Sumitomo Electric Industries, Limited

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Limited

Autonetworks Technologies, Limited

Takahiro Matsuura

Akira Yamakawa

Seiji Nakahata

Tomoichiro Tamura

Bunki Kawano

Chihiro Kawai

Kouichi Sogabe

Hisao Takeuchi

Keizo Harada

Hidetoshi Taguchi

Hiroaki Takechi

Shuji Mayama

Tomomi Kataoka

Michiyoshi Kusaka

Iori Maruhashi

Youhei Yamaguchi

Keiichi Kawano

Yoichiro Anzai

A refrigeration apparatus includes a container such as an evaporator for holding refrigerant, and a compressor for compressing refrigerant vapor. The compressed vapor is returned to the container, and stored as liquid. The liquid refrigerant is withdrawn from the container and then returned to the container via a first path through a heat exchanger for cooling a space, or a second path that does not pass through the heat exchanger. Upon returning to the container, the liquid refrigerant is at least partly evaporated due to the reduced pressure in the container caused by the operation of the compressor, and the container is cooled by the latent heat of evaporation. Thus, the container can act as a cold storage unit. The cold storage effect is increased when the refrigerant is returned to the container via the second path.

Refrigeration device

A voltage measuring apparatus that individually measures voltages of n-pieces (2&#x2264;n) of power storage elements B() to B(n) connected in series includes: first to n-th voltage detecting units that respectively individually measure voltages of the power storage elements; a switching circuit that switches a connection state between the power storage elements and the first to n-th voltage detecting units; a SW control unit that drives the switching circuit; and an operation processing unit. The power storage elements are arranged in order so that potential becomes higher as n increases. The switching circuit includes a capacitor connected in parallel to the power storage element B(). In the switching circuit, the negative terminals of the power storage elements are connected to a first terminal of the capacitor via respective corresponding first switches. The positive terminals of the power storage elements are connected to a second terminal of the capacitor via respective corresponding second switches. A third switch SWis interposed between the first voltage detecting unit and the first terminal. When the first switch and the second switch corresponding to the power storage element B(j) (j is any of 1 to n) are respectively switches SWjand SWj, the SW control unit closes the switches SWjand SWjand opens other first and second switches according to an instruction of the operation processing unit, so that the capacitor is connected in parallel to the power storage element B(j).

Voltage measuring apparatus, voltage measuring method, voltage control apparatus, and voltage control method

An ejector includes an atomization mechanism arranged at an end of a first nozzle. The atomization mechanism includes a plurality of orifices and a collision plate against which each of a plurality of jets ejected from the plurality of orifices collides. The collision plate includes a first principal surface and a second principal surface as a collision surface against which the jet collides, each of the first principal surface and the second principal surface extending toward an outlet of the ejector. The plurality of orifices includes a plurality of first orifices arranged on a side of the first principal surface of the collision plate and a plurality of second orifices arranged on a side of the second principal surface of the collision plate.

Ejector having an atomization mechanism and heat pump apparatus

It is aimed to reduce the size of heat exchange tubes and also to reduce pressure loss of a fluid flowing in an external flow path formed between adjacent heat exchange tubes. A first projecting portionand a second projecting portionof a first heat exchange tubeA are joined to portions around an inletC and outletD of a second heat exchange tubeB. A first flow path forming portion, a second flow path forming portion, and a third flow path forming portionof an internal flow pathof each of the first heat exchange tubeA and the second heat exchange tubeB face a first thin portionA and a second thin portionB of the second heat exchange tubeB or the first heat exchange tubeA across an external flow path. The first flow path forming portions, the second flow path forming portions, and the third flow path forming portionsof the first heat exchange tubeA and the second heat exchange tubeB are arranged in a staggered pattern in a width direction of the heat exchange tubes

Heat exchanger

An ejector includes a first nozzle, a second nozzle, an atomization mechanism, and a mixer. A working fluid in a liquid phase is supplied to the first nozzle as a drive flow. A working fluid in a gas phase is sucked into the second nozzle. The atomization mechanism is disposed at an end of the first nozzle and atomizes the working fluid in a liquid phase while maintaining the liquid phase. The mixer generates a fluid mixture by mixing the atomized working fluid generated by the atomization mechanism and the working fluid in a gas phase sucked into the second nozzle. The atomization mechanism includes an ejection section that generates a jet of the working fluid in a liquid phase and a collision surface with which the jet from the ejection section collides. The collision surface is inclined with respect to a direction in which the jet flows.

