The patent publication WO 00/61952 A1 and the European patent publication 0 161 750 B1 each disclose a fluid power contractile drive, which comprises a contractile hose, which at its end has a force output means attached to it. The contractile hose comprises a rubber elastic hose body and a tensile fiber arrangement coaxial to it. If the actuation space delimited by the contractile hose is filled with a fluid pressure medium subject to a certain operating pressure, the contractile hose will be subject to a radial spread accompanied by an axial longitudinal contraction. Accordingly tension forces will be exerted on the force output means so that same are acted upon to produce a mutual movement toward one another. It is in this manner that external structures and components, which are secured to the force output means, may be braced together and/or moved in relation to one another.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds