Abstract: An electric power steering apparatus includes a gear housing that has a pulley space in which a driven pulley, a driving pulley and a timing belt that are placed so as to be operatable and which communicates with the outside of the gear housing. The gear housing also has a motor-side hole into which a drive shaft of an electric motor is inserted, and a pulley-side hole into which the drive pulley is inserted and which is formed at a position opposite the motor-side hole across the pulley space.

Abstract: A vehicle steering system includes: a steering member; steered wheels; a steered shaft; a housing; a fitting bracket that has a first bolt insertion hole; a vehicle body-side member that has a second bolt insertion hole; and a bolt that is inserted through the first bolt insertion hole and the second bolt insertion hole. One of the first bolt insertion hole and the second bolt insertion hole is a long hole. When a reverse input equal to or larger than a predetermined value is applied from a road surface to the steered wheel, the bolt is displaced within the long hole in the lateral direction, causing the fitting bracket to displace with respect to the vehicle body-side member in the lateral direction.

Abstract: A FET for driving an electric motor includes a source electrode. The source electrode has main electrode surfaces to which bonding wires, through which a drive current for an electric motor passes, are joined, and inspection electrode surfaces that are arranged so as to be independent of and apart from the main electrode surfaces. The inspection electrode surfaces are provided so as to contact a probe of an inspection device that performs an inspection of the FET 3.

Abstract: When disposing pins of different shapes at random, pins of small involute base circle radius are made not to be arranged contiguously, pins of relatively small length are made not to be arranged contiguously, and pins of relatively outward offset are made not to be arranged contiguously.

Abstract: A driving force transmission device includes a transfer torque command value calculation section which calculates a transfer torque command value indicating a command value of the transfer torque between two members based on a running state of the vehicle, an energy calculation section which calculates an energy value obtained by multiplying the transfer torque between the two members by a differential rotation rate between the two members at every predetermined sampling time, an energy accumulated value calculation section which calculates an energy accumulated value of accumulating the energy value calculated at every the predetermined sampling time, a map storage section which stores previously a map defining a relationship between the energy accumulated value and a correction torque, and a correction section which acquires the correction torque by applying the energy accumulated value to the map and corrects the transfer torque command value based on the acquired correction torque.

Abstract: A handwriting recognition method and a handwriting recognition device are provided to recognize a character sequence continuously inputted by a user for convenience. The present method comprises steps of calculating various features of the inputted character sequence which include single character recognition accuracy features and space geometry features of different stroke combinations in the inputted character sequence, calculating segmentation reliabilities of respective stroke combinations in different segmented patterns by using a probabilistic model in which coefficients of the probabilistic model are estimated by a parameter estimation method through sample trainings, recognizing characters in different writing patterns by using a multiple-template matching method when performing single character recognition of the stroke combinations, searching for the best segmentation path and conducting post-processing to optimize the recognition results.

Abstract: A circuit board unit of an ECU has an upper surface on which semiconductor elements are installed, a lower surface that is on the opposite side of the circuit board unit from the upper surface, and a cutout portion that is formed below the upper surface. A power module includes a conductive protruding and an electrically insulating main portion that holds the protruding piece. The conductive protruding piece is inserted in the cutout portion to support the circuit board unit, and is electrically connected to the semiconductor elements.

Abstract: An electromagnetic clutch is provided which produces sufficiently large clutch force by increasing the clutch capacity without increasing the number of inner and outer clutch plates. The electromagnetic clutch includes an intermediate member (8) that is connected to inner clutch plates (7a) so as not to be rotatable relative thereto and moves toward a clutch mechanism (7) under rotational force of a rotational member (5). The intermediate member (8) has: a pressing portion (23a) for pressing an armature (21) in the direction to frictionally couple the inner and outer clutch plates (7a, 7b) as the intermediate member (8) moves toward the clutch mechanism (7); and a movement force conversion section (24) for converting rotational force of a rotational member (6) into movement force toward the clutch mechanism (7). The movement force conversion section (24) is arranged between the intermediate member (8) and the rotational member (5).

Abstract: A microcomputer is provided with an extracting section capable of extracting a specific frequency component from an input signal. The extracting section extracts, from a pinion angle corresponding to a signal indicating a state of the steering system, a frequency component corresponding to a vibration of a steering system caused by stress applied to steerable wheels. The extracting section outputs an effective value of the extracted frequency component as a power spectrum to a second computing section. In the case that the power spectrum output from the extracting section is equal to or more than a predetermined threshold value, the microcomputer enhances a torque inertia compensation control so as to suppress vibration of the steering system caused by the stress. In other words, the microcomputer increases a torque inertia compensation amount corresponding to a compensation component based on a steering torque differential value.

Abstract: A gear includes a metal core and a synthetic resin tooth body. The metal core includes a cylindrical portion, and a disc portion that extends inwardly in a radial direction from one end of the cylindrical portion. The synthetic resin tooth body is coupled to the cylindrical portion of the metal core. A plurality of rotation prevention grooves is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical portion, and a plurality of rotation prevention grooves is formed on the inner peripheral portion of the cylindrical portion.