Ejector and heat pump apparatus including the same

A refrigerating cycle apparatus includes an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser, a feeding channel, a main circuit that circulates a refrigerant including fluid whose saturated vapor pressure at ordinary temperature is a negative pressure as a main component, a heat absorption circuit including a heat absorption heat exchanger, a heat release circuit including a heat release heat exchanger, an internal heat exchanger that allows indirect heat exchange between the fluid flowing through the heat absorption circuit and the fluid flowing through the heat release circuit, at least one of a heat absorption bypass channel and a heat release bypass channel, and at least one of a flow rate adjustment mechanism for heat absorption that adjusts a flow rate of the fluid flowing through the heat absorption bypass channel and a flow rate adjustment mechanism for heat release that adjusts a flow rate of the fluid flowing through the heat release bypass channel.

Refrigerating cycle apparatus

A heat exchange apparatus () includes a first heat exchanger (), an ejector (), a first extractor (), a first pump (), and a liquid path (). The ejector () produces a merged refrigerant flow using a refrigerant vapor and a refrigerant liquid flowing from the first heat exchanger (). The first extractor () receives the merged refrigerant flow from the ejector (), and extracts the refrigerant liquid from the merged refrigerant flow. The first pump () is provided in the liquid path (). The refrigerant liquid is pumped by the first pump () from the first extractor () to the ejector ().

Heat exchanging device and heat pump

A refrigeration cycle apparatus (A) includes: a main circuit () composed of an evaporator (), a first compressor (), an intercooler (), a second compressor (), and a condenser () which are connected in this order; and an evaporation-side circulation path () that allows a refrigerant liquid retained in the evaporator () to circulate via a heat exchanger for heat absorption (). The intercooler () is a heat exchanger that allows a refrigerant vapor compressed by the first compressor () to be cooled by the refrigerant liquid. A supply path () supplies, to the intercooler (), a portion of the refrigerant liquid flowing in the first circulation path (), and a recovery path () recovers the refrigerant liquid from the intercooler () to the evaporator ().

Refrigeration cycle apparatus

An object of the present invention is to provide a battery condition monitor that is capable of reducing labor and equipment costs for parameter setting for evaluation of the battery's condition and capable of readily responding to variations due to individual differences among the same model of vehicles. The battery condition monitor according to the present invention measures a lower limit voltage value for the time when a load during engine startup is substantially connected to a brand-new battery, as an initial reference lower limit voltage value V; and derives a reference discharge characteristic of the brand-new battery with respect to the vehicle-unique load during engine startup, using the initial reference lower limit voltage value V, an initial reference no-load voltage value Vwhich is a no-load voltage of that battery, and information about the rate of change in the internal resistance with respect to change in the no-load voltage of the battery, the information being previously stored in a storage unit, thereby to evaluate the condition of the battery based on the reference discharge characteristic.

Battery condition monitor

A porous metal body having a foam structure of 500 &#x3bc;m or less in average pore diameter, wherein the skeleton is composed of an alloy primarily including Fe and Cr, and Cr carbide or FeCr carbide is uniformly dispersed in the texture. The metal porous body is produced by preparing a slurry primarily containing an Fe oxide powder having an average particle diameter of 5 &#x3bc;m or less, at least one powder selected from metallic Cr, Cr alloys, and Cr oxides, a thermosetting resin, and a diluent, applying a coating of this slurry to a resin core body having a foam structure, performing drying, and thereafter, performing firing in a non-oxidizing atmosphere so as to produce a metal porous body having the aforementioned skeleton structure.

Porous metal article, metal composite material using the article and method for production thereof

A porous ceramic film which is formed onto and bonded to an oxide layer provided on the surface of a porous base, the film composed of finely deposited particles comprising at least one compound including (a) at least one selected from the group consisting of Si, B and Al or the group consisting of the metals of the Groups IVa, Va and VIa and (b) at least one selected from the group consisting of C and N in which the particles are intertwined with each other and bonded to each other through the component of the oxide layer to form a three-dimensionally intertwined structure. This porous ceramic film is produced by forming the oxide layer on the base surface and then heating it to a temperature of at least of the liquid-phase formation temperature of the oxide layer in a gaseous atmosphere containing the above elements (a) and (b). The porous ceramic film has a high porosity, a good pressure resistance and a regulated pore size and is appropriate for a filter, a catalyst support, bioreactor or a structural material.

