Abstract: A danger determining section detects a danger potentially approaching a vehicle and an orientation of the danger, generating an output indicating that the danger potentially approaches the vehicle and the orientation of the danger. A plurality of speakers each generates an alarming sound based on the output from the danger determining section. When a danger is detected by the danger determining section, one of the speakers that is disposed in a position corresponding to the orientation of the danger sounds an alarming sound. This enables notification to a driver or the like of which orientation the danger approaches the vehicle from or which orientation the danger exists in.

Abstract: In a driving condition control system, a sensing unit is configured to sense a first physical quantity indicative of a rotation of the first rotatable axle assembly and a second physical quantity indicative of a rotation of the second rotatable axle assembly. A correcting unit is configured to correct the torque according to the sensed first and second physical quantities of the rotations of the first and second rotational axle assemblies. This allows the torque to be precisely obtained.

Abstract: A braking force control device, wherein wheel speed is detected and a slope of a braking force with respect to slip speed of the wheel is estimated on the basis of the detected wheel speed, a braking operation by which a brake pedal is depressed is detected and, on the basis of the detected braking operation conditions and estimated slope of the braking force, braking of the braking device to brake the wheels by a braking force generated in response to the braking operation by which the brake pedal is depressed is assisted.

Abstract: A tire parameter estimation device that is economical and can accurately estimate tire parameters while taking into consideration both states of a vehicle and states of a road environment. A &mgr; gradient detecting circuit detects a &mgr; gradient on the basis of a wheel speed detected by a wheel speed detecting circuit. A gradient value comparing circuit determines a &mgr; gradient section value &mgr;r, which is a mean value of the &mgr; gradients from the &mgr; gradient detecting circuit, and calculates a rate (=&mgr;r/&mgr;I) of the &mgr; gradient mean value &mgr;r with respect to a &mgr; gradient initial value &mgr;. A tire temperature estimating circuit stores a table representing the relation between the rate and a tire temperature, and estimates a tire temperature corresponding to the rate calculated by the gradient value comparing circuit as the present tire temperature.

Abstract: In order to estimate a braking force gradient in a low slip region including a steady travelling region, there is provided a device comprising a wheel speed sensor for detecting a wheel speed in a predetermined sampling period and outputting time series data of the wheel speed as a wheel speed signal, a break point frequency estimating section for estimating a break point frequency in a gain diagram that represents a frequency response of a first order lag model that approximates a transmission characteristics from road surface disturbances to wheel speed, and a braking force gradient estimating section for estimating a braking force gradient with respect to the estimated break point frequency on the basis of the map showing a relationship between braking force gradient and break point frequency stored in advance.

Abstract: A strip thickness control apparatus for a rolling mill includes a strip thickness gauge provided on a delivery side of the rolling mill, a moving distance calculating module for calculating a moving distance of the strip from the rolling mill, a rolling roll angle-of-rotation calculating module for calculating an angle of rotation of the rolling roll, a strip thickness deviation calculating module for calculating a deviation of the strip thickness from a target value of the measured value of the strip thickness, a strip thickness deviation storage module for storing the strip thickness deviation by adding it for every angle of rotation of the rolling roll, a strip thickness deviation input determining module for determining an input timing for inputting the strip thickness deviation to the strip, thickness deviation storage, a strip thickness deviation output determining module for determining an output timing for outputting the strip thickness deviation stored in the strip thickness deviation storage module,

Abstract: A brake system 1 of the present invention comprises a brake operating means 2 such as a brake pedal for carrying braking operation, a fluid variable stroke means 3 which variably controls the stroke of the brake operating means 2 by using fluid, and a braking force output means 4 which is actuated by the operation of the brake operating means 2 to produce braking forces. By manipulating the brake operating means 2, the braking force output means 4 performs the braking operation. The traveling rang of the brake operating means 2 i.e. the stroke can be changed variously by the fluid variable stroke means 3 using fluid. Since the stroke of the brake pedal can be changed as mentioned above, a proper pedal stroke can be obtained.

