Ski, method of stiffening the ski and method of manufacturing the ski
First Claim
1. A board for performing skiing sports comprising a longitudinally extending body having a longitudinal axis, at least one transducer actuator laminated to the body and converting upon deformation of the body mechanical power to electrical power, and an electrical circuit connected across the transducer actuator, said electrical circuit supplying power to the transducer actuator, wherein all electrical power supplied to the transducer actuator is derived from power extracted from mechanical deformation of the transducer actuator and the transducer actuator converts said electrical power to mechanical power, said mechanical power being adapted to actively stiffen said board.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention generally relates to boards for performing skiing such as downhill skis, cross-country skis, snowboards and the like, to a method of stiffening such boards, and a method of manufacturing such boards. More specifically, the present invention relates to a downhill ski comprising electronics for establishing optimal handling and performance characteristics. The board for performing skiing sports of the present invention generally comprises a longitudinally extending body having a longitudinal axis, at least one transducer laminated to the body and converting upon deformation of the body mechanical power to electrical power, and an electrical circuit connected across the transducer. The electrical circuit supplies power to the transducer, wherein all electrical power supplied to the transducer is derived from power extracted from the mechanical deformation, and the transducer converts the electrical power to mechanical power, wherein the mechanical power is adapted to actively stiffen the board.
46 Citations
21 Claims
- 1. A board for performing skiing sports comprising a longitudinally extending body having a longitudinal axis, at least one transducer actuator laminated to the body and converting upon deformation of the body mechanical power to electrical power, and an electrical circuit connected across the transducer actuator, said electrical circuit supplying power to the transducer actuator, wherein all electrical power supplied to the transducer actuator is derived from power extracted from mechanical deformation of the transducer actuator and the transducer actuator converts said electrical power to mechanical power, said mechanical power being adapted to actively stiffen said board.
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17. A method of stiffening a board for performing skiing sports comprising the steps of:
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a) converting mechanical power induced in at least one transducer actuator laminated to the board upon deformation of the board to electrical power; b) supplying the electrical power to an electrical circuit connected across the transducer actuator; c) supplying power from the electrical circuit to the transducer actuator, wherein all electrical power supplied to the transducer actuator is derived from power extracted from mechanical deformation of the transducer actuator; and d) converting the electrical power to mechanical power by the transducer actuator so that said board is actively stiffened by counter-action of the transducer actuator against the deformation.
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Specification