147 results about "Gravity assist" patented technology

A safety barrier for wheelchair lifts is disclosed, and more particularly a safety barrier assembly which can be used singly or in opposed pairs to open automatically and mechanically in cafe-style, rotating 90 DEG from a first closed or barrier position to a second, open, pass-through position. More particularly, these barriers may be used as barriers on wheelchair lift platforms or at the door opening of a van or transit vehicles on which a wheelchair lift is mounted. The barriers typically are shaped like the letter P with the lower most barrier member being spaced from twelve inches to two feet above the floor, and which are designed to prevent wheelchairs from rolling out of the van when the platform has left the transfer level (vehicle floor), and as a safety barrier in the case of runaway wheelchair events. The preferred embodiment of the gate is mounted to a pivotal cam slot / bias spring assembly which provides for stable open and shut positions with spring / gravity assisted closure. The preferred embodiment also includes a safety interlock switch circuit which prevents lift platform motion when the gate barrier is open.

The invention relates to a gravity-assisted steam flooding mining method for exploiting thick-bed ordinary heavy oil reservoirs. In the thick-bed ordinary heavy oil reservoirs, the methods of steam injection in vertical wells and production in horizontal wells or steam injection in horizontal wells and production in horizontal wells are adopted . For the oil reservoir blocks that have been developed by vertical wells, the combination of vertical wells and horizontal wells can be used to drill horizontal production wells along the lower part of the oil layer in the known oil reservoir blocks, so that the vertical steam injection wells are obliquely above the horizontal wells, and the production wells and injection wells Simultaneous huff and puff of steam wells for 2-4 cycles or thermal communication between steam injection wells and production wells or formation of reservoir pressure down to 3-4MPa, transfer to steam injection wells and steam injection production wells for production and production; or steam injection wells and production wells have formed thermal communication , After the newly drilled horizontal production well huffs and puffs for one cycle and removes the pollution near the wellbore, the steam injection production well is transferred to the steam injection well for production and production. The invention can exert the sweeping effect of the displacement fluid in both vertical and horizontal directions, increase the sweeping range of the driving fluid, and increase the crude oil recovery rate of the thick common heavy oil reservoir.

The invention discloses an improved gravity assisted heat pipe radiator used for a high-power LED, which comprises an improved gravity assisted heat pipe and radiating fins, and is characterized in that the improved gravity assisted heat pipe consists of a flat-plate-shaped evaporation section and a cylindrical condensation section, wherein the evaporation section is directly connected with an LED circuit baseplate; the condensation section is connected with the radiating fins; a heat conduction column is arranged on the inner wall of the lower end of the evaporation section; a reflux tank channel is axially arranged on the inner wall of the condensation section; the interior of the heat pipe is vaccumized and is filled with a heat-conducting medium; and the inner wall of the heat pipe is sandblasted for heat transfer enhancement. The improved gravity assisted heat pipe radiator used for the high-power LED transmits the heat to the radiating fins rapidly by the circulating convection with the participation of gravity, and has the benefits of flexibility, convenience, simplification, low cost, high start speed, capability of accelerating the radiating rate with the temperature rising of the high-power LED, and the like.

Systems and apparatus for providing fluid communications are described. In an example, a vial access cap includes a connector having an opening for providing access to a fluid pathway; a canella extending into an interior of a vial, the canella having a fluid lumen operatively coupled to the fluid pathway and a gas lumen; and a gravity-assisted valve comprising a valve body defining an elongated valve cavity, a first port, a second port operatively coupled to the gas lumen, and a valve member movable between a sealable end of the elongated valve cavity proximal to the first port and a non-sealable end of the elongated valve cavity proximal to the second port. In other examples, a syringe including a gravity-assisted valve and a system including gravity-assisted valves are described.

A building escape railing system for mounting on a building and facilitating the rescue of persons and the access of emergency personnel and supplies to the building is disclosed. The building escape railing system includes at least one platform tracking for engaging the building and a vehicle engaging the at least one track for vertically transversing the at least one track. In one embodiment, the vehicle is a lift unit. In another embodiment, the vehicle is a rescue platform. In still another embodiment, the vehicle is a remote fire hose platform carrying a fire hose. In yet another embodiment, the vehicle is a brake mechanism that facilitates the gravity-assisted escape of persons from the building.

