A bellows device can contain fluid product, such as gasses or liquids. The device can include a series or plurality of pouches attached or otherwise operatively affixed in a manner that provides fluid communication between the pouches to facilitate expansion and contraction, much like an accordion. One or more of the pouches can include one or more apertures or holes defined in one or more portions of a panel portion. One or more affixation patches can be included to provide the structure for attaching the pouches in a serial manner to define the bellows device to facilitate fluid communication between the pouches. One or more apertures or holes are defined in the patch for alignment with the aperture of a first pouch, and an aperture of an adjacent second pouch, to facilitate fluid communication between adjacent pouches.

A vacuum pump includes a hollow container that has a vacuum port and internal chamber walls. The vacuum port opens to an exterior of the container and the chamber walls define chambers that are in fluid communication with the vacuum port. There are flexible bladders disposed in the chambers. The flexible bladders include vents that open through the container to the exterior. A plunger in the container includes arms that extend into the chambers such that each of the flexible bladders is situated between one of the arms and one of the chamber walls. The plunger is moveable between a home position and an upstroke position to compress and deflate the flexible bladders via the vents and thereby change the volume of the flexible bladders. The change in the volume draws a vacuum through the vacuum port.

A tubephragm pump includes a tubephragm that has a pump head portion that forms a pump chamber, a driving head that holds the tubephragm and expands and contracts the pump chamber by directly pressing and pulling the pump head portion in a direction intersecting with a transfer direction of a transfer fluid, a driving unit that drives the driving head back and forth in a driving direction to expand and contract the pump chamber, and a control unit that controls the driving unit. The tubephragm is in a flat shape with a cross-sectional shape intersecting with the transfer direction of the transfer fluid of the pump chamber having a length in a direction intersecting with the driving direction longer than a length in the driving direction. A pair of liquid contacting surfaces opposing in the driving direction of the pump chamber move while maintaining a parallel state.

A vacuum pump includes a hollow container that has a vacuum port and internal chamber walls. The vacuum port opens to an exterior of the container and the chamber walls define chambers that are in fluid communication with the vacuum port. There are flexible bladders disposed in the chambers. The flexible bladders include vents that open through the container to the exterior. A plunger in the container includes arms that extend into the chambers such that each of the flexible bladders is situated between one of the arms and one of the chamber walls. The plunger is moveable between a home position and an upstroke position to compress and deflate the flexible bladders via the vents and thereby change the volume of the flexible bladders. The change in the volume draws a vacuum through the vacuum port.

A miniature cooling system includes a base metal sheet, a flow channel layer, a piezoelectrically actuated metal sheet, a piezoelectric boundary compression layer and two piezoelectric ceramic vibrators. The flow channel layer is located on the base metal sheet and includes a first chamber, a second chamber, an inlet channel, a linking channel and an outlet channel. The inlet channel links the outside environment to the first chamber. The linking channel links the first chamber and the second chamber. The outlet channel links the second chamber to the outside environment. The piezoelectrically actuated metal sheet is located on the flow channel layer. The piezoelectric boundary compression layer is located on the piezoelectrically actuated metal sheet. The piezoelectric boundary compression layer includes two containing areas, and the two containing areas are respectively located above the first chamber and the second chamber.

A vacuum pump includes a hollow container that has a vacuum port and internal chamber walls. The vacuum port opens to an exterior of the container and the chamber walls define chambers that are in fluid communication with the vacuum port. There are flexible bladders disposed in the chambers. The flexible bladders include vents that open through the container to the exterior. A plunger in the container includes arms that extend into the chambers such that each of the flexible bladders is situated between one of the arms and one of the chamber walls. The plunger is moveable between a home position and an upstroke position to compress and deflate the flexible bladders via the vents and thereby change the volume of the flexible bladders. The change in the volume draws a vacuum through the vacuum port.

An electrochemically actuated pump and an electrochemical actuator for use with a pump. The pump includes one of various stroke volume multiplier configuration with the pressure of a pumping fluid assisting actuation of a driving fluid bellows. The electrochemical actuator has at least one electrode fluidically coupled to the driving fluid chamber of the first pump housing and at least one electrode fluidically coupled to the driving fluid chamber of the second pump housing. Accordingly, the electrochemical actuator selectively pressurized hydrogen gas within a driving fluid chamber.

The present invention includes an electrochemical actuator pump and method of making the same, comprising a membrane electrode assembly comprising an ion exchange membrane, a first and a second catalyzed porous electrode in contact with opposing sides of the ion exchange membrane; a first gas chamber in fluid communication with the first electrode, and a second gas chamber in fluid communication with the second electrode; and a controller for controllably reversing the polarity of a voltage source electrically coupled to the first and second electrodes, wherein the controller causes a first polarity at the first electrode to function as an anode and the second electrode to function as a cathode, wherein the first polarity simultaneously decreases the hydrogen gas pressure in the first hydrogen gas chamber and increases the hydrogen gas pressure in the second hydrogen gas chamber, with additional embodiment using MOF or Ni—H batteries.

Pulse tube coolers and Gifford-McMahon coolers are used to cool nuclear spin tomographs and cryopumps. To supply cooled working gas, gas compressors and in particular helium compressors are used with rotational or rotary valves. The rate at which compressed helium is introduced into the cooling device and let out again lies in the range of 1 Hz. A problem of conventional screw or piston processors is that oil from the compressor mixes with the working gas and thus contaminates the cooling device. By providing a second compressor stage, a common pump device can be used to pump in both directions, which results in a two-stage compressor device. The working gas is compressed in each flow direction of the working liquid, in one flow direction in the first compressor stage and in the opposite flow direction in the second compressor stage. Thus, the efficiency of the compressor device is improved.

A tubephragm pump includes a tubephragm that has a pump head portion that forms a pump chamber, a driving head that holds the tubephragm and expands and contracts the pump chamber by directly pressing and pulling the pump head portion in a direction intersecting with a transfer direction of a transfer fluid, a driving unit that drives the driving head back and forth in a driving direction to expand and contract the pump chamber, and a control unit that controls the driving unit. The tubephragm is in a flat shape with a cross-sectional shape intersecting with the transfer direction of the transfer fluid of the pump chamber having a length in a direction intersecting with the driving direction longer than a length in the driving direction. A pair of liquid contacting surfaces opposing in the driving direction of the pump chamber move while maintaining a parallel state.