Abstract: The invention relates to a radial bearing which can be used for bearing problems in which an angular displacement occurs during operation by virtue of the elastically flexible shaping of a bearing sleeve on which an elastically flexible bearing element with an essentially matrix-type fibrous structure is arranged.

Abstract: A vehicle control device, in particular a clutch mechanism for a tractor, includes a control lever and guide mechanism in which the lever is selectively movable from a first rest position to a second engaged position. The control lever is subjected to the action of an elastic apparatus operable to move the lever into the first rest position if the lever is released before reaching a given point along the guide mechanism. The elastic apparatus also being operable to move the control lever into the second engaged position if the control lever is released past the given point.

Abstract: In the vibration isolating apparatus of the present invention, a controller provides drive current to an electromagnet when shaking vibration is being generated. This causes an intermediate plate to be attracted to the electromagnet thereby preventing elastic deformation of a first elastic piece caused by load transmitted from a top plate. Therefore, the static spring constant of an elastic body can be made larger than when the electromagnet is not being operated. Furthermore, the controller shuts off the supply of drive current to the electromagnet when idling vibration is being generated. This causes the intermediate plate to move away from the electromagnet thereby enabling elastic deformation of the first elastic piece cause by the load transmitted from the top plate. Therefore, the static spring constant of the elastic body can be made smaller than when the electromagnet is operated.

Abstract: A transfer case having an input shaft, an output shaft, and a planetary gearset connected therebetween. The planetary gearset includes a first sun gear, a second sun gear, a carrier coupled for rotation with the input shaft, a ring gear coupled for rotation with the output shaft, and meshed pairs of first and second pinions rotatably supported on the carrier with each first pinion meshed with the first sun gear and each second pinion meshed with the second sun gear and the ring gear. The transfer case further includes a powershift clutch assembly comprised of a first range clutch located between the carrier and the ring gear, a second range clutch located between the first sun gear and a stationary member, and a third range clutch located between the second sun gear and the stationary member.

Abstract: A brake pedal feel emulator for a motor vehicle brake system includes a housing having a bore for supporting a first piston operably connected to a brake pedal. An elastomer spring encapsulating a magnet or magnetized by the dispersion of ferrous particles throughout the spring body is engageable by the first piston and is disposed in the emulator housing. A second piston is disposed in the housing and engaged with the elastomer spring and with a mechanical spring. Hall effect sensors mounted on the emulator housing sense changes in a magnetic field generated by the magnet to provide signals to a controller proportional to travel and force exerted on the brake pedal for use in controlling the vehicle brake system.

Abstract: A braking apparatus for braking a wheel of a vehicle, including: (a) a main body; (b) a cam which is supported by the main body such that the cam is rotatable about an axis thereof, and which has a cam surface whose distance from the axis changes as viewed in a circumferential direction of the cam; (c) a movable member which is held by the main body such that the movable member is movable relative to the main body, and which holds a cam follower portion engaging the cam surface, and a braking portion brought into contact with a tire of the wheel; and (d) an operating device which includes an operating member operable to be moved in first and second directions, and which rotates the cam in one of opposite directions in response to the movement of the operating member in the first direction, for thereby moving the movable member in a forward direction.

Abstract: A shock absorber includes a pressure tube with a piston slidably disposed therein. A separate valve includes a fluid circuit for fluid low in rebound and a fluid circuit for fluid flow in compression. Each fluid circuit includes a variable orifice which allows selection between a firm rebound with a soft compression, a soft rebound with a soft compression and a soft rebound with a firm compression. Each variable orifice is in communication with a blowoff valve in such a manner that they provide a variable blowoff feature to the blowoff valves.

Abstract: A damper body for a magnetorheological (MR) damper and associated methods of forming the damper body. The damper body is formed of a base material, such as a steel, and is coated with an abrasion-resistant layer comprising chromium. The layer of chromium provides a sliding wear surface for sliding contact with a reciprocating piston. To avoid high-stress abrasive wear over the expected service life of the magnetorheological damper, the layer of chromium has a minimum thickness greater than or equal to a minimum thickness of about 8 &mgr;m. In other embodiments, before applying the abrasion-resistant layer of chromium, the damper body is coated with a layer of a hard coating material having a hardness greater than the hardness of the base material. The effective hardness of the damper body is a composite of the respective hardnesses of the base material comprising the damper body and the layer of hard coating material.

Abstract: A device for damping vibration in mounting vibration-prone devices, such as fans or other devices with moving parts. A fan may be mounted at the center of a spiral spring to prevent transmission of vibrations including sounds from the fan to a surrounding structure, such as a cell phone powered by a metal-air battery.

Abstract: A hydraulic vibration damper for motor vehicles comprising a cylinder (1) containing damping fluid and a sealed, axially displaceable piston rod (2) that plunges into said cylinder. A damping piston (3) is secured to the lower end of the piston rod and divides the cylinder area into two working areas (4, 5). Said damping piston is provided with passages that can be modified and which are controlled by throttle valve bodies, in addition to a bypass for the pressure and traction stage, whereby the cross-section of the bypass is adjusted by an electrovalve that functions in three or more stages and the toroid coil more or less opens a valve slide (13), whereupon two or more bypass openings are released in a successive manner. The inventive damper is designed in such a way disruptive influences caused by constantly changing hydraulic forces arising from the flow of the damping agent are reduced when the flow from the bypass channels is shifted or controlled.

