1. A compliant pressure belt comprising an endless belt comprising at least one elastomeric layer and one metal layer, wherein the outside surface of said belt has a roughness average less than 50 nanometers and a hardness between 90 Shore A and 50 Shore D, wherein said at least one elastomeric layer comprises a first elastomeric layer and a second elastomeric layer; said first elastomeric layer and said second elastomeric layer differ in hardness; and said first elastomeric layer is toward the inside of the belt in relation to the second elastomeric layer.
2. The compliant pressure belt of claim 1, wherein said at least one metal layer is on the outside of said belt.
3. The compliant pressure belt of claim 2, comprising a metal layer on the inside of said belt.
4. The compliant pressure belt of claim 1, wherein the first elastomeric layer has a greater hardness than the second elastomeric layer.
5. The compliant pressure belt of claim 1, wherein the second elastomeric layer has a greater hardness than the first elastomeric layer.
6. The compliant pressure belt of claim 1 wherein said at least one elastomeric layer comprises nanoclay particles in an amount of between 0.2 and 5 weight percentage in the layer having particles present.
7. The compliant pressure belt of claim 1, wherein said belt has a circumference between 0.75 and 10 meters and a width between 0.5 and 2 meters.
8. The compliant pressure belt of claim 1, wherein said at least one elastomeric layer is on the outside of said belt and said at least one elastomeric layer comprises between 1 and 10 percentage by weight of a polymer having a surface energy between 22 and 35 dynes per square centimeter.
9. The compliant pressure belt of claim 1, wherein said belt is provided with timing protuberances on the inside of said belt.
10. The compliant pressure belt of claim 1, wherein said metal layer is provided with a three-dimensionalpattern.
11. A compliant pressure belt comprising an endless belt comprising at least one elastomeric layer and one metal layer, wherein the outside surface of said belt has a roughness average less than 50 nanometers and a hardness between 90 Shore A and 50 Shore D, wherein said at least one elastomeric layer comprises reinforcing fibers substantially oriented in one direction.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A flow meter comprising:
a taper-shaped tube which is made of an approximately transparent or semi-transparent material, is mounted approximately vertically, and circulates a fluid;
a float which is arranged within said taper-shaped tube so as to be displaced in a vertical direction in correspondence to a flow rate of said fluid;
a light emitting means which irradiates a light ray to said taper-shaped tube and said float, and transmits or reflects the light ray;
a first mirror to which said transmitted or reflected light ray is input and reflected;
a second mirror to which said transmitted or reflected light ray is input and reflected from said first mirror;
an image sensor to which said transmitted or reflected light ray is input from said second mirror, and which outputs a digital image of said float within said taper-shaped tube; and
a control portion which executes an input process of said digital signal, detects the position of said float within said taper-shaped tube, and outputs an electric signal showing said flow rate.
2. A flow meter as claimed in claim 1, further comprising one or more third mirrors which are interposed between said first mirror and said second mirror, and to which said transmitted or reflected light ray is sequentially input and reflected.
3. A flow meter as claimed in claim 1, wherein said light emitting means is constituted by a plurality of LED arranged along said taper-shaped tube, and the flow meter is provided with a polarizing prism which uniformizes said light ray irradiated from said LED, and refracts an optical path of said light ray so as to irradiate to said taper-shaped tube and said float.
4. A flow meter as claimed in claim 1, wherein said light emitting means is constituted by a luminous body uniformly emitting and irradiating said light ray.
5. A flow meter as claimed in claim 1, wherein a lens for compensating a difference in an optical path length of said transmitted or reflected light ray is provided just before said image sensor.