Abstract: A quick charging device for charging a battery includes a battery with a high power density (a high-power-density battery) and a battery with a high energy density (a high-energy-density battery).

Abstract: A method of measuring an average particle size of granules. The method computes the average particle size on the basis of an n-order moment M.sub.n of an image of granules accumulated in a pile or of the image subjected to binarization or floating binarization. The method is capable of highly accurate and stable measurement on granules having many irregularities in the surface thereof and accumulated in a pile. The method can be used to continuously measure in real time the particle size of granules in a rotary tray of a rotary tray-type rolling granulating machine thereby adjusting the feed rate of a liquid binder to automatically control the particle size.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring shapes, comprises a scanner, having a plurality of arms for holding an object the shape of which is to be measured, and a turntable to which one end of each of the arms is fixed; and a device for forming a silhouette image of the object including a first optical system which has an optical axis parallel to a rotating axis of the turntable and which has a light source and a light receiving unit confronting each other to allow the object to be in between the light source and the light receiving unit of the first optical system, and a second optical system which has another optical axis substantially at a right angle to the rotating axis of the turntable and which has another light source and another light receiving unit confronting each other to allow the object to be in between the light source and the light receiving unit of the second optical system.