Abstract: An improved traction device for a motor vehicle provides a rear support assembly positioned proximate to a rear axle and an adjacent portion of a leaf spring and a front rocker support assembly. The front rocker support assembly includes a front leaf spring bracket assembly attached to a selected portion of the leaf spring between the axle and the front leaf spring mount, a rocker pivotally attached to the front leaf spring bracket assembly, and a rocker head connected to an end of the rocker for engaging a lower surface of the leaf spring to limit pivotal movement of the front rocker support assembly relative to the front end of the leaf spring, and. An adjustable rigid link extends between the rear support assembly and the front rocker support assembly.

Abstract: A vehicle safety system is provided that includes an alcohol concentration determining arrangement. A control unit is adapted to receive and analyze data from the alcohol concentration determining arrangement and output a blocking signal or a dissuasion signal under certain conditions. A blocking arrangement is adapted to prevent driving of the vehicle by the vehicle occupant upon receipt of a blocking signal. An output device is adapted to receive the dissuasion signal and to present a warning to the vehicle occupant to dissuade the occupant from driving the vehicle. The control unit is operable to categorize the concentration of alcohol in the occupant's blood into one of three categories: a low concentration category, in which the blocking signal will not be generated, a high concentration category, in which the blocking signal will be generated, and an intermediate category, in which the dissuasion signal will be generated.

Abstract: The invention relates to a vision-based attention system, comprising: at least one vision sensor, at least one image processing module processing an output signal of the vision sensor in order to generate at least one two-dimensional feature map, a dorsal attention subsystem generating a first saliency map on the basis of the at least one feature map, the saliency map indicating a first focus of attention for the driver assistance system, a ventral attention subsystem, independent to the dorsal attention subsystem, for generating a second saliency map on the basis of at least one feature map, which can be the same as the one used for the dorsal attention system or a different one, the second saliency map indicating unexpected visual stimuli.

Abstract: A stabilizer device having high reliability and light weight is provided. The stabilizer device has a stabilizer consisting of a torsion part and arm parts each extending from both ends of the torsion part and having an overall shape of a square bracket, a “]” shape, a bushing for fixing the stabilizer to an automobile body arranged at both ends of the torsion part, and a resin misalignment preventing member which has a contacting part contacting with the bushing, which is arranged neighboring the bushing, and which is integrally formed with the torsion part and covering all therearound in a predetermined range of axial direction of the torsion part.

Abstract: Inflatable curtain airbags can be used to mitigate the likelihood of an occupant being ejected from a vehicle through a side window. Inflatable curtain airbags are typically tethered to a vehicle structure on a car-forward side, but may not be tethered to a vehicle structure on their car-rearward side. Increased friction between the car-rearward side of the airbag and an adjacent vehicle structure can be used to help the airbag say in place, and thereby decrease the likelihood of an occupant passing the airbag and being ejected from the vehicle.

Abstract: A pressure reducing portion is formed by joining two fabric portions at a position corresponding to an occupant's arm. The pressure reducing portion limits the thickness of the airbag in the widthwise direction of a vehicle and prevents the arm from being pressed inward in the widthwise direction. A support joint portion joins the fabric portions at a position below the lower end of the pressure reducing portion and behind the front end of the pressure reducing portion when the airbag is arranged in such a manner that a linear portion of the airbag extends vertically. The support joint portion projects toward the pressure reducing portion beyond the line including the lower end of the airbag and the lower end of the linear portion. The end of the support joint portion located close to the pressure reducing portion is located below the lower end of the pressure reducing portion.

Abstract: A robot system includes at least one robot, robot controllers configured to control the robot, and pendants. The robot controllers include robot group control units each having an operating mode storage unit to store operating mode information to select a robot. The pendants include an enabling device to turn on and off drive power to the robot. The robot group control units are connected via an enable-link-signal line. Each robot group control unit is configured to output an enable link signal by operating the enabling device included in a corresponding pendant to transmit the enable link signal via the enable-link-signal line to all of the robot group control units. Each robot group control unit is configured to output a drive-power-on enable signal to turn on and off drive power to the robot in accordance with the enable link signal and the operating mode information.

Abstract: An air bag system for a vehicle includes an air bag body formed by stitching base fabric material, an inflator that charges the air bag body with gas, and a vent hole that is a through hole provided in the air bag body so as to communicate the inside with the outside of the air bag body. The vent hole of the air bag body is formed to be slit-like and longer in a longitudinal direction thereof. The air bag body includes two base fabric pieces having overlapping side ends that are joined together, a tensile-force applying mechanism that applies tensile-force in the longitudinal direction of the vent hole, including a pair of V-shaped stitched lines bent in a sharply angled V-shape and formed on the side ends of the two base fabric pieces with a predetermined distance therebetween that defines the slit-like vent hole, and portions of the side ends aligned with vent hole along the gas discharge direction form a flow-passage restriction membrane.

Abstract: A health monitoring system for a vehicle system includes an operational support system including a plurality of managers and a decision support module. Each manager corresponds to a different sub-system of the vehicle system, and comprises a plurality of reasoners and a fusion block. Each reasoner is configured to obtain data and provide preliminary output regarding a different component of the sub-system based on the data. The fusion block is coupled to the plurality of reasoners, and is configured to receive the preliminary output and generating manager output based on the preliminary output. The decision support module is coupled to the plurality of managers, and is configured to receive the manager output and provide a decision support output based on the manager output.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided of displaying air traffic control communication information in an aircraft having an aircraft communications radio. Each air traffic control (ATC) communication station that is within a predetermined distance of an aircraft position is identified. Indicia representative of the identified ATC communication stations that are determined to be within the range of the aircraft communications radio are rendered on a display device.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a land vehicle includes sensors that provide information relating to a ride height of the land vehicle. A processing circuit monitors data from the sensors and controls adjustment of one or more vehicle systems that affect the vehicle's ride height based on the data from the sensors. In some embodiments, the processing circuit controls a suspension system and can control the suspension system to have any of a multiplicity of height settings. In some embodiments, the processing circuit controls the ride height based on a user selection of a pre-configured ride height setting. In some embodiments, the processing circuit is configured to maintain a ride height of the vehicle at a consistent ride height when the suspension is unlocked after a load is removed where the suspension was locked after the load was added.

