Abstract: A differential unit includes: a differential case; a differential mechanism; a connecting-disconnecting member that connects the differential case to the differential mechanism; an actuator that generates a moving force for moving the connecting-disconnecting member; a moving-force transmitting member that transmits the moving force generated by the actuator to the connecting-disconnecting member; and a wave washer that urges the connecting-disconnecting member in a direction opposite to a direction in which the connecting-disconnecting member is moved by the actuator. The actuator includes a plunger that moves while compressing the wave washer in the axial direction from a first prescribed length using a magnetic force of an electromagnet. A movement of the plunger in a direction away from the connecting-disconnecting member is restricted by a contacting portion of a restricting member.

Abstract: A method for managing a power steering system, including a step (a) of detecting a reversal in the steering direction which involves acquiring a signal, referred to as a “motor torque signal” (CMot), representative of the assistance force (Cassist) delivered by the power steering motor, then evaluating the time derivative (?CMot/?t) of the motor torque signal, then comparing the time derivative of the motor torque signal to a predefined variation threshold (Spic) in order to detect a derivative peak, greater than the variation threshold (Spic), that indicates a reversal in the steering direction. The method next includes a friction evaluation step (b) which involves evaluating the friction from the drop, during the reversal in the steering direction, in a so-called “actuation force signal” (Caction), which is representative of the total actuation force exerted together on the power steering by the driver and by the power steering motor.

Abstract: A control apparatus controls a driving force transmission device including: an electric motor; a pressing mechanism to convert the rotational force of the motor into an axial pressing force; friction clutches including friction members configured to come into frictional engagement with each other by the pressing force provided by the pressing mechanism. The driving force transmission device is configured to transmit a driving force between a pair of rotary members by the friction clutches. The apparatus includes: a target current calculating circuit to calculate a target current to be supplied to the motor; and a correction circuit to correct a voltage to be applied to the motor so as to reduce a difference between the target current and an actual current supplied to the motor. The correction circuit increases or reduces, in accordance with the actual current, the amount of correction of the voltage to be applied to the motor.

Abstract: A raceway of a roller bearing includes a first raceway whose raceway surface is under a relatively high compressive residual stress, and a second raceway whose raceway surface is under a compressive residual stress lower than the compressive residual stress applied to the raceway surface of the first raceway. The raceway surface of the second raceway has a Vickers hardness of 700 HV or more but less than 800 HV. The raceway surface of the first raceway includes a portion that is harder than the raceway surface of the second raceway and that is to be in contact with at least one of axial ends of a rolling contact surface of a roller. A rib includes a rib surface having a Vickers hardness of 450 HV or more but less than 550 HV.

Abstract: A control device controls a driving force transmission device that presses a main clutch using an actuator that generates a pressing force according to a supply current. The control device includes a current command value setting unit that sets a current command value based on I-T characteristic information indicating the relationship between a current supplied to the actuator and a driving force transmitted, a correction duration setting unit that sets a correction duration based on a responsiveness related value related to the responsiveness of the main clutch when an increase in the driving force to be transmitted by the main clutch becomes greater than or equal to a threshold, a correction unit that increases and corrects the current command value for the set correction duration, and the current control unit that performs current feedback control such that a current corresponding to the current command value is supplied to the actuator.

Abstract: A driving force transmission control apparatus includes: a driving force transmission device that includes an electromagnetic clutch mechanism configured to generate a frictional force between clutch plates by energization of an electromagnetic coil and transmits a driving force by actuating the electromagnetic clutch mechanism; and a control device that controls the driving force transmission device.

Abstract: A steering gear apparatus includes a rack shaft, a pinion shaft, and a housing. The rack shaft has rack teeth and moves in an axial direction to steer front wheels. The pinion shaft has pinion teeth and rotates in accordance with steering operation of a steering wheel. The housing supports the rack shaft and the pinion shaft, and houses a meshing area between the rack teeth and the pinion teeth. When the steering wheel is in its neutral position, the pinion teeth mesh with the rack teeth at a rotational position of the pinion shaft that minimizes torque required to move the rack shaft in the axial direction during one rotation of the pinion shaft.