A compact and aesthetically-pleasing self-closing door hinge comprises a gravity-assist feature and preferably a spring-assist feature, wherein the spring may be easily adjustable, replaceable, and even left out of the hinge. The preferred embodiment is reversible for easily changing from a right-opening to a left-opening door, and includes hinge lift-off capability, wherein the door and the blade connecting the door to the hinge body may be lifted up off the body of the hinge without any significant disassembly of the hinge. The spring is preferably placed around the gravity-assist cams of the hinge, rather than above or below the cams, which arrangement significantly reduces the overall height of the hinge with only slightly increased diameter of the hinge main body. The preferred hinge has no bolts or other fasteners visible or protruding out from the main housing of the hinge, and the preferred hinge has no exposed spring sleeve.

An open circuit gravity-assisted uroflowmeter has a urine collector having a generally open inlet in fluid communication with a sensing passage located at a lower elevation than the inlet, the sensing passage intersecting a magnetic field and having electrodes for detecting a flow-dependent voltage induced by the passage of urine through the magnetic field. Preferred embodiments of the uroflowmeter may have low pressure drop, rapid response and simple construction.

An apparatus and method for stretching and / or exercising a user's body through incremental, controlled inversion and lower body stretching, preferably performed in combination. The user lies atop an exercise table and restrains her lower body to a restraint movably coupled to the exercise table. The user preferably controls the actuation of a first actuator to incrementally pivot the exercise table about a support structure thereby inverting the user's body. Before or after actuation of the first actuator, but preferably concurrently therewith, the user controls the actuation of a second actuator to incrementally extend the restraint axially away from the exercise table thereby pulling the user's lower body away from the user's upper body. This combination of gravity and mechanical decompression produces greater results than either action by itself.

The invention relates to a loop gravity-assisted heat pipe heat transfer device which mainly comprises an evaporator, a condenser, a steam pipe and a liquid pipe, wherein the evaporator is pipe-shaped, the evaporator is sealed and is filled with a working medium, an inlet of the steam pipe slightly extends into the top of the evaporator, and an outlet of the liquid pipe passes through the top of the evaporator and extends to the bottom of the evaporator; and an outlet of the steam pipe is communicated with the upper part of the condenser, and an inlet of the liquid pipe is communicated with the lower part of the condenser. The loop gravity-assisted heat pipe heat transfer device disclosed by the invention has excellent heat transfer performance and application expandability, can avoid installation difficulty, meets heat transfer requirements of vacuum tube heat collectors with any sizes and has the advantages of reliable structure and manufacturing process and lower cost.

The invention discloses an improved unidirectional gravity assisted heat pipe which comprises a sealed chamber (4), and proper quantity of heat pipe working fluid (5) sealed in the sealed chamber (4). The pipe body is divided into a condensation section (1), an evaporation section (3) and an insulation section (2) arranged between the condensation section (1) and the evaporation section (3). The condensation section (1) is arranged on the top of the gravity assisted heat pipe, and the evaporation section (3) is arranged at the bottom of the gravity assisted heat pipe. The enclosers of the condensation section (1) and the evaporation section (3) are made of materials with high coefficient of heat conductivity; the insulation section (2) is made of insulant different from the condensation section (1) and the evaporation section (3). When the temperature of the evaporation section (3) is higher than the temperature of the condensation section (1), heat is transferred to the condensation section (1) of lower temperature under the action of the gravity assisted heat pipe. When the temperature of the evaporation section (3) is lower than the temperature of the condensation section (1), heat can not be transferred to the evaporation section (1) along the shell of the gravity assisted heat pipe, thus preventing heat from being transferred inversely along the shell of the gravity assisted heat pipe and achieving the unidirectional thermal conduction of the gravity assisted heat pipe. The improved unidirectional gravity assisted heat pipe is applicable for unidirectional transfer of heat of gravity assisted heat pipes which are strictly required.

