Disclosed is a sensor for monitoring a composite structure. The sensor includes multiple sensing elements of different sizes, each configured for different respective monitoring tasks. Also disclosed are methods of fabricating the sensor, designing and manufacturing the sensor, and attaching the sensor to the composite structure.

The present invention relates to an inflator mounted on protective equipment, comprising: a main body (100) having a cylindrical structure that is open at the top and bottom thereof, wherein the main body (100) has a key-ball insertion hole (110) and a gas supply hole (120) that are formed on portions of a lateral side thereof, and a bomb (600) for storing compressed air is coupled to the lower side of the main body (100); an eccentric lever (200) that is rotatably coupled to the upper opening of the main body (100) through a rotation shaft (230) and includes a lever (210) that adjusts a downward pressure by rotating an eccentric drum part (220) having the shape of a circular plate; a perforation part (300) that provides a restoring force downward according to the pressure state of the eccentric lever (200) and perforates the bomb (600) to allow the gas in the bomb (600) to be supplied to a user's protective equipment through the gas supply hole (120); and a key-ball (400) that confines the movement of the perforation part (300) while being inserted into the key-ball insertion hole (110) and separates from the key-ball insertion hole (110) according to the state of the outside to operate the perforation part (300).

A cryostat includes a room temperature vessel, a low temperature vessel, and a refrigeration mechanism. The room temperature vessel includes a room temperature tank, an outer neck tube and a sealing head. The low temperature vessel includes a low temperature tank, an inner neck tube and a liquefaction chamber. The liquefaction chamber corresponds to the first opening and passes through the first opening. The refrigeration mechanism includes a device panel and a refrigeration device. The device panel is disposed on the sealing head. The refrigeration device includes a body and a cold finger. The body is disposed at the device panel. The cold finger is connected with the body and extends into the liquefaction chamber.

A gas supplying apparatus includes a compressor, a housing having an exhaust port, and an exhaust duct. The housing has a circumferential wall and a top wall. The circumferential wall has an access section. The exhaust port is provided on at least one of the circumferential wall and the top wall at a location higher than the access section. The exhaust duct includes a discharge port for discharging the air, exhausted from the exhaust port, to the outside. The discharge port is opened upward or opened downward in an area overlapping the top wall in an up-and-down direction.

A method for generating an insulating vacuum in a container is provided. The method includes evacuating air from a space between double walls of the container for a first predetermined time period. The method also includes after the first predetermined time period, if a vacuum level within the space has not reached a first predetermined vacuum level, purging the space by supplying a gas into the space and subsequently evacuating the air from the space for a period of time equal to the first predetermined time period. The method also includes repeating the evacuating and purging until the vacuum level within the space reaches the first predetermined vacuum level. The method also includes when the vacuum level within the space reaches the first predetermined vacuum level, evacuating the air from the space for a second predetermined time period.

A cryostat includes a room temperature vessel, a low temperature vessel, and a refrigeration mechanism. The room temperature vessel includes a room temperature tank, an outer neck tube and a sealing head. The low temperature vessel includes a low temperature tank, an inner neck tube and a liquefaction chamber. The liquefaction chamber corresponds to the first opening and passes through the first opening. The refrigeration mechanism includes a device panel and a refrigeration device. The device panel is disposed on the sealing head. The refrigeration device includes a body and a cold finger. The body is disposed at the device panel. The cold finger is connected with the body and extends into the liquefaction chamber.

A cryostat includes a coolant tank, a refrigerator, a cylindrical member, and a gas phase volume-varying unit. The coolant tank houses a liquid coolant. The refrigerator is provided above the coolant tank and recondenses the coolant evaporated in the coolant tank. The cylindrical member houses a lower part of the refrigerator and forms a recondensing chamber that communicates with the coolant tank. The gas phase volume-varying unit communicates with a gas-phase space above a liquid surface of the liquid coolant in the coolant tank and varies a gas phase volume in the gas-phase space to cancel out a pressure fluctuation in the coolant tank.

A method for generating an insulating vacuum in a container is provided. The method includes evacuating air from a space between double walls of the container for a first predetermined time period. The method also includes after the first predetermined time period, if a vacuum level within the space has not reached a first predetermined vacuum level, purging the space by supplying a gas into the space and subsequently evacuating the air from the space for a period of time equal to the first predetermined time period. The method also includes repeating the evacuating and purging until the vacuum level within the space reaches the first predetermined vacuum level. The method also includes when the vacuum level within the space reaches the first predetermined vacuum level, evacuating the air from the space for a second predetermined time period.

A gas supplying apparatus includes a compressor, a housing having an exhaust port, and an exhaust duct. The housing has a circumferential wall and a top wall. The circumferential wall has an access section. The exhaust port is provided on at least one of the circumferential wall and the top wall at a location higher than the access section. The exhaust duct includes a discharge port for discharging the air, exhausted from the exhaust port, to the outside. The discharge port is opened upward or opened downward in an area overlapping the top wall in an up-and-down direction.

An apparatus for transferring gas to a gas vessel is provided. The apparatus includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader configured to interrogate an RFID tag associated with the gas vessel for RFID information. The apparatus includes a gas input port configured to be in removably connected to gas supply, a gas output port configured to be removably connected to the gas vessel and a processor configured to: determine at least one gas vessel characteristic associated with the RFID information, control a flow of gas from the gas input port to the gas output port based at least in part on the at least one gas vessel characteristic, determine at least one filling criterion based at least in part on the RFID information, determine whether the at least one filling criterion is met, and trigger at least one action if the at least one filling criterion is not met.