HYDROGEN-ABSORBING ALLOY ACTUATOR AND ITS OPERATION METHOD

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hydrogen-absorbing alloy actuator and its operation method which does not need needless energy at the time of discharge/absorption of hydrogen, and which can constitute a device compactly with a small number of parts.;SOLUTION: The hydrogen-absorbing alloy actuator is provided with an actuator 31, a high-pressure container 33, a high-pressure open/close valve 55, a low-pressure container 35, and a low-pressure open/close valve 59. The actuator 31 makes an operation body 47 movable by increasing or decreasing the pressure of a pressure chamber 41, and the high-pressure container 33 is connected to the pressure chamber 41 through the medium of high-pressure piping 53. Then the high-pressure open/close valve 55 is provided to the high-pressure piping 53, and the low-pressure container 35 is connected to the pressure chamber 41 through the medium of low-pressure piping 57. Then the low-pressure open/close valve 59 is provided to the low-pressure piping 57. The absorption/discharge of hydrogen of the hydrogen-absorbing alloy housed in the high-pressure container 33 is performed with higher pressure than the hydrogen-absorbing alloy housed in the low-pressure container 35 at nearly the same temperature.;COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI