阅读说明：本技术 一种提高抗冲击能力的船用波纹补偿器 (Marine corrugated compensator capable of improving impact resistance ) 是由 韩青云 吉顺荣 张载云 于 2021-08-11 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及波纹补偿器技术领域,且公开了一种提高抗冲击能力的船用波纹补偿器,包括底座、导向杆、扩张机构、触点机构、固定机构、传动机构和波纹管,所述底座的内侧固定连接有所述导向杆,所述导向杆的外侧活动连接有所述扩张机构并用于推着所述波纹管处于所述导向杆中间位置,所述导向杆的外侧且靠近所述扩张机构的背面固定连接有所述触点机构。该提高抗冲击能力的船用波纹补偿器,通过波纹管带动触点机构运行,再通过固定机构与传动机构的配合使用,当将波纹管装入底座内部时,固定机构通电并向波纹管外侧挤压,挤压到一定力度时电流变体固化,从而达到了固定不同口径波纹管的效果,保证了固定波纹管的力度,有效提高波纹管的焊接效率。(The invention relates to the technical field of corrugated compensators, and discloses a marine corrugated compensator capable of improving impact resistance, which comprises a base, a guide rod, an expansion mechanism, a contact mechanism, a fixing mechanism, a transmission mechanism and a corrugated pipe, wherein the guide rod is fixedly connected to the inner side of the base, the expansion mechanism is movably connected to the outer side of the guide rod and used for pushing the corrugated pipe to be located at the middle position of the guide rod, and the contact mechanism is fixedly connected to the outer side of the guide rod and the back surface of the guide rod, which is close to the expansion mechanism. This improve marine corrugated compensator of shock resistance drives contact mechanism through the bellows and moves, and rethread fixed establishment uses with drive mechanism's cooperation, and when packing the bellows into inside the base, fixed establishment circular telegram extrudees to the bellows outside, and the electrorheological body solidifies when extrudeing certain dynamics to reach the effect of fixed different bore bellows, guaranteed the dynamics of fixed bellows, effectively improved the welding efficiency of bellows.)

1. A marine corrugated compensator for improving impact resistance is characterized in that: comprises a base (1), a guide rod (2), an expansion mechanism (3), a contact mechanism (4), a fixing mechanism (5), a transmission mechanism (6) and a corrugated pipe (7), the inner side of the base (1) is fixedly connected with the guide rod (2), the outer side of the guide rod (2) is movably connected with the expansion mechanism (3), the contact mechanism (4) is fixedly connected with the outer side of the guide rod (2) and the back side close to the expansion mechanism (3), the fixing mechanism (5) is fixedly connected inside the base (1) and outside the guide rod (2) and used for extruding the corrugated pipe (7) to realize fixation of different diameters, the inner side of the fixing mechanism (5) is fixedly connected with the transmission mechanism (6), the inner side of the fixing mechanism (5) is connected with the corrugated pipe (7) in a clamped mode with the outer side of the expansion mechanism (3).

2. The marine corrugated compensator for improving impact resistance according to claim 1, wherein: expanding mechanism (3) include spout (31), push rod (32), ejector pad (33) and coil spring (34), evenly distributed has been seted up in the outside of guide bar (2) spout (31), the outside swing joint of spout (31) has push rod (32), the back of push rod (32) rotates and is connected with ejector pad (33), the back fixedly connected with of ejector pad (33) with the back fixed connection of guide bar (2) coil spring (34).

3. The marine corrugated compensator for improving impact resistance according to claim 1, wherein: the contact mechanism (4) comprises a pressure lever (41), a movable contact (42) and a fixed contact (43), the pressure lever (41) is fixedly connected to the back of the guide rod (2) and the outer side close to the expansion mechanism (3), the movable contact (42) is fixedly connected to the back of the pressure lever (41), and the fixed contact (43) is fixedly connected to the back of the guide rod (2) and the back of the movable contact (42).

4. The marine corrugated compensator for improving impact resistance according to claim 1, wherein: the fixing mechanism (5) comprises a fluid groove (51) and a driven piston (52), the fluid groove (51) is uniformly distributed in the base (1) and close to the outer side of the guide rod (2), and the driven piston (52) is movably connected to the outer side of the fluid groove (51).

