7results about "Flexible wall reciprocating engines" patented technology

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 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.