Abstract: A pressure reducing valve includes a body, an annular valve seat, a valve element, and a pressing mechanism configured to press the valve element. The pressing mechanism includes a plug provided downstream of the valve seat and having a plug hole, and a pin including a sliding portion and an upstream end, the sliding portion having a shaft shape and being inserted in the plug hole such that a gap is provided between the sliding portion and an inner peripheral surface of the plug hole, and the upstream end being provided upstream of the sliding portion so as to contact the valve element. A fitting length of the sliding portion with respect to the plug hole and the gap between the sliding portion and the plug hole satisfy 0.0005 L<C<0.00908 L, where L indicates the fitting length, and C indicates the gap.

Abstract: There is provided a steering device having a configuration in which a movable bracket can move relatively to a fixed bracket along with a steering member toward the downstream side in a movement direction, at the time of the second collision. A sliding member that is assembled to the movable bracket includes a main body section and a bent section. The main body section is provided, in the movement direction, over an entire length of a top surface of the movable bracket, which faces the fixed bracket, is inserted between the top surface and the fixed bracket, and rubs against the fixed bracket at the time of the second collision. The bent portion is latched to the movable bracket from the downstream side in the movement direction.

Abstract: A taper roller bearing includes: an inner ring, an outer ring, a plurality of taper rollers in which a cavity portions are formed on a large end surface, and an annular cage. The cage includes a small-diameter annular portion on one axial side, a large-diameter annular portion which is positioned on the other axial side and on the outer side in the radial direction of the large flange, and a plurality of column portions. An outer diameter of an axial inner surface included in the large-diameter annular portion is greater than a diameter of a virtual circle that links outer end portions in the radial direction of the cavity portions of the plurality of taper rollers.

Abstract: A rolling bearing apparatus includes: a bearing including an inner ring, an outer ring, a plurality of rolling elements, and a cage; and an oil supply unit provided axially adjacent to the bearing. The oil supply unit includes: a tank in which to accumulate lubricant; and a pump provided with a nozzle that emits the lubricant as an oil droplet toward a target of the bearing. The oil supply unit further includes a wind guard covering a passing region of the oil droplet thus emitted from the nozzle and having an opening toward a target side. An inner region of the wind guard, including the passing region, has a passage shape causing an airflow from a nozzle-side toward the opening on the target side where a negative pressure is caused due to a bearing rotation.

Abstract: A rolling bearing includes an inner ring, an outer ring, a plurality of rolling elements, and a cage. A first seal is provided on one side of the annular space between the inner ring and the outer ring in the axial direction and has a first lip portion that forms a first labyrinth clearance with the inner ring to prevent spill of the grease. A second seal is provided on the other side of the annular space in the axial direction and has a second lip portion that forms a second labyrinth clearance with the inner ring to prevent spill of the grease. The second lip portion is larger than the first lip portion such that the path length of the second labyrinth clearance is longer than the path length of the first labyrinth clearance.

Abstract: A steering system includes a fastening mechanism that makes an upper jacket fastened to be held by a lower jacket. In a fastened state of the fastening mechanism, a first tooth member on the upper jacket side is meshed with a second tooth member on the lower jacket side. The second tooth member is connected to the lower jacket via a guide shaft (connecting member) that is fracturable during a secondary collision. During the secondary collision in an unfastened state of the fastening mechanism, a second engagement portion (driving member) that moves in a column axial direction integrally with the upper jacket abuts on the second tooth member in an unmeshed state to fracture the guide shaft, and deforms an impact absorbing member via the second tooth member to absorb an impact.