5. The marine corrugated compensator for improving impact resistance according to claim 4, wherein: still include mounting (53), spring (55) and filling groove (56), the inboard swing joint of fluid groove (51) has mounting (53), the outside fixedly connected with of mounting (53) with the inner wall fixed connection of fluid groove (51) spring (55), the outside of mounting (53) just is close to the inboard of spring (55) has seted up filling groove (56).

6. The marine corrugated compensator for improving impact resistance according to claim 5, wherein: the fluid filling device is characterized by further comprising an electromagnet (54) and a magnetic block (57), wherein the electromagnet (54) is fixedly connected to the inner portion of the base (1) and the outer side close to the fluid groove (51), and the magnetic block (57) is fixedly connected to the inner portion of the fixing piece (53) and the outer side close to the filling groove (56).

7. The marine corrugated compensator for improving impact resistance according to claim 6, wherein: drive mechanism (6) are including gas tank (61), rubber ring (62) and compression piston (63), seted up to the inboard of mounting (53) gas tank (61), the inboard fixedly connected with of gas tank (61) rubber ring (62), the outside swing joint of gas tank (61) has compression piston (63).

8. The marine corrugated compensator for improving impact resistance according to claim 7, wherein: still include contact one (64), spring two (65) and contact two (66), the outside fixedly connected with of compression piston (63) with the inboard fixed connection of mounting (53) contact one (64), the outside fixedly connected with of compression piston (63) spring two (65), the inside fixedly connected with of mounting (53) with the outside contact of spring two (65) is connected contact two (66).

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of corrugated compensators, in particular to a marine corrugated compensator for improving the shock resistance.

Background

The corrugated compensator, which is also called as an expansion joint or a telescopic joint in a habit, is mainly used in various pipelines, can compensate the thermal displacement of the pipelines, mechanically deform and absorb various mechanical vibrations, and plays the roles of reducing the deformation stress of the pipelines and prolonging the service life of the pipelines.

When corrugated compensator and end union coupling, need the welding to carry out fixed connection usually, but present corrugated compensator can only be fixed to the bellows of a bore when welded fastening, and can not effectively fix the bellows of different bores for bellows welding end pipe is too limited, leads to most end pipe can't process, has reduced working effect.

Therefore, we propose a marine corrugated compensator with improved impact resistance to solve the above problems.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem to be solved

Aiming at the defects of the prior art, the marine corrugated compensator capable of improving the impact resistance has the advantages of effectively welding corrugated pipes with different calibers, promoting the utilization rate of welding parts, increasing the production efficiency and solving the problem that the utilization rate of the welding parts is reduced because only one caliber can be welded when the corrugated pipes are welded in the prior art, so that the working efficiency is reduced.

(II) technical scheme

In order to effectively realize the purposes of welding corrugated pipes with different calibers, promoting the utilization rate of the welding parts and increasing the production efficiency, the invention provides the following technical scheme: a marine corrugated compensator for improving the shock resistance comprises a base, a guide rod, an expansion mechanism, a contact mechanism, a fixing mechanism, a transmission mechanism and a corrugated pipe, the inner side of the base is fixedly connected with the guide rod, the outer side of the guide rod is movably connected with the expansion mechanism and used for pushing the corrugated pipe to be positioned in the middle of the guide rod, the contact mechanism is fixedly connected with the outer side of the guide rod and the back surface close to the expansion mechanism and is used for controlling the fixing mechanism to extrude the corrugated pipe, the fixing mechanism is fixedly connected inside the base and outside the guide rod and used for extruding the corrugated pipe to realize fixing of different diameters, the transmission mechanism is fixedly connected with the inner side of the fixing mechanism and is used for controlling the fixing mechanism to be fixed at a corresponding position, the inner side of the fixing mechanism is clamped with the corrugated pipe clamped with the outer side of the expansion mechanism.

