Abstract: An alcohol detection system for a vehicle has an alcohol sensor, for which alcohol measurement preparation processing such as heating the alcohol sensor to a predetermined temperature is performed, so that the alcohol sensor operates under the stable operation state. The alcohol measurement preparation processing is started, before a driver actually gets in the vehicle. For example, the preparation processing is started, when a predetermined manipulation of a driver on the vehicle before entering the vehicle is detected. The manipulation may be unlocking or opening of a vehicle door.

Abstract: A five-phase motor includes a stator and a movable member movable relative to the stator in a preset direction. The stator includes a stator core provided with five slots within 360 electrical degrees thereof. The five slots are arranged in the preset direction at preset first pitches. The stator includes at least one set of five-phase stator windings. The five-phase stator windings are arranged in the five slots relative to each other such that each of the five-phase stator windings is wound at a preset second pitch. The second pitch substantially corresponds to two of the first pitches.

Abstract: In an integrated unit including an evaporator and an ejector located inside a tank of the evaporator, a first vibration-isolating seal member and a second vibration-isolating seal member are disposed in a gap between an outer surface of the ejector and an inner surface of the tank. The first vibration-isolating seal member is located between a refrigerant discharge port and a refrigerant suction port of the ejector in a longitudinal direction, and the second vibration-isolating seal member is located between a refrigerant flow inlet of the ejector and the refrigerant suction port in the longitudinal direction. Furthermore, the first vibration-isolating seal member has a seal capability lower than that of the second vibration-isolating seal member, and a vibration isolation capability higher than that of the second vibration-isolating seal member.

Abstract: Past limit electric power generation costs and past limit electric assist costs are stored as pieces of planning information, based on each of which a fuel consumption amount is estimated assuming that a vehicle travels according to a past traveling pattern. An average estimated fuel consumption amount is computed by averaging the fuel consumption amounts estimated for the pieces of planning information. The piece of planning information including the lowest average estimated fuel consumption amount is selected for the next traveling. An improvement amount during electric power generation and an improvement amount during assistance are computed based on the selected piece of planning information (limit electric power generation cost), the limit electric assist cost, and the present generating and electric assist costs required actually while the vehicle is traveling. An engine and a motor/generator of the vehicle are controlled based on the two improvement amounts.

Abstract: A driving assistance apparatus that performs accurate driving assistance in accordance with actual road environment is provided. An electronic control unit (ECU) acquires shape information and vehicular swept path information about a subject vehicle and a nearby vehicle, representing vehicles and movement thereof as rectangular solids. A three-dimensional space is formed as a vehicular swept path for the rectangular solid and a road map generated based on the formed three-dimensional space. A notification is provided if the subject vehicle runs outside a space. Control support is provided to return the subject vehicle to an area indicated as safe.

Abstract: An apparatus controls automatic travel of a vehicle equipped with a motive power generator. In the apparatus, information indicating a road surface on which a vehicle is present currently is acquired. It is determined whether or not a command for shifting the vehicle from its stopped state to its traveling state is issued. When the command is issued, automatic shift of the vehicle is made from its stopped state to its traveling state by controlling drive of the motive power generator based on the acquired information. It is further determined whether or not, of a component of gravity applied to the vehicle, there is a force component applied in a direction opposite to a travel direction of the vehicle. When there is the force component, the operation applied to the motive power generator is continued even if the brake pedal is pressed by the driver.

Abstract: A stator for an electric rotating machine includes a hollow cylindrical stator core and a stator coil made up of a plurality of wave-shaped electric wires. Each of the electric wires has a plurality of in-slot portions, each of which is received in one of slots of the stator core, and a plurality of turn portions each of which is located outside of the slots of the stator core to connect one adjacent pair of the in-slot portions of the electric wire. The stator coil includes a plurality of radial position shift portions each of which is provided, in one of the electric wires, in one of the turn portions of the electric wire between an apex part of the turn portion and one of the in-slot portions of the electric wire adjoining the turn portion and is radially bent to shift the radial position of the electric wire.

Abstract: In an electric power steering system, an electric motor generates output power for power-assisting steering operation of a steering wheel, a torque sensor generates a plurality of electric output signals corresponding to a torque applied to the steering wheel, and a control unit controls the steering operation of the electric motor in accordance with at least one of the electric output signals of the torque sensor. The control unit detects a difference between rotation speeds of left and right steered wheels, checks whether any one of the plurality of output generating parts is in failure, and specify a failing-device based on the rotation speed difference and the plurality of output signals.

Abstract: The traction motor control apparatus has a correction means for correcting an error included in a rotation detection signal outputted from a rotation angle sensor and outputting it as corrected rotation data for control of a motor. The correction means includes a rotation time predicting section configured to predict a predicted time necessary for the motor to rotate by a predetermined reference angle on the basis of a time having been elapsed for the motor to rotate by a predetermined angle, the time being calculated from the rotation detection signal outputted from the rotation angle sensor, a predicted rotation data generating section configured to generate a predicted rotation angle of the motor on the basis of the predicted time, and a corrected data updating section configured to update the corrected rotation data presently being outputted from the correction means in accordance with the predicted rotation angle.

Abstract: An SCR catalyst is provided in an exhaust pipe of an engine and a urea solution addition valve is provided upstream of the SCR catalyst in the exhaust pipe. An ECU controls urea solution addition quantity of the urea solution addition valve based on ammonia adsorption quantity to the SCR catalyst. The ECU calculates the ammonia adsorption quantity in the SCR catalyst based on time-series data of an ammonia balance between ammonia supply to the SCR catalyst accompanying the urea solution addition of the urea solution addition valve and ammonia consumption in the SCR catalyst. The ECU calculates NOx quantity introduced into the SCR catalyst or a parameter correlated with the NOx quantity and performs initialization of the ammonia adsorption quantity at timing decided based on a result of the calculation.