Abstract: A vibration damping device is mounted between two spaced portions of a vehicle for absorbing road forces exerted on the vehicle. A cylindrical housing forms an internal piston chamber and is connected at one end to one portion of the vehicle, with an outer end of the rod of a piston which is slidably mounted within the piston chamber, being connected to another portion of the vehicle. A fluid transfer duct is formed between the housing and piston and provides communication between fluid subchambers formed on opposite sides of the piston within the piston chamber. An electrode is attached to either the housing or piston for applying a voltage across the duct to affect the rheological response of an electrorheological (ER) fluid flowing therethrough to provide a controllable mechanism to modify the damping force characteristics of the device. Each end of the piston rod is slidably supported by a slide bushing assembly which is mounted within an end of the housing.

Abstract: A mud flap assembly includes a hanger for attachment to a truck or other vehicle, the hanger including a horizontally disposed hanger portion. Connectors connect the mud flap to the hanger portion so that some of the flap projects above the hanger portion and some of the flap projects below the hanger portion. A conspicuity strip is attached to the flap and to the connector to add to the structural integrity of the assembly.

Abstract: A parking brake assembly for an automotive drum brake is provided. The parking brake assembly replaces a conventional mechanical strut with an electronic strut actuator subassembly that provides for parking brake engagement and disengagement, sensing of brake lining wear and adjustment of brake shoe-to-drum clearance.

Abstract: In a method of controlling the braking pressure variation during EBD control, during a braking operation, the vehicle deceleration is sensed and evaluated as a control criterion, and an increase in the braking pressure in the rear-wheel brakes is only permitted if the vehicle deceleration after commencement has risen above a predetermined minimum value, or if there are criteria which indicate brake fading or a brake malfunction, or if the vehicle deceleration exceeds a defined limit value.

Abstract: A method controls brake pressure for a motor vehicle pressure medium-actuated power brake system in which the adjustment of a proportionality factor (k) between deceleration and brake pressure starting from an initial value (ko) is limited to a range bounded by a lower limit value and an upper limit value in which range the initial value (ko) is contained. This produces a warning travel of the pedal when excessive deviation of the brake pressure from the expected value occurs. The warning travel informs the driver of the braking effect which is deviating excessively from the expected degree. Methods are known in which a specific travel (sp) of the brake pedal is interpreted as a setting of a specific desired deceleration (zs) of the vehicle and the required brake pressure is set automatically if appropriate by incrementally adjusting a variable proportionality factor (k).

Abstract: In connection with an intermediate anchoring of a manipulation cable connecting between a manipulation side and an actuation side of an automobile transmission mechanism, an intermediate anchoring bracket 22 of the manipulation cable 4 is provide integral with the starter 2. Specifically, a front bracket 21 of the starter 2, which is attached to a transmission block 1 with a high positional accuracy according to an original purpose of improving engagement between a ring gear 32 and a pinion 23, and the anchoring bracket 22 defining the intermediate anchoring point position of the manipulation cable 4 are formed integral. By merely attaching the starter 2 to the transmission mechanism block 1 with a small number of parts, an accurate positioning of the anchoring bracket 22 with respect to an actuation point 1a is realized, thereby, a positional accuracy between the intermediate anchoring point position and the actuation point 1a can be improved.

Abstract: The damper includes a damper housing and a piston assembly reciprocating therein. The damper housing includes an attachment device formed of an interior partially circular wall with a triangular cross section thereby forming an interior partially circular apex for engaging a cylindrical boss. This allows the damper to rotate about an axis of the interior partially circular wall and pivot about an axis perpendicular to the rotational axis. Additionally, the piston assembly includes a detent protrusion formed from a stem supporting a head, the radius of the head being greater than that of the stem. The detent protrusion is engaged by a keyhole-shaped aperture with a first portion with a radius of curvature substantially equal to that of the stem and a second portion with a radius of curvature substantially equal to that of the head. The detent protrusion can therefore rotate within the keyhole-shaped aperture.

Abstract: An improved composite air spring with a simplified construction is disclosed. The piston is has a series of internal floating ribs. The ribs extend from the underside of the piston platform to the lower end of the piston. Circumferential forces acting on the piston when the sleeve rolls down onto the piston are absorbed by the piston and the floating ribs.

Abstract: Provided is a wheel suspension system (4) and a spring (6, 16, 26) therefor which can improve the ride comfort of the vehicle by reducing the sliding resistance between the cylinder and the piston of the tubular shock absorber (5) surrounded by the compression coil spring without increasing the size of the suspension system and without complicating the assembly work. The compression coil spring is adapted to produce lateral forces between two ends thereof as the compression coil spring is extended and compressed by forming the coil spring so as to have cyclically varying pitch angle for each turn of the coil wire.

Abstract: Shaped bodies, containing at least one shaped body with an unstressed three-dimensional inherent volume form that has at least one integrated curved part and can be displaced and/or partially or wholly transformed into another three-dimensional volume form by means of an active element connected to the shaped body, using a variable force of pressure/tensile force.