Further, expanding mechanism includes spout, push rod, ejector pad and coil spring, evenly distributed has been seted up in the outside of guide bar the spout, the shape of spout is the rectangle, the spout plays to be convenient for the effect that the ejector pad removed, the outside swing joint of spout has two about the push rod has four groups and monocomponent the push rod mutually supports, the push rod plays the support the bellows removes to the outside, realizes the bellows inboard with the same purpose of distance between the guide bar, the back of push rod rotates and is connected with the ejector pad, the back fixedly connected with of ejector pad with the back fixed connection of guide bar coil spring, coil spring is compression spring, coil spring play with the effect of push rod expansion to the outside.

Furthermore, the contact mechanism comprises pressing rods, movable contacts and fixed contacts, the pressing rods are fixedly connected to the back of the guide rod and the outer side of the guide rod close to the expansion mechanism, the two groups of pressing rods are made of elastic materials, the movable contacts are fixedly connected to the back of the pressing rods and electrically connected with the electromagnet, the fixed contacts are fixedly connected to the back of the guide rod and the back of the movable contacts, the fixed contacts are in contact connection with the movable contacts, and the two groups of movable contacts and the fixed contacts are in contact at the same time to achieve the effect of communicating a circuit.

Furthermore, the fixing mechanism comprises a fluid groove and a driven piston, the fluid groove is uniformly distributed in the base and on the outer side close to the guide rod, an electrorheological body is filled in the fluid groove, the main components of the electrorheological body are gypsum, lime, carbon powder and olive oil, the electrorheological body plays a role in fixation (), the driven piston is movably connected to the outer side of the fluid groove, the driven piston is made of hard rubber materials, and the driven piston plays a role in sealing the fluid groove.

Further, fixed establishment still includes mounting, spring one and filling groove, the inboard swing joint in fluid groove has the mounting, the shape of mounting is the arc just the material of mounting is stereoplasm high strength material, the inboard of mounting with the outside contact of bellows is connected, the mounting plays fixedly the effect of bellows, the outside fixedly connected with of mounting with the inner wall fixed connection in fluid groove spring one, spring one is extension spring, spring one plays will the effect that the mounting moved to the outside, the outside of mounting just is close to spring one's inboard has been seted up the filling groove, the inside packing in filling groove has the current variant, and the current variant solidification plays fixedly the effect of mounting.

Furthermore, the fixing mechanism further comprises an electromagnet and a magnetic block, the electromagnet is fixedly connected to the inner portion of the base and the outer side, close to the fluid groove, of the base, the magnetism generated on the inner side of the electromagnet is the same as the magnetism on the outer side of the magnetic block, the electromagnet plays a role in magnetic transmission, and the magnetic block is fixedly connected to the inner portion of the fixing piece and the outer side, close to the filling groove, of the fixing piece.

Further, drive mechanism includes air duct, rubber circle and compression piston, the inboard of mounting has been seted up the air duct, the inside gas in air duct is the air, the inboard fixedly connected with in air duct the rubber circle, the material of rubber circle is high elastic polymer material, the rubber circle plays driven effect, the outside swing joint in air duct has the compression piston, the compression piston plays the effect of transmission and fixed each part.

Further, drive mechanism still includes contact one, spring two and contact two, the outside fixedly connected with of compression piston with the inboard fixed connection of mounting contact one, contact one is compression spring, contact one play with the effect that compression piston moved to the inboard, the outside fixedly connected with of compression piston spring two, spring two with fluid tank electric connection, the inside fixedly connected with of mounting with the outside contact of spring two is connected contact two, spring two with contact two contacts the effect that plays intercommunication circuit.

(III) advantageous effects

Compared with the prior art, the marine corrugated compensator capable of improving the impact resistance has the following beneficial effects:

1. this improve marine corrugated compensator of shock resistance drives contact mechanism through the bellows and moves, and rethread fixed establishment uses with drive mechanism's cooperation, and when packing the bellows into inside the base, fixed establishment circular telegram extrudees to the bellows outside, and the electrorheological body solidifies when extrudeing certain dynamics to reach the effect of fixed different bore bellows, guaranteed the dynamics of fixed bellows, effectively improved the welding efficiency of bellows.

