Abstract: A brake/clutch master cylinder for a motorcycle/bicycle or the like, with a body which is produced by moulding of plastics material reinforced by glass fibre without the need for machining operations or metal inserts and which forms, together with the cylindrical shell of the master cylinder, a hydraulic-fluid reservoir, a coupling sleeve for a male quick-fit hydraulic connector, and a seat for fixing to a handlebar, the body having a high degree of structural stiffness with respect to working stresses and adequate resilience for impact stresses imparted to the body by means of the hand operating lever.

Abstract: A vehicle brake device having a hydraulic pressure generating source is proposed which can reliably prevent dragging and ensure the initial response of brakes during braking. In a brake fluid supply passage from the master cylinder to the wheel cylinder, a brake fluid circulating passage having a hydraulic pressure generating source is provided. A detector for detecting whether the brake pedal is being operated, and a detector for detecting dragging of the brake pads are provided, and only when dragging is detected while the brake pedal is not being operated, the hydraulic pressure generating source is actuated for a predetermined time with a supply valve provided in the brake fluid circulating passage closed and a return valve open to suck brake fluid in the wheel cylinder and increase the distances between the brake pads and the disk rotor, thereby reliably preventing dragging.

Abstract: The rotation-retarding device includes a first element and a second element having a rotary motion to be retarded relative to each other. The first element includes a block of flexible material (106), the second element (107) is able to locally deform the block of flexible material (106) throughout the rotary motion in order to retard this motion, and anti-adherence means are provided at the interface of the two elements. The block of flexible material (106) may also have a dimensional variation able to permit progressive retarding of the rotary motion.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a push-pin assembly for use with a positioning arm of a disk drive servo writer. The push-pin assembly promotes vibrational damping between the push-pin assembly and the actuator arm. Push-pin assemblies of the invention generally include a contact pin having a shaft and a contact head. The push-pin assembly also includes a body having a contact pin receptacle recessed into an end so that at least a portion of the contact pin shaft can be disposed in the receptacle. The contact head is thus disposed beyond the end of the body which includes the contact pin receptacle. The push-pin assembly additionally includes a vibration damper disposed between at least a portion of the contact pin shaft and the body.

Abstract: Regenerative braking is actuated in an electrical vehicle during towing of the vehicle to recharge the battery and brake the vehicle. When a driver of a towing vehicle depresses the brakes of the vehicle (202), the electrical vehicle applies regenerative braking in proportion to a braking signal from the towing vehicle (206). Also, regenerative braking is applied to the electrical vehicle when the vehicle is inadvertently disconnected from a connector (110) that couples the electrical vehicle to the towing vehicle (208).

Abstract: A vehicle traction control system having capabilities for braking intervention and coefficient of friction detection is provided, a slipping wheel being braked by braking intervention if a slip threshold is exceeded. In order to improve the lateral stability of the vehicle when cornering on road surfaces having a low coefficient of friction, the slip threshold for the drive wheel on the outside of the curve is reduced independently of that of the drive wheel on the inside of the curve and is set to a lower value than that for the wheel on the inside of the curve.

Abstract: A suspension damper comprises a cylinder tube and a control partition. The cylinder tube is disposed within a reservoir tube to define a fluid reservoir, and has at least one first hole. The control partition is disposed in the fluid reservoir, and communicates with the at least one hole.

Abstract: Device and method are described for operating a vehicle using a vehicle controller to individually adjust braking forces of the wheels of at least one axle of the vehicle and using a yawing moment compensator to at least partially compensate for a yawing moment of the vehicle resulting from different braking forces of individual wheels of at least one axle by intervening in a steering of the vehicle, the action of the yawing moment compensator on the steering not being performed or only to a lesser degree while the vehicle controller is adjusting braking forces.

Abstract: A vehicle brake shoe assembly having a brake shoe platform incorporating a plurality of extensions which project through the brake friction material matrix to the outer friction surface of the brake shoe assembly. Each extension is configured to cooperate with the brake friction material matrix to engage a surface of an opposing friction element, increasing the static and dynamic friction performance of the assembly beyond that achieved from the engagement of the brake friction material matrix and the surface of the opposing friction element alone.

Abstract: A propeller controlled active tuned-liquid-column damper (TLCD), which can control and suppress the vibration thereof, such as building, tower, bridge, vehicle, ship, offshore platform, facilities, and instrument, etc. This invention is composed of a passive TLCD, one or more propellers, a gear-shaft unit, a servo-motor, and a computer-control system. One or more propellers are installed in a line along the gear-shaft unit inside the horizontal section of the U-shape vessel, the propellers are driven by a servo-motor controlled by the computer-control system which start the servo-motor to drive the propellers immediately. Both fluid (or water) acceleration and the propellers' thrust can yield the resistance force to increase the vibration-control ability significantly. The natural period of an open TLCD can be adjusted by only changing the wetted length, whereas a closed TLCD can be adjusted by changing the wetted length, air pressure and air volume in the air chamber.

Abstract: The present invention is a spring, comprising a support structure and a substantially straight walled, solid elastomeric column. The support structure has a continuous and selectively vented support wall and a base wherein the support wall has different minimum and maximum inside diameters. The elastomeric column has a diameter less than, equal to, or slightly larger than the minimum diameter of the support structure wall and a height greater than the height of the support structure.

