Tokai Rubber Industries, Ltd.

Sumitomo Riko Company Limited

Hiroaki Ito

Kazutaka Katayama

Shinji Iio

Koyo Murakami

Atsuo Miyajima

Tomohide Ito

Ichiro Igarashi

Tetsuji Narasaki

Motoshige Hibino

Kazuhiro Kato

Hirokazu Kitamura

Eiichi Daikai

Takahiro Nishiyama

Yoshimitsu Ishida

Katsuhiko Yokoe

Ayumu Ikemoto

Akira Takayanagi

Tomonori Hayakawa

Shigeaki Takamatsu

Junichiro Suzuki

Hidehito Ikeda

Yutaro Taguchi

Masayoshi Nakano

Kazuhiko Nishimura

Koji Akiyoshi

Takeaki Yoshikawa

Masaki Terawaki

Katsutoshi Mizuno

Yusaku Takagaki

Tsubasa Shinozuka

A capacitance sensor () is provided with two electrode layers () and an insulating layer () disposed between the electrode layers (). At least one of the two electrode layers () is constituted by a reticulated soft electrode () that is formed from a conductive polymer and has a reticulated shape. The conductive polymer comprises a polymer and a conductive material dispersed in the polymer and has an elastic modulus of 1000 MPa or less. This method for manufacturing the capacitance sensor () in which the two electrode layers () are constituted by the reticulated soft electrode () comprises: an electrode manufacturing step in which the reticulated soft electrode () is manufactured; and a laminating step in which the reticulated soft electrode () is laminated onto the front and back surfaces of the insulating layer ().

Capacitance sensor, method for manufacturing same, and reticulated soft electrode for capacitance sensor

A conductive film of the present invention includes an elastomer and a flake-like carbon material. An amount of the flake-like carbon material in the conductive film is 20 parts by mass or more and 60 parts by mass or less when a total solid content excluding a conductive agent is 100 parts by mass. A gloss level of a surface of the conductive film measured at an incidence angle of 20&#xb0; is more than 0.4% and less than 10%. A method for producing a conductive film of the present invention includes the steps of preparing a liquid composition including an elastomer, a conductive agent including at least one of graphite powder and expanded graphite powder, and a solvent; subjecting the liquid composition to a grinding treatment using a wet jet mill; and applying the liquid composition after the grinding treatment to a base material, and curing the coating film.

Conductive film and method for producing the same

A body position and pressure control apparatus is provided capable of highly accurately detecting body pressure distribution without causing a sense of discomfort for a sleeper, changing body positions, and distributing body pressure. The body position and pressure control apparatus has a mattress provided with a plurality of divided portions and supporting a sleeper, an elastomer sensor, and a body pressure adjuster controlling each of the divided portions based on an instruction from the elastomer sensor and thereby changing the body pressure distribution of the sleeper. The elastomer sensor has a sheet sensor main body and a calculator, the sensor main body having an elastomer sensor thin film, a plurality of electrodes, and a plurality of detectors corresponding to the divided portions provided between the electrodes.

Body position and pressure control apparatus

A fuel hose includes a laminated structure of a tubular resin layer and an adjoining rubber layer, the rubber layer being formed by a rubber composition containing the following (A) to (F) as essential components, and the resin layer being formed by a material containing a tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene-vinylidene fluoride terpolymer or a tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene-vinylidene fluoride-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether quaterpolymer as a main component:

Fuel hose

A hose of impermeability has a wall corrugated along at least a part of its length, and formed by an inner thin resin layer, a laminated layer including a metal film, or a layer formed by a metal film, and an outer thin resin layer. It has a very high fluid impermeability owing to its wall layer including or formed by a metal film, and is also very flexible, capable of absorbing vibration, light in weight and strong. A tubular inner thin resin layer is formed by extrusion as the innermost layer of a multi-layered hose wall, and a laminated tape including a metal film, or simply a metal film is spirally wound or longitudinally lapped about the inner resin layer. An outer thin resin layer is formed about a layer formed by the laminated tape, or metal film, and the whole is at least partly corrugated. Alternatively, corrugation is done before an outer thin resin layer is formed by electrostatic powder coating. A different process includes applying a laminated tape including a metal film about a mandrel to form a tubular laminated layer, and after removing the mandrel, coating the inner surface of the tubular layer with a resin powder electrostatically to form a thin resin layer thereon.

Hose of impermeability and a process for manufacturing the same

A fuel cell hose which is superior in flexibility (low-temperature flexibility) and in barrier performance against hydrogen gas or water without causing a defect such as buckling or cracking at the time of the press-fitting of a connector. The fuel cell hose comprises an inner layer in contact with fluid, a barrier layer formed on an outer peripheral surface of the inner layer and an outer layer formed on an outer peripheral surface of the barrier layer. The inner layer is made of a material (A) containing a polyolefin resin and a styrene-isobutylene block copolymer as essential components, the barrier layer is made of a material (B) containing an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer and a modified polyolefin resin as essential components and the mixing ratio by volume of the ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer to the modified polyolefin resin is in the range of 95/5 to 30/70, and the outer layer is made of a material (C) containing a polyamide resin as an essential component. The barrier layer has an island-sea structure in which island phases composed of the modified polyolefin resin are dispersed in a sea phase composed of the ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer.