2. This improve marine corrugated compensator of shock resistance, drive the extension mechanism operation through the bellows, rethread ejector pad extrusion coil spring operation, when the bellows inserts the inside of base, bellows inboard extrusion extension mechanism removes to the bottom, under coil spring's effect, thereby promote the push rod and remove to the outside, effectively realize the extrusion bellows and expand to the outside, thereby guarantee that the bellows is in the base intermediate position, make the guide bar be in the bellows intermediate position, bellows welding position has been guaranteed, improve the shock resistance of bellows.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic bottom view of the guide bar of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion A of FIG. 1;

fig. 4 is a schematic view of a bellows fixing structure according to the present invention.

In the figure: 1. a base; 2. a guide bar; 3. an expansion mechanism; 4. a contact mechanism; 5. a fixing mechanism; 6. a transmission mechanism; 7. a bellows; 31. a chute; 32. a push rod; 33. a push block; 34. a coil spring; 41. a pressure lever; 42. a movable contact; 43. a stationary contact; 51. a fluid tank; 52. a slave piston; 53. a fixing member; 54. an electromagnet; 55. a first spring; 56. filling the groove; 57. a magnetic block; 61. an air tank; 62. a rubber ring; 63. a compression piston; 64. a first contact; 65. a second spring; 66. and a second contact.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

The first embodiment is as follows:

referring to fig. 1, 2 and 4, a marine corrugated compensator for improving shock resistance includes a base 1, a guide bar 2, an expansion mechanism 3, and a contact mechanism 4, the fixing mechanism 5, the transmission mechanism 6 and the corrugated pipe 7, the guide rod 2 is fixedly connected to the inner side of the base 1, the expansion mechanism 3 is movably connected to the outer side of the guide rod 2 and used for pushing the corrugated pipe 7 to be located in the middle of the guide rod 2, the expansion mechanism 3 comprises a sliding groove 31, a push rod 32, a push block 33 and a spiral spring 34, the sliding groove 31 is uniformly distributed on the outer side of the guide rod 2, the sliding groove 31 is rectangular, the sliding groove 31 plays a role in facilitating the movement of the push block 33, the outer side of the sliding groove 31 is movably connected with the push rod 32, the push rod 32 is provided with four groups of single components, the upper push rod 32 and the lower push rod 32 are matched with each other, the push rod 32 plays a role in supporting the corrugated pipe 7 to move towards the outer side, and the purpose that the distance between the inner side of the corrugated pipe 7 and the guide rod 2 is the same is achieved.

The back of the push rod 32 is rotatably connected with a push block 33, the back of the push block 33 is fixedly connected with a spiral spring 34 fixedly connected with the back of the guide rod 2, the spiral spring 34 is a compression spring, the spiral spring 34 plays a role of expanding the push rod 32 towards the outside, the outer side of the guide rod 2 and the back close to the expanding mechanism 3 are fixedly connected with a contact mechanism 4 and used for controlling the fixing mechanism 5 to extrude the corrugated pipe 7, the contact mechanism 4 comprises a press rod 41, a movable contact 42 and a fixed contact 43, the back of the guide rod 2 and the outer side close to the expanding mechanism 3 are fixedly connected with the press rod 41, the number of the press rod 41 is two, the material of the press rod 41 is elastic material, the back of the press rod 41 is fixedly connected with the movable contact 42, the movable contact 42 is electrically connected with an electromagnet 54, the back of the guide rod 2 and the back close to the movable contact 42 are fixedly connected with the fixed contact 43, and the fixed contact 43 is in contact connection with the movable contact 42, two groups of movable contacts 42 and fixed contacts 43 are contacted simultaneously to play a role of communicating a circuit, the outer side of the inner part of the base 1 close to the guide rod 2 is fixedly connected with a fixing mechanism 5 and used for extruding the corrugated pipe 7 to realize different diameter fixing, the inner side of the fixing mechanism 5 is fixedly connected with a transmission mechanism 6 and used for controlling the fixing mechanism 5 to be fixed at a corresponding position, and the inner side of the fixing mechanism 5 is clamped with the corrugated pipe 7 clamped with the outer side of the expansion mechanism 3.

