A vacuum valve comprises a valve suction port flange; a valve exhaust port flange having a greater opening diameter than that of the valve suction port flange; a valve plate; a valve driver configured to slidably drive the valve plate between a closed position and an opening position; and a gas flow path region including an opening of the valve exhaust port flange and having a changing flow path sectional area. In the gas flow path region, a flow path sectional area of an upstream region end is set to an opening sectional area of the valve suction port flange, and increases toward the opening of the valve exhaust port flange.

Described is a human-ear-wearable apparatus having a housing, which contains electronic and auditory components for conveying sound into a human hear. An inflatable mounting system is configured to secure the housing to the human ear. The mounting system includes an elastomeric bladder configured to inflate into a customizable counterpart shape of portions of the user's Concha and Meatus areas of a particular user's ear. A pump, coupled to the housing, is configured to pass air through an opening in the housing to the elastomeric bladder. Inflation of the bladder, via the pump, is controllable by a user to form a customized fit of the mounting system's bladder to the Concha and Meatus areas of the user's ear. One or more speakers may be encased in the elastomeric bladder. For example, a dual-hybrid speaker arrangement is described with a cone speaker and a balanced-armature driver embedded in the bladder.

Described is a human-ear-wearable apparatus having a housing, which contains electronic and auditory components for conveying sound into a human hear. An inflatable mounting system is configured to secure the housing to the human ear. The mounting system includes an elastomeric bladder configured to inflate into a customizable counterpart shape of portions of the user's Concha and Meatus areas of a particular user's ear. A pump, coupled to the housing, is configured to pass air through an opening in the housing to the elastomeric bladder. Inflation of the bladder, via the pump, is controllable by a user to form a customized fit of the mounting system's bladder to the Concha and Meatus areas of the user's ear. One or more speakers may be encased in the elastomeric bladder. For example, a dual-hybrid speaker arrangement is described with a cone speaker and a balanced-armature driver embedded in the bladder.

A roll-diaphragm compressor and a roll-diaphragm compressors system, including methods for manufacturing and using same. The roll-diaphragm compressor includes a compressor body having a concave portion that defines a rounded interface wall and an apex portion adjacent to the concave portion that comprises an inlet and outlet port. The roll-diaphragm compressor also includes a flexible roll-diaphragm coupled to the compressor body about a compressor body edge and a compression chamber defined by the concave portion, apex portion and roll-diaphragm. The roll-diaphragm compressor further includes a piston head rigidly coupled to a central portion of the roll-diaphragm and configured to drive the roll-diaphragm to a first configuration where the roll-diaphragm engages the interface wall as part of a compression cycle.

A fluid control device (1) includes a case (21) including a case top plate, a case side plate, and a case bottom plate and having an internal space (59) and a cavity, a pump (11) provided at a position at which the pump (11) divides the internal space (59) into a bottom-plate-side region and a top-plate-side region, the pump (11) being configured to generate a flow of a fluid between the bottom-plate-side region and the top-plate-side region and control the flow direction of the fluid, and a fixing member (31) that fixes the case (21) in place. The case (21) is mounted on the fixing member (31) by using the case top plate or the case bottom plate as a mounting surface (B).

A roll-diaphragm compressor and a roll-diaphragm compressors system, including methods for manufacturing and using same. The roll-diaphragm compressor includes a compressor body having a concave portion that defines a rounded interface wall and an apex portion adjacent to the concave portion that comprises an inlet and outlet port. The roll-diaphragm compressor also includes a flexible roll-diaphragm coupled to the compressor body about a compressor body edge and a compression chamber defined by the concave portion, apex portion and roll-diaphragm. The roll-diaphragm compressor further includes a piston head rigidly coupled to a central portion of the roll-diaphragm and configured to drive the roll-diaphragm to a first configuration where the roll-diaphragm engages the interface wall as part of a compression cycle.

A miniature pneumatic device includes a miniature fluid control device and a miniature valve device. The miniature fluid control device includes a gas inlet plate, a resonance plate, a piezoelectric actuator and a gas collecting plate. A first chamber is formed between the resonance plate and the piezoelectric actuator. After a gas is fed into the gas inlet plate, the gas is transferred to the first chamber through the resonance plate and then transferred. Consequently, a pressure gradient is generated to continuously push the gas. The miniature valve device includes a valve film and a gas outlet plate. After the gas is transferred from the miniature fluid control device to the miniature valve device, the valve opening of the valve film is correspondingly opened or closed and the gas is transferred in one direction. Consequently, a pressure-collecting operation or a pressure-releasing operation is selectively performed.

A compact pump includes a case, a diaphragm assembly is disposed in the case at an upper position and includes diaphragm units which form respective pump chambers, and a swing body is disposed in the case at a lower position and moves the plural diaphragm units in the top-bottom direction. The diaphragm assembly has intake valve elements for opening and closing respective air introduction holes. An upper cover of the case has an exhaust hole and ring-shaped recesses. The upper cover has tubular inner wall surfaces defining the respective ring-shaped recesses. The diaphragm assembly includes tubular exhaust valve elements which are disposed in the respective ring-shaped recesses so as to contact with plural respective tubular inner wall surfaces and a rib which is disposed at its center in the vicinity of the exhaust hole and connects center-side outer wall surfaces of the tubular exhaust valve elements.

A diaphragm pump includes a quick discharge valve unit that comprises a vessel including a supply passage, a check valve seat, a delivery passage and a discharge passage, and an elastic member configured to partition an internal space of the vessel into an input-side space connected to the supply passage and an output-side space connected to the delivery passage and the discharge passage. The elastic member includes a check valve body to prevent an inflow of air from the output-side space to the input-side space, and a discharge port valve body configured to close the discharge passage when air is supplied to the input-side space through the supply passage. The vessel includes a connecting path having a sectional area smaller than an area of a section of the supply passage, and configured to release pressurized air in the input-side space to an outside.

A compression pump has a bladder that is supported during the compression stroke on the low-pressure side of the bladder, and that can have a compression cavity that is fully evacuated during each stroke. The compression pump can have a housing with an entrance section, a center section, and a crown section. The entrance and center sections define seats to receive bridge bearings (of bridges each having a rod and a bearing). A piston can have an inlet section, a middle section, and a head section. The inlet and middle sections define seats to receive groove bearings. The bridges and groove bearings structurally hold a support structure, which supports the bladder. The support structure can be a slide support that changes shape as the piston moves within the housing. The piston head can have a valve seat that the inlet valve head is received within when it is closed.