Abstract: An internal combustion engine including a valve system and a breather system. The valve system includes a camshaft having intake cams and exhaust cams. The intake cams open and close intake valves, and the exhaust cams open and close exhaust valves. The breather system includes an upstream-side breather chamber and a downstream-side breather chamber. Blow-by gas flows into the upstream-side breather chamber through a chain chamber. The down-stream side breather chamber is provided in the camshaft, and also formed of a through hole constituted of a plurality of hole portions. The hole portions have different sizes and are aligned in the axial direction. The through hole opens to the chain chamber at a first shaft end portion of the camshaft, and also opens to the down-stream side breather chamber at a second shaft end portion of the camshaft. The down-stream side breather chamber is formed of a cam holder.

Abstract: The attachment of a modified upper rear door hinge patch to the outside surface of a center pillar stiffener creates an energy absorbing cavity that: 1) reduces the chances that the center pillar stiffener will buckle or kink in a side impact collision, and 2) improves door mounting accuracy apart from the center pillar stiffener, and 3) improves the formability of the steel used in the manufacture of center pillar stiffeners.

Abstract: A universal resistance testing device is provided and includes a bridge circuit, a metering circuit, a comparator circuit, and an output circuit. The universal resistance testing device is incorporated into a control circuit and is used to verify a resistive value of a variable resistance device. The universal resistance testing device includes multiple replaceable resistors to thereby allow the universal resistance testing device to be used in the same control circuit to test different variable resistance devices having a different resistive value.

Abstract: In a variable damper using magneto-rheological fluid that comprises a cylinder (12) filled with the fluid, a piston (16) slidably received in the cylinder and including an inner yoke (32; 62; 126), an outer yoke (31; 64, 65; 140) and a coil (34; 130), a piston rod (13) having an inner end attached to the piston and an outer end extending out of the cylinder and a magnetic valve formed in a gap between the inner and outer yokes, at least one of the outer yoke and inner yoke consisting of at least two parts that are joined to each other in an axial direction. The two piece arrangement of the inner yoke or outer yoke allows the end plates to be omitted because the gap spacer can be installed without requiring end plates, and this contributes to a compact design and a favorable damping property. Also, the manufacturing and servicing of the damper can be simplified. When end plates (134) are used, the freedom in the positioning of the coil is increased.

Abstract: A holding member attached to outer peripheries of a plurality of adjacent cylindrical cell modules which are arranged parallel along axes thereof. Each cell module is formed by a plurality of unit cells serially connected, and the holding member is positioned in the middle of the cell modules along the axes thereof so that a gap is secured between the cell modules. The holding member has a plurality of circular holding portions for respectively holding the cell modules, wherein the holding portions are coupled with each other, and the coupled holding portions have a plurality of divided portions at which the coupled holding portions are divided into two holding bodies, each being fit over the cell modules; and a coupling device for coupling the divided portions positioned between adjacent two of the holding portions.

Abstract: A power steering system for a vehicle includes a steering shaft with its rear end in connection with a steering handle and with its axis inclined forwardly downwards. An electric motor is disposed with its axis orthogonal to a plane containing the axis of the steering shaft. The electric motor applies a steering force to the side of a steering wheel or wheels according to an operational torque exerted on the steering handle. This enables the power steering system to be easily applied to a vehicle in which the portion on the front side relative to the steering handle is short. A steering shaft is rotatably supported on a support case, at least a part of which is disposed on the inner side of the rotational locus of a steering handle in plan view. The rear end of an electric motor mounted to the support case is disposed on the front side relative to the rear end of the steering shaft.

Abstract: To provide an accelerator position sensor arrangement structure for a motorcycle that can prevent an increased vehicle-width without change of operational feeling of a throttle. An accelerator position sensor is connected to a throttle grip via a pair of throttle cables and disposed externally of main frames, of a body frame, extending from a head pipe toward the rearward of a vehicle body.

Abstract: A method of loading a child or child seat into a vehicle is disclosed. A user can rotate the rear-most vehicle seat toward the rear of the vehicle and load the child and/or child seat from the rear opening.

Abstract: In an apparatus for preventing theft of equipment (electric wheelchair) having a prime mover (electric motor), a prime mover controller, and an authenticator that acquires ID information from an electronic key when the key is brought close thereto by an operator, determines whether the acquired ID information corresponds with authentication ID information, and permits the controller to start the prime mover when the acquired ID information is determined to correspond with authentication ID information, the controller stores operating history of the equipment, and the authenticator acquires the history from the controller when the key is brought close thereto and transmits the acquired history to the key when the key is brought close thereto, thereby making it easy to acquire the operating history of the equipment.

Abstract: With the distance between a reference plane and a line light source (13) maintained at a first distance, the line light source (13) is translated in two different directions, and the position of the line light source (13) for each individual pixel where the pixel has been photographed from an incident ray radiated from the line light source (13) is stored (STEP 3, 4). With the distance between the reference plane and the line light source (13) maintained at a second distance different from the first distance, the line light source (13) is translated in two different directions, and the position of the line light source (13) for each individual pixel where the pixel has been photographed from an incident ray radiated from the line light source (13) is stored (STEP 6, 7). A straight line with the minimum distance to the positions of the four line light sources is deduced as the trajectory (S) of the incident ray to each pixel (STEP 8, 9).

