A system for evacuating containers. The system includes a base housing defining a recess having a vacuum inlet port in communication with a vacuum source. An inner door is hinged to the base housing and is sized to cover the recess when in a closed position, and an outer door having a sealing member is hinged to close over the inner door. A vacuum nozzle extends at least partially between the inner and outer doors and is in communication with the recess. The inner and outer doors cooperate to retain a flexible container therebetween and around the nozzle so that the nozzle is positioned for fluid communication with an inside of the container. A removable drip pan is positioned to retain fluids drawn by the nozzle.

Appliance for vacuum sealing food containers

A diaphragm pump having an active feedback system is provided. The diaphragm pump includes a diaphragm pump having a housing including a pumping cavity. The pump cavity having at least one diaphragm dividing the pumping cavity into a first pumping chamber and a first pump actuating chamber. A rod is attached to and reciprocally movable along an axis with the at least one diaphragm with the rod including a ferromagnetic material. An induction coil disposed around the rod wherein relative axial movement between the inductance coil and the ferromagnetic material of the rod varies the inductance of the induction coil. Also provided is a diaphragm pump having an active feedback system in which the rod has an electrically conductive, diametrically tapered portion. A linear displacement sensor is disposed next to the tapered portion which induces a current in the tapered portion and generates an output voltage proportional to a relative position between the linear displacement sensor and the tapered portion.

Active feedback apparatus and air driven diaphragm pumps incorporating same

A reciprocating pump having an active feedback system is provided. The reciprocating pump includes a reciprocating pump having a pump chamber with a rod reciprocally movable along a longitudinal axis of the pump chamber, with the rod including a ferromagnetic material. An induction coil disposed around the rod wherein relative axial movement between the inductance coil and the ferromagnetic material of the rod varies the inductance of the induction coil. Also provided is a reciprocating pump having an active feedback system in which the rod has an electrically conductive, diametrically tapered portion. A linear displacement sensor is disposed next to the tapered portion which induces a current in the tapered portion and generates an output voltage proportional to a relative position between the linear displacement sensor and the tapered portion.

Reciprocating pump with linear displacement sensor

A vehicle body door lock includes a fork type bolt and a sliding detent member which moves between detent and undetented positions with respect to the legs of the bolt. The detent is slidably mounted in a plastic housing located within a box type frame of the lock. A compression spring biases the detent to detented position, with the detent being located by engagement of a shoulder of a plastic cap thereon with a stop mounted on the housing. A release mechanism for the detent includes an intermittent member movable between locked and unlocked positions with respect to another shoulder of the plastic cap of the detent through inside and outside release members.

Vehicle body door lock

An auto bleed valve and method of bleeding a hydraulic system of an aircraft is accomplished by illuminating a plenum of a bleed valve using an LED oriented to illuminate a phototransistor when air is present in the plenum. A comparator circuit is used on an output of the phototransistor such that a predetermined voltage output corresponds to air detected in the plenum. An integrating circuit and a second comparator in series with the first comparator circuit is used to determine when a predetermined time period is met in which air is continuously detected in the plenum. Thereafter an air bleed solenoid can be used to vent the air upon a signal from the aircraft computer logic system.

Automotive air bleed valve for a closed hydraulic system

A control circuit for a hydraulic actuator includes a signal comparator circuit responsive to DC command and feedback signals to provide a control signal proportional to the difference between the command and sense signals, a first switching circuit responsive to the control signal to energize a pump of the actuator which pumps hydraulic fluid into an expandable chamber via an inlet port to thereby drive an actuator rod from a retracted position to an extended position against the force of a restoring spring, a second switching circuit responsive to the control signal to close a dump valve, sealing an outlet port of the expandable chamber to maintain the hydraulic fluid in the expandable chamber, and a feedback circuit having actuator rod position sensing apparatus for producing an AC sense signal indicative of the position of the actuator rod and a circuit for deriving a DC feedback signal from the AC sense signal for the signal comparator circuit; the first switching circuit being disabled to energize the pump when the feedback signal indicates the actuator rod has moved to the desired position, and the second switching circuit being disabled to permit the dump valve to open in response to a decrease in the command signal, permitting the actuator rod to retract under the force of the restoring spring.

C Strawn

Papers

Control circuit for an electromechanical actuator