Abstract: A vehicle steering system includes a rack shaft, a pinion shaft, a housing including a rack shaft receiving portion and a pinion shaft receiving portion, and a cover member disposed above the pinion shaft receiving portion. A part of the pinion shaft projects upward from an upper end opening of the pinion shaft receiving portion. The cover member includes a hood portion and an annular side wall portion. The pinion shaft is inserted through the hood portion. The side wall portion includes a valve portion capable of coming into abutment with an outer circumferential surface of the pinion shaft receiving portion.

Abstract: A method for checking compliance of a mechanical part of a vehicle, including an image capture step for producing a study image of the mechanical part, and a step of analysing the study image by an analysis unit, said analysis step including a results phase transmitting a results signal indicating whether the mechanical part is compliant or, on the contrary, non-compliant.

Abstract: A method for estimating a value of a friction force exerted on a part of a power steering system of a vehicle, the part of the power steering system including at least one motor exerting a motor torque, the value of the friction force making it possible to modify the motor torque, by means of a mathematical model.

Abstract: A rotation detection device includes a rotation detection circuit, a step-up power supply circuit, a step-down power supply circuit, a first power supply path, and a second power supply path. The rotation detection circuit is configured to detect a rotation number of a motor that generates a torque applied to a steering mechanism of a vehicle, based on an electric signal. The electric signal is generated according to a rotation angle of the motor that is acquired through an in-vehicle sensor.

Abstract: A rolling bearing test includes: a hermetic container configured to allow atmosphere gas to be introduced therein; a rotary shaft housed in the hermetic container and fitted into the rolling bearing; a pair of shaft support portions fixed to a fixing portion provided in the hermetic container and configured to rotatably support the rotary shaft at both sides of the rolling bearing in an axial direction, respectively; a drive device configured to drive the rotary shaft; a holding portion configured to hold the outer ring of the rolling bearing to avoid rotation of the outer ring; a first load application mechanism configured to apply an axial load between the inner ring and the outer ring of the rolling bearing; and a second load application mechanism.

Abstract: A power supply system includes a system control unit, an auxiliary power supply, and an auxiliary-power-supply control unit. The system control unit and the auxiliary-power-supply control unit are configured such that information of at least one control unit of the system control unit and the auxiliary-power-supply control unit is able to be output to another control unit of the system control unit and the auxiliary-power-supply control unit. The at least one control unit is configured to output information indicating that an operation of the at least one control unit is stopped to the other control unit when the at least one control unit stops the operation of the at least one control unit.

Abstract: A steering system includes a reaction drive apparatus to apply a reaction force to a steering member, a steering operation drive apparatus to turn steered wheels, a movement drive apparatus to move the steering member between an operation position and a retraction position, a mode switching circuit to switch a manual driving mode and an automatic driving mode, a movement control circuit to move the steering member to the operation position when switched to the manual driving mode, and to move the steering member to the retraction position when switched to the automatic driving mode, a reaction control circuit to control the reaction drive apparatus in the manual driving mode based on steering information of the steering member and steering operation information of the steering operation drive apparatus, and an actuation restriction circuit to restrict actuation of the steering member in the automatic driving mode.

Abstract: A steering column device includes a steering shaft; and a steering column. The steering column includes a housing, a cover, and a sealing member. The housing includes an inclined portion having an inclined surface with an inside diameter increasing from a first side to a second side, the inclined surface contacting the sealing member from the first side. The cover includes a facing portion having a facing surface contacting the sealing member from the second side, and an insertion portion having an outer peripheral surface contacting the sealing member from an inner peripheral side. The sealing member is accommodated in an accommodation space defined by the inclined surface, the facing surface, and the outer peripheral surface. An escape space continuous with the accommodation space is provided between the housing and the cover, the escape space being located closer to the first side than the inclined surface is.

Abstract: A steer-by-wire power steering system including a lower-level mechanism that includes a servo motor and a steered wheel, and an upper-level mechanism that includes a steering wheel and an auxiliary motor, the lower-level mechanism being closed-loop controlled, at zero force, by a lower local loop including a feedback branch that measures or estimates an actual downstream force downstream of the servo motor and upstream of the point of contact between the wheel and the ground, so as to make the servo motor transparent, while the upper-level mechanism is closed-loop controlled, at zero torque, by an upper local loop including a feedback branch which measures or estimates an actual driver torque between the auxiliary motor and the steering wheel so as to make the auxiliary motor transparent, the lower and upper local loops being controlled by a single overall controller.

Abstract: An auxiliary power supply device includes an auxiliary power supply; and an auxiliary power supply control unit configured to switch a mode of the auxiliary power supply to an output mode or a non-output mode when electric power is output from a main power supply to a drive motor. The auxiliary power supply control unit is configured to switch the mode to the non-output mode when a required power value required by the drive motor is equal to or smaller than a predetermined power value and to switch the mode to the output mode when the required power value is larger than the predetermined power value, the predetermined power value being set to a value smaller than outputtable electric power that is electric power outputtable from the main power supply.

Abstract: A front-and-rear-wheel-drive vehicle includes an electric motor; a speed change mechanism; a first output rotation shaft that transmits a drive force of the electric motor that has been transmitted to an intermediate output member, to one of a front wheel side and a rear wheel side; and a second output rotation shaft that transmits the drive force that has been transmitted to the intermediate output member, to another of the front wheel side and the rear wheel side. The first and second output rotation shafts are disposed coaxially with the intermediate output member. The electric motor is disposed such that a rotation axis of a motor shaft is positioned in parallel with a rotation axis of the intermediate output member and the first and second output rotation shafts and vertically above the rotation axis of the intermediate output member and the first and second output rotation shafts.