Abstract: A catalyst degradation determination device is provided that can determine the degradation of a selective reduction catalyst with high precision while also suppressing a temporary decline in purification performance. By way of controlling a urea injection device, the catalyst degradation determination device increases, in a selective reduction catalyst in a state in which the storage amount is a maximum, the storage amount thereof by a detection reduced-amount portion DSTNH3—JD and then decreases the amount until it is determined that ammonia slip has occurred. Then, degradation is determined based on the time at which the slip determination flag FNH3—SLIP was set to “1” when fluctuating the storage amount. The detection reduced-amount portion DSTNH3—JD is set to a value that is larger than the storage capacity of the selective reduction catalyst in a degraded state and smaller than the storage capacity of the selective reduction catalyst in a normal state.

Abstract: In an apparatus for preventing theft of equipment such as outboard motor having a prime mover (engine), a prime mover controller and an authenticator (26) that acquires ID information from an electronic key when the key is brought close thereto by an operator and gives a permission to the prime mover controller to start the prime mover when acquired ID information is determined to correspond with authentication ID information, the permission was given is stored, and the authenticator determines whether the information is stored each time when activated (S12), and gives the permission to the prime mover controller immediately when it is determined that it is stored (S32), thereby enabling to easily restart the prime mover without authentication operation.

Abstract: A guide structure of a vehicle seatbelt includes a belt guide. The belt guide is provided at one of a left corner and a right corner defined by a left side frame, a right side frame, and an upper frame. The one corner faces a belt pulled out from a seatbelt device. The left side frame and the right side frame extend vertically. The upper frame connects an upper end of the left side frame to an upper end of the right side frame. The belt guide protrudes upwardly with respect to the upper frame and forwardly with respect to the left side frame and the right side frame so that when the belt is placed on an occupant who sits on the seat, a portion of the belt that is placed on a shoulder of the occupant is guided by the belt guide.

Abstract: A rocker arm changeover device for an engine includes a major rocker arm to drive intake or exhaust valves. A driven rocker arm is arranged in line with the major rocker arm. A changeover pin is movable within a first pin hole and a second pin hole and to change between engagement and disengagement of the major and driven rocker arms. The first pin hole coaxially matches the second pin hole through rocking motions of the major and driven rocker arms. A first pin is movable within the first and second pin holes between a disengagement position at which the first pin is retracted into the first pin hole and an engagement position at which the first pin protrudes from the major rocker arm. A second pin is movable relative to and coaxially with the first pin within the first pin hole.

Abstract: Provided is an exhaust recycling system, which can burn and remove efficiently a VOC in an exhaust gas discharged from a predetermined zone and which can recycle the clean air after the removal of VOC. Also provided is a technique capable of stabilizing the concentration of the VOC contained in the exhaust gas to be fed to an adsorption apparatus. The exhaust recycling system comprises a coating zone (111) for discharging the exhaust gas containing the VOC, an adsorption apparatus (200) for adsorbing the VOC in the exhaust gas discharged from the coating one (111), and a clean air recycle apparatus for releasing the VOC adsorbed by the adsorption apparatus (200), from the adsorption apparatus (200), thereby to make the adsorbed VOC into a combustion fuel for a regenerative combustion apparatus (300), and for introducing again the clean air cleaned by passing through the adsorption apparatus (200), into the coating zone (111).

Abstract: A meter device is disposed on an upper surface of a fuel tank that is disposed between a steering handlebar and a rider's seat. The meter device includes a dial substrate having a scale and a pointer that is rotated by a drive portion and points to the scale corresponding to a measurement output. The pointer includes a ridge that extends in a longitudinal direction and a spine portion having two surfaces that cross each other so as to form the ridge. An angle ?, at which the two surfaces forming the ridge cross each other, is formed into an acute angle, so that a side farther from the ridge as viewed from a side of a rider is not visible.

Abstract: A spacer arranged inside a water jacket which is formed to surround peripheries of cylinder bores in a cylinder block of an internal combustion engine includes support legs extending in an up-and-down direction from a spacer main body part which partitions the water jacket into an upper and lower cooling water passages. The support legs are disposed in opposite end portions in a cylinder row line direction, where the temperatures of the cylinder bores tend to be lower. Accordingly, even if the flow of cooling water is more or less inhibited by the support legs and the cooling effect deteriorates, it is possible to prevent the temperatures of the respective cylinder bores from becoming different by suppressing the influence to a minimum.

Abstract: A nitrocarburized crankshaft member made of a steel that includes C in an amount by weight of 0.25 to 0.32% as a required element and an optional element that may be included, and Fe and inevitable impurities in a remaining portion. The steel-made crankshaft member mainly includes ferrite and perlite, wherein at least a portion of the steel surface thereof having a ferrite surface area of 50% or greater is imparted with a nitrocarburized hard layer. The nitrocarburized hard layer includes a surface compound layer suppressed to a thickness of 10 to 35 ?m, and a nitrogen diffusion zone below the surface compound layer having a diffusion depth of 700 ?m or greater. The steel includes C, Si, Mn, Cu, Ni, and Cr as the required elements and Mo, N, s-Al, and Ti as the optional elements.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system for notifying information projected on a windshield, on the basis of a virtual image containing the information. The system controls a virtual image creation unit (23) so that the virtual image is displaced in at least one of a direction corresponding the advancing direction of a vehicle, a direction corresponding to a vertical direction with respect to the advancing direction, and a vehicle width direction. Moreover, the system controls a notification sound creation unit (24) so as to create a notification sound corresponding to the displacement of the virtual image.

Abstract: A method for heat exchange between inbound vehicles and outbound vehicles moving through a drying furnace. Conveying tracks, one for the inbound vehicles conveyed into the drying furnace and another for the outbound vehicles conveyed out from the drying furnace, are provided in a single closed cross-section conduit. The closed cross-section conduit is divided in a conveying direction into a plurality of areas. Heat exchange takes place between the outbound vehicles and inbound vehicles in each of the divided areas via atmospheric air in the areas.