Abstract: A Stirling engine includes a base member that connects a housing portion with a heater that heats a working fluid using exhaust heat of a main engine, and a support member that supports the Stirling engine at the base member is provided.

Abstract: In a case of performing a static pressure gas lubrication by a stirling engine provided with a pair of cylinders of a high-temperature-side cylinder 20 and a low-temperature-side cylinder 30, a stirling engine gas lubrication structure is provided with an introduction pipe 70A for introducing a working fluid existing within a low-temperature working space into at least an inside of an expansion piston 21 of the expansion piston 21 and a compression piston 31, the low-temperature working space being included in a working space where the working fluid circulates between the cylinders 20 and 30, a temperature of the working fluid in the low-temperature working space lower than that of the working fluid in a working space of a high-temperature side cylinder 22 in a driving state.

Abstract: An ECU is used for a Stirling engine that is provided with a starter that drives an output shaft of the Stirling engine. The ECU includes a control portion that commences an engine-starting drive of the starter within a phase interval, during which the torque of the Stirling engine that varies according to phase of the output shaft is relatively small. The phase interval is an interval during which the torque of the Stirling engine is less than or equal to the torque obtained when the compression begins. The phase at which the driving of the starter is commenced is set to the phase at which the torque of the Stirling engine becomes smaller than the torque obtained when the compression begins.

Abstract: A control apparatus for a Stirling engine that uses exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine as a high-temperature heat source and is provided with a starter that drives an output shaft, includes a control unit that drives the starter in starting up the Stirling engine, stops driving the starter when a rotational speed of the Stirling engine reaches a target rotational speed, and then drives the starter again when the rotational speed of the Stirling engine becomes lower than a predetermined value.

Abstract: A heat exchanger for a stirling engine 10A of a twin-cylinder ? type includes a heat transfer tube group 70A formed with heat transfer tubes 71A causing a working fluid of the stirling engine 10A to flow between a high-temperature cylinder 20 and a low-temperature cylinder 30 arranged linearly and parallel to each other in the stirling engine. The heat transfer tube group 70A includes a rising section G1 extending upward, a falling section G2 extending downward, and a connecting section G3 connecting the rising section G1 and the falling section G2 in a turn-back manner, where the heat transfer tube group 70A is regarded as extending from one end or the other end thereof.

Abstract: A control device for a Stirling engine including: two cylinder units; and a decompression portion that brings about a decompression effect of reducing a degree of compression of a working fluid that flows back and forth between the two cylinder units, by letting out the working fluid that flow back and forth between the two cylinder units, when the Stirling engine is started; the control device including a control portion that controls the decompression portion so that the decompression effect is gradually weakened after the Stirling engine is started.

Abstract: A Stirling engine includes a high-temperature side cylinder and an expansion piston that is subjected to gas lubrication, or more specifically static pressure gas lubrication, relative to the high-temperature side cylinder and has a layer on an outer peripheral surface thereof, the layer being formed from a flexible material having a higher linear expansion coefficient than a base material of the expansion piston, wherein a booster pump and a ECU are provided as a contact avoiding device to prevent the expansion piston from contacting the high-temperature side cylinder when an engine operation is stopped until a temperature of the expansion piston can be suppressed below a predetermined value.

Abstract: A gas lubrication structure is provided with a high-temperature-side cylinder, an expansion piston lubricated relative to the high-temperature-side cylinder by gas, and a layer provided to the outer peripheral surface of the expansion piston and composed of a material flexible and having a higher linear expansion coefficient than the base material of the expansion piston. The thickness of the layer under normal temperatures is not less than the size of the clearance formed between the layer and the high-temperature-side cylinder. Also, even if the layer is thermally expanded under use conditions, the layer under normal temperatures has a thickness enabling a clearance to be formed between the layer and the high-temperature-side cylinder.

Abstract: An exhaust heat recovery system includes a plurality of Starling engines. Heaters of the Starling engines are disposed in an exhaust passage that is a heat medium passage. An inside of the exhaust passage is partitioned with a partitioning member into a first exhaust passage and a second exhaust passage. The heater of the Starling engine disposed on an upstream side in a flowing direction of exhaust gas is provided in the first exhaust passage, and the heater of the Starling engine disposed on a downstream side in the flowing direction of the exhaust gas is provided in the second exhaust passage.

Abstract: A high temperature side cylinder of a Stirling engine is composed of a sleeve and a cylinder block. A high temperature side piston makes a reciprocating motion in the sleeve. The sleeve is connected to a heater that heats a working fluid of the Stirling engine so that heat of the heater is transmitted. A cylinder block is disposed outside of the sleeve. A predetermined interval is formed between the sleeve and the cylinder block, and an air layer is formed in the predetermined interval.

Abstract: A Stirling engine includes a plurality of ?-type Stirling cycle mechanisms, each of which includes a first piston and a second piston and pressurizes a crankcase space. The mechanisms are coupled to each other via a common rotary shaft so that each of the mechanisms generates a torque variation waveform in which the number of periods per rotation is two.

Abstract: A piston is coupled to a connecting rod which is rotatably coupled to a crankshaft via an extension rod. With the configuration, reciprocating motion of the piston is transmitted to the crankshaft and converted to rotational motion. At both ends of the extension rod, a piston-side joint mechanism and a crankshaft-side joint mechanism each constructed by a spherical sliding bearing are provided. The piston is coupled to the extension rod via the piston-side joint mechanism, and the extension rod is coupled to the connecting rod via the crankshaft-side joint mechanism.