Abstract: In a braking pressure intensifying master cylinder, as an input shaft (53) travels forwards in a braking maneuver, a control valve (54) is actuated to develop fluid pressure according to the input in a reaction chamber (38) and a pressurized chamber (35). A stepped spool (45) as a part of the control valve 54 travels such that force produced by the fluid pressure and spring force of a spring (51) are balanced, whereby the stepped spool (45) can function as a travel simulator. By changing the pressure receiving areas of the stepped spool and/or changing the spring force of the spring (51), the travel characteristic of the input shaft (53) as the input side can be freely changed independently from the output side, without influence on a master cylinder pressure as the output side of the braking pressure intensifying a master cylinder (1). In addition, the master cylinder pressure can be intensified when necessary with a simple structure.

Abstract: A vehicle travel control apparatus makes an own vehicle automatically follow a vehicle in front by setting a target acceleration/deceleration G0 using travel data expressing behavior of the vehicle, travel environment, driving operations and others. Here, during vehicle travel based on driver control, multiple travel data are sampled a predetermined number of times to perform multiple regression analysis on that sampled data. Preference data expressing preferences of the driver (multiple regression coefficients) are thereby obtained, and target acceleration/deceleration computation data are updated using these multiple regression coefficients. As a result, it is possible to control the behavior of the vehicle in accordance with preferences of the driver during automatic following control execution.

Abstract: An O2 sensor, an intake air temperature sensor, an engine coolant temperature sensor, a knock sensor, an electronic fuel injection device, a VSC ECU, a transmission ECU and an engine ECT are connected to a power line to communicate with one another through the power line. The VSC ECU, transmission ECU and engine ECU are further connected to a communication line to communicate with one another through two systems of the power line and a communication line. This makes it possible to improve the reliability while decreasing the number of the lines.

Abstract: A hydraulic-pressure counter-force mechanism 37 which produces a counter force when a brake booster is operated is made up of an input-side member 38 slidable disposed within a valve body 3, a second constant-pressure chamber 39 formed on the rear side of the input-side member and into which a pressure is introduced from a constant pressure chamber A, and a second constant-pressure chamber 39 formed on the front side of the input-side member and into which a pressure is introduced from a variable pressure chamber B. The counter force from the hydraulic-pressure counter-force mechanism 37 is reduced by an orifice passage 43 as counter-force reducing means in rapid operation for brake.

Abstract: The invention relates to a brake system including a brake booster. A pneumatic pressure operated brake booster VBB or a liquid pressure operated brake booster includes a valve mechanism which is urged by a force of depression applied to a brake pedal BP to switch a flow path to cause the brake booster to develop an output which depends on the magnitude of the force of depression. A solenoid SOL urges the valve mechanism in the same direction as or in the opposite direction from the force of depression. A controller ECU is responsive to a braking effort increase/decrease demand signal to increase or decrease the urging force which is applied by the solenoid to the valve mechanism, thus increasing or decreasing the output from the brake booster. An output from the brake booster can be freely controlled independently from the force of depression applied to the brake pedal in response to a braking effort increase/decrease demand.

Abstract: A characteristic changing device is adopted in the inventive brake control system for the vehicle. The characteristic changing device sets a differential pressure between a first brake hydraulic pressure which is applied to wheel cylinders and a second brake hydraulic pressure which is generated by a master cylinder so that the first brake hydraulic pressure is higher than the second hydraulic pressure when the second brake hydraulic pressure is reduced. Due to the differential pressure set as described above, the first brake hydraulic pressure enough to exhibit effective braking force is kept even if the second brake hydraulic pressure is reduced.

