Abstract: A thermoacoustic device 1 is provided which has in a loop tube 2, a first stack 3a provided between a first high-temperature side heat exchanger 4 and a first low-temperature side heat exchanger 5, and a second stack 3b provided between a second high-temperature side heat exchanger 6 and a second low-temperature side heat exchanger 7, so that heat at the first stack side is prevented from being transported to the second stack side even when a large acoustic wave is generated in the tube. In the above device, self-excited standing and traveling waves are generated by heating the first high-temperature side heat exchanger 4, and by the standing and traveling waves, the second low-temperature side heat exchanger 7 is cooled.

Abstract: A thermoacoustic device 1 for improving heat exchange efficiency is provided which has a first stack 3a including stack constituent elements 3eL and 3eH laminated together, and a first high-temperature side heat exchanger 4 and a first low-temperature side heat exchanger 5, which are provided at two ends of the first stack 3a, in which a self-excited acoustic wave is generated by a temperature difference between the first high-temperature side heat exchanger 4 and the first low-temperature side heat exchanger 5 and is then converted to thermal energy in a stack 3b provided between a second high-temperature side heat exchanger 6 and a second low-temperature side heat exchanger 7.

Abstract: In order that an object can be warmed through the use of thermoacoustic effect, the acoustic heating apparatus includes a first stack 3a sandwiched between a high-temperature-side heat exchanger 4 and a low-temperature input-side heat exchanger 5 in a first tube portion 2a and a second stack 3b sandwiched between a low-temperature-side heat exchanger 6 and a high-temperature output-side heat exchanger 7 in a second tube portion 2b. A standing wave and a traveling wave are generated through self excitation in the first tube portion 2a by cooling the low-temperature input-side heat exchanger 5 to minus 20° C. to 60° C. A temperature gradient is generated in the second stack 3b by propagating the resulting standing wave and the traveling wave to the second tube portion 2b, and high-temperature heat is output due to this temperature gradient from the high-temperature output-side heat exchanger 7 disposed on the second stack 3b side.

Abstract: In order to reduce the time until an acoustic wave is generated and perform heat exchange smoothly in a stack, a thermoacoustic apparatus 1 includes a first stack 3a sandwiched between a first high-temperature-side heat exchanger 4 and a first low-temperature-side heat exchanger 5 and a second stack 3b sandwiched between a second high-temperature-side heat exchanger 6 and a second low-temperature-side heat exchanger 7 in the inside of a loop tube 2, wherein a standing wave and a traveling wave are generated through self excitation by heating the first high-temperature-side heat exchanger 4, the second low-temperature-side heat exchanger 7 is cooled by the standing wave and the traveling wave, or/and a standing wave and a traveling wave are generated by cooling the first low-temperature-side heat exchanger 5, and the second high-temperature-side heat exchanger 6 is heated by the standing wave and the traveling wave.

Abstract: A Rankine cycle system has a condenser, a heat pump connected to the condenser, a heat collecting device connected to the heat pump, and an expansion turbine connected to the heat collecting device and the condenser. The heat pump includes an expansion tank or closed vessel, a refrigerant supply conduit connected to the lower part of the expansion tank and to the condenser, and a refrigerant discharge conduit connected to the upper part of the expansion tank. An open/close valve is installed in the refrigerant supply conduit. A pressure regulating valve installed in the refrigerant discharge pipe opens when a pressure reaches a specified value or higher. A temperature regulating device can heat the refrigerant in the expansion tank to produce a refrigerant vapor of saturated temperature or higher, which vapor can be introduced into the heat collecting device.

Abstract: The present invention is a lighting control system including at least one local device and a plurality of lighting devices. The communication transmission medium between the local device and the lighting devices is provided with directional characteristics, and the lighting devices are selected and designated, as needed, using ID information. A designated lighting device is lighted up and performs light intensity setting. A judgment is carried out as to whether or not the relation between an illumination at a desired position and a target illumination satisfies a predetermined condition, and causes the illumination at the desired position to approach the target illumination by letting the plurality of lighting devices successively perform a procedure of increasing/decreasing their respective light intensities based on a result of the judgment.

Abstract: The invention judges whether or not the relation between an illumination at a desired position and a target illumination satisfies a predetermined condition, and causes the illumination at the desired position to approach the target illumination by letting a plurality of lighting devices successively perform a procedure of increasing/decreasing their respective light intensities based on a result of the judgment. The illumination at the desired position is caused to approach the target illumination by randomly varying the light intensities of the lighting devices, making comparison between the illumination at the desired position and the target illumination, and narrowing the width of variation based on a result of the comparison. When the electric power consumption has increased, the light intensities are returned to the previous values. Furthermore, there is provided a control terminal device for control that can be used for other control amounts.

Abstract: Disclosed is a tactile sensor which includes: a disk-shaped first strain generating section; plate-shaped second to fifth strain generating sections each provided as an extension of the first strain generating section extended from one of four substantially equiangular peripheral edge portions of the first strain generating section, each of the second to fifth strain generating sections being structured to support the first strain generating section as a leg thereof; first to fourth foot sections extended at a side different from a first strain generating section side respectively from the second to fifth strain generating sections; a diaphragm type first strain gauge attached to a discoid surface of the first strain generating section; and second to fifth strain gauges attached respectively to planer surfaces of the second to fifth strain generating sections, and a gripping robot using the tactile sensor for detecting contact pressure.