Abstract: To reduce a load applied to the thrust bearing, to prevent the thrust bearing from seizing and to improve the service life of the thrust bearing, the thrust bearing is provided between a drive shaft and a block to seal a high-pressure side space from a low-pressure side space. By providing an oil supply through hole, one end of which opens into high-pressure side space and the other end of which opens into a space formed by inserting the shaft into the insertion hole, high-pressure lubricating oil can be supplied to the space. The constric within the shaft with the effect of the constriction clearance is formed between the aforementioned oscillating shaft and the insertion hole, and a pressure differential between the two ends of the drive shaft is eliminated.

Abstract: A vehicle-mounted navigation system initially computes an optimal route from a starting point to a destination. A microcomputer computes the total distance the vehicle has travelled from a signal obtained from an axle sensor and computes the bearing of the vehicle (azimuth) from a signal obtained from a geomagnetic sensor. Then the microcomputer computes the present position of the vehicle from the starting point of the vehicle, its total distance travelled, and its bearing. The system then selects and displays one from among a plurality of arrows stored in a memory, each arrow representing a direction spaced a predetermined angle from an adjacent arrow, to guide the driver from the present position via the next intersection to the destination. This system also detects forked intersections, where two roads are close to the common direction represented by the arrow to be displayed.

Abstract: A method of cutting a flat tube (6) into unit pieces, which includes moving in a transverse direction rotatable disc cutters (12) with knife edges so as to cut the upper and lower walls of a flat tube to form a pair of cutting grooves (15) and fixing the flat tube at a point upstream of the cutting groove while flexing in the vertical direction a length of the flat tube downstream of the cutting grooves to break it off at the cutting grooves, thereby providing a unit piece of a predetermined length.

Abstract: A navigation system mounted on a vehicle displays a primary direction indication image on a display unit. This primary direction indication image has a proximal portion that represents a road along which the vehicle is now moving and a direction indication portion that represents a road which the vehicle is to enter at the next intersection. One or more auxiliary direction indication images, with direction indication portions that represent other roads connected to the next intersection, are displayed on the display unit together with the primary direction indication image. The direction indication portion of the auxiliary direction indication image extends from the distal end of the proximal portion of the primary direction indication image.

Abstract: In a fuel injection system for a vehicle engine, the fuel injection is controlled in a feedback mode when no abnormality occurs in the control system, and it is controlled in an open loop mode by a limp home circuit when any abnormality in the control system is detected by a watch dog timer. The vehicle may thus be slowly driven to a safe or proper place for servicing. The limp home circuit includes fuel cutoff means for interrupting the fuel supply to the engine in the open loop mode of operation when the rotational speed of the engine exceeds a predetermined value.

Abstract: A navigation system having two sensors and two circuits. A travel sensor sends a pulse whenever a vehicle travels a predetermined distance. An angular velocity sensor outputs a voltage corresponding to an angular velocity of the vehicle. A correction circuit calculates the angular velocity from both a reference voltage that corresponds to an angular velocity of zero and an output voltage from the angular velocity sensor. A reference voltage resetting circuit monitors the pulse from the travel sensor; sets, as an effective sampling interval, at least a part of a interval from the end of a predetermined first cancellation interval after the pulse stops until the start of a second cancellation interval prior to a resumption of the pulse; calculates an average value of the output voltage of the angular velocity sensor, which has been periodically sampled during the effective sampling interval; and resets the reference voltage to the average value.

Abstract: A data processing method for obtaining data indicating the period between pulses comprises measuring the interval between the subject pulses, separately generating time pulses of a prescribed period, measuring the time between the most recent subject pulse and the most recent time pulse, outputting the interval between the subject pulses as the pulse period data if it is longer than the time between the most recent subject pulse and the most recent time pulse and otherwise outputting the latter time as the pulse period data. The data obtained in this way more precisely indicates the actual pulse period in cases where noise pulses occur between subject pulses.

Abstract: A fuel injector has a solenoid valve which is opened and closed for spilling off pressurized fuel from a fuel pressure chamber in order to control fuel injection. The solenoid valve is provided with a valve rod that has one end connected with an armature, is formed with a valve head tapered to increase in diameter with increasing distance from the armature and is guided by a guide hole for reciprocal motion, with a fuel reservoir formed to surround the valve head and communicate with the chamber housing the armature, and with a tapered portion for seating the largest diameter portion of the valve head and being formed in the wall of the fuel reservoir to decrease in diameter in the direction of the armature. When the pressurized fuel is spilled to the armature chamber as a low pressure portion, it exerts a force on the valve rod in the direction of valve opening, thereby enabling the valve movement to be completed rapidly.

Abstract: A fuel-injection device includes a solenoid valve which adjusts a fuel-injection level of a fuel-injection pump by adjusting its throttling for the fuel-injection passage to supply the fuel to a compressor. A driving pulse to drive the solenoid valve is formed taking various factors into consideration. For example, the driving pulse is composed of a segment having a large duty ratio and a segment having a small duty ratio in order to secure a responsiveness of the solenoid valve. The driving pulse is formed on the basis of a change in electrical voltage to drive the solenoid valve, varying levels of voltage drop in a wiring harness installed for every cylinder, and of varying levels of responsiveness unique with fuel-injection pumps.

Abstract: In a navigation system for use in a vehicle, an administrative district and a first and a second roads are inputted by an input device. In the inputted administrative districts, an intersection formed by the inputted first and second roads is determined. The determined intersection is provided as at least one of a starting point intersection and a destination intersection. An optimum route from the starting point intersection to the destination intersection is computed.

