Abstract: In accordance with a vehicle motion control apparatus, a steering angle (?h) of a steering wheel is determined on the basis of a rotation angle (?pm) of an assist motor (24m) detected by a rotation angle sensor (24s) and a rotation angle (?vm) of a gear ratio variable motor (32m) detected by a rotation angle sensor (32s), and a VGRS control process (40a) of a gear ratio variable mechanism is executed on the basis of the determined steering angle (?h). Accordingly, since the steering angle (?h) of the steering wheel is determined on the basis of the rotation angle (?vm) used for the VGRS control process (40a) of the gear ratio variable mechanism and the rotation angle (?pm) used for an EPS control process (30a) of an EPS actuator, it is possible to obtain the steering angle (?h) of the steering wheel without a steering angle sensor. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of the parts of a vehicle motion control apparatus.

Abstract: A glass panel comprising a pair of glass plates opposed to each other with a void defined therebetween, a joining seal member for joining and sealing the glass plates at peripheries thereof, a communicating bore formed in one of the glass plates for communicating with the void and a lid member adhered to the bored glass plate having the communicating bore by a thermally meltable seal member to seal the communicating bore. The lid member is made of a material having a thermal expansion coefficient smaller than a thermal expansion coefficient of the bored glass plate. The glass panel is capable of restraining cracks and breaks from generating in the bored glass plate when the lid member is adhered to the bored glass plate by the thermally meltable seal member.

Abstract: A vehicle weight estimating device includes an acceleration detecting portion, a driving force estimating, a filtered acceleration obtaining means portion for eliminating a low frequency component from the detected acceleration, a filtered driving force obtaining portion for eliminating a low frequency component from the estimated driving force, an acceleration integrating portion for obtaining an acceleration integration, a driving force integrating portion for obtaining a driving force integration, a vehicle weight estimating for estimating the vehicle weight based on the acceleration integration and the driving force integration, a vehicle weight averaging portion for averaging the estimated vehicle weight, a limiter determining portion for setting an limiter initial value, an upper limiter and a lower limiter and setting an initial area framed by each limiter, and a vehicle weight correcting portion for correcting the vehicle weight averaged based on the initial area.

Abstract: To provide a memory device with a function to perform an operation and a method of performing an operation and storage which can save space and cost and which can start, immediately after the power source is recovered, the processing which was being performed at the time of power failure. A memory cell MC can store two independent data sets; DRAM data (volatile data) and FeRAM data (non-volatile data). Thus, the number of memory cells can be reduced to a half. Also, the DRAM data to be used in the next operation of the two data sets which have been read out for the previous operation are temporarily held in a hold circuit 21 of an operation unit OU and then written back into the memory cell MC in a non-volatile manner as new FeRAM data for preparation of the next operation. Thus, even when the power source is shut down by an unexpected trouble, the data necessary for the next operation are not lost.

Abstract: The vehicle weight determination device includes a microcomputer for achieving the vehicle weight determination by obtaining a driving force after filtering based on the speed ratio of the torque converter and obtaining an integrated driving force with the absolute value of the driving force after filtering by using an area method. Similarly, acceleration after filtering is obtained by filtering process of the acceleration and an integrated to obtain an integrated acceleration. The vehicle weight is determined by the integrated driving force divided by the integrated acceleration.

Abstract: A control apparatus for controlling a shift operation in an automatic transmission includes a disengaging side controlling device for performing a feedback control so as to substantially match a slip amount calculated by a slip amount calculating device with a target slip amount calculated by a target slip amount calculating device when the calculated slip amount is judged to be in excess of the predetermined threshold value by a judging device. The target slip amount varies from a predetermined threshold value to a predetermined target value drawing an ideal trace for restraining a shift shock and is maintained at the predetermined target value. The control apparatus further includes an engaging side controlling device for increasing a torque to be transmitted to an on-coming friction engagement element in association with commencement of the feedback control.

Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a reforming portion for reforming a fuel into a reformed gas to be supplied into a fuel cell, a combustion portion for combusting an off-gas-contained fuel, an off-gas-contained hydrogen, and a fuel supplied directly from a fuel source with an oxidative gas supplied by an oxidative gas-supplying device for heating the reforming portion, a device for calculating the amount of the oxidative gas required for complete combustion of the off-gas-contained fuel, the off-gas-contained hydrogen, and the fuel supplied directly from the fuel source respectively, a summing device for summing the calculated respective amounts of the oxidative gas, and a device for controlling the amount of the oxidative gas supplied to the combustion portion according to the calculated required amount of the oxidative gas.

Abstract: When a variable value indicates that a steering characteristic is understeer, a control unit controls a variable transmission ratio device to change a second steering angle such that the greater the understeer indicated by the variable value, the smaller the steering angle of steered wheels relative to the turning angle of a steering wheel becomes. When the differentiated value of the variable value indicates that the understeer is changing to increase, a correction unit corrects the variable value such that the greater the degree of change of the understeer indicated by the differentiated value, the greater the understeer indicated by the variable value becomes. Hence, the attitude of a vehicle in understeer is stabilized with a simple configuration.