The invention relates to low-energy planet escape orbit designing method based on an invariant manifold and a gravity assist, being particularly suitable for the design of a low-energy deep space exploration task orbit by using movable balance points and belonging to the field of an orbital maneuver technology of spacecrafts. The method is carried out by the following steps of: firstly obtaining an orbit state set of the invariant manifold at a periapsis place by introducing a periapsis poincare map based on sectional matching of the periapsis poincare map; and then calculating a maneuver pulse applied to each branch of the invariant manifold in the orbit state set by using a numeric iteration method according to an escape hyperbola excessive speed requirement needed for realizing interplanetary transit, and determining a branch of the invariant manifold corresponding to the escape with minimum fuel and the required maneuver pulse through the comparison of the maneuver pulses. The method disclosed by the invention has the advantages of simple calculation method, high calculation efficiency and the like and can provide reasonable and feasible initial value guess for a precise design.

The invention provides a bayesian estimation-based particle filter gravity-assisted inertial navigation matching method. When solving non-linear problems, particle filter prevents linearization-caused errors and solves the problem that the traditional point matching Sandia algorithm easily produces divergence in a large-gravity anomalous change matching area. Through use of inertial navigation position information as quantity of state, a gravimeter measured value as observed quantity, bayesian estimation-based particle filter, and a random sample average replacing a probability density function conditional mean, inertial navigation system state variable is estimated.

The invention discloses an uneven humid efficient phase changing coating preparation and a gravity assisted heat pipe device. The gravity assisted heat pipe device comprises a pipe body with two sealed ends; liquid working medium is poured into the pipe body; the upper portion of the pipe body is a condensation section, and the lower portion of the pipe body is an evaporation section; the inner top wall of the condensation section is a zigzag-shaped structure face; the uneven humid coating covers the inner side wall of the condensation section, the zigzag-shaped structure face and the inner bottom face of the evaporation section; the uneven humid coating comprises dewatering areas and hydrophilic areas; the uneven humid coating covering the zigzag-shaped structure face of the condensation section is of the structure that the straight stripes of the dewatering areas and the hydrophilic areas are distributed alternately; and the direction of the straight stripes is perpendicular to the zigzag grooves of the zigzag-shaped structure face. The gravity assisted heat pipe device can improve heat flux of an evaporation process and a condensation process remarkably. According to gravity assisted heat pipe device, depending on the operation rules of gravity assisted heat pipes, drawbacks existing in current gravity assisted heat pipes are overcome; working medium cycling speed is improved; and heat transfer load of the heat pipes is strengthened.

The invention relates to a reverse distance weighted interpolation algorithm for constructing an underwater gravity assisted navigation background field, and belongs to the technical field of underwater gravity assisted navigation background field electronic information constructing taking account of the remove-restore technique. The ocean gravity observation value is used as basic data, combined with a global gravity field model, and the inverse distance weighted interpolation algorithm taking account of the remove-restore technique is used, to build an ocean gravity background field which meets the underwater gravity navigation needs. The reverse distance weighted interpolation algorithm has the following technical advantages of eliminating the influence of the edge effect, and improving the algorithm accuracy by sixteen times.

The invention relates to a refrigerator with a heat preservation drying mechanism. The refrigerator comprises a refrigeration chamber and a refrigeration mechanism. A heat preservation chamber is arranged on the bottom on the outer side of the refrigeration chamber, phase change heat storage blocks are arranged in the heat preservation chamber, the condensation sections of five or more gravity assisted heat pipes are inserted into the corresponding phase change heat storage blocks, the evaporation sections of the gravity assisted heat pipes extend out of the heat preservation chamber and are respectively inserted into a condensing coil of a condenser, a thin ventilation pipe is arranged in the refrigeration chamber, the two ends of the thin ventilation pipe respectively extend into the heat preservation chamber, one end of the thin ventilation pipe is an air inlet, the other end of the thin ventilation pipe is an air outlet, a micro fan is arranged on the air inlet, the thin ventilation pipe located inside the refrigeration chamber is communicated with a water drainage pipe through a T-branch pipe, and a water outlet of the water drainage pipe extends out of the refrigeration chamber. According to the refrigerator with the heat preservation drying mechanism, the temperature of the heat preservation chamber is kept from 40 DEG C to 50 DEG C. When the temperature of a working medium inside the condensing coil is larger than the temperature of phase change heat storage materials in the heat preservation chamber, the gravity assisted heat pipes work and transfer waste heat to the phase change heat storage materials in the heat preservation chamber; otherwise, the gravity assisted heat pipes are closed.

