on the smartphone device; and wherein instructions of the smartphone app, when executed, cause the smartphone device to, first, process measurement data received from the footwear and smartphone sensors and, second, use the processed measurement data to alter a configuration of the footwear structural elements based on the output from processing measurement data.

An article of footwear may include an upper and a sole structure fixedly attached to a bottom portion of the upper. The sole structure may include a sole component including a baseplate having a bottom surface and at least a first ground engaging member extending substantially downward from the bottom surface of the baseplate, the first ground engaging member having a substantially circular cross-sectional shape. In addition, the sole structure may also include a tapered support structure having a substantially pyramidal shape and extending substantially downward from the bottom surface of the baseplate, abutting the first ground engaging member at a side portion, and partially surrounding the first ground engaging member such that a portion of the first ground engaging member is exposed between edges of the tapered support structure. Also, the tapered support structure may extend downward from the baseplate less than the first ground engaging member.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a footwear sole including a midsole and an outsole. The midsole includes of a plurality of protrusions extending downwardly from a bottom surface of the midsole toward the outsole. The outsole may include a plurality of recesses positioned to mate with a corresponding protrusion from the midsole. The outsole may also include one or more protrusion extending downwardly from the bottom of the outsole. The outsole protrusions may correspond with an associated recess of the outsole top surface. The protrusions may be hemispherical in shape at their distal ends so that a portion of the distal end may be received by the corresponding recess of the outsole top surface.

A footwear accessory comprising a reversible footwear cover, the cover adapted to cover an article of footwear's uppers, sole and heel counter; a two sided sole attached to the cover, the sole adapted to provide both a frictional surface between the footwear and the cover and between a walking surface and the footwear; and, a cover retainer for securing the footwear cover to the footwear, the retainer being integral to the cover and adapted to be inserted into the footwear and positioned between a user's foot and the footwear.

An article of footwear with an integral upper and sole and a method of assembling the article of footwear are disclosed. The method includes folding the article of footwear from a flat configuration and attaching top and bottom lateral edges to form the article of footwear. A kit of parts containing an article of footwear with an integral upper and sole and a set of instructions is also disclosed.

An article of footwear includes a first ball control portion, a second ball control portion and a third ball control portion. Each ball control portion includes a group of gripping members configured to facilitate various types of ball control. Each group of gripping members is arranged so that the ball control portions present a series of approximately continuous edges to a ball, which can help maintain a smooth trajectory for a ball.

An electronic personal thermal control apparatus and method may provide heating and cooling for a user. A power source may provide power to a thermal module that is capable of heating or cooling a heat transfer component to a desired temperature. The heating or cooling may be managed by a controller. The components may be placed in a housing. The apparatus may be placed at any suitable position on a user's body, such as the wrist or ankle(s). The housing of the apparatus may be incorporated or combined with clothing, such as wristband(s), apparel, jackets, footwear, or the like.

A heating apparatus for heating a subcompartment in a compartment of an appliance is disclosed. The heating apparatus includes an electromagnetic member disposed in the compartment, and a metal member thermally coupled to the subcompartment. The metal member is magnetically coupled to the electromagnetic member to generate an eddy current in the metal member in response to a magnetic field generated by the electromagnetic member for heating the subcompartment. A related heating method and a refrigerator incorporating such a heating apparatus are also disclosed.

An industrial fluid circulating system having at least one fluid circulation circuit, includes a plurality of pumps connected in parallel to circulate the fluid through each of the fluid circulation circuit, a separate motor driving each pump, a load detector to sense operating loads on the system and each circuit, and a speed control to vary the speed of each motor to thereby vary the pumping capacity of each pump in response to the detected load on the system, each pump of each respective circuit running simultaneously at a substantially similar speed or a predetermined equal reduced speed of the respective circuit or an almost equal reduced speed or a similar reduced speed.

A system configured to thermally regulate exhaust portions of a power plant system (e.g. steam turbine) is disclosed. In one embodiment, a system includes: a condenser adapted to connect to and thermally regulate exhaust portions of a steam turbine; and a cooling system operably connected to the condenser and adapted to supply a cooling fluid to the condenser, the cooling system including a solar absorption chiller adapted to adjust a temperature of the cooling fluid.

The invention provides cooling apparatus comprising: a solar heat collection means (2); two or more absorption refrigeration modules (1), each module being arranged to receive heat from the heat collection means and to re-circulate refrigerant through an evaporator (16); and means for putting a fluid to be cooled into thermal contact with each of the evaporators.

