There is disclosed an apparatus and a method for progressively forming high strength surgical needles from bulk needle stock material. The apparatus generally includes a series of progressive needle processing stations. A first series of needle processing stations removes material from needle stock material to rough form needle blanks attached to a carrier strip while a second series of processing stations refine the rough formed needle blanks attached to the strip into the desired surgical needles. The disclosed method generally includes the steps of gutting needle stock material to rough form needle blanks attached to a carrier strip and progressively coining the rough formed blanks into surgical needles. Finally, there is disclosed a high bend strength surgical needle formed on the disclosed apparatus or by the disclosed method. Preferably, the surgical needle is a surgical incision member having a predetermined radius of curvature and an optimized conical radius at the tips.

There is disclosed an apparatus and method for forming curved and pointed needle blanks from a coiled length of wire needle stock material. The apparatus includes an inner mandrel having a circumferential wire receiving groove and at least one longitudinally extending broach receiving channel formed in the outer surface. The apparatus also includes an outer member having an inner surface defining a bore sized to receive the inner mandrel wrapped with wire needle stock. The outer member includes at least one longitudinal broach receiving channel formed in the outer member inner surface. The outer mandrel further includes a circumferential wire receiving groove formed in the inner surface such that, when wrapped with the length of wire needle stock material, the inner mandrel is threaded into the outer member. The apparatus further includes at least one broach which is movable within the channels to cut the length of wire needle stock into curved and pointed needle blanks. The method includes wrapping a length of wire needle stock around an inner mandrel and inserting the wire wrapped mandrel within an outer member. The method further includes moving at least one broach within a longitudinal channel formed in at least one of the mandrel and outer member to cut the length of wire needle stock into needle blanks. A needle blank formed by the apparatus and method is disclosed.

There is disclosed an apparatus for forming curved and rectangular bodied needle blanks from a length of needle stock which includes a generally cylindrical inner mandrel having a plurality of longitudinal channels formed in an outer surface thereof, the mandrel being dimensioned and configured for insertion within the length of needle stock. The apparatus also includes a plurality of broaches insertable into the longitudinal channels such that an edge of each broach projects radially outwardly of the mandrel to form a plurality of inner grooves on an inner surface of the length of needle stock. There is also provided structure for forming outer grooves in an outer surface of the length of needle stock to form a substantially grooved length of needle stock, cutters for cutting the grooved length of needle stock to form rings of curved rectangular bodied needle blanks interconnected by web portions and structure for dividing the rings at the web portions to form a plurality of curved rectangular bodied needle blanks. There is also disclosed a method of forming needle blanks from a length of needle stock having a longitudinal cavity therethrough and defining a longitudinal axis by forming at least two inner grooves in an inner surface of the length of needle stock and substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, forming a number of outer grooves, equal to the number of inner grooves, in an outer surface of the length of needle stock and in substantial radial alignment with the at least two inner grooves to form a grooved length of needle stock and sectioning the grooved length of needle stock to form individual needle blanks.

A new machine for and method of manufacturing fluted pin fasteners and the pins produced thereby are disclosed which utilize a circular grinding arrangement of a plurality of grinders which grind flutes into a threaded pin. An internally threaded collar threads onto the pin. When the collar engages a surface of a work piece, resistance to further threading increases. When sufficient resistance to threading occurs, the driver deforms the lobes of the collar radially inward toward the axis of the collar. Material of the collar positioned internally from the lobes responds to deformation of the lobes and flows radially inward into the flutes of the pin to lock the collar, pin, and work piece together. The driver then rotates freely, and a joint has been made with a predetermined axial load thereby locking the component parts together. The apparatus grinding the flutes into the pins comprises a vibratory feed bowl loading threaded pins into a four station rotary drum assembly rotationally driven by a drive mechanism through a plurality of stations.