Abstract: In the brake apparatus having a rotary pump, outer and inner rotors of the rotary pump are made of bearing steel and inner and outer teeth portions of the rotors are respectively processed by nitriding hardening or carbo-nitriding hardening. Accordingly, outer circumferential region of the outer teeth portion and inner circumferential region of the inner teeth are constituted by nitrided layer containing 15 to 40 percents retained austenite so that teeth faces of the outer and inner teeth portions in mesh may have higher wear resistance.

Abstract: In a brake booster of the present invention, by depression of a brake pedal 3, an input shaft 4 travels to the left, a pedal input converter generates thrust, and a valve element 5a moves to the left. A valve passage 5a1 is shut off from a valve passage 5b1 and a valve passage 5a2 is connected to a valve passage 5b2 so as to develop output pressure Pr at an output port 5c of a control valve 5 because of the pressure of a pressure source. The output pressure Pr is supplied to a wheel cylinder 7, thereby actuating the brake. At this point, since the displacement of the input shaft 4 required for operating the control valve 5 is defined only by the converter 6, the input side is not affected by the brake rigidity of a circuit from the control valve 5 to the wheel cylinder 7. The output pressure Pr of the control valve 5 acts on the valve element 5a through a first reaction receiving portion 8 and is regulated to pressure proportional to the thrust of the converter 6.

Abstract: In a brake fluid pressure boosting device 1 of the present invention, by operation, an input shaft 4 is moves forward to rotate a lever 27 to actuate a control valve 8 so that the control valve 8 produce working fluid pressure corresponding to the input. The working fluid pressure is introduced into the power chamber 6. By this working fluid pressure, the primary piston 37 is actuated to develop master cylinder pressure. On the other hand, the fluid pressure of the power chamber 6 is introduced into the first annular groove 25 of the valve spool 10. By the difference between pressure receiving areas of the first annular groove 25, the valve spool 10 is subjected to rightward force. The position of the pivot of the lever 27 is fixed and the valve spool 10 is controlled in such a manner that the force applied to the valve spool 10 and the spring force of the spool return spring 32 balances with the input, thereby exhibiting the function as a stroke simulator.

Abstract: A characteristic changing device is adopted in the inventive brake control system for the vehicle. The characteristic changing device sets a differential pressure between a first brake hydraulic pressure which is applied to wheel cylinders and a second brake hydraulic pressure which is generated by a master cylinder so that the first brake hydraulic pressure is higher than the second hydraulic pressure when the second brake hydraulic pressure is reduced. Due to the differential pressure set as described above, the first brake hydraulic pressure enough to exhibit effective braking force is kept even if the second brake hydraulic pressure is reduced.

Abstract: In a tire air pressure warning device, an outside impact such as hydraulic brake pressure is intentionally applied in a pulsating way to a tire when the vehicle substantially stops so as to exert vibration (rotation variation) of the tire axle. Through data processes in analyzing signals of wheel speed sensors that reflect the rotation variation of the tire axle, tire air pressure is estimated for informing to a driver abnormal tire air pressure.

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting abnormality of a vehicle sensor and a method are provided. The apparatus is capable of preventing erroneous detection of abnormalities of sensors. The apparatus has a grip degree detecting device for detecting grip degree of a wheel of the vehicle with respect to a road surface. In a case in which the grip degree is lower than a predetermined degree, detection for presence of an abnormality of a yaw rate sensor, a cross acceleration sensor and a steering angle sensor are prohibited.

Abstract: In order to estimate a braking force gradient in a low slip region including a steady travelling region, there is provided a device comprising a wheel speed sensor for detecting a wheel speed in a predetermined sampling period and outputting time series data of the wheel speed as a wheel speed signal, a break point frequency estimating section for estimating a break point frequency in a gain diagram that represents a frequency response of a first order lag model that approximates a transmission characteristics from road surface disturbances to wheel speed, and a braking force gradient estimating section for estimating a braking force gradient with respect to the estimated break point frequency on the basis of the map showing a relationship between braking force gradient and break point frequency stored in advance.