Abstract: A vehicle is disclosed that includes: a vehicle body defining a door frame; a vehicle door that is movably connected to the vehicle body; and an actuation system. The vehicle door includes: an inner panel that is secured to the door frame; an outer panel that is secured to the inner panel; a reinforcement that is secured between the inner panel and the outer panel; and a support bracket that is secured to the reinforcement and which includes a body with a generally planar configuration. In contrast to the door frame, which includes a metallic material, the inner panel and the outer panel each include a non-metallic material. The actuation system is connected to the vehicle door to facilitate opening and closure thereof and extends through the reinforcement and the support bracket.

Abstract: A battery is provided with a plurality of unit cells each having a tab, a bus bar connecting the tab of one of the plurality of unit cells and the tab of another one of the plurality of unit cells, and a plurality of welding points disposed on a center of gravity of an area, in which the bus bar and the tab are overlapped, or a vicinity thereof, and at least one position of line segments, radiately extending from the center of gravity, or a vicinity thereof, such that the bus bar and the tab are connected to one another at the plurality of welding points.

Abstract: During a period from an engine start to activation of a catalytic emission control device, a direct injection spark ignition engine is operated in a stratified stoichiometric charge combustion mode under the control of an engine controller. In the stratified stoichiometric combustion mode, a fuel injection system carries out a direct cylinder injection on the compression stroke to produce a relatively rich stratified air fuel mixture closely around a spark plug, in a background of a relatively lean air fuel mixture produced homogeneously over the combustion chamber by a direct cylinder injection on the intake stroke or a port or passage injection on or before the intake stroke.

Abstract: A cylinder direct injection spark-ignition internal combustion engine. The engine comprises a cylinder block having a plurality of cylinders. A cylinder head is fixedly mounted on a block deck of the cylinder block. The cylinder head has an intake port for each cylinder. The intake port has first and second sections which are contiguous with each other. The first section is located downstream of the second section relative to the flow of intake air. The first and second sections have respectively first and second axes. The first and second axes incline relative to a bottom flat surface of the cylinder head respectively to form first and second angles, in which the first angle is smaller than the second angle. A fuel injector valve is provided to directly inject fuel into a combustion chamber formed corresponding to each cylinder. The fuel injector valve is located close to the intake port and disposed closer to a periphery of the combustion chamber than a downstream end of the intake port.

Abstract: An improved lockup control system for a lockup-type torque converter for automotive vehicle performs a coasting lockup control of a lockup clutch with minimized response delay of lockup releasing control and suppressed lockup releasing shock upon acceleration of the vehicle. The control system includes a controller that is operative when the driving condition of a vehicle as represented by the throttle valve opening and the vehicle speed is judged to belong to a lockup region. The controller reduces the differential pressure across the lockup clutch to a lower limit value within a range in which the clutch can be prevented from slips. Thus, when the vehicle is reaccelerated and the driving condition shifts out of the lockup region, the reduction amount of the differential pressure is minimized to mitigate the response delay in the lockup releasing control.

Abstract: In order to attenuate vibration which tends to be transmitted from a power unit to a vehicle passenger during the idling mode of engine operation, ERF filled engine mounts are arranged so that when neither of two orifice passages are restricted by impressing a voltage on ERF viscosity control electrodes included therein, the frequency at which the dynamic spring constant exhibits a minimum value is the same as the frequency at which the vibration transmission phase maximizes while one of the two orifice passages is restricted by the application of a voltage on the set of electrodes disposed therein. Rapid cyclic control of the dynamic spring constant and the vibration transmission phase for each mount used to support a power unit is carried out. This enables a desirable compromise in the control of the two different parameters.

Abstract: In an engine fuel combustion control apparatus for determining ignition advance angles on the basis of a regular map or a highoctane map, the current advance angle on the regular map is incremented as long as knocking is absent within a predetermined engine speed range, and the regular map is switched to the highoctane map only when the advance angle is equal to or larger than the reference map switching line and the maximum highoctane map retard angle simultaneously, in order to prevent hunting between the two maps. Further, the current advance angle on the highoctane map is decremented when knocking is present and the highoctane map is switched to the regular map when the advance angle is smaller than the maximum highoctane map retard angle. The map used immediately before an engine stop is used in the succeeding engine start, in order to prevent knocking or to obtain a high engine output at engine restart.