Abstract: A Stirling engine is provided with a fluid passage that connects a low temperature-side actuating fluid space and a crankcase inner space, and a passage opening/closing valve that is provided in the fluid passage and that opens and closes the fluid passage. Upon stopping of the Stirling engine, the passage opening/closing valve enables communication through the fluid passage, at a region at which the piston floats in the cylinder. This region is determined based on the pressure of an actuating fluid in the actuating fluid space and the rotational speed of a crankshaft of the Stirling engine.

Abstract: A Stirling engine has a fluid passage that connects a low temperature-side actuating fluid space and a crankcase inner space, and a passage opening/closing valve that is provided in the fluid passage and that opens and closes the fluid passage. The passage opening/closing valve enables communication through the fluid passage upon startup of the Stirling engine, and shuts off communication through the fluid passage when the rotational speed of the crankshaft of the Stirling engine is equal to or greater than a pre-established start-enabling rotational speed.

Abstract: The objective of the present invention is to improve transmission characteristics by transmitting data through multiple paths in a multihop radio network including multiple paths. In a source node 210 of (a), an encoder 212 performs communication path encoding, and a modulator 216 modulates. Unlike the prior art, however, a packetizing unit 214 designates relay paths and packetizes outputs from the encoder 212 for the respective paths, whereby signals are transmitted to multiple paths (in this case, two paths). A receiver (See (c)) of a destination node 260 demodulates the signals from the multiple paths using a demodulator 262. Thereafter, it depacketizes the packet of binary data hard-decided by a depacketizing/buffering unit 263 and then temporarily stores the depacketized pieces of data for respective paths in a buffer. A reliability data calculator 265 then diversity-combines, taking reliability data into account. A combiner/decoder 267 performs an error correction based on that combined data.

Abstract: A glass coating agent is provided which is adapted for application onto the surface of a glass substrate and, upon heating, forms a metal oxide layer. The glass coating agent comprises a metallic compound represented by formula (I): R1k-mM(OCOR2)m??(I) wherein M represents a metal atom selected from the group consisting of tin, titanium, indium, silicon, zirconium, and aluminum; R1 represents a straight-chain, branched, or cyclic alkyl, alkenyl, or aryl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms; R2 represents a branched alkyl group having 3 to 6 carbon atoms; k is a number representing the valence of the metal atom M; and m is a number of 1 to k. Further, there is provided a glass coating method using the glass coating agent. According to the glass coating agent, a metal oxide layer having excellent fastness properties and free from haze can be formed on the surface of glass substrates. According to the glass coating method, the metal oxide layer can be continuously and stably produced.

Abstract: A glass coating agent is provided which is adapted for application onto the surface of a glass substrate and, upon heating, forms a metal oxide layer.

Abstract: A process for producing a saturated aliphatic carboxylic acid amide, comprising reacting a saturated aliphatic carboxylic acid with ammonia to thereby obtain a saturated aliphatic ammonium carboxylate and subjecting the saturated aliphatic ammonium carboxylate to a dehydration reaction for obtaining a saturated aliphatic carboxylic acid amide, wherein the dehydration reaction of the saturated aliphatic ammonium carboxylate is conducted while supplying water to a reaction system in which the dehydration reaction is carried out. Preferably, water is continuously supplied to the reaction system so that the production of the saturated aliphatic carboxylic acid amide is carried out in a continuous manner and the amount of water present in a steady state ranges from 20 to 70 mol per 100 mol of a total of the saturated aliphatic carboxylic acid, the ammonia, the saturated aliphatic ammonium carboxylate, the saturated aliphatic carboxylic acid amide and the water.

Abstract: A soft magnetic thin micro-crystalline film of FeaTbNc (at %) wherein T is at least one of Zr, Hf, Ti, Nb, Ta, V, Mo, and W and 0<b≦20, and 0<c≦22 except the range of b≦7.5 and c≦5, shows low coercivity Hc of 80-400 Am−1 (1-5 Oe) which is stable upon heating at elevated temperatures for glass bonding. This film is produced by crystallizing an amorphous alloy film of the similar composition at 350-650° C. to a crystal grain size up to 30 nm to provide uniaxial anisotropy and increased magnetic permeability at a higher frequency. It can also provide low magnetostriction around &lgr;s=0. A composite magnetic head is made using this thin film. A diffusion preventive SiO2 layer is disposed between ferrite cores, and this thin film in the magnetic head prevents an interdiffusion layer and suppresses beat in the output signal.

Abstract: A soft magnetic thin micro-crystalline film of FeaBbNc (at %) wherein B is at least one of Zr, Hf, Ti, Nb, Ta, V, Mo and W, and 0<b≦20 and 0<c≦22 except the range of b≦7.5 and c≦5, shows low coercivity Hc of 80-400 Am−1 (1-5 Oe) which is stable upon heating at elevated temperature for glass bonding. This film is produced by crystallizing an amorphous alloy film of the similar composition at 350-650° C. to a crystal grain size up to 30 nm to provide uniaxial anisotropy and increased magnetic permeability at higher frequency. It can also provide low magnetostriction around &lgr;s=0. Composite magnetic head is made using this thin film. Diffusion preventive SiO2 layer disposed between ferrite core and this thin film in the magnetic head prevents an interdiffusion layer and suppress beat in the output signal.