12results about "Flexible wall reciprocating engines" patented technology

The soft vine robot includes a body configured as a tube, inverted within itself to define a pressure channel, such that when the channel is pressurized, the body everts and the inverted member of the body everts and tips out at a distal end of the body. A winding mechanism is controlled by a winding motor, the winding mechanism being internal to the tube and configured to actively feed the inverted member, provide or assist eversion, and actively retract the extended member of the body. Control and communication electronics control the winding motor. The winding mechanism may include a steering mechanism having a bending axis controlled by a steering motor. By actively providing an eversion or inversion force within the robot body, the soft vine robot can grow with reduced pressure compared to a base winding robot.

The invention relates to an air-steam engine comprising one or more cylinders and a piston located therein, capable of reciprocating. The air-steam engine further includes an injection nozzle and a pre-chamber. The pre-chamber is arranged between the injection nozzle and the cylinder, and a fuel fluid can be introduced into the pre-chamber from the injection nozzle. Compressed air from the cylinder is drawn into the pre-chamber, forming an air-steam mixture within the pre-chamber, which can then be introduced into the cylinder. This enables the reciprocating movement of the cylinder. Furthermore, the cylinder is connected to a condenser via an exhaust valve, causing the air-steam mixture or the vapor from the air-steam mixture to condense and be present as condensate in the condenser.The condenser and the injector are connected via a high-pressure pump and a high-pressure tank, allowing the fuel fluid to flow from the condenser back to the injector via another high-pressure pump and tank. This closed-loop system in the air-steam engine results in efficient operation.

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for controlling multiple reversible actuators with a single motor, or no motors, thereby reducing the size and cost of the multiple reversible actuators. The actuation mechanism can include a motor that rotates in an extension direction, a rotating shaft, a clutch, a brake, a high-pressure pressure source, and / or a valve. The actuation mechanism can deploy and extend an actuator that includes a wound reel of material. The retraction mechanism can include a motor that rotates in a retraction direction opposite the extension direction, a rotating shaft, a clutch, a low-pressure pressure source, a valve connected to the pressure source, and / or a passive retraction system. The retraction mechanism can unwind and shorten the actuator.

A soft vine robot includes a main body configured as a tube inverted back inside itself to define a pressure channel, such that when the channel is pressurized, the main body everts, and inverted material of the main body everts and passes out of a tip at a distal end of the main body. A reeling mechanism is controlled by a reeling motor, the reeling mechanism being within the tube and being configured to actively feed the inverted material to provide or assist eversion and to actively retract extended material of the main body back. Control and communications electronics control the reeling motor. T reeling mechanism can include a steering mechanism with a bending axis controlled by a steering motor. By actively supplying eversion or inversion forces in the robot body, the soft vine robot can grow with reduced pressure compared to base reeled robots.

The invention relates to the technical field of power output devices, and discloses a power output device driven based on external fluid pressure and an output method.The power output device comprises at least one variable-volume working cavity, the working cavity is provided with wall faces capable of moving relatively, and the wall faces are used for being connected with an external load; the low-pressure establishing unit is selectively communicated with the internal space of the working chamber and is used for establishing a low-pressure area in the internal space, and the pressure of the low-pressure area is lower than the fluid pressure of the external environment where the device is located; and the control unit is used for controlling the communication state of the low-pressure establishing unit and the working chamber. According to the system, the local low-pressure area is established, the pressure difference of the external environment fluid drives the working cavity to move, mechanical work which is several times of input energy can be obtained by inputting a small amount of electric energy, kinetic energy generated when the load decelerates can be converted into negative pressure energy to be stored by arranging the energy recovery unit, and the total energy efficiency of the system is improved.

A hydrostatic pressure to kinetic energy conversion system comprises a hydraulic head water column having a lower end which diverges to a pair of pressure channels. A valve system interfaces the water column and the pressure channels so that hydrostatic pressure from the water column alternately pressurises each channel. The system further comprises racks forced by pistons to act oppositely to rotate a driveshaft therebetween. Furling bladders within the channels forcibly unfurl under pressure to force the pistons. Proximal ends of the pistons may comprise sufficiently small diameter for envelopment by the furling bladders.

