Abstract: A method of manufacturing a universal joint includes: temporarily assembling a bearing, which supports a shaft portion of a joint spider such that the shaft portion is rotatable, with respect to a through-hole and the shaft portion by press-fitting the bearing to a first position in the through-hole of a yoke; and clinching, after the bearing is temporarily assembled, a portion of the yoke around the through-hole, and pressing the bearing deeper into the through-hole with a clinched portion formed by the clinching to press-fit the bearing to a second position located deeper than the first position in the through-hole.

Abstract: A rolling bearing device includes a rotary shaft; a housing; a pair of rolling bearings; an outer ring spacer; an elastic member provided in a bottom side of the housing, the bottom side of the housing being a second axial side of the housing, and the elastic member being configured to urge the rolling bearings, the outer ring spacer, and the rotary shaft toward a first axial side; and a retaining ring that is fitted into a circumferential groove provided on an inner periphery in the first axial side of the housing, the retaining ring being in axial contact with the outer ring of the rolling bearing located on the first axial side, and the retaining ring including at least three arc members arranged in a circumferential direction.

Abstract: A sealing device includes a seal member and a slinger. The slinger has a slinger fixing part, a first radial part, a first axial part, a second radial part, and a second axial part facing a seal fixing part of the seal member in a radial direction across a first clearance. The seal member has a large-diameter part facing, in an axial direction, an end of the second axial part on the other side in an axial direction across a second clearance. An outer circumferential surface of the large-diameter part and an outer circumferential surface of the second axial part are included in a flow passage surface of a continuous outside flow passage that extends in a straight line along the axial direction. The first clearance and the second clearance communicate with each other, and the sealing device has a labyrinth clearance including the first clearance and the second clearance.

Abstract: A thrust roller bearing includes a plurality of radially arranged rollers, and a pair of annular washers having raceway surfaces on which the rollers roll, the raceway surfaces being arranged to face each other. The roller is made of high-carbon chromium bearing steel, and contains 1.1 mass % to 1.6 mass % of carbon and 0.1 mass % to 0.6 mass % of nitrogen in a range of 0.1 mm from a surface. A surface compressive residual stress is smaller than ?900 MPa, a surface roughness is 0.01 to 0.10 in terms of Rvk and 0.01 to 0.08 in terms of Rk, and a Vickers hardness of the surface is 860 to 980. At least one of the washers is made of carbon steel, and surface roughnesses of the raceway surfaces are 0.05 to 0.20 in terms of Rvk and 0.08 to 0.15 in terms of Rk.

Abstract: A thrust roller bearing includes a plurality of radially arranged rollers, and a pair of annular washers having raceway surfaces on which the rollers roll. The raceway surfaces are arranged to face each other. The roller is made of high-carbon chromium bearing steel and has a surface roughness of 0.01 to 0.10 in terms of Rvk and 0.01 to 0.08 in terms of Rk. At least one of the washers is made of carbon steel, surface compressive residual stress of the raceway surface is ?1400 MPa to ?1000 MPa, and Vickers hardness of surface of the raceway surface is 850 to 900.

Abstract: A steering control device includes an electronic control unit configured to calculate a d-axis current command value and a q-axis current command value for a motor having three phases configured to generate drive power applied to a shaft interlocked with turning wheels, to convert detected current values in the phases of the motor to a d-axis current value and a q-axis current value, and to perform feedback control. The electronic control unit is configured to perform field weakening control for setting the d-axis current command value to a negative value based on a rotation speed of the motor, to determine whether the motor is in a regenerative state, and to calculate the d-axis current command value according to the regenerative state of the motor when the electronic control unit determines that the motor is in the regenerative state.

Abstract: An ECU of a vehicle controls a motor on the vehicle. The ECU includes a microcomputer and a monitoring circuit. The monitoring circuit includes a rotation detection circuit that detects the number of rotations of the motor at a preset sampling interval, a control circuit including a logic circuit that controls an operation of the rotation detection circuit, and an inspection circuit that inspects of the control circuit. The microcomputer is started upon start of vehicle power supply and performs a specific process using the number of rotations of the motor detected by the rotation detection circuit. The inspection circuit performs the inspection of the control circuit in the monitoring circuit in a period in which the microcomputer is kept in a reset state after the vehicle power supply is turned on and which is within a sampling interval of the rotation detection circuit in the monitoring circuit.

Abstract: A sliding member includes a first sliding member having a resin portion on its outer surface and a second sliding member having a metal portion that slides relative to the resin portion, wherein the resin portion of the first sliding member includes a resin containing a reinforcing filler and having a viscosity number VN of 180 ml/g or more, and the reinforcing filler has a hardness higher than that of the metal portion of the second sliding member. In the sliding component, preferably, the reinforcing filler has a Vickers hardness of 300 HV to 800 HV, and the metal portion has a Vickers hardness of 250 HV to 600 HV.

Abstract: A vehicle steering assist system, including an engine pump, a flow-rate restricting mechanism, a motor pump, a motor-pump controller, and a steering-force assist device, wherein the steering assist system is configured to restrict an engine-pump ejection flow rate to be lower than a required receiving flow rate to be received by the assist device when the engine pump is operated by being driven by an engine rotating at an idling speed, the engine-pump ejection flow rate being a flow rate of a working fluid ejected from the engine pump to the assist device via the restricting mechanism, and wherein the motor-pump controller is configured to control a motor-pump ejection flow rate such that an insufficient flow rate of the working fluid is covered by the motor-pump ejection flow rate, the insufficient flow rate being a shortage in the required receiving flow rate not covered by the engine-pump ejection flow rate.