A surgical needle has a top edge formed by two pressed faces located inside or outside of curvature from pressing a material blank made of austenitic stainless steel having fibrous texture and cutting edges formed on both sides of a base. The top edge is sharp at a needle point and the sharp needle point is constituted of fibrous texture formed at the surface layer of the material blank. Grinding marks extending crosswise formed on the face of the mold are transferred to the pressed faces. A mold constitutes plural faces forming projecting angles (angle between two intersecting faces is 180° or below, and the line at which the two faces intersect is made as a projecting line) along edges of the blocks made of two rectangular prisms, and constitutes a cavity by suitably contacting the edges of the blocks.

A process for progressively manufacturing cutting edge needles or wire members. Needle blanks or wire blanks are cut from a roll of wire and mounted to a carrier strip. The carrier strip and needles are moved through a succession of coining dies and at least one trimming die, wherein the first coining die is an open coining die and the one or more successive coining dies are closed coining dies. The needle blanks or wire members are optionally curved, heat treated and electrochemically treated resulting in cutting edge needles or wire members formed without a grinding step and without adversely affecting point ductility.

There is disclosed an apparatus for forming curved and rectangular bodied needle blanks from a length of needle stock which includes a generally cylindrical inner mandrel having a plurality of longitudinal channels formed in an outer surface thereof, the mandrel being dimensioned and configured for insertion within the length of needle stock. The apparatus also includes a plurality of broaches insertable into the longitudinal channels such that an edge of each broach projects radially outwardly of the mandrel to form a plurality of inner grooves on an inner surface of the length of needle stock. There is also provided structure for forming outer grooves in an outer surface of the length of the needle stock to form a substantially grooved length of needle stock, cutters for cutting the grooved length of needle stock to form rings of curved rectangular bodied needle blanks interconnected by web portions and structure for dividing the rings at the web portions to form a plurality of curved rectangular bodied needle blanks. There is also disclosed a method of forming needle blanks from a length of needle stock having a longitudinal cavity therethrough and defining a longitudinal axis by forming at least two inner grooves in an inner surface of the length of needle stock and substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, forming a number of outer grooves, equal to the number of inner grooves, in an outer surface of the length of needle stock and in substantial radial alignment with the at least two inner grooves to form a grooved length of needle stock and sectioning the grooved length of needle stock to form individual needle blanks.

A continuous process for heat treating and cleaning and tempering martensitic stainless steel surgical needles is disclosed. The method comprises exposing the surgical needles to a partial vacuum at a temperature less than the heat treating temperature to remove volatile surface contaminant. Then the needles are heat treated in an argon gas environment at a pressure equal to or greater than 1.0 Torr. Next the temperature of the oven is lowered to temper the needles.

A steel pin is disclosed of a type to be forcibly driven into a steel substrate by using a powder-actuated tool. The steel pin has a substantially cylindrical shank and a substantially sharp point which extends from one end of the substantially cylindrical shank, which conforms substantially to a tangent or secant ogive except for a substantially spherical tip having a radius in a range of approximately 0.02 inch (approximately 5 millimeters) to approximately 0.03 inch (approximately 7.5 millimeters), which has substantially true concentricity, which has surface-texture irregularities with a roughness-height index value in a range from approximately 10 microinches (approximately 0.25 micrometers) to approximately 15 microinches (approximately 0.38 micrometers), and which appears to be substantially free of other surface imperfections when viewed under 60× magnification. The substantially cylindrical shank is joined to the substantially sharp point at a transition having a substantially smooth, continuously curved surface, and is knurled near the transition. The steel pin is made by deforming a length of steel wire as by forging or swaging, so as to form the steel pin with the substantially cylindrical shank and with the substantially sharp point, and reshaping the substantially pointed end as by barrel finishing the steel pin in a finishing medium.

