Abstract: A hybrid type vehicle drive control apparatus having a generator; a generator inverter for driving the generator; a drive motor; a drive motor inverter for driving the drive motor; a battery connected to the generator inverter and the drive motor inverter; a first voltage detection device that detects a voltage applied to the generator inverter; a second voltage detection device that detects a voltage applied to the drive motor inverter; a third voltage detection device that detects a battery voltage; and a system voltage determination processing means for determining a system voltage based on detection results provided by the first to third voltage detection devices.

Abstract: A control device for a device that can be networked, in particular for a water or air heating device, operated with liquid fuel, of a motor vehicle, in the form of a supplementary heater or an auxiliary heater. The control device has a client-specific data interface by which the control device can be connected to a client-specific data network, in particular to a data bus in a motor vehicle. In order to reduce the expense on the maker's part for programming, testing, and diagnosis for different client-specific data interfaces, the control device has an additional, maker-specific data interface constituted as a bidirectional wireless connection, of which the control device can be connected to a maker-specific data processing device for respective programming, testing or diagnosis.

Abstract: An electronic traction vehicle comprising a principal power unit, a power storage unit mounted on a vehicle platform. A plurality of wheels are rotably mounted on the vehicle platform with an electric motor coupled to at least one wheel. A drive controller is coupled to the electric motor and a vehicle controller having an input and output terminal is coupled to the drive controller. A data bus network is coupled to the drive controller and the vehicle controller. An A/C bus assembly is coupled to the principal power unit, the power storage unit and the electric motor through the drive controller. Another embodiment of the electronic traction vehicle provides at least four electric motors and four drive controllers coupled to four wheels and the data bus network and A/C power bus assembly. Another embodiment of the electronic traction vehicle provides the components of the vehicle as moduled including an auxiliary module removably connected to the data bus network, and the A/C bus assembly.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining a value of torque at a desired location on a machine. The method and apparatus includes choosing the desired location, determining an operating condition relevant to the desired location, determining a plurality of parameters of the machine, and determining a value of torque at the desired location as a function of the operating condition and the plurality of parameters.

Abstract: A system allowing for an integrated flight loads balancing process at one or more time instances of a flight maneuver of an aircraft includes a processor and a plurality of resources. Additionally, the system includes a resource integration program that is executable by the processor. Upon execution by the processor, the resource integration program operates to integrate the plurality of resources so that the integrated resources are accessible to the system while balancing the flight loads at the one or more time instances.

Abstract: An engine control system controls engine torque to transition through the transmission lash zone. The transmission lash zone is determined using speed ratio across the torque converter. When near the transmission lash zone, engine torque is adjusted at a predetermined rate until the system passes through the transmission lash zone. By limiting the change of torque in this way, driveability is improved and it is possible to quickly and reliably provide negative engine torque for braking.

Abstract: A robot is proposed which has a speech recognition unit to detect information supplied simultaneously with or just before or after detection of a touch by a touch sensor, an associative memory/recall memory to store action made correspondingly to the touch and input information (speech signal) detected by the speech recognition unit in association with each other, and an action generator to control the robot to make action recalled by the associative memory/recall memory based on a newly acquired input information (speech signal). The robot has also a sensor data processor to allow the robot to act correspondingly to the touch detection by the touch sensor. Thus, the robot can learn action in association with an input signal such as speech signal.

Abstract: A client unit (102) has a client GPS receiver (104) integrated with a two-way-radio transceiver (108) and a client manager (116) for performing server-assisted global position fixes. A server unit (120) is associated with a second two-way-radio transceiver (126) and a server manager (130). The client and server managers (116 and 130) function as communication managers, and each has modules for detecting RF channel traffic, enabling transmitter portions of the transceivers (108 and 126) to transmit satellite data and position information only when there is no traffic on the RF channel.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for establishing an operating variable to be determined of a motor vehicle in dependence on a first known operating variable and a second known operating variable, using a characteristics map for executing functions of the motor vehicle. Said characteristics map is stored in the Cartesian coordinate system in an electronic control device with the help of interpolating points. If a mathematically invertible characteristics map by which means an operating variable to be determined for a first motor vehicle function is entered on the Z-axis is provided, then by reverse interpolation using the same characteristics map, an operating variable allocated to the Y- or X-axis can also be an operating variable to be determined for a second motor vehicle function, the operating variable allocated to the Z-axis being the known operating variable for the second motor vehicle.

Abstract: In a steering mechanism of steer-by-wire type which includes a first steering unit that is handled by a driver and a second steering unit that steers steered road wheels with the aid of a steering motor, there is employed a control system which input and output detecting sections that detect input and output of the steering motor, a road surface disturbance estimating section that estimates a disturbance of road surface based on both the detected input and output of the steering motor, and a steering reaction force calculating section that, based on the estimated disturbance of road surface, calculates a steering reaction force that is to be applied to a steering wheel of the first steering unit.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for accurate estimation of forward path geometry of a vehicle based on a two-clothoid road model are presented. Road data provided by a camera or a radar system is collected 200 and a full measurement transfer function of the two-clothoid model is computed 202. The near-range and the far-range clothoid coefficients are estimated simultaneously 204; and the forward path of the vehicle is estimated using the data provided by the two-clothoid model 206.

