Abstract: A hydraulic shock absorber is provided a capability of quick response in such an extent that harder damping characteristics is provided during bounding stroke in each vibration cycle and softer damping characteristics is provided during rebounding stoke in each vibration cycle. The hydraulic shock absorber is controlled the damping characteristics for damping road shock by switching damping characteristics between harder damping characteristics and softer damping characteristics during normal mode operation. On the other hand, in attitude change suppression mode, suspension characteristics for suppressing vehicular body attitude change irrespective of the vibration mode.

Abstract: A valve lifter employs a plunger head to be coupled with a seat plunger. The plunger head is provided an upper end surface mating with a surface of an upper end wall of a lifter body so that the upper surface may establish face contact with the mating surface of the upper end wall. The plunger head is so designed as to define a communication path for establishing fluid communication between a fluid supply path to a fluid reservoir defined in the seat plunger and another communication path for establishing fluid communication between the fluid supply path to a drainage formed through the upper end wall of the lifter body.

Abstract: A steering behavior dependent control system for controlling vehicular driving characteristics performs one or more control operations, such as anti-rolling suspension control, power assist control in a power steering system, rear wheel steering angle control in a four wheel steering system and so forth. The control system includes a steering angle sensor for monitoring steering angular displacement and produces a steering angle indicative signal. The control system is also provided a steering neutral position detector which detects steering at approximately a neutral position to produce an assumed steering neutral position indicative signal. A center value of a steering neutral range is projected on the basis of the steering angle indicative signal and the assumed steering neutral position indicative signal. Steering angle dependent control is thus performed by comparing the steering angle indicative signal value with the aforementioned center value to derive a magnitude of steering angular displacement.

Abstract: A piston assembly for a shock absorber comprises a piston rod which is formed with a threaded opening which extends axially and opens to an axial end, about which a piston body is mounted. A stud which is separately formed and independent of the piston rod, and extends through the piston body, engages with the threaded opening for securing the piston body thereonto.

Abstract: A shock absorber is provided a piston stroke dependent variable shock absorbing characteristics by a first and second flow restrictions associated with a piston. The first and second flow restrictions are arranged in a fluid path for communicating first and second working chambers defined within a shock absorber cylindrical housing in series. The first flow restriction associated with an orifice forming a part of the fluid path and has a predetermined relief pressure, for providing a predetermined first fixed flow restriction rate in response to a pressure difference between the first and second chambers smaller than or equal to the relief pressure and providing a second variable flow restriction rate in response to a pressure difference between the first and second chambers greater than the relief pressure. The second flow restriction is associated with the orifice for providing a third variable flow restriction rate variable depending upon the pressure difference between the first and second chamber.

Abstract: In a rack and pinion power steering apparatus including a hydraulic cylinder housing, a pinion, a rack, a piston, a bolt for mounting the piston to the rack, etc., the piston is elastically supported by the bolt to a boss portion of the rack concentrically with respect to the rack at a position offset from the longitudinal axis of the rack in the opposite direction of the rack teeth. Therefore, it is possible to form a threaded hole, into which the piston mounting bolt is screwed, in the boss portion extending under the bottom surface of the rack teeth, thus reducing the longitudinal direction of the rack or cylinder housing to realize a small-sized power steering apparatus.

Abstract: A pivotal armature on which a resilient elastomeric body is mounted, is arranged to be engageable with first and second surfaces in a manner which limits its movement and which holds the armature in a first closed valve position wherein the elastomeric body is permitted to engage and close a valve port but prevented from undergoing excessive deformation and a second valve open position wherein the elastomeric body is moved just sufficiently to open the port.

Abstract: First and second Hall-effect proximity sensors are arranged in combination with a magnet so that when the magnet is moved under the influence of an accelerative force or the like the output of one sensor increases while the other decreases. The magnitude of the difference between the two outputs is indicative of the force while the effects of temperature on the individual signals mutually offset one and other.

Abstract: An electrostatic capacity-type stroke sensor is designed for measuring relative displacement between a cylindrical member and a rod member. The electrostatic capacity-type stroke sensor includes a conductive cylinder arranged coaxially to the cylindrical member and fixed to one of the cylindrical member and the rod member for movement therewith. An annular member movable with either the cylindrical member or the rod member and made of a dielectric material is provided opposite the conductive cylinder. The conductive cylinder and the dielectrical annular member are coupled for creating electric capacity magnitude which is variable depending upon the relative position thereof. The conductive cylinder and the dielectric annular member are arranged for relative movement according to relative movement of the cylindrical member and the rod member so that the electrostatic capacity is variable depending upon the relative position of the cylindrical member and the rod member.

Abstract: A vane pump comprising a housing having front and rear surfaces and formed with a cam ring housing portion which is open to the front surface, the housing being further formed at its inner peripheral wall with recess portions and an axial bore extending from the rear surface, said axial bore being open to a center of the ring housing portion; a drive shaft freely rotatably supported in the axial bore of the housing; a rotor inserted on the drive shaft and engaged with the drive shaft, the rotor having a plurality of slits and a plurality of vanes each projectable from and retractable in the corresponding slit; a cam ring having at its inner peripheral wall a cam surface which is arranged to enclose the rotor therein and form pump chambers in cooperation with the vanes, the cam ring being formed at its outer peripheral wall with recess portions of substantially semicircular configuration in cross section; a front end plate by which the cam ring is closed at its one end; a rear end plate formed with a bearing p

Abstract: A mounting structure of a vehicle height sensor employs a reference height indicative marking put on a sensor body to be rigidly fixed onto a vehicle body, which marking represents a position of a movable sensor component corresponding to a predetermined vehicular height indicative signal level. On the other hand, a target height indicative marking is put on the vehicle body. Alignment of the vehicle height sensor can be adjusted with reference to the reference height indicative marking and the target height indicative marking. Alignment of the vehicle height sensor is achieved by aligning the reference height indicative marking to the target height indicative marking.