The invention discloses a one-way loop gravity assisted heat pipe. The one-way loop gravity assisted heat pipe comprises a liquid bag, a short connecting pipe, a necking down reducer union and a long connecting pipe. The invention further discloses a manufacturing method of the one-way loop gravity assisted heat pipe. The necking down reducer union is added in the loop gravity assisted heat pipe to achieve a necking down structure to enable the flowing direction of a working medium in the loop gravity assisted heat pipe to be uniquely determined during working, in other words, the whole heat pipe shows the one-way performance, and therefore the one-way loop gravity assisted heat pipe is started more rapidly compared with an ordinary loop gravity assisted heat pipe, and the heat of a heat dissipation end is more efficiently utilized. In addition, the heated end of the one-way loop gravity assisted heat pipe is located at the bottommost end of the heat pipe, and therefore the one-way loop gravity assisted heat pipe has wide applicability, and is compact in structure and low in cost.

The invention discloses a natural gas acquiring device comprising a casing and a gravity assisted heat pipe. The outer wall of the heat dissipation section of the casing and the outer wall of the heating section of the casing are provided with perforations. The upper part of the gravity assisted heat pipe is arranged inside the heat dissipation section of the casing. The lower part of the gravity assisted heat pipe is arranged inside the heating section of the casing. In this way, the heat is absorbed by the lower part of the gravity assisted heat pipe and then the absorbed heat is transferred to the gravity assisted heat pipe. After the upper part of the gravity assisted heat pipe is heated, the natural gas hydrate is heated to be decomposed into methane gas and liquid water. Along with the increasing of the content of the decomposed natural gas hydrate, the pressure inside a natural gas hydrate storage layer is increased. When the pressure is increased to a certain degree, the pressure is automatically ejected to the top of the casing. Therefore, the development of the natural gas hydrate is realized. The invention also discloses a natural gas acquiring method, wherein the bottom of the gravity assisted heat pipe is heated by means of a high temperature layer at the bottom of the natural gas hydrate storage layer. As a result, the potential risk of external contamination is eliminated and the development cost is effectively reduced.

A method for tensioning and positioning a fiber optic cable includes providing and securing a first portion of the fiber optic cable in a first support with a first clamp. A second portion of the fiber optic cable is then provided in a second support, and secured thereto with a second clamp. A cam contacting the second support is then rotated, thereby rotating the second support due to its weight and the weight of the second clamp. The rotation of the second support creates a gravity-assisted moment arm that uniformly and repeatably tensions and positions the fiber optic cable. After the fiber optic cable is uniformly tensioned and positioned, a refractive-index grating may be etched in the glass optical fiber portion of the cable. Once the grating is etched, the cable may be removed by reversing the method.

A mobile feeder uses a wagon wheel set with a draw bar. The wheel set serves as the undercarriage for the feeder. The feeder has a plurality of arcuate supports that are spaced sufficiently to allow livestock to feed between. The arcuate supports are resiliently hung from a frame that defines the outer dimensions of the feeder and pass under a central, longitudinally extending frame bar. When impacted from an animal feeding transverse to the feeder, the arcuate supports flex resiliently, while still retaining proper spacing for both feed and animal. Resilient attachments couple the arcuate supports to frame, and links couple adjacent arcuate supports and thereby distribute forces and help to maintain spacing. Feed trays are provided beneath the arcuate supports to catch and retain any feed inadvertently escaping from the arcuate supports. The feed trays are most preferably sloped from the longitudinal center down and away from the longitudinal center, to provide gravity assist in delivering the errant feed to feeding animals.

