Abstract: In a steam engine having multiple main containers, first and second communication pipes are arranged in parallel to each other for respectively communication an auxiliary container with the main containers. Restricted portions and a first switching device are formed in the first communication pipe. The first communication pipe is closed during a start-up step of a starting operation of the engine, in order to prevent that an excess amount of working fluid may flow back from the auxiliary container to the main containers. As a result, a start-up time can be reduced.

Abstract: An external combustion engine provided with a pipe-shaped main container with a heating portion and a cooling portion, an output part converting displacement of the liquid part of said working fluid generated due to the change in volume of said working fluid accompanying generation and condensation of said steam to mechanical energy for output, a venturi provided at a communicating part of the main container and an auxiliary container, a communicating member forming a communicating passage bypassing the venturi and communicating the main container and the auxiliary container, and a shutting means for closing the communicating passage at the time of normal operation and opening the communicating passage at the time of startup, wherein at the time of startup, the pressure loss at the communicating passage becomes smaller than a saturated steam pressure at the temperature of the heating portion.

Abstract: An external combustion engine suppressing boiling of cooling water in a cooler. A heater 12 uses waste heat of a heat engine 1 as a heat source to heat a working medium to make it evaporate. A cooler 13 uses cooling fluid cooling the heat engine 1 as a cooling source to cool steam of the working medium and make it condense. A heated part temperature reducing means is provided for reducing a temperature Th of the heated part 12a when the amount of heat radiated from the cooling fluid to the outside becomes smaller than the amount of heat transferred from the working medium to the cooling fluid. Due to this, it is possible to suppress the rise of the temperature Tw of the cooling fluid in the cooler 13, so it is possible to suppress boiling of the cooling water in the cooler 13.

Abstract: A disclosed billing system includes a client apparatus, a multi-functional peripheral, a server apparatus and a billing apparatus. A communication unit of the billing apparatus sequentially transmits first account balance information read from a storage medium to the server apparatus; receives from the server apparatus a copy permission signal which is then transmitted to the multi-functional peripheral; receives from the multi-functional peripheral a copy-output signal regarding a copy output having been performed on the multi-functional peripheral, the copy-output signal being then transmitted to the server apparatus; and receives copy billing information transmitted from the server apparatus according to the transmitted copy-output signal.

Abstract: An intravascular obstruction removing wire includes an elongate wire body, at least two non-branched wire portions having distal ends and proximal ends which are connected to a distal end of the wire main body, and a plurality of filament portions extending across the wire portions. The non-branched wire portions and the filament portions form a trapping portion. The trapping portion is deformable from a large-diameter state in which the non-branched portions branch to the distal end of the wire body forward in different directions and the filament portions are separated from each other, so that a space surrounded by the non-branched wire portions and the filament portions is formed to trap therein an obstruction in a blood vessel, to a small-diameter state in which the non-branched wire portions are positioned so that a distance between the wire portions is smaller than that of the wire portions in the large-diameter state.

Abstract: Subjects are repeatedly photographed efficiently and automatically. An input receiving means, for receiving input of photography intervals between completion of a previous photography operation and initiation of a next photography operation; and a photography control means for controlling the photography unit to perform a plurality of photography operations, based on the photography intervals received by the input receiving means; are provided.

Abstract: An external combustion engine formed with a plurality of heaters for improving output, provided with a container in which a working medium is sealed flowable in a liquid state, the container being formed with heaters for heating part of a working medium to generate vapor of the working medium and coolers for cooling the vapor to liquefy, the generation and liquefaction of the vapor causing the working medium to change in volume and the displacement of the liquid part of the working medium caused by the change in volume of the working medium being converted to mechanical energy for output, wherein at least the parts of the container connected with the heaters being branched into pluralities of tubular parts, a plurality of heaters are formed so as to be connected with the plurality of tubular parts, a plurality of vapor reservoirs for storing the vapor of the working medium are formed so as to be connected with the plurality of heaters, and the plurality of vapor reservoirs are connected with each other.

Abstract: An external combustion engine alternately repeating a first stroke of making a working fluid evaporate at a plurality of heating portions and making a liquid phase part of the working fluid displace toward an output part side and a second stroke of making the working fluid evaporated at the first stroke condense at the plurality of cooling portions and making the liquid phase part of the working fluid displace toward the side of the plurality of the heating portions and provided with inflow adjusting means for reducing differences in inflows among the plurality of the heating portions, wherein the inflow is defined as the amount of a liquid phase part of the working fluid flowing into the heating portions when the liquid phase part of the working fluid displaces from the output part side to the side of the plurality of the heating portions in the second stroke.

Abstract: It is intended to provide a medical stopcock characterized by having a housing made of a polyarylene sulfide resin and a cock made of a polyolefin-based resin, which has such pressure-proofness as being usable in angiographic techniques, high chemical resistance (Lipiodol resistance) and tolerance to radiation sterilization, in particular, tolerance to electron beam sterilization.