A process for the manufacture of suture needles and, more particularly, a process for enhancing the physical strength of the suture needles through an expedient cold-working or cold-forming procedure. Also disclosed is the provision of a novel and physically strengthened suture needle, particularly a surgical suture needle possessing a curvilinear configuration wherein the cross-sectional configuration of the needle is cold-formed into varying shapes in order to produce a needle having superior physical characteristics and strengths imparted thereto through the inventive process. The needles are essentially cold formed, and which process includes the aspect of imparting to straight metal rods which are preferably constituted from stainless steel, manufacturing steps which include sharpening one end of rod severed segments so as to form the needle tip, thereafter curving the needle with the metal still being in a relatively ductile state, and subjecting the needle to a cold forming process, such as through the intermediary of pressure die molds or stamping, to produce varying cross-sectional shapes along the length of the needle.

A steel pin is disclosed of a type to be forcibly driven into a steel substrate by using a powder-actuated tool. The steel pin has a substantially cylindrical shank, and a substantially sharp point which extends from one end of the substantially cylindrical shank, which conforms substantially to a tangent or secant ogive except for a substantially spherical tip having a radius in the range of approximately 0.015 inch (approximately 3.75 millimeters) to approximately 0.03 inch (approximately 7.5 millimeters), which has substantially true concentricity, which has surface-texture irregularities with a roughness-height index value not greater than approximately 30 microinches (approximately 0.76 micrometers), and which appears to be substantially free of other surface imperfections when viewed under 60× magnification. Optimally, the ogive is a tangent ogive with an ogive radius approximately ten times the shank diameter and with an ogive length approximately twice the shank diameter, and the tip radius is approximately 0.1 times the shank diameter. The substantially cylindrical shank is joined to the substantially sharp point at a transition having a substantially smooth, continuously curved surface, and which is knurled near the transition. The steel pin is made by deforming a length of steel wire, as by forging or swaging, so as to form the steel pin.

The present invention provides a surgical needle having a needle tip end and a clamping portion to be clamped by a needle holder for applying a current, wherein the needle tip end is made from a conductive material which is electrically connected to a conductive material of the clamping portion, an insulating layer is provided over the clamping portion and a tip surrounding portion of the surgical needle, whereas at least the needle tip end is electrically exposed, and when the insulating material over the clamping portion is clamped by the needle holder, the conductive material of the clamping portion is electrically connected to the needle holder.

A semi-automated machine for singulating individual surgical needles from an bulk supply and attaching a suture to the surgical needle is described. Each of the surgical needles has a suture receiving opening formed therein for receiving a suture. The machine includes a needle singulation station, a precise positioning station, a suture feeding station, a swage station, a pull-test station and an off-load station. The singulation station has a sliding surface that assists an operator in singulating needles and depositing them in a pair of drop locations for subsequent automatic handling. Indexing conveyors, an articulated robot and a precision conveyor are used with a pre-positioning and a precise positioning station for orienting each needle for automatic handling. A universal gripper mounted on a rotary indexing device automatically receives each individual needle in a predetermined orientation and conveys the needle for sequential processing from station to station to form the needle-suture assembly. A swage station is provided for swaging the needle to close the suture receiving opening about the suture to secure said suture thereto and form therefrom a needle and suture assembly. A final off-load station provides an apparatus for assembling a predetermined number of need-suture assemblies in a bundle for subsequent packaging.

A curved surgical needle and a method for producing the same from a solid sheet of material rather than from coiled wire including the steps of drilling a bore in one edge of the material, grinding an edge opposite the drilled edge to form a sharpened point, curving the material and cutting the material at a point of equal distance between each drilled bored to provide a surgical needle. A suture is then attached to the surgical needle, optionally lubricated, sterilized, and packaged by suitable means known in the art.

Channel-bodied surgical needles and surgical incision members are disclosed having a generally U-shaped cross-sectional body portion and a penetrating tip portion formed on at least one end thereof. Preferably, penetrating tip portions are formed at both ends of the channel-bodied portion. The surgical needle and/or surgical incision member may additionally includes apparatus engagement structure formed adjacent either end of the body portion and engagable with a suitable surgical suturing apparatus. The channel-bodied surgical needle and/or surgical incision member may additionally include securement structure for attachment of a length of suture material thereto. There is also disclosed apparatus for forming a channel-shaped body portion and the suture attachment structure. Additionally, methods for suturing tissue sections, particularly vascular tissue sections, with the channel-bodied surgical needle and the channel-bodied surgical incision members, are disclosed. Also, methods for forming the channel-bodied surgical needle and channel-bodied surgical incision member are disclosed.