Example two:

referring to fig. 1-4, a marine corrugated compensator for improving impact resistance comprises a base 1, a guide rod 2, an expansion mechanism 3, a contact mechanism 4, a fixing mechanism 5, a transmission mechanism 6 and a corrugated pipe 7, wherein the guide rod 2 is fixedly connected to the inner side of the base 1, the expansion mechanism 3 is movably connected to the outer side of the guide rod 2 and used for pushing the corrugated pipe 7 to be located at the middle position of the guide rod 2, the expansion mechanism 3 comprises a chute 31, a push rod 32, a push block 33 and a spiral spring 34, the outer side of the guide rod 2 is provided with uniformly distributed chutes 31, the chute 31 is rectangular, the chute 31 plays a role in facilitating the movement of the push block 33, the outer side of the chute 31 is movably connected with the push rod 32, the push rod 32 has four groups of single-component upper and lower push rods 32 which are matched with each other, the push rod 32 plays a role in supporting the corrugated pipe 7 to move outwards, and achieves the purpose of keeping the same distance between the inner side of the corrugated pipe 7 and the guide rod 2, a push block 33 is rotatably connected to the back of the push rod 32, a coil spring 34 fixedly connected to the back of the guide rod 2 is fixedly connected to the back of the push block 33, the coil spring 34 is a compression spring, the coil spring 34 acts to expand the push rod 32 to the outside, and a contact mechanism 4 is fixedly connected to the back of the guide rod 2 and close to the expansion mechanism 3 and used for controlling the fixing mechanism 5 to extrude the corrugated pipe 7.

The contact mechanism 4 comprises pressure rods 41, movable contacts 42 and fixed contacts 43, the pressure rods 41 are fixedly connected to the back of the guide rod 2 and the outer side close to the expanding mechanism 3, two groups of pressure rods 41 are arranged, the material of the pressure rods 41 is elastic material, the movable contacts 42 are fixedly connected to the back of the pressure rods 41, the movable contacts 42 are electrically connected with the electromagnet 54, the fixed contacts 43 are fixedly connected to the back of the guide rod 2 and the back close to the movable contacts 42, the fixed contacts 43 are in contact connection with the movable contacts 42, the two groups of movable contacts 42 and the fixed contacts 43 are in contact with each other to play a role in communicating a circuit, the fixing mechanism 5 is fixedly connected to the inner part of the base 1 and the outer side close to the guide rod 2 and used for extruding the corrugated pipe 7 to realize different-diameter fixing, the fixing mechanism 5 comprises a fluid groove 51, a driven piston 52, a fixing part 53, the electromagnet 54, a first spring 55, a filling groove 56 and a magnetic block 57, the fluid grooves 51 which are uniformly distributed are formed in the inner part of the base 1 and the outer side close to the guide rod 2, the interior of the fluid tank 51 is filled with an electrorheological fluid, the main components of the electrorheological fluid are gypsum, lime, carbon powder and olive oil, the electrorheological fluid plays a role in fixing, the outer side of the fluid tank 51 is movably connected with a driven piston 52, the driven piston 52 is made of a hard rubber material, and the driven piston 52 plays a role in sealing the fluid tank 51.

The inner side of the fluid groove 51 is movably connected with a fixing piece 53, the fixing piece 53 is arc-shaped, the fixing piece 53 is made of hard high-strength material, the inner side of the fixing piece 53 is in contact connection with the outer side of the corrugated pipe 7, the fixing piece 53 plays a role in fixing the corrugated pipe 7, the inner side of the base 1 close to the outer side of the fluid groove 51 is fixedly connected with an electromagnet 54, the magnetism generated by the inner side of the electromagnet 54 is the same as that of the outer side of a magnetic block 57, the electromagnet 54 plays a role in magnetic transmission, the outer side of the fixing piece 53 is fixedly connected with a spring I55 fixedly connected with the inner wall of the fluid groove 51, the spring I55 is an extension spring, the spring I55 plays a role in moving the fixing piece 53 to the outer side, the outer side of the fixing piece 53 close to the inner side of the spring I55 is provided with a filling groove 56, the inner part of the filling groove 56 is filled with an electrorheological body, and the electrorheological body is solidified to play a role in fixing the fixing piece 53, a magnet 57 is fixedly connected to the inner side of the fixing member 53 and the outer side of the fixing member close to the filling groove 56, and a transmission mechanism 6 is fixedly connected to the inner side of the fixing mechanism 5 and is used for controlling the fixing mechanism 5 to be fixed at a corresponding position.