Abstract: An anti-squat suspension control system includes an anti-squat control disabling means for disabling anti-squat control for a period while an engine idling condition detector switch is held closed or a given period after the engine idling condition detector switch is switched from closed position to open position. The system also includes fail detector means for monitoring operation of the engine idling condition detector switch to detect failure of the switch. When the failure of the engine idling condition detector switch is detected, the anti-squat disabling means is disabled.

Abstract: A valve timing adjusting mechanism houses a timing adjusting gear assembly within a liquid-tight housing which prevents working fluid used to adjust the timing from coating a timing gear engaging a timing belt. The working fluid is introduced within the housing to exert timing adjusting force on the timing adjusting mechanism, resulting in relative angular displacement between a camshaft and the timing gear which is manifested as an adjustment to the valve timing. With this arrangment, the timing belt is free of working fluid. Therefore, the lifetime of the belt retains its design value and slip between the timing belt and the timing gear can be prevented.

Abstract: A torque sensor comprising a first shaft having a fore end portion which is constructed such that a displacement of torsion thereof occurs; a second shaft connected to the first shaft through the fore end portion; a plurality of first magnetic segments each having a N-pole as a fixed magnetic pole and second magnetic segments each having a S-pole as a fixed magnetic pole; a plurality of first magnetism pickup path members and second magnetism pickup path members corresponding in number to the N-pole of the first magnetic segments and the S-pole of the second magnetic segments, respectively; and a magnetism detecting element provided in the first shaft so that it does not contact with the first shaft and adapted for detecting change in magnetic flux passsing through the first and second magnetism pickup path members.

Abstract: A rotary actuator is designed for rotatingly driving a rotary body, such as a rotary valve member, for adjusting damping force to be created by a variable damping force shock absorber. The rotary actuator takes a layout of a permanent magnet and an electromagnet arranged in vertically spaced relationship. Vertical layout of the permanent magnet and the electromagnet reduces plane area required for installation.

Abstract: A flow control valve comprising a housing formed with an intake passage, a drain passage and a discharge passage; a main spool and an auxiliary spool which are slideably housed within the housing; a first orifice disposed between the intake passage and the discharge passage; a second orifice disposed between the intake passage and the discharge passage and having an open area variable in response to displacement of the auxiliary spool; a drain orifice disposed between the first orifice and the drain passage and having an open area variable in response to displacement of the main spool; the main spool being movable in response to a first differential pressure; the auxiliary spool being movable in response to a second differential pressure; and a control ring secured within the housing and adapted to vary the open area of the first orifice in response to displacement of the auxiliary spool movable in response to the second differential pressure.

Abstract: A shaft seal assembly for a compressor in which the compressor includes a drive shaft adapted to be connected with the crank shaft of an combustion engine, comprising: an annular seal lip made of rubber and an annular seal ring made of fluoropolymer. The annular seal lip and seal ring are disposed in an axial direction which is substantially parallel with the axis of rotation of the drive shaft in such a manner that the escape of lubricating oil and refrigerant around the drive shaft is prevented.

Abstract: In a rack and pinion power steering apparatus including a hydraulic cylinder housing, a pinion, a rack, a piston, a bolt for mounting the piston to the rack, etc., the rack is formed at one end thereof with a boss portion having a threaded portion which is formed with large inner diameter cylindrical cavity between the boss portion and the bolt in such a way that the female thread extends from a position radially corresponding to near the middle of the boss axial length or near the end surface of the rack to the bottom of the threaded portion. Therefore, it is possible to concentrate a load applied to the piston due to difference in pressure between two chambers to the relatively thick rack, not to the relatively thin boss portion, thus improving the mechanical strength of the steering apparatus without increasing the size or volume thereof.

Abstract: A power-assist device for an automotive steering system employs spool valves of substantially identical construction and identical size to control the fluid pressure in smaller and larger area chambers of an unbalanced cylinder. For compensating difference of effective area between smaller and larger area chambers, the position of bores defned in a housing of a pressure control valve for receiving the spool valves are differed from each other so that the spool valve opening and closing an induction path for the smaller area chamber and opening closing a drain path for the larger area chamber moves at greater magnitude than that of the other spool valve which opens and closes an induction path for the larger area chamber and opens and closes an exhaust path for the smaller area chamber.

Abstract: A rotary-vane compressor wherein the pump housing is formed with a first by-pass passage which is open at its one end to the first intake port of the two intake ports which are open to the pump chamber formed in the rotor and at its the other end with the high-pressure chamber formed in the main housing, and provided with first by-pass valve means so that the first by-pass passage is opened when an external signal is supplied, and the first ring plate mounted on one side of the cam ring is provided with an one-way flow check valve to block fluid communication between the first intake port and the low-pressure chamber to which a new refrigerant is conducted, only when the first by-pass passage is opened.