Abstract: The invention seeks to provide a rotor for use in rotary encoder, which is increased in magnetic intensity and mechanical strength thereby achieving exact detection of rotation speed. A corner portion formed between a cylindrical portion 21 and a mounting flange 22 of a core 20 constitutes a protrusion 23 unitized with the cylindrical portion and the mounting flange, protruded from axial one end of the cylindrical portion 21 and opened toward the axial other end thereof. A part of a pulser ring 31 is disposed in the protrusion 23.

Abstract: A torque transmission device includes: a first cover that has a cylindrical shape and that is attached to a shaft and covers an outer periphery of a sleeve; a second cover that has a cylindrical shape and that is attached to the sleeve and covers an outer periphery of the first cover; a seal that fills an annular space between the first cover and the sleeve; and a ring that is installed in a circumferentially continuous groove formed in one of an outer peripheral surface of the first cover and an inner peripheral surface of the second cover, and that is slidable on the other one of the outer peripheral surface of the first cover and the inner peripheral surface of the second cover. A labyrinth seal is constructed between the ring and the groove.

Abstract: An open end of a sleeve (spline-fitted to a male yoke) remote from a connecting portion of the male yoke is closed by a first lid member. A through hole is formed axially through the male yoke, and includes a cylindrical first passage portion, and a cylindrical second passage portion which is disposed at that side of the first passage portion close to the first lid member and is smaller in inner diameter than the first passage portion. A second lid member is disposed to close that open end of the through hole remote from the first lid member. Air vent holes are formed through the second lid member to extend in an axial direction, and are disposed so as to partially overlap with a portion of an inner peripheral surface of the first passage portion in the axial direction.

Abstract: A differential (1) for a vehicle includes a differential case (2), side gears (5L, 5R) rotatably accommodated in the differential case (2), pinion gears (3, 4) engaged with the side gears (5L, 5R), and pinion gear shaft (50) inserted through the pinion gears (3, 4) to be supported by the differential case (2), in which the differential case (2) has pinion gear supporting portions (10, 11) for rotatably supporting the pinion gears (3, 4), respectively, the pinion gear shaft (50) has pinion gear supporting surfaces (50A, 50B) for rotatably supporting the pinion gears (3, 4), respectively, and the pinion gear supporting surfaces (50A, 50B) are disposed on a side of an axis line of rotation of the differential case (2) with respect to the pinion gear supporting portions (10, 11).

Abstract: A universal joint yoke includes: a cylindrical portion for fixing a shaft; a slit that is formed in the cylindrical portion and that extends from one end of the cylindrical portion in an axial direction of the cylindrical portion, which is a first direction; a reinforcement flange that extends from the other end of the cylindrical portion radially outward with respect to the cylindrical portion; and a pair of arms that extend from the reinforcement flange on a side opposite to a side on which the cylindrical portion is provided and that are swingably coupled to another yoke via a coupling shaft.

Abstract: A vehicle drive control device includes a continuously variable transmission mechanism (hereinafter referred to as CVT (6) of a torque control type capable of continuously varying a transmission gear ratio, and a controller (34) which controls operations of the CVT (6) and an engine (2). The controller (34) includes a first control section (43; 43A) which controls a torque of the CVT (6) based on a target transmission input torque (TTRN,T), and a second control section (44) which controls a torque of the engine (2) based on a target engine rotation speed (?e,T).

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for calculating the understeering ratio of automobiles provided with electric power steering (EPS) including an electric assistance motor (9) driven by an onboard electronic computer (11), a sensor (12, 14) providing a first piece of information on a real angular position of the steering wheel (3), a wheel anti-lock braking system (ABS) providing a second piece of information on the speed of the wheels (15) of the vehicle, characterised in that the onboard computer (11) of the EPS processes the second piece of information for estimating a theoretical angular position of the steering wheel (3), which is further compared to the real angular position of the steering wheel (3) in order to derive the understeering ratio (?) of the vehicle.

Abstract: An electric power steering apparatus includes a steering assist section that applies assist force to a steering system of a vehicle to assist operation of a steering wheel performed by a driver. The steering assist section is actuated by a motor. When there is an abnormality in a steering torque sensor, the supply of drive power to the motor is controlled such that a converted steering angle, which is obtained by converting the rotational angle of the motor, follows a target steering angle, which is computed based on the steering angle of the steering wheel by operation performed by the driver.

Abstract: A telescopic-type steering system includes an upper tube and a lower tube that are coupled to each other such that relative displacement between the upper tube and the lower tube is allowed. The steering system includes a coupling wire that is at least partially formed of an insulating member and that has one end portion and the other end portion that are electrically insulated from each other. In the steering system, the upper tube and the lower tube are coupled to each other by the coupling wire.

Abstract: In a case where an engine ECU determines that the engine is started (restarted), the engine ECU notifies an EPSECU that cranking is to be performed to start the engine before performing the cranking. When such a notification is received, the EPSECU gradually reduces a current command limit value I*_lim and a boost voltage limit value Vbp_lim before the cranking is started.