Abstract: A collision determination is made by using at least one of the output signals of a front G sensor disposed on a vehicle's fore-end and an analog G sensor disposed within the vehicle interior; a safety determination is made by using at least one of the output signals of the analog G sensor, the front G sensor, and a safing G sensor; and when both of the collision determining signal and the safing signal indicate the significance, an application specific IC and a transistor switch actuate a squib activating an air bag.

Abstract: A stability control apparatus, includes: a grip detector that changes an output based on a grip force applied in a direction hindering a slippage of a wheel, acting on a contact face between the wheel supported by a wheel supporting rolling bearing unit and the road surface, the wheel supporting rolling bearing unit for supporting freely rotatably the wheel to a vehicle body; and a controller that performs a control for keeping a running stability of the vehicle in response to an input of a detection signal of the grip detector.

Abstract: Method for the evaluating of an installation location of an acceleration sensor assembly in a vehicle with respect to the transmission characteristics to this installation location of acceleration impulses acting on the vehicle, with a following serially-connected evaluating circuit, especially for the triggering of occupant protection devices, in that a prescribed acceleration impulse is impressed at at least one prescribed position on the vehicle, the impulse response is measured at the installation location, the frequency spectrum of the impulse response is determined, and the installation location is evaluated through comparison of this frequency spectrum with a prescribed nominal spectrum.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for managing the preventative maintenance requirements and unscheduled repairs on a fleet of vehicles. The apparatus includes a computer system having a host processor and a database accessible by the host processor, and at least one maintenance response station communicating with the host processor. The database contains vehicle specific maintenance schedules indicating recommended maintenance intervals for scheduled maintenance, where each scheduled maintenance has associated maintenance tasks. The method involves periodically receiving signals at the host processor containing maintenance trigger data associated with a specific vehicle in the fleet of vehicles, comparing the received maintenance trigger data to maintenance schedule data contained in the database, and for each comparison, determining whether maintenance is indicated, and if so, identifying the vehicle at a vehicle response station.

Abstract: A work vehicle comprising a motor, a drive unit for driving a ground engaging portion, a torque converter for variably transferring power from the motor to the ground engaging portion, a lubrication circuit for providing lubrication fluid to the torque converter, and a control valve located between the torque converter and the lubrication circuit. The work vehicle further having a linkage for performing a work function, an actuator to controllably move the linkage, a sensor coupled to the actuator to sense a force opposing the actuator, and a controller in communication with the sensor and the control valve. The controller is adapted to command a crowd reduction in response to the sensed force opposing the linkage, whereby the pressure of the lubrication fluid provided to the torque converter is reduced.

Abstract: Synchronous shift control in a multi-mode, hybrid transmission utilizes motor torques to control clutch synchronizations and torque conditions thereacross for substantially torque disturbance free shifting from one mode to another.

Abstract: The field of the invention is that of methods of synthesizing cartographic images presented on display devices. This method is applied more specifically to visual flight on rotary-wing aircraft. The method according to the invention is used to present the useful aeronautical map information superimposed on a conventional altimetric presentation of the terrain being flown over, while retaining a legibility that is acceptable to the user. Flight safety is thus significantly reinforced. To obtain an enhanced legibility, the method displays only the aeronautical zones included in an altitude band corresponding to the flight phase of the aircraft and dependent on the geographic location and the vertical position of the aircraft. The method is used to display the cartographic representation either on a single window comprising a plan view of the terrain being flown over, or on two windows respectively representing a plan view and a cross-sectional view of the terrain being flown over.

Abstract: A method of programming or designing application logic for a highway-rail grade crossing warning system including the steps of providing a set of templates, each template of the set of templates defining a track circuit application for a grade crossing with different characteristics, selecting a template from the set that best corresponds to the track circuit application at the grade crossing, defining a set of default programming parameters for each template to program the controller, and inputting additional parameters into the controller to define other characteristics of the track circuit application. A visual representation of each template may be provided. This invention is also directed to the set of templates for programming the controller.

Abstract: A vehicle-behavior detecting apparatus including a first-yaw-moment calculating unit, a second-yaw-moment calculating unit, and an indication-value calculating unit. Based on a linear bicycle model, the first-yaw-moment calculating unit calculates a first-yaw-moment during constant-speed turning. The second-yaw-moment calculating unit reads the longitudinal acceleration detected by an acceleration sensor in addition to the parameters read in the first-yaw-moment calculating unit, and calculates a second yaw moment during acceleration or deceleration. The indication-value calculating unit calculates a variation value in the yaw moment showing the vehicle behavior from the difference between the first yaw moment during constant-speed turning and the second yaw moment during accelerated or decelerated turning. The variation in the yaw moment due to the vehicle-load shift during accelerated or decelerated turning is compensated for by the variation value.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of servo-control in a vehicle brake system including at least one electric brake having at least one actuator comprising a pusher facing friction elements and driven by an electric motor to apply a force selectively against the friction elements in response to a braking setpoint, the method making use of a plurality of relationships between various operating parameters of the actuator including a relationship between a pusher position and a corresponding force applied by the pusher to the friction elements. According to the invention, the method comprises the step of adjusting a particular relationship between position and force.