Abstract: An auxiliary power supply device includes a parasitic diode forming a parallel circuit together with a second switching element and connected in a forward direction to a main power supply, and a parasitic diode forming a parallel circuit together with a fourth switching element and connected in a reverse direction to an auxiliary power supply. When a state parameter indicates that a reaction force that interferes with operation of an assist motor is applied, an electronic control unit turns ON a first switching element, turns OFF the second switching element, turns ON a third switching element, and turns OFF the fourth switching element. A regenerative current from the assist motor flows to the auxiliary power supply via an inverter, the third switching element, and the parasitic diode.

Abstract: An assist device includes a first harness, a second harness, and a grip portion. The first harness is configured to be fitted to at least one of a shoulder region and a breast region of a user. The second harness is configured to be fitted to a leg region or a waist region of the user. The grip portion is to be held by a person other than the user, the grip portion being attached to at least one of the first harness and the second harness.

Abstract: A rolling bearing includes an inner ring, an outer ring, a plurality of rolling elements, and a cage. The cage includes an annular body placed closer to the first side in the axial direction than the rolling elements, and a plurality of cage prongs provided to extend to the second side in the axial direction from the annular body. The cage prong includes a lack portion provided from the first side to the second side in the axial direction such that the lack portion is opened to the second side in the axial direction and along the radial direction. The cage prong includes a pair of cage prong bodies such that the cage prong bodies are provided on both sides of the lack portion in the circumferential direction and make contact with a corresponding one of the rolling elements, and a stiffening rib is provided between the cage prong bodies.

Abstract: A factory management system has a database for managing a factory in which a production line is provided. The factory management system includes a communication unit, a collection and storage unit and a compilation and display unit. The communication unit connects production facilities of the production line with host systems such that the production facilities and the host systems communicate with each other. The collection and storage unit is one of the host systems and collects production status data on a production status from the production facilities via the communication unit and stores the production status data in the database. The compilation and display unit is provided separately from the collection and storage unit via a communication interface. The compilation and display unit compiles a predetermined data out of the production status data stored in the database and display the first predetermined data.

Abstract: A rolling bearing includes an inner ring, an outer ring, a plurality of rolling elements, and a cage. The cage includes an annular body, a plurality of cage prongs, and guide portions placed inward of the cage prongs in the radial direction of the cage such that the guide portions extend from a radially inner part of the annular body toward a second side in the axial direction of the cage, the guide portions being configured to position the cage by making contact with an inner ring raceway. The cage has a groove so as to connect pockets adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction, the groove being configured such that lubricant is present in the groove and a groove width of the groove is increased in the radial direction in the center of the groove in the circumferential direction.

Abstract: A life expectancy prediction system for a target tool includes a processing machine body, a detector to detect a state data, a learned model storage unit to store learned models generated by executing machine learning using training datasets, including an explanatory variable and an objective variable, the explanatory variable being the state data and the objective variable being a number of first remaining machining times, the learned model storage unit being to store the learned models, each for each of the tools and a remaining machining times prediction unit to select, based on the state data, one learned model and predict a number of second remaining machining times, using the one learned model and the state data.

Abstract: A rack biasing device includes a rack guide configured to guide movement of a rack shaft, a cylindrical guide member attached to a rack housing, an annular first sealing member configured to provide a seal between the guide member and the rack guide, a biasing member disposed on one side of the rack guide opposite to the rack shaft, an engaging member configured to cause the biasing member to generate biasing force to push the rack shaft toward a pinion shaft, and a second sealing member configured to provide a seal between the guide member and the rack guide, and abut against the engaging member. The rack guide has an annular distributing portion in an end portion that faces the engaging member.

Abstract: A worm reducer includes a worm shaft; a worm wheel; a housing that houses the worm shaft and the worm wheel; a bearing that holds the worm shaft inside the housing; a coil spring that contacts an outer peripheral surface of the bearing and applies an urging force toward the worm wheel; and a preload member that is screwed into and fixed to the housing and pressurizes the coil spring. A winding direction of the coil spring is different from a winding direction of a thread of the preload member, and contact resistance between the coil spring and the preload member is greater than contact resistance between the coil spring and the bearing.

Abstract: An assist device includes a first worn component worn on at least one of a shoulder and a chest of a user, a second worn component worn on one of a hip and a pair of right and left legs of the user, a belt member provided along a back side of the user over the first worn component and the second worn component, an actuator provided on one of the first worn component and the second worn component, a position detection unit configured to obtain a position parameter indicating a position of the user, and a controller configured to obtain a required output in a direction to wind up the belt member from the actuator based on the position parameter and configured to control operation of the actuator.

Abstract: A four-wheel-drive vehicle including a powertrain operable to adjust a front- and rear-wheel driving force ratio that is a ratio between a driving force of front wheels and a driving force of rear wheels includes a control device that controls the powertrain and adjusts the front- and rear-wheel driving force ratio so as to reduce the driving force of the front wheels that are steered wheels, when it is detected that emergency avoidance to avoid collision with an avoidance target ahead in a traveling direction is necessary.

Abstract: A pressure reducing valve device includes a first body; a second body; a valve mechanism accommodated in the first body, and including a valve seat and a valve element; and a piston that is accommodated in the second body, defines a pressure reducing chamber, and is configured to move in accordance with a pressure in the pressure reducing chamber so as to move the valve element. The first body is connected to an inner portion of a connection portion having a bottomed cylindrical shape. The connection portion is provided in the second body to protrude outward. The valve seat is held between the first body and the second body in a direction in which the first body and the second body are attached to each other such that the valve seat is fixed in a flow passage.