This invention relates to a method for manufacturing a needle attached suture and an apparatus therefor. A needle attached suture is obtained by inserting a suture into an insertion hole formed in the end of a needle N which is held by a needle retaining unit 16 and by swaging the end of the needle with the suture. The method and the apparatus have been developed to accurately position the end of the needle for swaging with the suture to stabilize the swaging strength between the suture and the needle. Before the swaging, the needle is held by the needle retaining unit 16, and the end of the needle N is pushed to a certain position by a rod 99 or its equivalent. Thereby, the end of the needle N relative to the needle retaining unit 16 is accurately positioned.

A hypodermic needle featuring a multi-beveled point geometry is disclosed. In one embodiment, the multi-beveled point features a primary bevel, a pair of tip bevels, and a pair of middle bevels each intermediate the primary bevel and a respective one of the tip bevels. The primary and middle bevels are provided at angles of inclination, measured between the central axis and a reference plane that are substantially identical. The tip bevels are formed at an angle of inclination respective to the central axis which is not equal to the angle of inclination at which the primary and middle bevels are formed. The resulting five-beveled point geometry contributes to a more continuous bevel face free of abrupt intercepts or transitions between the respective bevel faces, lessening the penetration force required to urge the needle point through skin, flesh, or other material.

A new machine for and method of manufacturing fluted pin fasteners and the pins produced thereby are disclosed which utilize a circular grinding arrangement of a plurality of grinders which grind flutes into a threaded pin. An internally threaded collar threads onto the pin. When the collar engages a surface of a work piece, resistance to further threading increases. When sufficient resistance to threading occurs, the driver deforms the lobes of the collar radially inward toward the axis of the collar. Material of the collar positioned internally from the lobes responds to deformation of the lobes and flows radially inward into the flutes of the pin to lock the collar, pin, and work piece together. The driver then rotates freely, and a joint has been made with a predetermined axial load thereby locking the component parts together. The apparatus grinding the flutes into the pins comprises a vibratory feed bowl loading threaded pins into a four station rotary drum assembly rotationally driven by a drive mechanism through a plurality of stations. There is a feed station to receive pins into drum assembly, a grind station to grind the pins, and an eject station to eject the ground pins. The circular arrangement of grinders is mounted on a table which is translated up and down by an air spring against a cam wheel to grind the pins located at the grinding station.

A semi-automated machine and method for singulating individual surgical needles from an bulk supply and attaching a suture to the surgical needle is described. Each of the surgical needles has a suture receiving opening formed therein for receiving a suture. The machine includes a singulation station having a sliding surface that assists an operator in singulating needles and depositing them in a pair of drop locations for subsequent automatic handling. Indexing conveyors, an articulated robot and a precision conveyor are used with a precise positioning station for orienting each needle for automatic handling. A universal gripper mounted on a rotary indexing device automatically receives each individual needle in a predetermined orientation and conveys the needle for sequential processing from station to station to form the needle-suture assembly. A suture feeding and cutting station automatically cuts an indefinite length of suture material to a definite length suture strand and automatically inserts an end of the definite length suture strand into the suture receiving opening formed in the needle. A swage station is provided for swaging the needle to close the suture receiving opening about the suture to secure said suture thereto and form therefrom a needle and suture assembly. A suture pull-test station test each needle suture bond, and selectively and destructively tests the bond for adjusting the swage dies and for statistical quality control. A final off-load station provides an apparatus for assembling a predetermined number of need-suture assemblies in a bundle for subsequent packaging.

A method and an apparatus is disclosed for forming a one-piece introducer needle having a member portion and a needle portion by introducing a photoresist on a substrate. The temperature of the substrate is increased and then decreased. A photomask is deposited onto a substrate.

