Exploration of unknown object by active touch of robot hand

This paper proposes a method of exploring the local shape of an unknown object using the force and torque information obtained from active touch. In the first, we present a method to estimate an unknown curvature, using rolling and sliding motion with a force/torque sensor attached to the fingertip of the hand. Then, the normal curvature equation from 2D curvatures is obtained. Finally we present a reconstruction algorithm of local geometry by using a normal curvature equation, which is composed of principal curvatures and principal directions. The method is tested by using a hand-arm system consisting of an industrial robot arm and an anthropomorphic robot hand with 6-axis force/torque sensor. The feasibility of the proposed method is experimentally validated for objects with simple geometries such as cylinder, spheres etc.     

Design optimization of a laser printer cleaning blade for minimizing permanent set

When a cleaning blade in a laser printer is excessively deformed, immoderate permanent set can result, leading to weaker nip pressure between the cleaning blade and OPC drum that worsens its cleaning performance and printing quality. In this study, the correlation of the permanent set with stress and strain was investigated through tensile tests with rubber test specimens. Based on the experimental results, the maximum von-Mises stress value was used to quantify the permanent set. A design optimization problem was formulated to minimize the maximum von-Mises stress while satisfying the design constraints for maintaining appropriate contact between the cleaning blade and the OPC drum. We employed metamodel-based design optimization using design of experiments, metamodeling and an optimization algorithm to circumvent the difficulty of structural analyses at some design points. Using the proposed design approach, the optimal maximum von-Mises stress was reduced by 40.2 % compared to the initial stress value while all the design constraints were satisfied. In order to verify the validity of our design optimization result, we manufactured the cleaning blades according to the optimum design solution and performed permanent set and printer tests. The test results clearly showed the validity of our design optimization result.     

Efficient verifiably encrypted signatures from lattices

Verifiably encrypted signature schemes can convince a verifier that a given ciphertext is an encryption of an ordinary signature on a given message and the ordinary signature can be recovered by the third party, called adjudicator. In 2010, Rückert et al. proposed a general construction for the verifiably encrypted signatures, and then, they also showed that there exist the lattice-based verifiably encrypted signature schemes. Their constructions are very insightful, but their schemes need an extra adjudication setup phase and Merkle trees, so they have large parameters and keys, that is, they are inefficient. Also, their schemes provide only the limited signature capacity because the signing keys should be reissued after generating \(k\) th verifiably encrypted signatures. To overcome the weaknesses of Rückert et al.’s scheme, we construct a verifiably encrypted signature scheme based on the hard lattice problems. Our scheme provides the full functionality, i.e., the signatures can be generated without any limitations and does not need any extra adjudication setup phases. Moreover, the size of the secret keys in our scheme is constant. Our scheme provides unforgeability, opacity, extractability, and abuse-freeness in the random oracle model.     

Syntheses of new black dyes for ink-jet inks

Drop-on-demand ink-jet inks made from dyes generally show poor light and wet fastness. A number of studies have been carried out previously to improve the fastness of such inks by introducing novel dyes and new additives. Based on the research results, use of fast dyes could give ink-jet inks with good properties. This study describes new black dyes for aqueous ink-jet inks, which show better light and wet fastness and print quality, compared to an analogous ink formulated from CI Food Black 2.     

A porous mixed-valent iron MOF exhibiting the acs net: Synthesis, characterization and sorption behavior of Fe3O(F4BDC)3(H2O)3·(DMF)3.5

A new mixed-valent iron MOF, formulated as Fe₃O(F₄BDC)₃(H₂O)₃·(DMF)_3.5 (1), has been synthesized by using a perfluorinated linear dicarboxylate to link trigonal prismatic Fe₃(μ³-O)(O₂C–)₆ clusters. The structure refinement based on single crystal X-ray diffraction data collected from 1 reveals the material exhibits the acs topology with large channels along the crystallographic c-axis. Due to the presence of fluorine atoms the organic link, 2,3,5,6-tetrafluorobenzene-1,4-dicarboxylate (F₄BDC), has a 63° torsion angle between the carboxylate and aromatic planes, resulting in larger channels compared to those in the isoreticular material MOF-235. While few iron-based MOFs have demonstrated porosity, nitrogen and hydrogen sorption experiments carried out at 77 K proved the porosity of outgassed 1, which has a Langmuir surface are of 635 m²/g and a gravimetric capacity of 0.9 wt% of hydrogen at 1 bar.     