The transmission mechanism 6 comprises an air groove 61, a rubber ring 62, a compression piston 63, a first contact 64, a second spring 65 and a second contact 66, the inner side of the fixing piece 53 is provided with the air groove 61, the air in the air groove 61 is air, the inner side of the air groove 61 is fixedly connected with the rubber ring 62, the rubber ring 62 is made of high-elasticity polymer materials, the rubber ring 62 plays a role of transmission, the outer side of the air groove 61 is movably connected with the compression piston 63, the compression piston 63 plays a role of transmission and fixing of various parts, the outer side of the compression piston 63 is fixedly connected with the first contact 64 fixedly connected with the inner side of the fixing piece 53, the first contact 64 is a compression spring, the first contact 64 plays a role of moving the compression piston 63 to the inner side, the outer side of the compression piston 63 is fixedly connected with the second spring 65, the second spring 65 is electrically connected with the fluid groove 51, the inner part of the fixing piece 53 is fixedly connected with the second contact 66 in contact connection with the outer side of the second spring 65, the second spring 65 is in contact with the second contact 66 to play a role of communicating a circuit, and the corrugated pipe 7 clamped with the outer side of the expansion mechanism 3 is clamped on the inner side of the fixing mechanism 5.

The working principle is as follows: when the corrugated pipe expanding device is used, the corrugated pipe 7 is inserted into the base 1, the guide rod 2 is positioned in the corrugated pipe 7 at the moment, the bottom of the corrugated pipe 7 is contacted with the top of the expanding mechanism 3, the push rod 32 is extruded towards the bottom to enable the bottom of the push rod 32 to slide towards the back surface in the sliding groove 31, under the mutual action of the two push rods 32, the push rod 32 at the bottom extrudes the push block 33 and compresses the spiral spring 34 to move downwards, meanwhile, under the action of the compression force of the spiral spring 34, the outward expanding force of the push rod 32 is pushed, the corrugated pipe 7 is effectively extruded to expand towards the outside, the corrugated pipe 7 is ensured to be positioned at the middle position of the base 1, the guide rod 2 is positioned at the middle position of the corrugated pipe 7, the welding position of the corrugated pipe 7 is ensured, the impact resistance of the corrugated pipe 7 is improved, when the corrugated pipe 7 moves to the most back surface of the guide rod 2, the back surface of the corrugated pipe 7 is contacted with the pressure rod 41, and the pressure rod 41 is extruded to deform in a bending way, after the two groups of movable contacts 42 are contacted with the fixed contacts 43 at the same time, the circuit is electrified, and the corrugated pipe 7 is ensured to be always vertical to the base 1 when being installed;

after the corrugated pipe 7 is arranged in the base 1, the fixing mechanism 5 is electrified under the extrusion of the corrugated pipe 7, at the moment, the electromagnet 54 is electrified and electrified, the magnetism generated on the inner side of the electromagnet 54 is the same as that on the outer side of the magnetic block 57, the effect of repelling the magnetic block 57 to move towards the inner side is achieved by utilizing the principle that the same magnetism repels each other, the purpose of driving the fixing piece 53 to move towards the inner side is effectively achieved, the spring I55 is in a stretched state, the fixing piece 53 is filled with an electrorheological body and is in a sealed state when moving, the electrorheological body and the driven piston 52 are driven to move when moving, the inner side of the fixing piece 53 gradually extrudes the outer side of the corrugated pipe 7, when the rubber ring 62 is extruded to a certain degree, the air in the air groove 61 is compressed, the purpose of driving the compression piston 63 to compress the contact I64 towards the outer side is achieved, and the spring II 65 is in contact with the contact II 66, the fluid tank 51 is electrified to realize that the current variant in the fluid tank 51 is converted from liquid state to solid state, thereby achieving the purpose of fixing the corrugated pipes 7 with the same force, effectively realizing the purpose of fixing the corrugated pipes 7 with different calibers, ensuring moderate force when the corrugated pipes 7 are fixed, and effectively improving the welding efficiency of the corrugated pipes 7.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.