Abstract: Each of the rising edges of PWM outputs is arranged for radiation noise reduction, by the assignment of suffix of output priority, by setting the rising edge of the first output at a start time of a cycle time, by evaluating an output margin at the falling edge of the first output relative to a current of the second output, by setting the rising edge of the second output in sync with the falling edge of the first output if the output margin is smaller than the current size of the second output. The same arrangement is used for subsequent outputs to totally reduce the current size in a simplified manner, thereby preventing the power loss and heat dissipation.

Abstract: A valve timing adjusting apparatus includes a housing, a vane rotor, and a fluid path arrangement. The fluid path arrangement is provided inside the housing. The fluid path arrangement opens to air outside the housing. The fluid path arrangement is communicated with a specific fluid chamber that is one of an advance fluid chamber and a retard fluid chamber defined within the housing. A rotational phase of the vane rotor relative to the housing is changed in one of advance and retard directions when hydraulic oil is introduced into the specific fluid chamber. The valve timing adjusting apparatus controls the fluid path arrangement to be opened and closed.

Abstract: The motor control apparatus includes a power supply function of supplying electric power from a power supply to a motor, a rotational position detecting function of performing detection of a rotational position of a rotor of the motor for respective phases of the motor, and outputting first rotational position data indicative of result of the detection, a control function of controlling a power supply operation of the power supply function in accordance with the first rotational position data, and an induced voltage detecting function of performing detection of induced voltages of the respective phases of the motor. The control function controls the power supply operation of the power supply function in accordance with result of the detection performed by the induced voltage detecting function when the first rotational position data are abnormal.

Abstract: A booster circuit of a motor drive apparatus has at least two sub-booster circuits connected in series. Each sub-booster circuit includes a booster coil, a boosting switching element, a reducing switching element and an output capacitor, and outputs, by boosting an input voltage, a boosted output voltage. The booster circuit 20 outputs from its final stage sub-booster circuit a booster output voltage, a total boosting ratio of which is a product of sub-boosting ratios of the series-connected sub-booster circuits. Thus, the booster output voltage supplied to a motor drive circuit is prevented from falling even when high power output is required.

Abstract: In a controller, a voltage controller operates, in an initial excitation mode, to turn selectively on and off a switch to supply an excitation current as an initial excitation current to the field winding, and operates, in a power generation mode, to selectively increase and reduce the excitation current to be supplied to the field winding to regulate an output voltage of the power generator to a target value. A mode-shift determiner determines, while the voltage controller operates in the initial excitation mode, whether to shift an operation mode of the voltage controller from the initial excitation mode to the power generation mode based on: a measured rotation number of a rotor, a threshold rotation number of the rotor, and a preset time period, the time period being equal to or longer than an expected maximum value of cycle of pulsations of rotation of the engine.

Abstract: An exhaust gas recirculation system includes a housing, first and second valves, an actuator, a cam member coupled with the first valve to be in synchronization therewith and receiving power of the actuator to rotate, and a link member coupled with the second valve to be in synchronization therewith and receiving power of the actuator through the cam member to rotate. The cam member includes a cam groove, an open end part formed on one end side of the groove in its formation direction and opening outward of the cam member, and an overlapping part overlapping with the actuator. The link member is driven to rotate along the groove in synchronization with rotation of the cam member. The link member includes a roller guided along the groove.

Abstract: An electrical wiring structure of connecting between a first component and a second component with at least four lead wires includes the first component provided with first insertion portions in which the lead wires are inserted, and the first insertion portions 15 are arranged in two lines and j columns, and the second component provided with second insertion portions in which the lead wires are inserted, and the second insertion portions are in two lines and j columns. Ends of a pair of lead wires are inserted into the first insertion portions and other ends of the pair of lead wires are inserted into the second insertion portions after crossing at an intermediate part.

Abstract: A detection apparatus is used to detect a failure of a particulate filter. The detection apparatus includes a PM (particulate matter) sensor, a timing estimating unit, and a failure determining unit. The PM sensor is disposed at a downstream side of the particulate filter in an exhaust passage. The PM sensor includes a pair of electrodes and detects an amount of the PM based on current passing through the PM deposited between the electrodes. The estimating unit estimates a failure-state energization timing at which the PM sensor starts to be energized due to the PM deposited between the electrodes assuming that the particulate filter has failed. The determining unit determines that the particulate filter is in a failure state when an actual energization timing of the PM sensor based on an output of the PM sensor is earlier than the failure-state energization timing estimated.

Abstract: A drive circuit supplies a charging current via a charging path to drive the control terminal of a voltage-controlled switching device, with a resistor and a switching device being connected in series in the charging path. A control circuit in an integrated circuit of the drive circuit operates an internal switching device such as to selectively enable/interrupt the charging current and to regulate the voltage drop across the resistor to a fixed value. The switching device connected in the charging path can be readily changed from the internal switching device to an external switching device, in accordance with the operating requirements of the driven switching device.

Abstract: A vibration-suppressed transformer is fixed to a base plate and includes a magnetic lower core, two or more magnetic upper cores, primary and secondary coils. The lower core is on the base plate. The upper cores are arranged face to face over the lower core. The coils are arranged between the lower and upper cores. Each upper core contacts the lower core, on an outer side of the coils, with a first gap being provided between the upper and lower cores, on an inner side of the coils. The upper cores are extended towards each other from the outer to the inner side of the coils, with a second gap being provided therebetween. The second gap is provided therein with a non-magnetic pressing member to press the lower core against the base plate, on an inner side of the coils.