A tip portion of a needle main body having an edge point includes a first slant surface slanted at 10-18 degrees with respect to the axis of the needle main body, a pair of second slant surfaces slanted at 16-23 degrees, and a pair of third slant surfaces slanted at 19-27 degrees. The ratios of the lengths of the first, second, and third slant surfaces are set to be 40-50%, 5-15%, and 35-55%. At the time of forming the second slant surfaces and the third slant surfaces, a grinding wheel or the needle main body is turned relative to the other in a horizontal plane so that the direction of axis of the grinding wheel and the direction of axis of the needle main body are in a twisted or distorted relationship from a substantially orthogonal relationship such that the radial outer sides of the second and the third slant surfaces are included downwardly.

An apparatus for forming armed sutures has a swaging station for receiving, holding and swaging needles that are deposited therein. A linear motor drives a suture insertion gripper, which pulls suture from a supply reel and inserts a cut end thereof into a needle held in the swaging station. A ganged needle transfer assembly with a plurality of spaced needle gripper units carries needles along a line substantially at right angles to the suture line and transfers them to and from the swaging station and other needle processing stations. A precisor orients needles prior to placement in the swaging station and a pull test assembly tests armed sutures in both destructive and non-destructive modes. Both ends of the production line may be automated, e.g., by robots which load and offload needles prior to and after swaging, respectively. The apparatus is capable of forming double armed sutures by using a rotatable mount for the suture insertion gripper and a secondary, loop gripper. A suture transfer gripper extending up to the suture from a multi-tiered stack of slide tables. The suture transfer gripper cooperates with the suture insertion and loop grippers to hold the suture during cutting, insertion and transfer to the pull test apparatus and thereby protects the suture during processing.

A method for manufacturing a surgical needle devoid of a grinding process includes the steps of swaging a needle blank to define a substantially tapered or conical needle end, pressing the tapered needle to form a plurality of intersecting surfaces and forming cutting edges along the lines of intersection of the intersecting sides. The needle may be subjected to an etching process (e.g., an acid bath) to sharpen the cutting edges and/or provide a matte finish on the needle. The needle produced by the novel process is extremely sharp and durable, and exhibits an enhanced retention of sharpness relative to conventional ground needles over periods of prolonged use.

A process for manufacturing a surgical needle incorporates at least one pressing operation which, preferably, in conjunction with a trimming and/or etching process, ultimately forms the sharpened needle end. The grinding operation in the preferred process does not produce the primary sharpened edges of the needle, but, rather is incorporated, in one instance, to reduce excess needle material prior to the pressing operation. Consequently, the amount of flash material generated during pressing is substantially reduced. This feature desirably enhances the subsequent trimming and etching operations, and produces a needle which is extremely sharp, durable and exhibits an improved retention of sharpness over periods of prolonged use.

In a manipulator needle portion defect repairing method, the existence of an abrasion or a fracture in a needle portion for holding a sample at an end of a manipulator disposed in an FIB device is confirmed using a microscope function of the FIB device. The abrasion or the fracture in the needle portion is then repaired by chemical vapor deposition using a focused ion beam of the FIB device.

Surgical needles are produced by immersing a needle possessing a distal end surrounded at least in part by flash material and a body portion in an acid bath according to a predetermined sequence, wherein the distal end of the needle is exposed to the acid bath under conditions sufficient to remove flash material from the distal end of the needle and the body portion of the needle is exposed to the acid bath under conditions sufficient to provide a matte finish on at least a portion of the body portion of the needle.

A process for manufacturing a surgical needle incorporates at least one pressing operation which, preferably, in conjunction with a trimming and/or etching process, ultimately forms the sharpened needle end. The grinding operation in the preferred process does not produce the primary sharpened edges of the needle, but, rather is incorporated, in one instance, to reduce excess needle material prior to the pressing operation. Consequently, the amount of flash material generated during pressing is substantially reduced. This feature desirably enhances the subsequent trimming and etching operations, and produces a needle which is extremely sharp, durable and exhibits an improved retention of sharpness over periods of prolonged use.

