Prospective Concepts Ag

Abb Research Ltd.

Ems-patent Ag

Empa Eidg. Materialprufungs—und Forschungsanstalt

Twingtec Ag

Rolf Luchsinger

Daniel A Matter

Rene Crettol

Thomas Kleiner

Mauro Pedretti

Beat Kramer

Bruno Sabbattini

Thomas Speck

Olga Speck

Philippe Prétre

Flavio Gohl

Philippe Prêtre

A flying apparatus is provided that comprises a airfoil () with a streamlined profile for generating an aerodynamic lift force vector (L) acting on the flying apparatus when being exposed to an apparent air flow. The flying apparatus also comprises at least three drive units () being adapted to generate a resulting thrust force vector acting on the flying apparatus, the thrust force vector being alignable essentially in parallel with the aerodynamic lift force vector (L). For controlling the aerodynamic pitch of the flying apparatus, the flying apparatus comprises at least one control surface (). Furthermore, the flying apparatus has an aerodynamic neutral point (NP) that lies, along the longitudinal centre axis () and in the direction from the leading edge () to the trailing edge () of the airfoil (), behind the centre of gravity (CG) of the flying apparatus.

Flying apparatus

The invention relates to a membrane that heals on its own after being damaged mechanically as well as a method for producing said membrane which is used for pneumatic structures featuring an internal operating pressure of 10 mbar to 500 mbar. The inventive membrane is provided with a plastic layer on the pressure side, said plastic layer being interspersed with blisters that have a diameter ranging from 10&#x3bc; to 200&#x3bc;.

Method of producing a self-healing membrane

A pneumatic support comprises a long hollow body, tapering towards the ends and two pressure/tension elements. The hollow body is embodied by a sleeve of gas-tight, flexible, non-stretch material. Said sleeve can be formed from two layers, an external non-stretch, flexible sleeve and an inner gas-tight elastic bladder. The hollow body can be pressurised with compressed gas by means of a valve. The both pressure/tension elements lie along diametrically opposed surface lines of the hollow body on the same and are partly or completely frictionally connected to the hollow body along said surface lines. The ends of the pressure/tension elements are frictionally connected to each other.

Pneumatic support

The invention relates to a pneumatic support () which can be folded together as a result of joints () in the pressure member () and has a flexible web () that is connected to the tractive member () over the entire length of the latter and is connected to the pressure member () only in the region of the joints of said member (). This allows the joints () to be fixed in such a way that the pressure member () does not buckle at the site of the joints and thus remains stable.

Foldable pneumatic support

A suspended load-bearing structure that is formed by pneumatic structural load-bearing elements comprising an elongate hollow body, compression bars, and traction elements. The hollow body is impinged upon by gases that are lighter than air. In a first embodiment, an individual suspended structural load-bearing element is used as a ridge beam of a large tent hall whose interior has no pillars. The roof is formed by a waterproof cover, the sides of which are stretched on pillars. The cover and the structural load-bearing element are anchored to the ground by means of anchoring ropes.

Floating bearing structure with static buoyancy

Disclosed is a support structure comprising a tension-compression element () which is composed of tension-compression bars () that are connected in real joints () as well as tension straps () that extend from one joint () to another (). The outermost tension-compression bars () are connected in one respective knot (). Two pressurized hollow members that are surrounded by a cover () are arranged on both sides of a plane that extends through the tension-compression element () such that the linear tensions &#x3c3; generated in the cover () preload the tension straps () on the plane of the tension-compression element (), secure the tension-compression bars () against bending, and stabilize the joints (). The linear tensioning components that extend perpendicular to said plane of symmetry strut the tension-compression element () against lateral bending. Air-tight, optionally elastic pneumatic elements () can be inserted into the hollow members ().

Pneumatic support structure

The pneumatic structural element according to the invention comprises from one to a number of interconnected elements of the following construction: two hollow bodies () with casings () made of textile material preferably coated in a gas-tight manner and having end caps () are assembled such that they produce a common sectional area (). The edging of this sectional area () is formed by two curved tension/compression elements () into which is clamped a web () made of a flexible material of high tensile strength. By filling the two hollow bodies () with compressed gas, a tensile stress &#x3c3; is built up in their casings () and is transmitted directly or via the tension/compression elements () to the web () and pretensions said web. This pretensioning greatly increases the bending rigidity of the tension/compression elements (). If a plurality of such elements is combined to form a roof, every two adjacent hollow bodies () thus form a sectional area () with a tension/compression element () and web ().

Pneumatic structural element

The invention relates to a method and a device for measuring a gas consumption by means of a gas meter. A gas meter with thermal mass flow sensor for determining mass flow signals (S) and with a calibration as energy meter for outputting energy value signals (S) is known. According to the invention, a gas type is determined by the gas meter insofar as combustible and non-combustible gas mixtures are differentiated. The gas meter is operated, in the case of a non-combustible gas mixture, with calibration in mass or standard volume units (I/min) and, in the case of a combustible gas mixture, with calibration in energy units (kWh). Embodiments concern inter alia: measurement of a gas parameter (&#x3bb;, &#x3b1;, c, &#x3b7;) of the gas or determining the gas type; gas quality sensor with an identical construction to thermal flow sensor; measuring intervals lengthened in the case of non-combustible gas and shortened in the case of combustible gas. Advantages are inter alia: reliable energy measurement because of automatic differentiation between non-meterable gas and high-quality useful gas; detection of manipulation attempts; and automatic heat value tracking even without heat value measurement.

Thermal gas flowmeter comprising a gas quality indicator

The invention relates to a process and a device for thermal measuring the flow rate (v) of a fluid (). In conventional thermal sensors the heating power P is supplied in the form of rectangular pulses. According to the invention, the sensor means () are supplied by a heating control () with non-constant heating pulses having a sublinear build-up dynamics P(t). Thereby, a nonlinear behaviour of the threshold value time (t), until a threshold value temperature (T) is reached, as a function of the flow rate (v) can at least partially be compensated. Embodiments concern inter alia a build-up dynamics P(t) proportional to tand/or to a time-independent amplitude factor (1+R/R), wherein m is a Reynolds-number-dependent exponent and R, Rare thermal transfer resistances. The advantages are an improved precision, a shorter measuring time and an enlarged measuring range for the flow rate v.

Growing community of inventors

Uster, Switzerland

Rolf Luchsinger