In this negative-pressure booster, one of a negative-pressure valve seat and a negative-pressure valve section has, provided thereto, one or more first protruding sections abutting against the other of the negative-pressure valve seat and negative-pressure valve section, at a site other than a first annular abutment site, in an initial state where an operational force has not been applied to an input member; and/or one of an atmospheric valve seat and an atmospheric valve section has, provided thereto, one or more second protruding sections abutting against the other of the atmospheric valve seat and atmospheric valve section, at a site other than a second annular abutment site, in the initial state where an operational force has not been applied to the input member.

A vacuum-keeping multistage vacuum-generating and vacuum-destructing valve includes a main body, which includes an introduction port, a vacuum port, a discharge port, and a vacuum-generating valve, in combination with a vacuum-destructing valve. The vacuum-destructing valve is arranged in combination with a flow conducting passage formed in the main body and connected to the vacuum port to allow a pressure fluid received through the introduction port to partly flow through the vacuum-destructing valve, and a vacuum-destructing two-port two-position valve is arranged in the flow conducting passage to increase flow rate of the pressure fluid passing therethrough to make a response of the vacuum port more sensitive in switching to a vacuum-destructing state. The ports of the main body are arranged in a detachable manner to increase service efficiency and ease part replacement. Two side seats are arranged to couple multiple such main bodies together to cope with complicated automatic processing operations.

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to fail open or fail close actuator assemblies and related methods for valve systems. In one implementation, an actuator assembly for valves includes an outer housing that includes an inner surface at least partially defining an internal volume. The actuator assembly includes one or more first fluid openings formed in the outer housing, one or more second fluid openings formed in the outer housing, and one or more ambient openings formed in the outer housing. The actuator assembly includes a valve stem disposed at least partially in the internal volume, and a first piston disposed in the internal volume and coupled to the valve stem. The actuator assembly includes a second piston disposed in the internal volume and disposed about the valve stem.

A method is provided for detecting and quantifying leaks in a gas network under pressure or vacuum. The gas network includes one or more sources of compressed gas or vacuum; one or more consumers or consumer areas of compressed gas or vacuum applications; pipelines or a network of pipelines to transport the gas or vacuum; a plurality of sensors which determine one or a plurality of physical parameters of the gas in the gas network. The gas network has controllable or adjustable relief valves and the method involves a training phase and an operational phase.

In an illustrative embodiment, a vertically stowable aircraft storage unit for providing additional storage in a cabin area of an aircraft includes a storage compartment, a vacuum lift mechanism, and a stowage container housing. The vacuum lift mechanism may include at least one vacuum actuator, and an air manifold in fluid communication with a vacuum source, the air manifold configured to provide vacuum and venting to the at least one vacuum actuator. The stowage container housing may be configured to receive the storage compartment in the stowed position and may be configured for mounting above a ceiling of the cabin area. The vacuum actuator may be mounted for lifting and lowering the storage compartment between the stowed position and a deployed position

A system for detecting a connector failure associated with an agricultural apparatus is disclosed. The system comprises a first supply source that is configured to supply a quantity of air at a first pressure into the hydraulic fluid line arranged on the agricultural apparatus. A second supply source is configured to supply a quantity hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic fluid line at a second pressure that is less than the first pressure. A protection device is coupled to the hydraulic fluid line and is configured to inhibit flow of the hydraulic fluid supplied by the second supply source when a pressure differential across an inlet of the protection device exceeds a predetermined threshold.

In this negative-pressure booster, one of a negative-pressure valve seat and a negative-pressure valve section has, provided thereto, one or more first protruding sections abutting against the other of the negative-pressure valve seat and negative-pressure valve section, at a site other than a first annular abutment site, in an initial state where an operational force has not been applied to an input member; and/or one of an atmospheric valve seat and an atmospheric valve section has, provided thereto, one or more second protruding sections abutting against the other of the atmospheric valve seat and atmospheric valve section, at a site other than a second annular abutment site, in the initial state where an operational force has not been applied to the input member.

An air cylinder includes a cylinder, a piston rod, a piston, and a controller. The piston rod has one end disposed in the cylinder and the other end protruding from the cylinder. The piston is provided at the one end of the piston rod and moves the piston rod by moving in the cylinder. The controller supplies gas into one of a space, which is a space in the cylinder directed on the piston rod side with respect to the piston, and a space, which is a space in the cylinder opposite to the space with respect to the piston, and sucks gas from an interior of the other of the spaces.

An apparatus and a method of using a plurality of dual acting cylinders to acquire articles with vacuum cups is disclosed. A robot arm comprises a manipulator movable with the robot arm with the plurality of dual acting cylinders attached to the manipulator. The robot arm is configured to passively conform to a plurality of irregular articles by extending dual acting cylinders from manipulator and moving the manipulator distally with the robot arm to conform to the plurality of irregular articles. The movement causes each dual acting cylinder to passively and proximally retract from the contact of the vacuum cup with a respective irregular article and passively conform the vacuum cups and dual acting cylinders to the plurality of irregular articles. Each vacuum cup can adhere to and can manipulate acquired articles with vacuum.

The invention relates to a pneumatic actuator. According to one embodiment, the actuator has the following: a housing having a pressure chamber; a rod inserted into the pressure chamber of the housing from the outside; a rod seal which is located around the rod and seals the pressure chamber; and a rod guide which is mounted on the housing and is designed to guide the rod along the longitudinal axis thereof. There is no piston arranged in the pressure chamber. Rather, an unsealed annular gap is present inside the pressure chamber between the rod and an inner wall of the pressure chamber, so that a gas pressure prevailing in the pressure chamber can propagate in the entire pressure chamber as far as the rod seal.