A method of mechanically treating alloy metal surgical needles to improve bending strength is disclosed. The needles are curved and reverse-curved in this method to improve bending strength.

In a process for producing a microneedle (12) that can be inserted into body tissue in which a needle tip (20) and a preferably capillary collecting channel (14) having a distal inlet for body fluid formed at the needle tip (20) are formed, it is provided that at least part of a preform (38) prefabricated from a flat material is shaped into a tubular structure (22) so that the collecting channel (14) is at least substantially annularly closed in the cross-section in the area of the tubular structure (22).

A method of stress relieving drilled surgical needles is disclosed. At least the metal about a drilled bore hole is heat treated to relieve stress without annealing.

A radial piston pump has a plurality of cylinders within which pistons reciprocally move. Each cylinder is connected to a first port by an inlet passage that has an inlet check valve, and is connected to a second port by an outlet passage that has an outlet check valve. A throttling plate extends across the inlet passages and has a separate aperture associated with each inlet passage. Rotation of the throttling plate varies the degree of alignment of each aperture with the associated inlet passage, thereby forming variable orifices for altering displacement of the pump. Uniquely shaped apertures specifically affect the rate at which the variable orifices close with throttle plate movement, so that the closure rate decreases with increased closure of the variable orifices.

A method of actuating an assembly of a transmission, with which are associated a plurality of actuators with whose help the assembly can in principle be actuated, such that out of the actuators available in principle for actuation, a control unit selects at least one actuator for the actual actuation and activates the selected actuator with an output signal in such manner that a status parameter of the actuated assembly corresponds to or follows a control-side nominal value, such that out of the actuators available in principle for actuating the assembly, the control unit selects at least one actuator for the actual actuation of the assembly in such manner that, for all the actuators available in principle for actuating the assembly over the operating life of the transmission, the extent of their utilization is approximately uniform.

The present invention relates to an implement, in particular an excavator or machine for material handling, with an element movable via at least one working drive, wherein at least one energy recovery cylinder is provided for energy recovery from the movement of the movable element, which includes a chamber filled with gas, wherein the actuation of the implement is effected in dependence on the directly or indirectly determined temperature of the gas in the chamber filled with gas.

Method of indicating the position of a hydraulically actuated armature, comprising an adjust cylinder for actuating the armature, connected by at least one pressure medium line to an adjustment valve through which the pressure medium line can be switched between pressure-causing forward flow and pressure-less backward flow, wherein the flow through the pressure medium line is converted into a number of electric pulses and the number of pulses reflecting the flow is processed in a program in an indicator unit such that the number of pulses occurring in a predetermined adjustment travel when the flow in the pressure medium line is pressure-less is calculated as being the same adjustment travel as when the pressure medium line is switched to be the pressure line.

The invention relates to a method for constructing a gas-filled double-acting hydraulic cylinder (1) with gas spring action, comprising: —a cylinder sleeve (3) with a cylinder bottom (3a) and cylinder head (3b) —a piston/piston rod assembly (5) a hydraulic fluid seal on the piston (9) —a connection for the head-side chamber (13) to a hydraulic line; —a connection for the bottom-side chamber (15) to a hydraulic line, —a gland (20) with a bore, the gland being attached between the cylinder bottom (3a) and the piston (9), the piston rod (7) extending over the entire stroke of the piston rod through the bore, wherein the gland comprises two seals —(25), one for providing a seal with the cylinder sleeve (3) and one for providing a seal with the piston rod.

The invention relates to a neutral setting apparatus for adjustable hydraulic machines, in particular the adjustment of the neutral position of a servo valve. In particular, the invention relates to servo adjustment devices with mechanically adjustable control pistons, wherein the forces necessary for this can be applied mechanically, electro-magnetically, pneumatically or hydraulically. The invention relates to a neutral setting apparatus of an adjustable hydraulic machine, with a housing in which a mounted input shaft is arranged, to one end of which a torque can be applied for rotating the input shaft about an axis. Thus providing a robust and cost-effective setting mechanism for the neutral position of a servo valve.