Systems and methods for transferring and optionally storing and/or retrieving thermal energy are disclosed. The systems and methods generally include a heat engine and a heat pump, the heat engine including first isothermal and gradient heat exchange mechanisms, and the heat pump including second isothermal and gradient heat exchange mechanisms. The heat engine and the heat pump exchange heat with each other countercurrent across the first and second gradient heat exchange mechanisms, the first isothermal heat exchange mechanism transfers heat to an external heat sink, and the second isothermal heat exchange mechanism receives heat from an external heat source.

The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for separating droplets from vaporized refrigerant. The droplet separator according to the invention has a separation vessel, where the droplets gravitationally separate from the vaporized refrigerant. A partition plate has been arranged in the separation vessel, which partition plate divides the separation space into two separation parts. Thereby the refrigerant is arranged—to pass firstly through the first separation space on the first side of the partition plate, —then to transfer to the second side of the partition plate, i.e. to the second separation space—then to pass through the second separation space on the second side of the partition plate.

Provided is an environmentally friendly refreezable barrel for chilling a plurality of items in an energy efficient manner that also conserves water. The refreezable barrel includes a cooler body defining an open end and a closed end portion. The cooler body defines a cavity extending from the open end towards the closed end portion. The cavity is configured to receive the plurality of items. A cooling element is disposed within the cooler body and is refreezable to mitigate temperature rise within the cooler body to prolong the melting of ice within the barrel, thereby reducing the overall amount of water used by the barrel. The refreezable barrel also includes a cooler stand defining a recess configured to engage with the closed end portion of the cooler body.

Separation method and apparatus for separating a gaseous mixture, for example, air, in a cryogenic rectification plant in which a compressed stream is divided into subsidiary streams that are extracted from a main heat exchanger of the plant at higher and lower temperatures. The two streams are then combined and expanded in a turboexpander to generate refrigeration for the plant. The flow rates of the two streams are adjusted to control inlet temperature of a turboexpander supplying plant refrigeration and to minimize potential deviation of the turboexpander exhaust from a saturated vapor state. Control of the expansion ratio can advantageously be applied to allow variable liquid production from the rectification plant.

A device for a beverage container may include a tubular member that is insulated and has an axis. The tubular member may further include an upper axial end and a lower axial end. Both the upper and lower axial ends can be open. The tubular member may be configured to receive and insulate the beverage container therein. The device may include a base. The base may be removably coupled to the lower axial end of the tubular member to close the lower axial end. The base may include an interior compartment containing a fluid permanently sealed therein. The fluid can have a freezing point of about 0° C. or less.

Cooling apparatuses and methods are provided which include one or more coolant-cooled structures associated with an electronics rack, a coolant loop coupled in fluid communication with one or more passages of the coolant-cooled structure(s), one or more heat exchange units coupled to facilitate heat transfer from coolant within the coolant loop, and N controllable components associated with the coolant loop or the heat exchange unit(s), wherein N≧1. The N controllable components facilitate circulation of coolant through the coolant loop or transfer of heat from the coolant via the heat exchange unit(s). A controller is coupled to the N controllable components, and dynamically adjusts operation of the N controllable components, based on Z input parameters and one or more specified constraints, to provide a specified cooling to the coolant-cooled structure(s), while limiting energy consumed by the N controllable components, wherein Z≧1.

Operation of an arbiter in a hardware design is verified. The arbiter receives a plurality of requests over a plurality of clock cycles, including a monitored request and outputs the requests in priority order. The requests received by and output from the arbiter in each clock cycle are identified. The priority of the watched request relative to other pending requests in the arbiter is then tracked using a counter that is updated based on the requests input to and output from the arbiter in each clock cycle and a mask identifying the relative priority of requests received by the arbiter in the same clock cycle. The operation of the arbiter is verified using an assertion which establishes a relationship between the counter and the clock cycle in which the watched request is output from the arbiter.

A USB interface to provide power delivery negotiated through a dedicated transmission channel includes a transmitter circuit including a digital-to-analog converter having an output coupled with an input of a transmission filter, a receiver circuit including an analog-to-digital converter having an input coupled with an output of a receiving filter, and a switching circuit configured in an operating mode of the USB interface to connect an output of the transmission filter and an input of the receiving filter to a connection node of the dedicated transmission channel.