A damper including a tube, a piston, and a base line valve. The base line valve arranged in fluid communication with at least one of a first and second working chamber of the tube. The base line valve includes a housing, a plug slidably disposed in the housing along a valve axis between open and closed positions, and a spring. The plug includes a plug nose extending through an opening of the housing. The plug nose includes a first annular surface and a second annular surface. The first annular surface being sealingly engaged with a seat of the housing when the plug is in the closed position. The second annular surface being positioned radially inward of the seat by a first dimension when the plug is in the closed position and by a second dimension greater than the first dimension when the plug is in the open position.

An artificial sphincter comprising an inflatable occlusion means for occluding a body passage, a stretchable fluid reservoir, a pump means and an occlusion means. A pressurizing fluid is selectively transferred from the occlusion means to the reservoir for deflating the occlusion means so that a blocked body passage may be opened. The artificial sphincter also comprises a semipermeable check valve which always allows fluid flow towards the stretchable fluid reservoir. The pump means comprises a check valve located in between the second port of the pump and the bulb. The check valve comprises a ball, a blockage seat and one or more resilient lips located circumferentially above the ball. The check valve blocks fluid flow towards the occlusion means and allows fluid flow towards the fluid reservoir when, in use, the bulb is squeezed.

An excess flow valve for cryogenic fluid is disclosed. An example excess flow valve includes a body, a piston plug, and a spring. The body includes a valve seat and an inner body surface that defines an inlet, an outlet, and a chamber. The piston plug is disposed within the chamber. The piston plug includes a plug that is configured to engage the valve seat in a closed position and be disengaged from the valve seat in an open position. The piston plug includes an inner piston surface, an outer piston surface, and an flange that extends from the outer piston surface and defines a flange surface. The flange, the outer piston surface, and the inner body surface at least partially define a spring slot outside of the fluid flow path. The spring is disposed in the spring slot to bias the piston plug toward the open position.

Various systems and methods are described for generating vacuum within an engine intake. A system may comprise an intake throttle including a throttle plate, where the throttle plate may comprise a hollow interior passage, which in turn may be coupled to a vacuum consumption device. When vacuum is demanded by the vacuum consumption device, the throttle plate may be adjusted to increase airflow through the interior passage and vacuum may be generated at a constricted portion of the interior passage by flowing intake air through the interior passage of the throttle plate.

A valve may be mounted on a case that houses a battery. The valve may be configured to open and close a gas outlet through which gas inside the case escapes to outside of the case. The valve may include: a first valve body configured to open and close the gas outlet; an elastic member configured to press the first valve body toward the gas outlet; and a support configured to support the elastic member. The first valve body may include: a first pressure receiving surface facing inside of the case via the gas outlet; and a second pressure receiving surface located around the first pressure receiving surface. The second pressure receiving surface may be configured to receive a pressure of gas escaping from the gas outlet to the outside of the case when the first valve body opens the gas outlet.

Various systems and methods are described for generating vacuum within an engine intake. A system may comprise an intake throttle including a throttle plate, where the throttle plate may comprise a hollow interior passage, which in turn may be coupled to a vacuum consumption device. When vacuum is demanded by the vacuum consumption device, the throttle plate may be adjusted to increase airflow through the interior passage and vacuum may be generated at a constricted portion of the interior passage by flowing intake air through the interior passage of the throttle plate.

An example refrigerant control valve includes: a modulating plug that is linearly movable to control refrigerant flow rate from a first port to a second port; a first chamber formed at a first side of the modulating plug and fluidly coupled to the first port; a second chamber formed at a second side of the modulating plug, opposite the first side; a first flow restriction that fluidly couples the first chamber to the second chamber, and a second flow restriction that fluidly couples the second chamber to the second port.

A choke gate valve includes a housing that defines a fluid bore and a gate that includes a throttling orifice. The gate is configured to move within the housing between a throttle position in which the gate extends across the fluid bore to position the throttling orifice in the fluid bore to throttle a fluid flow through the fluid bore and an open position in which the gate does not block the fluid bore to enable a full level of the fluid flow through the fluid bore. The choke gate valve may be used as part of a choke gate valve system to transition between first fracturing operations for a first well and second fracturing operations for a second well without shut off of a pump.

A braking apparatus includes a pedal part pressurized for braking by a driver, a master cylinder part in which pressure of oil is amplified by the pedal part, a block part connected to the master cylinder part, supplied with the oil, and configured to amplify the pressure of the oil as an electric pump is driven by power applied thereto, a wheel cylinder part connected to the block part and configured to provide a braking force to a wheel, and a variable valve part mounted on the block part and configured to adjust the flow amount of oil based on a flow rate of the oil that is discharged by the electric pump.

A system and method for maintaining the integrity of a dry pipe sprinkler system. The system includes an auxiliary drain including a main collection pipe, a heater having a bracket configured to attach the heater to the main collection pipe of the auxiliary drain, the bracket including a deflector configured to direct heat from the heater onto the main collection pipe, and a self-draining apparatus configured to receive excess water from the auxiliary drain.