Abstract: A unified approach that permits the consideration of different issues and problems that affect driving safety. Particularly, there is proposed herein the creation of a driver safety manager (DSM). The driver safety manager embraces numerous different factors, multimodal data, processes, internal and external systems and the like associated with driving.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of servo-control in a vehicle braking system that includes at least one electric brake provided with at least one actuator comprising a pusher facing friction elements and driven by an electric motor to apply a force selectively against the friction elements in response to a braking setpoint, the method making use of a relationship for transforming a setpoint for the braking that is to be applied by the pusher into a setpoint for the position of the pusher. The method of the invention includes the step of adjusting a particular relationship by imposing pauses in the position of the pusher.

Abstract: A safe interactive navigation apparatus and method allows the crew of an aircraft to prepare and follow a safe flight plan without relying on instrument flying infrastructure. An aircraft navigation assistance method calculates a continuous, three-dimensional projected path on board the aircraft as a function of data related to the route and characteristics of the aircraft.

Abstract: In a passenger restraint device for an automotive vehicle, when the relative speed of the vehicle with respect to a crash object changes as a result of a driving maneuver of the vehicle performed before a crash, the actual crash time deviates from an estimated crash time calculated from the distance and the relative speed of the vehicle and the crash object. To resolve this, the actuation timing, actuation rise time and seat belt tension of a seat belt reeling-in device are varied on the basis of information relating to a deceleration rate that is a rate of decrease of the relative speed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for compressing data of position information such as a road on a digital map in order to realize an accurate transmission of the position information in a small volume of data. A shape vector of an object road segment is resampled, and as this occurs, a sampling point is represented by quantized angle information. By selecting preferably the sampling point and an angle resolution of the quantized angle information, an error in position information can be reduced.

Abstract: A plant control system using response specifying control that makes it possible to independently set a follow-up behavior for an output value of a plant when a target output value of the plant changes and a convergent behavior for a difference between a target output value and an output value when the output value of the plant changes. The control system has a controller for determining a clutch stroke on the basis of a model equation of a clutch device such that a target rotational speed and an actual rotational speed of the clutch device coincide with each other. The controller includes a target value filter for carrying out filtering computation on a target rotational speed to calculate a filtering target value that converges to the target rotational speed with a response delay, and a response specifying control unit that determines the clutch stroke by response specifying control such that the filtering target value and the clutch rotational speed coincide with each other.

Abstract: A shift control apparatus for controlling shifting actions of a step-variable automatic transmission having a plurality of selectable groups of forward-drive positions (e.g., normal-spread group and narrow-spread or wide-spread group) having respective different sets of speed ratios, the automatic transmission having an automatic shifting mode in which the shifting actions take place automatically and a manual shifting mode in which the shifting actions are manually controllable, the shift control apparatus including a drive-position-group selecting portion operable upon switching of a shifting mode of the automatic transmission from the automatic shifting mode to the manual shifting mode, to select one of the selectable groups of forward-drive positions in the manual shifting mode, on the basis of the group which was selected last in the automatic shifting mode.

Abstract: A rollover detection system for a vehicle comprises at least one sensor for the detection of the angle of rotation of the vehicle and/or at least one angular rate sensor, an electronic control device connected to the sensors as well as at least one safety device which can be activated via the control device in the event of a rollover scenario detected with reference to the sensor data. At least one irreversible safety device and at least one reversible safety device are provided. The control device distinguishes between at least one stage of a lower degree of severity and at least one stage of a higher degree of severity of the rollover scenario in the detection of a respective rollover scenario with reference to the sensor data in order to activate at least one reversible safety device in the case of a lower degree of severity and to activate at least one irreversible safety device in the case of a higher degree of severity.

Abstract: A method for increasing the directional stability of a motor vehicle is provided, as well as a corresponding device, and a corresponding computer program product. A model-supported pilot control is used to determine a stabilizing yaw torque, which is applied to the motor vehicle to influence the yaw torque of the motor vehicle.

Abstract: A method for determining a compass heading in a manner that reduces the influence of magnetic noise. The methodology can evaluate changes between various parameters, such as a prior magnetic field parameter and a current magnetic field parameter and/or a prior compass heading parameter and a current compass heading to select an algorithm for use in calculating a new compass heading.