The invention provides an adaptive rescue trajectory planning method based on a numerical optimization algorithm. According to the method, after a launch vehicle fails, it is judged whether or not therescue trajectory needs gravity-assisted taxiing after a fault; if no, remaining fuel and thrust are used for looking for an optimal rescue trajectory in the current orbital plane and a rescue orbitwhich the launch vehicle can send payload into; if yes, it is considered that the situation of the orbital plane is changed, taxiing is assisted by introducing gravity, the orbital transfer time is adjusted, and the utilization rate of the remaining fuel is increased, thereby obtaining the optimal rescue trajectory and the rescue orbit which the launch vehicle can send payload into through optimization. According to the evaluation of the remaining carrying capacity, the initial value of the trajectory planning numerical optimization algorithm is adaptively generated, and according to the initial value of the state of the rescue trajectory, the numerical optimization algorithm is used for determining the rescue trajectory, improving the solution convergence and efficiency of the rescue trajectory, and reducing the solution difficulty of the problems.

An inkjet printer service station has a movable member that interacts with another printer subsystem, which is changeable between a first state and a second state. To vary the printhead-to-media spacing to accommodate different thickness of media, such as plain paper and envelopes, a cam-operated locking mechanism and a lever-operated mechanism raise and lower the inkjet printhead. Other printer subsystems may be transitioned between two or more states through motion of a service station movable member, including motion using gravity assist, centrifugal forces, or momentum to accomplish one of the transitions. Other locking mechanisms may be used to secure a subsystem in one state or another, such as electrical or electromechanical mechanisms, as well as other structurally equivalent forms beyond the specific preferred embodiments illustrated herein without departing from the broad concepts disclosed. An inkjet printing mechanism having such a system, along with methods of operation are also provided.

A mobile system for use in transfer of liquid waste reduces loading and / or unloading times required during transfer to a tank truck or transfer from a tank truck to other equipment such as spreading equipment. The system includes a transfer tank that is raised and lowered to provide improved transfer due to gravity assist. The tank is provided on a structural frame that includes a lifting arrangement for supporting the tank at least six feet above a ground position. Preferably the structural frame is part of a trailer to allow convenient transport. The system has particular application for liquid manure transfer systems.

A fish tank with an integrated gravity assisted cleaning apparatus comprising a tank capable of holding a suitable volume of water with a siphon tube with a lower proximal end that extends into the tank near or at the tank's bottom surface attaches to a siphon tube connector attached to the side of the tank. The siphon tube includes a distal end that is fixed or adjustably attached at different elevated positions on the side of the tank integrally formed on the siphon tube connector or attached to the siphon tube is a manual valve. In the preferred embodiment, the distal end is located at a position at or near the desired level of the water. When fresh water is added to the tank, a volume of dirty water equal to the amount of fresh water added to the tank is discharged.

A hybrid vertical energy storage system is invented wherein the components responsible for the conversion, storage and production of energy are used as the weighted component of a gravitationally aided energy storage device. The present invention allows gravity to operate mechanical devices which may help move a volume of fluid in order to compress a gas and store potential energy. The present invention utilizes the attributes of pumped hydro by using gravity assisted fluid transfer, and also combines Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) functionality by powering hydraulic pumps and motors to transfer fluid from one vessel to another vessel. This feature allows conventional, inexpensive, market proven components to make the capture, conversion, storage and production of energy more effective and affordable while eliminating the placement issues associated with such large scale pumped hydro and CAES systems while extending battery service life. Ideally, combining the positive attributes of some or all of the existing technologies into one energy storage system would provide a real and meaningful improvement, especially if the improvement reduced or eliminated economic, environmental and operational flaws associated with the individual technologies. This invention also provides a method of combining the output of individual, combined attribute energy storage systems to provide user definable and expandable electrical energy production. The vertical aspect of the invention allows operational attribute that separates and makes independent the capture and storage of energy being placed into the energy storage system and the hydro-pneumatic production of energy exiting the system.