The disclosed invention introduces an efficient lifting mechanism for reciprocating vertically a load system, the load consisting of the aggregate weights of a cargo payload in conjunction with “dead weights” of moving parts of the lifting apparatus. The disclosed invention uses a hydro-pneumatic linear actuator to lift the load and a pressurized accumulator, acting as a force intensifier. The pressurized accumulator, acting as a self-contained stored energy source, provides to the actuator adequate power to lift the “dead weights” plus part of the cargo payload. An external power source provides to the actuator adequate power to lift the remainder of the cargo payload. The disclosed invention saves significant amounts of power and energy in applications in which the “dead weights” are sizable compared to the cargo load. The disclosed invention provides also exceptional means for accurate motion control of the cargo payload.

A control force transmission arrangement for an aircraft is provided. A transmission device has a first and a second force transmission point, and a coupling unit disposed between them. The coupling unit has a first and a second side element and a connecting element. The first and the second side elements are each connected to the first force transmission point and to the connecting element. At least the first side element has an element for altering the length of the side element. The second force transmission point is provided on the connecting element and is adjustable at least between a first and a second position.

A tandem-type pneumatic brake booster, in particular for hydraulic vehicle brake systems, having a housing comprising a first and a second housing half shell, the interior of which is divided with the aid of a partition into a front and a rear booster chamber, wherein the partition has a centrally arranged, circular cavity, through which a control housing or a cylindrical control housing extension extends, and the partition rests sealingly against the control housing or the control housing extension by a sealing element, having a first and a second movable wall, which respectively subdivide the front and the rear booster chamber into a first low-pressure chamber and a first working chamber and into a second low-pressure chamber and a second working chamber, having at least one connecting conduit between the first working chamber and the second working chamber in order to equalize the pressure between said two working chambers.

A method and apparatus for a fluid damper comprising a first fluid-filled chamber, a second chamber filled with a fluid having variable flow characteristics and at least partially displaceable by the first fluid, and a gas chamber, the gas chamber compressible due to the displacement of the second chamber. In one embodiment, the fluid in the second chamber is a variable rheology fluid.

The present invention relates to devices and systems that alter intracranial compliance, cerebral blood flow and/or intracranial pressure pulsatility/waveform by oscillating the contraction and expansion of a compressible composition within the cranial or spinal cavities such that they increase intracranial capacity. The contraction and expansion of the compressible composition in the oscillating compliance devices can be due to an individual's intracranial pressure, the result of the expansion and compression of a reservoir which is mediated by the contractility of the heart or driven by a pump gaited to a biorhythm. The invention also relates to methods for protecting an individual's brain from abnormal arterial pulsations and for altering an individual's cerebral blood flow using the devices and systems of the invention. The oscillating compliance devices can be used to treat several diseases and/or conditions characterized by altered/abnormal intracranial compliance, cerebral blood flow and/or intracranial pressure pulsatility/waveform, including hydrocephalus, stroke, dementia and migraine headaches, vasospasms, congestive heart failure, cardiopulmonary bypass or carotid endarterectomy.

The invention relates to an energy-efficient apparatus driven by compressed air and equipped with a dual piston function for tensioning, or clamping, or centering, or punching, or welding, or clinching, for use in body construction in the automotive industry. The apparatus is driven by a pressurized fluid, in particular by compressed air. It is shown how a significant amount of operating costs can be saved while, at the same time, conserving the environment and consuming a low amount of pressurized fluid, in particular compressed air. In addition, the pivoting angle of a toggle joint assembly and thus of an apparatus connected thereto, for example, a tensioning arm of a toggle tensioning apparatus, can be continuously adjusted in both directions while, at the same time, adjusting a sampling device using sensors, for example, microswitches, or inductive switches, or pneumatic switches, or limit switches.