A soft vine robot has a main body configured as a tube inverted back inside itself to define a pressure channel, such that when the channel is pressurized, the main body everts, and inverted material everts and passes out of a tip at a distal end of the main body. A steering tube is held by and extends with the main body. A wrist joint is defined by a portion of the steering tube. A tendon extends along the steering tube and is fixedly attached to the steering tube distally of the wrist joint such that pulling tension applied to the tendon induces bending of the steering tube and the main body at the wrist joint.

A soft vine robot includes a main body configured as a tube inverted back inside itself to define a pressure channel, such that when the channel is pressurized, the main body everts, and inverted material of the main body everts and passes out of a tip at a distal end of the main body. A reeling mechanism is controlled by a reeling motor, the reeling mechanism being within the tube and being configured to actively feed the inverted material to provide or assist eversion and to actively retract extended material of the main body back. Control and communications electronics control the reeling motor. T reeling mechanism can include a steering mechanism with a bending axis controlled by a steering motor. By actively supplying eversion or inversion forces in the robot body, the soft vine robot can grow with reduced pressure compared to base reeled robots.

A first objective of the invention is to propose a new process for carrying out isothermal compression and expansion (isothermalization) operations in which the increase (respectively, decrease) of the gas pressure in a work enclosure, from a starting value p„ at a desired value pf, achieved while keeping constant the average temperature of the gas in the enclosure, to take place with compliance of an optimal sequence of partial transformations, by imposing an optimal trajectory viz(t) of the piston (solid, liquid, gaseous, or combined) and the other moving parts, simultaneously achieving the best compromise between energy efficiency and power density of the installation. A second objective of the invention is that the isothermalizers proposed for the isothermal compression and expansion of gases and vapors, whose moving parts contribute to the achievement of the isothermal speed viz(t), benefit from a satisfactory power density for the application served, which compared to quasi-isothermal devices with the same power, results in a shorter duration of the compression / expansion cycle and allows the circulation of higher gas flows, with the constant preservation of the temperature difference AT. The isothermalizers disclosed in this invention propose new processes for making the thermal sponge and cooling it as well as the gas in the enclosure, as well as innovative methods by which the energy efficiency of the isothermalizers is increased. A third object of the invention is to propose new complex installations made by incorporating the types of densifiers and rarefiers disclosed in the invention. By using the new facilities, due to the increase in the performance of the compression / expansion processes, the performance of all technologies in which the compression and / or expansion of gases and vapors play an important role increases: the transport, the storage and liquefaction of gases, the extraction of residual heat from gaseous and liquid sources, the production of mechanical work by using classic sources and, above all, renewable and residual ones, improving the operation of internal combustion engines and hydrogen ones, storing the energy from these sources, treating and conditioning the air, etc.

A pulsating pneumatic motor, comprising a housing, an output shaft and a rotor assembly wherein the rotor assembly includes: a plurality of cantilevers (2); a plurality of roller sets, each of which comprises a pair of rollers arranged on one said cantilever (2) in one-to-one correspondence, wherein each roller set comprises a fixed roller (3) and a movable roller (4); a plurality of elastic members (6), each connected between one movable roller (4) and one cantilever (2); an air pipe (5), passing through the plurality of roller sets in sequence, wherein the fixed roller (3) and the movable roller (4) of each of the roller sets are respectively in contact with the air pipe (5). The present disclosure can prevent the problem of air leakage, and avoid the mechanical energy loss caused by the friction, thereby improving the work conversion efficiency of the pneumatic motor.

Disclosed here is a system and method to control multiple eversion-based actuators using a single motor, or no motor, thereby reducing the size and cost of the multiple eversion-based actuators. An activation mechanism can include a motor rotating in an expansion direction, rotating shaft, clutch, brake, pressure source under high pressure, and / or valve. The activation mechanism can cause the actuators including a wound reel of material to unwind and lengthen. A retraction mechanism can include a motor rotating in a contraction direction opposite the expansion direction, rotating shaft, clutch, pressure source having low pressure, valve associated with the pressure source, and / or the passive retraction system. The retraction mechanism can cause the actuators to rewind and shorten.