A geomagnetic power generating apparatus has a guide means, one or more moving permanent magnets, a plurality of coils and a battery or series of batteries. The movement of the one or more permanent magnets generates an electric current in the coils to charge the battery. The moving magnets generate electric currents within the coils causing a major propulsive magnetic field to act on the magnet augmenting its momentum along the guide path.

The invention provides a grain storage method and the system thereof in the low temperature, and belongs to the low temperature grain storage technical field. The method and the device thereof are characterized in that (1) the heat conducted from the outside can be brought to the top space of the grain pile by a low-temperature gravity assisted heat pipe 3 which is arranged in the grain pile distributed around the storehouse; (2) the cool air in the space above the grain pile can flow circularly under the function of four to six sets of frequency converting air conditioners 4 to ensure the temperature in the space above the grain pile to be even; (3) the temperature signal can be monitored by temperature sensors 6 distributed in the storehouse, the start and the close of the frequency converting air conditioners 4 can be controlled by a PLC control system 5. The invention has high efficiency, simple system, long service life, and simple operation; is energy-saving, all-weather, and maintenance-free; and does not condense moisture.

The invention discloses a variable-scale unidirectional gravity sampling vector matching and positioning method based on particle filtering. The variable-scale unidirectional gravity sampling vector matching and positioning method comprises the following steps: step 1, establishing a gravity assisted inertial navigation single-point matching model; step 2, obtaining a matching point based on the particle filtering by utilizing the gravity assisted inertial navigation single-point matching model; step 3, judging whether a gravity assisted inertial navigation single-point matching point is credible or not; and step 4, calculating a final result of a current matching point. According to the variable-scale unidirectional gravity sampling vector matching and positioning method, motorized navigation of a carrier is considered, the disadvantage that an original gravity vector matching algorithm is invalid under the condition of non-linear or non-uniform-speed navigation of the carrier is overcome, and matching errors are reduced.

A drain valve that prevents entry of odious airborne particulates into the habited environment while allowing for drainage of wastewater. The improvements include a disc with leaves cantilevered from a perimeter lip allowing the valve to operate in a drain with limited clearance between the opening and the drain crosshair below, a structural brace that effectively seals the center of the drain while allowing for through-passage of the drain strainer bolt, a gap at the perimeter edge of each leaf to prevent interference with an opposing edge, and rounded leaf edges and rounded vertices to prevent snagging of hair follicles and other draining matter. Also disclosed is a combined drain strainer and drain valve, and a drain valve installable within a drain pipe beneath the drain opening.

A geomagnetic power generating apparatus 100 has a guide means 20, one or more moving permanent magnets 10, a plurality of coils 40 and a battery 50 or series of batteries. The one or more moving permanent magnets 10, each permanent magnet 10 has a north polarity N at a first end 11 and a south polarity S at the opposite second end 12. The one or more magnets 10 are located and guided along a guide path GP by the guide means 20. The plurality of coils 40 has each coil 40 positioned around the guide means 20, encircling both the guide means 20 and the guide path GP along which one or more permanent magnets 10 move. Each coil 40 has a cross section having an increasing number of windings extending from a minimal winding first end 44 to a maximum winding second end 45. The battery 50 or a series of batteries is connected to the plurality of coils 40. When the one or more permanent magnets 10 are moved, with one magnet 10 approaching toward each coil 40 and as the N or S end of the magnet 10 approaches inside the coil 40 an electric current is created along with a magnetic field having an opposite polarity at the narrow end 44 of the coil 40 relative to the entering end of the magnet 10. As the movement of the one or more permanent magnets 10 generates an electric current in the coils 40 to charge the battery 50 and as the magnet 10 leaves the thick end 45 of the coil 40 a similar or like pole S to S or N to N polarity exists causing the magnetic field of each of the coils 40 to push the similar polarity second end 12 of the magnet 10 out of the coil 40, propelling the magnet 10 to the next coil 40. The moving magnets 10 generate electric currents within the coils 40 causing a major propulsive magnetic field to act on the magnet 10 augmenting its momentum along the guide path GP.