Abstract: A front-and-rear-wheel drive vehicle includes a front wheel-side driveshaft, a rear wheel-side driveshaft, and a driving force distribution device that distributes the driving force of a driving source to the front wheel-side driveshaft and the rear wheel-side driveshaft. The driving force distribution device includes a first rotating member, a second rotating member, an annular driving force transmission medium that transmits the driving force from the first rotating member to the second rotating member, and a motor driving force-rotated member that is rotated by the driving force of an electric motor. The motor driving force-rotated member is passed inside the driving force transmission medium, between the first rotating member and the second rotating member.

Abstract: A drive force transfer device includes a multi-plate clutch that transfers a drive force using a friction force generated between a plurality of clutch plates; a housing that houses the multi-plate clutch; a piston that presses the multi-plate clutch using a hydraulic pressure of operating oil supplied to a hydraulic chamber provided in the housing; a hydraulic unit configured to supply the operating oil to the hydraulic chamber; and a control device configured to control the hydraulic unit, the control device being configured to correct a control amount for the hydraulic unit based on a result of a temperature estimation based on operation of the hydraulic unit.

Abstract: An ECU independently controls power supply to two winding systems in a motor on a per-winding-system basis based on current command values each calculated for a corresponding winding system in accordance with a target assist torque. When a first winding system fails, the ECU transitions from a first state in which the ECU causes the winding groups of the two winding systems to produce the target assist torque to a second state in which the ECU causes the winding group of the other normal winding system to produce the target assist torque. If the current command value for the normal winding system is equal to or below a current threshold value that is set with reference to zero or a value close to zero when the failed winding system recovers to its normal state in the second state, the ECU transitions from the second state to the first state.

Abstract: An abnormality detection device includes a processing circuit configured to perform an abnormality detecting process. The abnormality detecting process includes a first state quantity acquiring process, a second state quantity acquiring process, a difference calculating process of calculating a difference between a first state quantity and a second state quantity, and a determination process of comparing an absolute value of the difference with a difference threshold value. The abnormality detecting process is a process of detecting an abnormality of a turning unit when the absolute value of the difference is greater than the difference threshold value, and the processing circuit is configured not to perform the determination process when an absolute value of an actual current value is greater than a current threshold value.

Abstract: A steer-by-wire steering system for a vehicle, including: an operating device including a steering operating member, a counterforce applying mechanism configured to apply, to the steering operating member, an operation counterforce by a counterforce motor, and an operating controller configured to control the operation counterforce; a steering device including a steering actuator configured to steer a wheel by a steering motor and a steering controller configured to control an amount of steering of the wheel by the steering actuator; and a communication line communicably connecting the operating controller and the steering controller, wherein the steering controller is configured to: determine a status code based on a status of the steering device; and transmit the status code to the operating controller via the communication line; and wherein the operating controller is configured to change a magnitude of the operation counterforce in accordance with the status code received by the operating controller.

Abstract: A vehicle steering apparatus includes a shaft member, a moving portion, a support member, and a stop portion. The moving portion includes a first abutting surface that faces the stop portion in a circumferential direction of the shaft member. The first abutting surface is inclined with respect to an axial direction of the shaft member to face a shaft support portion side when the moving portion is viewed in a radial direction of the shaft member. The stop portion includes a first abutted surface that abuts the first abutting surface.

Abstract: A method for fine-tuning a variable-gear steering column according to a speed of the vehicle, the method includes: a step of characterizing a desired handling of the vehicle for a speed V1 and of characterizing a desired stability for a speed V2; a step of determining a value G1 of the gear ratio allowing obtaining the desired handling at the speed V1, and a value G2 of the gear ratio allowing obtaining the desired stability at the speed V2, a step of calculating a parameter p1 and a parameter p2 according to the speed V1, the speed V2, the value G1 and the value G2 so that the relationship between the gear ratio and the speed of the vehicle is defined by the equation G=p2+p1/V, when the speed is included between a first threshold and a second threshold.

Abstract: A rolling sliding member includes a base part and a surface layer. The base part has a composition that includes 0.30 mass % to 0.45 mass % of carbon, 0.15 mass % to 0.45 mass % of silicon, 0.40 to 1.50 mass % of manganese, 0.60 mass % to 2.00 mass % of chromium, 0.10 mass % to 0.35 mass % of molybdenum, 0.20 mass % to 0.40 mass % of vanadium, and 0.005 mass % to 0.100 mass % of aluminum, and a remainder of iron and inevitable impurities. The surface layer is positioned around the base part. The surface layer has a Vickers hardness of 700 to 800 and a retained austenite content of 25 volume % to 50 volume %. The thickness of a grain boundary oxide layer satisfies Formula: thickness of grain boundary oxide layer?equivalent diameter of rolling sliding member×1.4×10?3.

Abstract: A steering apparatus includes: a mechanism that turns a turning wheel; a first motor that generates a driving force that is given to the mechanism; and a control device. The control device includes: a first computation circuit that computes a first limiting value to which an electric current to be supplied to the first motor is limited in a particular situation; a determination circuit that determines whether the turning wheel is in touch with an obstacle; a second computation circuit that computes a second limiting value to which the electric current to be supplied to the first motor is limited when the determination circuit determines that the turning wheel is in touch with the obstacle; and a third computation circuit that computes the threshold to be used by the determination circuit, based on a smaller limiting value of the first limiting value and the second limiting value.