Abstract: A fuel injection apparatus for engines is provided, with which occurrence of cavitation erosion on constituent parts of the high pressure fuel pump and fuel feed line to the pump in the apparatus is suppressed and high durability is attained even in the case of a high pressure fuel pump increased largely in capacity. Each of high pressure fuel pumps to supply high pressure fuel to a common rail comprises an electromagnetic valve which is controlled by a controller such that fuel is discharged from the plunger room by closing the electromagnetic valve in the up stroke of the plunger until the plunger reaches its top dead center, the electromagnetic valve is kept closed for some period in the down stroke of the plunger, then the electromagnetic valve is opened to allow the plunger room to be communicated with a fuel feed/spill passage.

Abstract: A fuel injection system for an internal combustion engine has a lubricity improver supply for adding a lubricity improver to low-viscosity fuel supplied to a fuel injection apparatus of the engine. A controller controls the lubricity improver supply so that the amount of the lubricity improver added to fuel at the inlet to the fuel injection apparatus is increased as engine rotation speed, engine load, or injection pressure is increased. With the system, wear or sticking of the plunger can be prevented even when low-viscosity fuel is used by improving lubrication conditions to secure necessary lubrication condition for the sliding part in accordance with engine operation conditions, fuel temperature and viscosity.

Abstract: A fuel injection apparatus with which energy for driving the high pressure fuel pumps of the apparatus by proper operation of the high pressure fuel pumps in order to reduce waste energy, and a method of operating an engine equipped with the apparatus, are provided. The apparatus is provided with a controller which allows some of the plurality of high pressure fuel pumps to be made inoperative in discharging fuel to the common rail by controlling the electromagnetic valves of said some of the pumps so that the plunger rooms of said some of the pumps are communicated to a fuel feed line for feeding fuel to the plurality of the pumps when the engine is operated with small/medium fuel injection quantity of smaller than a certain quantity.

Abstract: A fuel injection system for an internal combustion engine has a lubricity improver supply for adding a lubricity improver to low-viscosity fuel supplied to a fuel injection apparatus of the engine. A controller controls the lubricity improver supply so that the amount of the lubricity improver added to fuel at the inlet to the fuel injection apparatus is increased as engine rotation speed, engine load, or injection pressure is increased. With the system, wear or sticking of the plunger can be prevented even when low-viscosity fuel is used by improving lubrication conditions to secure necessary lubrication condition for the sliding part in accordance with engine operation conditions, fuel temperature and viscosity.

Abstract: An external combustion engine includes: a main container sealed with a working fluid in a liquid state adapted to flow; a heater for heating a portion of the working fluid in the main container and generating the vapor of the working fluid; a cooler for cooling and liquefying the vapor; an output unit for outputting by converting the displacement of the liquid portion of the working fluid generated by the volume change of the working fluid due to the generation and liquefaction of the vapor into mechanical energy; and an auxiliary container communicating with the main container. The heater, the cooler and the output unit are arranged in order, in the direction of displacement of the working fluid. The working fluid is sealed in the auxiliary container which communicates with the portion of the main container nearer the output unit than the cooler.

Abstract: A plasma processing method for processing a sample mounted on a sample stage in a decompressable processing chamber in which plasma is produced. The method includes detecting a distribution of a concentration of a substance over a surface of a sample in the processing chamber using both of (1) a result of receiving light emission of the plasma and in different directions along the surface of the sample inside the processing chamber, detecting on the respective directions a constituent of the plasma and providing outputs indicative thereof, respectively, and (2) a result of taking in gases in the processing chamber and determining a mass of a constituent of the gases, and adjusting an operation of the processing of the sample so as to adjust a distribution of the processing on the sample surface based on the detected distribution of the concentration of the substance.

Abstract: A poppet valve device includes a plurality of axial passages of substantially the same diameter and length communicating with a high-pressure room formed inside a valve seat member between a poppet valve body and the valve seat member. The passages are located adjacent to each other and an annular gap formed between the periphery of the poppet valve body and an inner perimeter of a projecting part on which a valve seat face of the valve seat member is formed, is narrow to restrict liquid flow through the annular gap. An electronic controlled fuel injection apparatus equipped with the poppet valve device is composed such that a lower end part of the poppet valve body and a bottom of a valve device accommodating part of the fuel injection apparatus are formed to restrict flow of fuel to prevent the occurrence of bouncing.

Abstract: The invention provides a battery module including an output breaker that ensures safe and prompt installation of batteries in a system. The battery module includes one or more batteries and a case housing the batteries and having output terminals, each output terminal being connected to a positive or negative electrode of the housed battery, the battery module further including means for turning on and off the connection between the output terminal and the positive or negative electrode of the battery. The means for turning on and off the connection may include a contact subjected to making and breaking operations and a screw for making and breaking the contact, the screw having an insulator at an interface with the contact.

Abstract: A poppet valve device is composed such that a plurality of axial passages of substantially the same diameter and length communicating to a high-pressure space formed inside the valve seat member between the poppet valve body and the valve seat member are provided in the valve seat member. The passages are located adjacent to each other, or located axially symmetrically. An annular gap formed between the periphery of the poppet valve body and the inner perimeter of a projecting part on which the valve seat face of the valve seat member is formed is narrow to restrict liquid flow through the annular gap.