Abstract: A drilling component includes a first end portion configured to be arranged to face the a first section of a drill string. The first end portion includes a first interconnecting portion configured to engage a corresponding interconnecting portion of the first section of the drill string. The drilling component further includes a hollow interior configured to extend along a length direction of the drill string and to form a part of a passage through the drill string. The drilling component has a wall defining the hollow interior, wherein an area of a first cross-section of the wall is smaller than an area of a second cross-section of the wall and wherein the first cross-section is arranged between the second cross-section and the first end portion.

Abstract: The invention discloses method for manufacturing agar or agarose beads, comprising the steps of: a) providing a water phase comprising an aqueous solution of agar or agarose at a temperature of 40-100° C.: b) providing an oil phase comprising a water-immiscible solvent and an emulsifier at a temperature of 40-100° C.; c) emulsifying the water phase in the oil phase to form a water-in-oil emulsion: d) cooling the water-in-oil emulsion to a temperature below a gelation temperature of the agar or agarose to form a dispersion of solidified agar or agarose beads: and e) recovering agar or agarose beads from dispersion, wherein the emulsifier comprises a phosphate ester of an alkoxylated fatty alcohol.

Abstract: A shank adapter, forming part of a drilling assembly, has a main body extending axially between a first end and a second end, an externally threaded male spigot portion provided at the second end, and a non-threaded shank positioned axially intermediate the main body and the threaded section. A radially projecting shoulder is positioned axially between the main body and the male spigot portion. The shank has a transition section positioned adjacent to the shoulder at the second end having an outside diameter that increases in a direction from the spigot portion to the shoulder.

Abstract: Hybrid structures, filters and duplexers are disclosed. According to one aspect, a radio frequency (RF) duplexer includes a common resonator coupled to at least one chamber of an air cavity filter, a first ceramic waveguide filter. CWGF, having a first opening in a first CWG wall of the first CWGF, the first opening at least partially aligned with a first window of the common resonator to couple energy between the common resonator and the CWGF, and a second CWGF having a second opening in a second CWG wall of the second CWGF, the second opening at least partially aligned with the second window of the common resonator to couple energy between the air cavity resonator and the CWGF.

Abstract: A focusing optical part, including a plastic body, suitable for being delivered on a tape and reel and mounted on a PCB by an automated mounting machine, the plastic body including a concave mirror including a center aperture input surface through which light enters the plastic body, a convex mirror opposite the center aperture, wherein the concave mirror and the convex mirror form a reflective objective that reflects and focuses the light inside the plastic body, and an exit surface surrounding the convex mirror, through which focused light exits the plastic body.

Abstract: A focusing optical part, including a plastic body, suitable for being delivered on a tape and reel and mounted on a PCB by an automated mounting machine, the plastic body including a concave mirror including a center aperture input surface through which light enters the plastic body, a convex mirror opposite the center aperture, wherein the concave mirror and the convex mirror form a reflective objective that reflects and focuses the light inside the plastic body, and an exit surface surrounding the convex mirror, through which focused light exits the plastic body.

Abstract: In at least some implementations, an automotive driveline unit includes a main housing having an interior and a first reservoir in the interior arranged to collect lubricant, the main housing also having a feed passage that is open to the first reservoir, a gear located within the interior and having a periphery arranged in the first reservoir so that rotation of the gear causes the gear to engage and displace some of the lubricant from the first reservoir, and a second housing carried by the main housing. A second reservoir is defined between the main housing and the second housing, the second reservoir is communicated with the first reservoir via the feed passage and includes multiple, spaced apart outlets through which lubricant exits the second reservoir at different locations to provide lubricant to different areas of the interior of the main housing.

Abstract: A focusing optical part, including a plastic body, suitable for being delivered on a tape and reel and mounted on a PCB by an automated mounting machine, the plastic body including a concave mirror including a center aperture input surface through which light enters the plastic body, a convex mirror opposite the center aperture, wherein the concave mirror and the convex mirror form a reflective objective that reflects and focuses the light inside the plastic body, and an exit surface surrounding the convex mirror, through which focused light exits the plastic body.

Abstract: In at least some implementations, an automotive driveline unit includes a main housing having an interior and a first reservoir in the interior arranged to collect lubricant, the main housing also having a feed passage that is open to the first reservoir, a gear located within the interior and having a periphery arranged in the first reservoir so that rotation of the gear causes the gear to engage and displace some of the lubricant from the first reservoir, and a second housing carried by the main housing. A second reservoir is defined between the main housing and the second housing, the second reservoir is communicated with the first reservoir via the feed passage and includes multiple, spaced apart outlets through which lubricant exits the second reservoir at different locations to provide lubricant to different areas of the interior of the main housing.