Abstract: A fuel efficient technique for changing the inclination, with respect to the Earth's equator, for a satellite includes first maneuvering the satellite to the moon on a BCT (Ballistic Capture Transfer). At the moon, the satellite is in the so-called fuzzy boundary or weak stability boundary. A negligibly small maneuver can then bring it back to the Earth on a reverse BCT to the desired Earth inclination. Another maneuver puts it into the new ellipse at the earth. In the case of satellites launched from Vandenberg AFB into LEO in a circular orbit of an altitude of 700 km with an inclination of 34°, approximately 6 km/s is required to change the inclination to 90°. The previous flight time associated with this method was approximately 170 days. A modification of this method also achieves a significant savings and unexpected benefits in energy as measured by Delta-V, where the flight time is also substantially reduced to 88 or even 6 days.

Abstract: A method for controlling a damper of a vehicle is provided, wherein the vehicle includes a front damper and a rear damper and a damping force of the dampers is controlled by respective data detected by a steering angle sensor, a vehicle speed sensor and a yaw rate sensor. First, steering angle data, vehicle speed data and yaw rate data are inputted in step (a) and a desired yaw rate is calculated in step (b) by using the steering angle data, the vehicle speed data and a specification of the vehicle. Then, the desired yaw rate is compared in step (c) with the yaw rate data provided from the yaw rate sensor. Thereafter, it is determined in step (d) whether the vehicle is over-steered or under-steered depending on the comparison result obtained in the step (C). Finally, the damping force of the damper is controlled in step (e) in response to the determination result in the step (d).

Abstract: A feedback system 10 for use with a hybrid electric vehicle 12 having a propulsion system 14 which includes a motor/generator 16 and an internal combustion engine 20. The system 10 provides a driver of vehicle 12 with tactile, audible, visual and/or other perceivable feedback, effective to notify the driver that the powertrain 14 of the vehicle is active when the internal combustion engine 20 is stopped.

Abstract: In corrective control system and method for a liquid pressure control apparatus for a control valve unit, fundamental maps are preset on the basis of a hysterisis characteristic, the hysterisis characteristic being exhibited in such a manner that an output liquid pressure actually measured value which takes along a first hysterisis loop when the current value is increased toward a larger value is different from that which takes along a second hysterisis loop when the current value is, in turn, decreased toward a smaller value from the larger value and each fundamental map is a map representing a relationship between the output liquid pressure actually measured value and a current average value, the current average value being an average between the current value in the first hysterisis loop and that in the second hysterisis loop with respect to each of the same output pressure actually measured values.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for storing earthwork design templates in an on-board system on a work machine. The machine operator may select one or more of the templates and place and orient the template on a topographic map displayed on a screen. The operator may adjust the position and heading in the x-y plane and adjust the elevation, slope, and cross slope of the template relative to the map.

Abstract: The invention relates to an arrangement and a method for determining the transmission ratio of a continuously variable transmission having a drive end and an output end. A signal, which represents the transmission ratio, is computed in dependence upon a primary rpm of the drive end and a secondary rpm of the output end which are transmitted to the arrangement. A fault signal is generated which is dependent upon the instantaneous primary rpm and/or the instantaneous secondary rpm and indicates whether a value for the transmission ratio is to be outputted as the signal representing the transmission ratio. This value is computed from the detected instantaneous values for the primary rpm and the secondary rpm.

Abstract: In order to reduce the risk of damage on external objects, material articles or persons during the operation of a robot, particularly a miniature robot, the invention provides a method for limiting the force action of a robot part, such as a robot arm, on such an external object during a collision in such a way that as a result of a maximum permitted force, maximum force Fmax, acting on the object in the case of a collision, a corresponding, maximum permitted kinetic energy, maximum energy Ekin,max of the robot part is determined, continuously and at adequately short time intervals the actual kinetic energy, actual energy Ekin, of the robot part is determined and on exceeding the maximum permitted energy Ekin,max, the actual operating speed V of the robot is reduced.

Abstract: In an electric brake system with at least an electric wheel brake mechanism having a pair of brake friction pads to produce a braking force based on a brake manipulated variable, and a brake friction pad thrust sensor detecting a pressure of either one of the brake friction pad pair against a disk rotor, an electric brake control unit causing a temporary movement of the brake friction pad pair into contact with the disk rotor when a predetermined time period has expired from a time when a brake pedal has been recovered to an inoperative state. In the system, a position of the brake friction pad pair, at which the pressure becomes greater than a predetermined threshold value during the temporary movement of the brake friction pad pair into contact with the disk rotor, is detected or determined as a braking initiation position.

Abstract: An advance notification system notifies users of the impending arrival of a vehicle, for example, an overnight package delivery vehicle, at a particular vehicle stop. The system generally includes an on-board vehicle control unit (VCU) for each vehicle and a base station control unit (BSCU) for sending messages to user computers in order to inform the users when the vehicle resides at a certain predefined time period, distance, prior stop, and/or location point from the vehicle stop. Moreover, vehicle tracking, the BSCU, a computer network (e.g., the Internet), and software located on a user computer may be combined in a plurality of configurations for launching and communicating a message of the impending arrival of a particular vehicle before it arrives. Significantly, the computer message is to advise of the impending arrival and preferably will exhibit a distinctive display and/or sound on the recipient computer so that the recipient is informed of the message.