Porous ceramic film and process for producing the same

A silicon nitride ceramic porous body having excellent acid and alkali resistance, mechanical strength, and durability can be employed as a filter or a catalytic carrier. The silicon nitride porous body contains a plurality of silicon nitride crystal grains with pores formed in grain boundary parts thereof, or includes a body part and a pore part wherein the body part is formed by a plurality of silicon nitride crystal grains and the pore part forms a three-dimensional network structure. The body part is formed by at least 90 vol. % of silicon nitride crystal grains, which are directly bonded to each other. In order to prepare the finished ceramic porous body, a porous body compact which is mainly composed of silicon nitride, is brought into contact with an acid and/or an alkali so that a component other than silicon nitride is partially or entirely dissolved and removed from the compact. The compact is prepared from a mixed powder of silicon nitride powder and at least one of a rare earth compound powder, a transition metal compound powder, and a bismuth compound, which is heat treated in the temperature range from 1600.degree. C. to 2100.degree. C.

Method of preparing silicon nitride porous body

A high-porosity and high-strength porous silicon nitride body comprises columnar silicon nitride grains and an oxide bond phase containing 2 to 15 wt. %, in terms of oxide based on silicon nitride, of at least one rare earth element, and has an SiO.sub.2 /(SiO.sub.2 +rare earth element oxide) weight ratio of 0.012 to 0.65 and an average pore size of at most 3.5 .mu.m. The porous silicon nitride body is produced by compacting comprising a silicon nitride powder, 2 to 15 wt. %, in terms of oxide based on silicon nitride, of at least one rare earth element, and an organic binder while controlling the oxygen content and carbon content of said compact; and sintering said compact in an atmosphere comprising nitrogen at 1,650.degree. to 2,200.degree. C. to obtain a porous body having a three-dimensionally entangled structure made up of columnar silicon nitride grains and an oxide bond phase, and having an SiO.sub.2 /(SiO.sub.2 +rare earth element oxide) weight ratio of 0.012 to 0.65.

High-strength porous silicon nitride body and process for producing the

A ceramic porous body for a filter or a catalyst carrier, having a structure in which voids each having the same volume as that of a sphere of 10 .mu.m to 500 .mu.m in diameter are formed and the voids are communicated with each other through smaller fine pores, the ceramic porous body having a volume fraction of the voids and the fine pores of from 15% to 60% and being formed of components 70% or higher by volume of which is silicon nitride. The ceramic porous body is prepared by mixing coarse silicon nitride powder with fine silicon nitride powder(s) at a mixing ratio by volume of the fine silicon nitride powder to the combined volume of the fine and coarse silicon nitride powders in the range of 1/99 to 1/2; adding one or more compounds of the group IIa elements, the group IIIa elements, transition metals, Al and Si in a range of 1% to 30% by volume as their oxides to the silicon nitride powder mixture; molding the resultant powder mixture; and sintering the molded body in a non-oxidizing atmosphere of at least 0.9 atm at a temperature ranging from 1100.degree. C. to 2000.degree. C.

Ceramic porous body and method for preparing the same

A ceramics porous body having high porosity as well as high strength is especially suitable for use as a filter for removing foreign matter from a fluid or as a catalytic carrier. The porous body has a porosity of at least 30% and comprises columnar ceramic grains having an aspect ratio of at least 3. In particular, the porous body comprises Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 grains, of which at least 60% are hexagonal columnar .beta.-Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 grains. The porous body further comprises at least one compound of a rare earth element in an amount of at least 1 volume % and not more than 20 volume % in terms of an oxide of the rare earth element, and optionally at least one compound of elements of the groups IIa and IIIb of the periodic table and transition metal elements in an amount of not more than 5 volume % in terms of an oxide of each element. A compact of mixed powder obtained by adding the compound powder of the rare earth element to silicon nitride powder is heat treated in a nitrogen atmosphere at a temperature of at least 1500.degree. C., to prepare the silicon nitride ceramic porous body.

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Osaka, Japan

Takahiro Matsuura