Abstract: A four-wheel-drive vehicle includes: a pump that is actuated by an electric motor; a friction clutch that has a plurality of clutch plates that are pressed by a piston that is movable by working oil discharged from the pump; a control device that controls the electric motor; front wheels, to which a drive force of an engine is always transferred; and rear wheels, to which the drive force of the engine is transferred in accordance with the fastening force of the friction clutch. When it is determined that the vehicle is in a high fastening force-requiring state in which it is necessary for the friction clutch to transfer a large drive force temporarily, the control device causes the electric motor to output torque that is larger than torque that the electric motor can continuously output.

Abstract: Provided is a motor device that prevents an increase in size in the radial direction of a motor while providing redundancy in controlling driving of the motor. A motor device includes: a motor including a motor shaft; a first control board on which a first power circuit and a first control circuit are mounted in combination, and a second control board on which a second power circuit and a second control circuit are mounted in combination, as control boards constructing a circuit that controls driving of the motor; and a housing that accommodates the motor and the control boards together. Each of the control boards is disposed to cross a radial direction that is orthogonal to an axial direction of the motor.

Abstract: A wear compensator to compensate wear between a rack and a pinion including a yoke plug, a pin affixed to the yoke plug, jaws that surrounds the pin, a disc spring sandwiched between the yoke plug and the jaws, a stage compensator that receives and slides along the jaws to provide a frictional force, a rack guide in contact with the rack, a spring extending between the stage compensator and the rack guide, wherein when the rack guide transfers to the stage compensator a first load above a predetermined threshold, the frictional force overcomes prevents the spring disc to push the stage compensator towards the rack, and when the rack guide transfers to the stage compensator a second load below the predetermined threshold, the frictional force allows the spring disc to push the stage compensator towards the rack.

Abstract: A motor control unit includes a PWM count changer that when, out of all possible combinations of any two of three phases, at least one of the combinations has a difference in PWM count less than a threshold value, changes a PWM count of at least one of the two phases of the at least one of the combinations for each of PWM periods within a current control period, without changing the total of the PWM counts of the at least one of the two phases within the current control period, such that each of the combinations has a difference in PWM count greater than or equal to the threshold value.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a torque sensor, which includes first and second collection rings for collecting a magnetic flux, the rings being recessed in a sensor housing and separated by an air gap, during which a sensor bundle including a Hall-effect cell is prepared, provided with an adapter and inserted into an access opening of the sensor housing so as to place the Hall-effect cell in the air gap, and so that the adapter subdivides the access opening into a first recess (“preservation recess”), which opens onto the air gap and contains the Hall-effect cell, and a second recess (“filling recess”), which communicates with the outside, and then the sensor bundle is attached to the sensor housing by overmoulding, by pouring a coating material, such as a resin, into the filling recess, while the adapter prevents the coating material from filling the preservation recess and from wetting the Hall-effect cell.

Abstract: A driving force control apparatus includes a first torque calculator configured to calculate turning radius correspondence torques indicating the magnitudes of the driving forces to be transmitted to a right rear wheel and a left rear wheel based on a turning radius, a second torque calculator configured to calculate steering velocity response torques based on a steering velocity of a steering wheel and a vehicle speed, a corrector configured to calculate a corrected torque by correcting a turning radius correspondence torque of at least one of wheels on an inner side of turning and on an outer side of turning in accordance with the steering velocity response torque, and a current controller configured to supply currents to torque couplings so that driving forces based on the corrected torque are transmitted.

Abstract: An external gear pump includes a pump housing in which a pump chamber is formed, a primary gear having a plurality of external teeth housed in the pump chamber, a secondary gear having a plurality of external teeth that mesh with the plurality of external teeth of the primary gear in the pump chamber, a first electric motor configured to generate a torque for rotationally driving the primary gear, a second electric motor configured to generate a torque for rotationally driving the secondary gear, and a control unit configured to control the first and second electric motors. The control unit controls the first and second electric motors so that the torque generated by the first electric motor is greater than the torque generated by the second electric motor.