A sensor coupler adapted to operatively connect a sensor to a piston-cylinder assembly. The sensor coupler includes a first end member and a second end member. The first end member is disposed on a port of the piston-cylinder assembly, in communication with the sensor, and the second end member is disposed in a cylinder chamber of the piston-cylinder assembly. Further, one or more cables are extending between the first end member and the second end member. The one or more cables are configured to transmit signals indicative of a position of a piston in the piston-cylinder assembly to the sensor. The sensor coupler further includes a biasing member to connect the first end member and the second end member.

An electronic controller for a variable ratio transmission and an electronically controllable variable ratio transmission including a variator or other CVT are described herein. The electronic controller can be configured to receive input signals indicative of parameters associated with an engine coupled to the transmission. The electronic controller can also receive one or more control inputs. The electronic controller can determine an active range and an active variator mode based on the input signals and control inputs. The electronic controller can control a final drive ratio of the variable ratio transmission by controlling one or more electronic solenoids that control the ratios of one or more portions of the variable ratio transmission.

An apparatus can include a pressure vessel that defines an interior region that can contain a liquid and/or a gas. A piston is movably disposed within the interior region of the pressure vessel. A divider is fixedly disposed within the interior region of the pressure vessel and divides the interior region into a first interior region on a first side of the divider and a second interior region on a second, opposite side of the divider. The piston is movable between a first position in which fluid having a first pressure is disposed within the first interior region and the first interior region has a volume less than a volume of the second interior region, and a second position in which fluid having a second pressure is disposed within the second interior region and the second interior region has a volume less than a volume of the first interior region.

A hydraulic control system is disclosed for use with a machine. The hydraulic control system may have a pump, a tank, and an actuator. The hydraulic control system may also have at least a first valve configured to control fluid flow between the pump, the tank, a first chamber of the actuator, and a second chamber of the actuator; a second valve fluidly disposed between the second chamber and the tank; and a third valve fluidly disposed between the first and second chambers. The hydraulic control system may further have a controller configured to selectively cause the second valve to block fluid flow from the second chamber of the actuator to the tank, and to selectively cause the third valve to fluidly communicate the first and second chambers of the actuator when the second valve blocks fluid flow from the second chamber of the actuator to the tank.

A manual release valve is provided for a electro-hydraulic actuator of the type including a piston movable in a cylinder and defining a piston side chamber and a rod side chamber, the valve threadedly attached to the housing of the actuator and extending at least partially within the fluid housing conduits, the valve moveable from a closed position fully seated in the housing to an open position for fluidly connecting both the piston side chamber and the rod side chamber to the reservoir, the valve further including a pressure relief portion that is operable when the valve is in the closed position for relieving pressure from at least one of the piston side chamber or the rod side chamber.

A radial thermal engine with an improved valve system is disclosed herein comprising intake and exhaust port valve assemblies fluidly connected to respective intake and exhaust ports contained within a cylinder head assembly. Each intake and each exhaust port valve assembly comprises at least one rotatable port cover having spaced apart openings which are periodically alignable to the intake and exhaust ports, respectively.

The invention relates to a method for the impregnation of a product consisting of fibrous material and formed from a continuous web (22), the method comprising at least one first step of cutting out a specific zone (24) of the continuous web (22) and at least one second step of applying an impregnation product to the specific zone (24), the first and second steps being carried out simultaneously or virtually simultaneously.

This disclosure provides for pressure limiting a hydraulic system to a desired pressure value by a particular circuit by controlling and closing the compensator when the desired pressure setting is achieved. Closing the compensator will reduced the pressure head and flow in the circuit resulting in improved efficiency. One illustrated embodiment of the disclosure provides a relief valve in the pilot signal for a compensator. The method relates to limiting the pressure on an open side of the compensator, such that the pressure on the other side closes the compensator thereby limiting the pressure and also flow in the hydraulic circuit. In other words, the pressure on the open side is limited by the relief valve. Thus, the pressure on the other side increases thereby regulating the flow and pressure through the compensator. In another embodiment of the disclosure, instead of reducing the pressure on the open side, the pressure on the closed side is increased, thereby controlling the flow and pressure of the hydraulic circuit. The pressure can be increased by a pump or any other suitable mode.