Fuel cell hose

An cylindrical convex portion of which opposite ends are open is integrally formed onto a fuel tank made of HDPE therewith so as to inwardly extend in the fuel tank to provide an opening thereon. A press-fit portion of a filler hose connecting pipe made of PA as a tubular member is press-fitted in the cylindrical convex portion to connecting the tubular member to the fuel tank. At least one continuous annular projection is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the press-fit portion of the tubular member so as to bite into the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical convex portion to provide continuous circumferential contact. A face of the annular projection in direction axially of one end of tubular member is formed so as to extend outwardly and inclinedly with respect to the axial direction of the tubular member form one end toward the other end thereof.

Structure for connecting tubular member to fuel tank

An automotive fuel hose having a three-layer structure excellent in sour-gasoline resistance and impact resistance. The automotive fuel hose includes a tubular inner layer in which fuel is adapted to flow; a low fuel permeability layer provided on an outer peripheral surface of the inner layer; and an outer layer provided on an outer peripheral surface of the low fuel permeability layer. The inner layer and the outer layer each including at least one of a polyolefin resin having a functional group and a polyamide resin and the low fuel permeability layer including a polyphenylene sulfide resin.

Automotive fuel hose

A metal-composite hose having a wall including an innermost metal layer and a resin layer surrounding it, in which the metal layer has at each end portion of the hose an inner surface covered with a resin layer, an elastic rubber layer, or both. A process for manufacturing a metal-composite hose includes: forming a metal layer; covering the metal layer with an elastic rubber layer, if required; and after masking a specific portion of the metal layer, forming a thermoplastic resin layer thereon by powder or spray coating. The hose is preferably a corrugated one. It has high fluid impermeability, flexibility and strength, as well as high metal-rust resistance and sealing property at both ends.

Metal-composite hose and a process for manufacturing the same

A fuel hose having a fluororesin layer formed from a copolymer of vinylidene fluoride and chlorotrifluoroethylene by powder coating or the like on the inner surface of a rubber tube is characterized by at least one of the following: (1) the copolymer contains a metal salt; (2) the rubber tube is of a mixture containing acrylic rubber; and (3) the rubber tube contains an organic ammonium salt or the like. The fuel hose is high in gasoline impermeability and flexibility and has a strong adhesion between the rubber tube and fluororesin layer.

A tank joint part has a welding member welded to the outer surface of a fuel tank and a main body formed of a material of low fuel permeability and welded or otherwise joined to the welding member. The welding member is formed of modified polyethylene, which is easily weldable or otherwise joinable to the outer surface of the fuel tank and the main body, and in which very fine particles of a layered mineral are easily dispersible. The mineral is dispersed in layers oriented substantially at right angles to the direction of any possible permeation from the tank joint part. The tank joint part ensures a low fuel permeability and a high bonding strength.

Tank joint parts and a process for manufacturing an annular molded product of resins

A fuel hose which satisfies low-permeability requirements in conformity with stringent regulations against vapor emission of fuel gases, is halogen-free and has excellent hydrolysis resistance, inter-layer adhesiveness and low-temperature flexibility. The fuel hose comprises: an innermost layer ( ) comprising a thermoplastic polyester elastomer and having a flexural modulus in a predetermined range; an intermediate layer ( ) comprising a polyester resin and provided around the innermost layer ( ); and an outermost layer ( ) comprising a thermoplastic polybutylene terephthalate elastomer and provided around the intermediate layer ( ).

A metal-composite corrugated hose having a wall including a metal layer forming its innermost layer and a resin layer surrounding it. Its wall has in its corrugated portion a metal layer thickness (A) of at least 20 &mgr;m, but below 200 &mgr;m, and a resin layer thickness (B) of 80 to 5,000 &mgr;m. Each thickness of A and B has a ratio (A:B) of 1:4 to 1:50. The hose is made by a specific process in which the metal and resin layers are not corrugated simultaneously. Thus, there is a provided a metal-composite corrugated hose having high fuel impermeability, flexibility and strength, and having a reinforcing effect sufficient to protect the metal layer from any fatigue failure.

Metal-composite corrugated hoses and a process for manufacturing the same

A fuel hose which is less permeable to an automotive fuel and highly resistant to a sour gasoline. The fuel hose comprises at least one layer including an innermost layer which comprises a thermoplastic polybutylene terephthalate elastomer containing a dimer acid moiety.

A method of producing a fuel hose having superior adhesive reliability with superior initial adhesive strength between a tubular fluororesin inner layer and a thermoplastic resin outer layer and with restrained deterioration in adhesive strength after heat aging and immersion into fuel under severe conditions such as an inside of an engine compartment. The method includes plasma treatment on a peripheral surface of the tubular fluororesin inner layer, at least one treatment of water treatment and silane coupling agent treatment on the plasma treated surface and formation of the thermoplastic resin outer layer on the treated peripheral surface.

Growing community of inventors

Kasugai, Japan

Hiroaki Ito