Abstract: An air bag system M includes an air bag 40 which can cover a front surface 1a side of a front pillar 1 of a vehicle V, an inflator 55, an air bag cover 65, a case 61 which stores and holds the air bag and the inflator and holds the air bag cover, and bolts 59 which are provided so as to extend from the case for mounting the air bag system on to an installation portion of a front side door 11. A portion of an outer reinforcement 19 which reinforces an outer panel 18 of the front side door is configured as a mounting portion 20 of the front side door where the bolts are attached, and the air bag system M is installed at a portion of the front side door which lies in proximity to a belt line 14 on a side facing a vehicle's outer side by the bolts 59 being attached to the mounting portion 20 on the outer reinforcement.

Abstract: The present invention provides a wheel axle lifter used for being adapted to be disposed with auto-mobiles. The wheel axle lifter comprises a fixing portion, a first airbag and a suspending arm. The fixing portion is used for being disposed with a body of the auto-mobile. The first airbag disposed with the fixing portion comprises at least two rollers. The two rollers are positioned integrally. One end of the suspending arm is pivotally disposed with the fixing portion. The suspending arm is disposed with a wheel axle and is able to move between a first position and a second position. Each one of the two rollers rotationally contacts with the suspending arm when the first airbag drives the two rollers upward to abut against the suspending arm so that the suspending arm moves to the second position.

Abstract: A restraint system for a motor vehicle is formed by one or more inflatable supporting structures whose longitudinal extent in the deployed state substantially exceeds their transverse dimension, and which unfold mainly in the direction of their longitudinal extension. During unfolding, the supporting structure, when impacting upon an obstacle does not have the same stability as when it is completely unfolded, and/or does not reach the final volume or the final extension.

Abstract: The present invention generally relates to articles for masking internal components of a motor vehicle steering column from the view of an occupant when the steering wheel is titled, or extended. Some embodiments relate to methods for making or using masking articles, or to methods for masking the internal components of a motor vehicle steering column when the steering wheel is titled, or extended.

Abstract: The invention relates to an active suspension assembly and a vehicle equipped therewith. The assembly comprises a bearing arm, spring and adjusting mechanism. In use, the bearing arm supports the second vehicle mass, for instance a cabin or wheel and is pivotally connected to the first vehicle mass, for instance a chassis, around a pivot axis; the spring mechanism produces a spring force that exerts a counter moment on the bearing arm that can counterbalance any external moment acting on said bearing arm; and the adjustment mechanism is arranged to vary said counter moment by altering the direction of the spring force and/or move its point of application in a first direction. The adjustment mechanism is furthermore arranged to move the point of application of the spring force in a second direction, in which the counter moment is not or hardly affected, but by which the effective spring stiffness of the suspension assembly is affected.

Abstract: In a vehicle pop-up hood apparatus in which a rod is extended and a hood is pushed up by the operation of an actuator at a time of collision with a collision body, collision energy is absorbed with high efficiency when a collision load of a predetermined value or greater is input to an area near a hood pushed up position. Actuator (18) operates such that rod (20) moves in an axial direction toward a hood upper side, pushes up a rear edge side of hood rocker (12) and holds it at that position and, in that state, when a collision load of a predetermined value or greater acts from a hood upper side to near the pushed up position of the hood, push portion (54) slides along pushed up surface (38) of hinge arm (30) towards a vehicle rear side, and rod (20) is made to bend in conjunction therewith.

Abstract: This invention provides fire prevention and detection for heavy-duty and medium-duty commercial and military vehicles by ensuring the engine is automatically and immediately shut down upon the occurrence of a catastrophic event that may lead to a fire. The shutdown is achieved through the isolation of the vehicle batteries and alternator and the disconnecting of those devices from all electrical circuits. Anomalies that cause the shutdown and disconnect include battery and vehicle load currents that are outside a preset range, excessive temperatures, detection of smoke in the drive compartment or sleeper, or detection of a frontal impact accident or vehicle rollover. Once disconnected, the battery contactor must be manually reset in order to restore electrical power to the vehicle.

Abstract: In an electric power steering apparatus including a charge-discharge circuit 16 that selectively configures a first output mode in which only a main power supply including a battery 9 is used to supply an electric power to a motor 4 or a second output mode in which the main power supply and an auxiliary power supply 14 are used to supply the electric power to the motor 4, and a control circuit 6 that selects the output mode of the charge-discharge circuit 16 according to the electric power required for steering assist, the control circuit 6 selects the second output mode when the electric power required for steering assist in the first output mode becomes equal to or higher than an upward threshold value P1 or selects the first output mode when the electric power required for steering assist in the second output mode becomes equal to or lower than a downward threshold value P2 that is lower than the upward threshold value P1.

Abstract: An occupant restraint device for a motor vehicle is provided. The occupant restraint device includes a first airbag which is inflatable with gas to protect an occupant who occupies a seat in the form of a driver's seat or a front passenger seat of the motor vehicle as intended, wherein the first airbag is designed to be arranged in a steering wheel or an instrument panel of the motor vehicle in a non-inflated state, and a second airbag, which can be inflated with gas to protect the occupant. The second airbag is designed such that an edge area thereof facing the vehicle front extends along the A-pillar of the motor vehicle in an inflated state.