Abstract: A state machine for controlling a sensor including a chip package coupled with photo-emitters and photo-detectors mounted in a device, and with a host processor, including an emitter driver, a detector driver, a signal processor for generating signals representing amounts of light detected by the detectors, and a scan controller for controlling the emitter and detector drivers to activate an automated sequence of emitter-detector pairs, the scan controller including registers for storing parameters designating emitter-detector pairs that are to be activated during the automated sequence, and for storing the signals generated by the signal processor for the emitter-detector pair activations, and at least one input/output pin for receiving parameters from the host processor to be loaded into the registers, and for outputting the stored signals in the registers to the host processor, for the host processor to identify therefrom location coordinates of an object near or touching the device.

Abstract: A touch screen including a housing, a display mounted in the housing, a plurality of collimating lenses mounted in the housing along two opposite edges of the display and arranged along the two edges so as to be shift-aligned relative to one another, a plurality of light pulse emitters mounted in the housing that are spaced apart from and transmit light pulses through the collimating lenses of one of the two edges over the display, a plurality of light pulse receivers mounted in the housing that are spaced apart from and receive the light pulses through the collimating lenses of the opposite of the two edges, and a calculating unit, mounted in the housing and connected to the receivers, that determines a location of a pointer on the display that partially blocks the light pulses transmitted by the emitters, based on outputs of the receivers.

Abstract: A light-based touch-sensitive surface, including a housing, a surface attached to the housing for receiving touch input, a plurality of light sources in the housing for emitting light that crosses the surface, a plurality of light receivers in the housing for detecting the light emitted by the light sources, a curved lens adjacent to the surface through which the light emitted by the light sources passes, including two substantially similarly curved exterior panels, one of which forms a curved rim for the surface, and a calculating unit in said housing, connected to the light receivers, for calculating a touch location based on an absence of light expected to be received by the receivers.

Abstract: A method for use by a touch screen in which light transmitted inside the screen is scattered by an object touching the screen from outside the screen, the method including activating emitter-receiver pairs for a plurality of emitters and receivers while an object is touching a screen from outside the screen, wherein light emitted by each emitter is transmitted inside the screen, wherein each emitter is associated with a limited number of receivers that detect significant light from such emitter while no object is touching the screen, and wherein the activated emitter-receiver pairs include pairs for which the receiver is not associated with the emitter in the pair, determining that receivers not associated with emitters detect significant light due to the object scattering the light emitted by the emitters, and deriving the location where the object is touching the screen from the determining.

Abstract: A touch screen including a housing, a display mounted in the housing, a plurality of collimating lenses mounted in the housing and arranged along a first edge of the display, a plurality of light pulse emitters mounted in the housing that are spaced apart from and serially transmit light pulses through the collimating lenses over the display, a light guide mounted in the housing along the edge of the display opposite the first edge, for receiving the light pulses, the light guide including a reflective strip that reflects light pulses to one end of the light guide, a light pulse receiver mounted in the housing near the one end of the light guide, for receiving the reflected light pulses, and a calculating unit, mounted in the housing and connected to the receiver, for determining a location of a pointer on the display that partially blocks light pulses transmitted by the emitters, based on outputs of the receiver.

Abstract: A light guide for a light-based touch-sensitive surface, including first and second curved panels having substantially similar curvatures, wherein light undergoes a first refraction by the first curved panel as it enters the light guide, and undergoes a second refraction by the second curved panel as it exits the light guide, the second refraction being the inverse of the first refraction, and wherein one of the panels is curved in a horizontal plane parallel to the surface and forms a curved rim for the surface.

Abstract: A light-based finger gesture user interface for an electronic device including a housing for an electronic device, a display mounted in the housing, a cavity, separated from the display, penetrating two opposite sides of the housing, a detector mounted in the housing operative to detect an object inserted in the cavity, and a processor connected to the detector and to the display for causing the display to render a visual representation in response to output from the detector.

Abstract: A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor of an electronic device that includes a touch sensitive and pressure sensitive display, cause the processor to enable a user interface of the electronic device, by which a glide gesture along the display and an amount of pressure applied to the display both generate the same user interface command.

Abstract: A touch screen system including a reflective display surface, a camera mounted so as to capture an image of (i) the reflective display surface, (ii) a pointer approaching the reflective display surface, and (iii) a reflection of the pointer on the reflective display surface, and a processor coupled with the camera that determines a three-dimensional location of the pointer relative to the reflective display surface, based on the positions of the pointer and the reflection of the pointer in the image captured by the camera.