PURPOSE: To heighten the performance of an open/close device driven by solar heat and reduce the cost of the device, by causing a metal hydride to perform reversible reaction, that is the absorption and desorption of hydrogen, depending on the quantity of the solar heat supplied to the metal hydride.
CONSTITUTION: A solar heat collecting vessel 3 containing a powdery metal hydride 2 is heated by sunlight 1. The temperature of the vessel 3 is heightened to 170°C on the average in about ten minutes by the irradiation of the sunlight 1. Hydrogen gas 4 desorbed because of the rise in the temperature of the metal hydride 2 is conducted into a cylinder 6 through a filter 5 which prevents the metal hydride powder from flowing out. The pressure of the hydrogen gas 4 rises as the temperature of the vessel 3 is heightened by the solar heat to push down a piston head 7 in the cylinder 6 to automatically close an open window 13 with a panel 10. When the irradiation of the sunlight 2 has weakened, the metal hydride 2 absorbs the hydrogen gas and the hydrogen pressure in the cylinder 6 falls to move the panel 10 upward to automatically open the window 13.
MORIWAKI YOSHIO
YANAGIHARA NOBUYUKI
IWAKI TSUTOMU