Synthesis and luminescence properties of new blue‐light‐emitting polyconjugated poly{1,1′‐biphenyl‐4,4′‐diyl‐[1‐(4‐t‐butylphenyl)]vinylene} polymers and copolymers

Three new soluble polyconjugated polymers, all of which emitted blue light in photoluminescence and electroluminescence, were synthesized, and their luminescence properties were studied. The polymers were poly{1,1′‐biphenyl‐4,4′‐diyl‐[1‐(4‐t‐butylphenyl)]vinylene}, poly((9,9‐dioctylfluorene‐2,7‐diyl)‐alt‐{1,4‐phenylene‐[1‐(4‐t‐butylphenyl)vinylene‐1,4‐phenylene]}) [P(DOF‐PVP)], and poly([N‐(2‐ethyl) hexylcarbazole‐3,6‐diyl]‐alt‐{1,4‐phenylene‐[1‐(4‐t‐butylphenyl)]vinylene‐1,4‐phenylene}). The last two polymers had alternating sequences of the two structural units. Among the three polymers, P(DOF‐PVP) performed best in the light‐emitting diode devices of indium–tin oxide/poly(ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly(styrene sulfonate) (30 nm)/polymer (150 nm)/Li:Al (100 nm). This might have been correlated with the balance in and magnitude of the mobility of the charge carriers, that is, positive holes and electrons, and also the electronic structure, that is, highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) levels, of the polymers. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 307–317, 2006     

Thermal and mechanical properties of the polymers synthesized by the sequential polymerization of propylene and 1‐hexadecene

The block copolymer of poly(1‐hexadecene) (PHD) and polypropylene (PP) was effectively synthesized by the sequential polymerization of propylene and 1‐hexadecene by using highly isospecific TiCl₃/Cp₂Ti(CH₃)₂ (Cp = cyclopentadienyl). The block copolymers had two separate melting temperatures of constituent blocks. The modulus of PHD–PP block copolymer was enhanced as the content of sequentially polymerized PP block was increased. The elongation at break showed positive deviation at the intermediate compositions from the simple additive values of constituent homopolymers. Shape memory effect which utilizes the crystalline PHD block as a reversible phase and the crystalline PP block as a fixed structure was examined. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 84: 1709–1715, 2002; DOI 10.1002/app.10551     

Preparation of water‐soluble syndiotacticity‐rich high molecular weight poly(vinyl alcohol) microfibrillar fibers using copolymerization of vinyl pivalate and vinyl acetate and saponification

Water‐soluble high molecular weight (HMW) syndiotactic poly(vinyl alcohol) (s‐PVA) microfibrillar fibers were prepared by the saponification with various conditions such as amount of alkali solution, saponification temperature, and saponification concentration from copoly(vinyl pivalate (VPi)/vinyl acetate (VAc)) copolymerized using various VPi/VAc feed ratios. To produce s‐PVA microbrillar fibers having various water‐soluble temperatures for many industrial applications, the intrinsic viscosities, syndiotactic diad (S‐diad) contents, and degrees of saponification (DS)s of PVAs were finely controlled to 1.2–3.6 dL/g, 56.3–58.3%, and 91.4–98.3%, respectively. Through a series of experiments, it was found that the amount of alkali may alter the structure of the saponified polymers, primarily the DS, and the structural variation changes viscosity. That is, intrinsic viscosity was sharply decreased as the amount of alkali solution was increased. DS was increased with an increase in the amount of alkali solution. S‐diad content was increased with an increase in the VPi content. HMW s‐PVA microfibrillar fibers having S‐diad content of 56.3–58.3% prepared by the saponification of copoly(VPi/VAc) were completely soluble in water at 100°C. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 1482–1487, 2003     

Preparation and characterizations of interpenetrating polymer network hydrogels of poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(methyl methacrylate)

Interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogels based on poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(methyl methacrylate) were prepared by radical polymerization using 2,2‐dimethyl‐2‐phenylacetophenone and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as initiators and crosslinkers, respectively. The IPN hydrogels were analyzed for sorption behavior at 25°C and at a relative humidity of 95% using dynamic vapor sorption. The IPN hydrogels exhibited a relatively high equilibrium water content in the range of 13–68%. The state of water in the swollen IPN hydrogels was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry. The free water in the hydrogels increased as the hydrophilic content increased. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 258–262, 2003     

Synthesis and applications of unsaturated polyester resins based on PET waste

Three types of unsaturated polyester resins were synthesized from the glycolysis of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic waste, considering environment, cost and properties for their applications. These synthesized unsaturated polyester resins could be used for various construction processes and materials such as no dig pipelining (NDR-1), pultrusion (PLR-1) and polymer concrete (PCR-1). PET was taken from common soft-drink bottles, and ethylene glycol (EG), diethylene glycol (DEG) and MPdiol glycol mixtures were used for the depolymerization at molar ratios. The glycolyzed PET 1 ^st products (oligomers) were reacted with maleic anhydride, phthalic anhydride and dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) (especially for polymer concrete) to form unsaturated polyester resins with mixed styrene. The lab scale (1–5 kg) and pilot plant scale-up tests (200 kg) were experimented to evaluate the processing characteristics, viscosity, acid number and curing behaviors. The main properties such as hardness, flexural strength, tensile strength, heat distortion temperature, elongation, and chemical resistance were determined based on the various uses of the three resins. Furthermore, the applicability and the properties of these developed resins were verified through many real application tests.