Abstract: A heat exchanger is immersed in a hydrophilic-film-forming solution in order to form a hydrophilic film on the surface of the heat exchanger. The film applied on the heat exchanger is then dried to a semi-dry state and while this film is semi-dry, an antimicrobial agent is permeated into the hydrophilic film. Then it is completely dried. By following this process, it is possible to permeate a large amount of antimicrobial agent near the surface of the film, increasing the antimicrobial effect and at the same time, the effect is retained over a long period of time because the antimicrobial agent is not coated on the surface and, therefore, is not washed away with water.

Abstract: A vehicle navigation system is used to determine the absolute position of a vehicle with improved accuracy on freeways or rural highways. First, the system stores a known vehicle position in its memory. As the vehicle moves away from the known position, the system uses a variety of means to sense external signals. These means include satellite transmission receivers and magnetic compasses. When a change in the external signals occurs, the system recognizes the presence of a landmark which can then be used to set the vehicle's position. To accomplish this, the system's data processor searches a map data base, attempting to fix the position of the sensed landmark with respect to the initially stored known position. When the system identifies the most likely landmark, the position of the vehicle is then reset to that position.

Abstract: The present invention attempts to offer a heat exchanger apparatus capable of absorbing its compression during its soldering and of allowing an easy connection of its intake/outlet pipes to an expansion valve, wherein the expansion valve is mounted, via a joint member, on refrigerant intake/outlet pipes integrally installed on the core of the heat exchanger apparatus, and wherein said joint member has a securing means for securing one of said intake/outlet pipes, and a compression-absorbing means for the other one of said intake/outlet pipes to slide in the stacking direction of said heat exchanger apparatus.

Abstract: A solenoid valve is installed between a high-pressure side leading to a compressor of a fuel-injection pump and a low-pressure side to adjust the fluidic connection therebetween. This valve comprises a valve body, an armature, a solenoid which moves the armature, and a return spring. In the solenoid valve, a passage connecting an armature chamber and a balance chamber is formed around the edge of the opposite side of the armature, a rising-pressure preventing passage is provided to prevent an increase in pressure in the armature chamber, and compensation mechanism is provided in the junction area between the different members which accommodate the valve body, to thereby absorb a gap or misalignment between the sliding holes of the different members.

Abstract: In a control system for a vehicle safety device, when in addition to the condition that a total integral value of the acceleration and deceleration represented by a signal of an acceleration sensor exceeds a threshold level, the condition that the acceleration integral value becomes predetermined times greater than the deceleration integral value is satisfied, a trigger signal is outputted to the vehicle safety device.

Abstract: An automatic transmission which includes a clutch (6); a clutch actuator (7) for detecting and controlling a position of the clutch; a transmission (1); a transmission actuator (2) for driving the transmission; a vehicle speed detector (22) for detecting a vehicle speed; a throttle opening detector (11) for detecting a throttle opening; an automatic shift unit (30) including a gear shift map (30a, 30b) having a gear shift characteristic which is determined based on the vehicle speed and the throttle opening; a computer unit (30c) for computing an instant gear position of the transmission based on the vehicle speed and the throttle opening according to the gear shift map; a gear position selector (30d) for controlling the transmission actuator based on the instant gear position to upshift or downshift the transmission; a shift prohibit unit (40) for determining whether the instant gear position matches the previous gear position from a memory (40a) for a predetermined times in a predetermined period and, if th

Abstract: A vehicle safety device control system includes a plurality of acceleration sensors. Test pulses are supplied to the plurality of acceleration sensors. In order to judge whether or not each acceleration sensor has failed each acceleration sensor is checked for whether or not it outputs a signal that corresponds to the test pulse. The signal from the failed acceleration sensor is not used when a determining if a collision has occurred; only the signals from the other acceleration sensors are used in this determination.

Abstract: The invention provides a route state filter for a vehicle route guidance system for improved tracking of vehicle position with respect to a preselected route. A set of position possibilities are derived by comparing a measured vehicle position to a database containing data representing a map of roads, the possibilities corresponding to possible positions on the roads within an error region around the measured position. A route guidance module receives the position possibilities, checks their validity and applies a filter to remove less likely possibilities. A current position is then selected from the remaining possibilities. An ON/OFF ROUTE status of the vehicle is determined by comparing the selected position with the selected route information in the database. A distance-based filter is utilized to provide improved continuity in the route status determination.

Abstract: ABSTRACT A solenoid valve is provided in a fuel injection pump fuel supply path. A communication path communicates with each other an armature chamber, which accommodates an armature, and a spill chamber, which accommodates a head of a valve body and is connected to a lower pressure side. When high pressure fuel is spilt to the low pressure side, an orifice in the communication path reduces a high frequency pressure wave propagated from the spill chamber to the armature chamber, thus reducing deformation or corrosion of the solenoid in over a long period of use.

Abstract: A heat-exchanger includes a plurality of stacked tubular elements each having tanks, and passage-forming protrusions defining a passage connecting the tanks, fins interposed between adjacent ones of the tubular elements and contacting the passage-forming protrusions, inlet/outlet units each comprising a barrel-shaped element protruding from and open to the tank of a respective one of the tubular elements, inlet/outlet pipes fitted coaxially in contact with and joined to the barrel-shaped elements, respectively, and a measure (reinforcement) for preventing parts of the barrel-shaped elements from being deformed as the inlet/outlet pipes are fitted to the barrel-shaped elements during the assembly of the heat exchanger to in turn maintain the integrity of the joints between the inlet/outlet units and the inlet/outlet pipes. The reinforcement may include a ring disposed around the barrel-shaped element adjacent an end thereof.