Abstract: A brakable wheel hub device includes a hub shell adapted to be rotatably mounted on an axle, and having a disk securing portion which has an internally threaded section and a plurality of insert holes at a right end thereof that contacts a brake disk. A positioning ring is disposed outboard to the brake disk, and has a plurality of axially extending protrusions which pass through the brake disk and which are fitted into the insert holes so as to place the brake disk in a spline engagement with the hub shell. A surrounding locking member has an insert segment with an externally threaded section to threadedly engage the internally threaded section through the brake disk, and an abutting segment to abut against the positioning ring, thereby securing the brake disk relative to the hub shell.

Abstract: A caster lock indicator adapted to operate to indicate a locked state or an unlocked state of a caster. The caster lock indicator includes a stopper spring that operates in response to a rotary motion of a stopper lever when it is operated to unlock the caster. As the stopper lever is rotated around a lever support member, the stopper spring is turned about a stopper spring support member to lock the wheel against any swiveling motion. In the unlocked state, a lock indicator surface of a lock indicator plate can be visually recognizable through an indicator window of the stopper lever. When the caster is locked, the lock indicator plate is driven to slide so that the part for indicating the locked state of the lock indicator surface of the lock indicator plate comes to be visually recognizable through the indicator window.

Abstract: The invention concerns a shock strut for a MacPherson wheel suspension comprising a shock absorber with a body (21) and a rod (22). A coil spring (24) is mounted on a lower spring retainer (23) integral with the shock absorber body (21). The first turn of the spring (24) of the MacPherson strut can be immobilized on and relative to the lower spring retainer (23) in various predetermined positions on the lower spring retainer (23).

Abstract: A shock absorber includes a shock rod and piston which are disposed within a fluid chamber within a shock body. The piston separates the shock body fluid chamber into a compression fluid chamber and a rebound fluid chamber. A reservoir fluid chamber accommodates the entry of the shock rod into the fluid chamber as the shock absorber compresses under shock forces. The compression fluid chamber is in fluid communication with the reservoir fluid chamber through a third chamber or passage. A first valve may control passage of fluid from the compression fluid chamber into the passage. Second and third valves may be disposed within the passage in parallel with each other and in series with the first valve. The third valve may include an easily accessible knob disposed outside the shock body.

Abstract: A traction control apparatus for a vehicle sets an allowable slip ratio to a constant value that is rather great, when the shift position of a sub-transmission is in “H4”, or the shift position of the sub-transmission is in “L4” and the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value among wheel speeds of each driving wheel is less than a wheel speed difference threshold value. On the other hand, when the shift position of the sub-transmission is in “L4” and the difference is not less than the wheel speed difference threshold value, the traction control apparatus for the vehicle of the present invention sets the allowable slip ratio to a constant value that is smaller than the above-mentioned constant value. In case where the slip ratio of each driving wheel exceeds the allowable slip ratio set as described above, predetermined braking force is exerted on each driving wheel so as to place the slip ratio of each driving wheel within the allowable slip ratio.

Abstract: A brake attachment apparatus is provided for a wheelchair and includes a wheelchair connector assembly for connecting to the wheelchair, a brake operator arm which extends horizontally along a portion of the wheelchair, a brake operator arm hinge connected to the wheelchair connector assembly for connecting the brake operator arm to the wheelchair connector assembly, and a wheel brake member connected to the brake operator arm. When a patient rises from a sitting position in the wheelchair or is in a standing position and sits down in the wheelchair, the patient exerts downward pressure on the brake operator arm, and that downward pressure is transmitted to the wheel brake member for applying braking pressure on the wheels of the wheelchair to prevent the wheelchair from moving.

Abstract: The invention provides an emergency brake apparatus for a vehicle which can brake both of front and rear tire wheels of a vehicle by using an oil pressure, at an emergency time. For this purpose, a pressure oil of a hydraulic power source is changed to a pilot oil pressure which is reduced from a high pressure to a low pressure in correspondence to an operation amount of an emergency brake valve (77) operated at the emergency time, and this pressure is output to a relay valve (3). The pressure oil of the hydraulic power source is increased in an inverse proportional manner from a low pressure to a high pressure in correspondence to the pilot oil pressure, and this pressure is output to a front tire wheel brake (64), thereby urgently braking the front tire wheel.

Abstract: An accumulator (1) capable of suppressing a hydraulic pressure vibrating noise in the range of a sealed gas pressure or below and being reduced in size, wherein an operating member (5) having a bellows (6) is disposed in a housing (2) to partition the inside of the housing (2) into a pressure sealed chamber (8) and a pressure inflow chamber (9) and a fluid inlet (15) for leading pressure fluid from a system side to the pressure inflow chamber (9) is formed in the end wall part (3a) of the housing (2), a chamber forming member (17) is fixed to the inside of the housing (2), and a chamber (18) and a choke (19) are provided between the chamber forming member (17) and the end will part (3a) of the housing (2).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a valve assembly whose first valve accommodating member is conformed to the inside diameter of a second valve accommodating member in such a fashion that the first valve accommodating member is inserted without clearance so far into the second valve accommodating member that the first valve closure member is supported either on a bore step of a second pressure fluid passage or on the first valve accommodating member.