Abstract: The control system of a vehicle according to the present invention controls the transmission ratio of the steering angle of a steering wheel relative to a turning angle of front wheels based on a drive force distribution ratio. Thus, the performance of the tires on the front wheels can be used to almost maximum potential, providing effective prevention of understeering. The present invention provides a steering system that limits understeering effectively.

Abstract: A toner comprising: toner particles that are manufactured by a wet granulating method and contain a binder resin and a colorant; and composite oxide fine particles having a specific surface area of not more than 300 m2/g, that contain two kinds or more of metal atoms selected from the group consisting of metal atoms that belong to 4A to 7A groups, 8 group and 1B to 4B groups in the long-period-type element periodic table, and an image-forming method using the toner thereof.

Abstract: In accordance with a vehicle motion control apparatus, a steering wheel torque (Th) generated in accordance with an operation of a steering wheel is determined in accordance with a steering wheel torque arithmetic process (30b) by EPS_ECU by using a steering torque (Tp) generated in a second steering shaft of a gear ratio variable mechanism, a motor torque (Tvm) generated by a motor (32m) of the gear ratio variable mechanism and a rotation angle (?vm) of the motor (32m), on the basis of a dynamic equation expressing a torque transfer by the gear ratio variable mechanic Accordingly, even in the case that the vehicle motion control apparatus employs a structure that the gear ratio variable mechanism is interposed between the steering wheel and a torque sensor, the steering wheel torque (Th) can be known without adding any new torque sensor or the like.

Abstract: In a steering system 30, a transmission ratio R1 which is determined in dependence on the vehicle speed by reference to a transmission ratio decision map is multiplied with a first transmission ratio alteration gain g10 which is determined in dependence on the distribution of a traveling drive torque from an engine 11 to front wheels 14 and rear wheels 15, thereby to alter the ratio R1 of steering torque distribution from a steering handle 31 to the front wheels 14, whereby the variation of the steering feeling due to an increase or decrease in the distribution of the traveling drive torque to the front wheels 14 can be suppressed. Further, the transmission ratio R1 is multiplied with a second transmission ratio alteration gain g11 which is determined in dependence on the gradient of the road surface by reference to a second transmission ratio alteration map, thereby to alter the transmission ratio R1, whereby the variation of the steering feeling due to the variation of the gradient can also be suppressed.

Abstract: A vehicle steering apparatus for improving steering feel when changing the angle of a steered wheel with a motor. An IFS torque compensation unit includes an oversteer IFS torque compensation gain calculation unit, which obtains a larger IFS torque compensation gain as a control target element increases during oversteer control. When an oversteer state occurs, the IFS torque compensation control unit outputs a corrected gain, which is based on the IFS torque compensation gain.

Abstract: A forced cooling apparatus (1) for use in the production of a tempered glass sheet includes an air-quench unit (9) for blasting cooling air against opposite surfaces of a glass sheet to quench the glass sheet, the glass sheet having been heated at a predetermined temperature, and a contact quenching unit (10) disposed downstream of the air-quench unit and equipped with a water-retentive member wet with water, the contact quenching unit being operative to cause the water-retentive member to contact the opposite surfaces of the glass sheet to further quench the glass sheet. Also disclosed are a tempered glass sheet producing method in which the forced cooling apparatus may be used and a tempered sheet glass which is produced by using a modified form of the contact quenching unit are also disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a road condition estimation apparatus for estimating a road condition for use in a vehicle having a steering control unit for actuating a device mechanically independent of a manually operated steering member to steer at least a wheel of front and rear wheels. The apparatus includes an actuating signal detection unit for detecting an actuating signal for actuating the device of the steering control unit, an aligning torque estimation unit for estimating an aligning torque produced on the wheel on the basis of the actuating signal detected by the actuating signal detection unit, and a vehicle state variable detection unit for detecting a state variable of the vehicle.

Abstract: In accordance with a steering apparatus (20), a grip state between a ground surface on which a steered wheel is grounded and the steered wheel is estimated by a grip degree estimation arithmetically operating process (30a) which is arithmetically operated by AFS_ECU (30), and VGRS target angle is set such that a steering gear ratio is increased in the case that the grip degree gets close to a grip limit on the basis of an estimated grip state, in accordance with a grip degree vs gear ratio map (30b). Accordingly, since it is possible to estimate the grip degree which is changed in correspondence to a magnitude of the road surface it, for example, in the case that the steered wheel gets close to the grip limit, it is possible to increase the steering gear ratio so as to set large even at a time when the vehicle runs at the low speed.

Abstract: A single-shaft hinge component is provided that can be made durable, of small size and light weight. The single-shaft hinge device is made up of a plurality of torque-generating sections wherein, a single-shaft hinge is formed of a single shaft 1, rotary cams 3 fitted onto this shaft 1 that are capable of rotation about the shaft 1 and axially moving on the shaft, fixed cams 4 fitted on the shaft 1 that are capable of axially moving on the shaft but incapable of relative rotation with respect to the shaft, and elastic members 5 arranged coaxially with the shaft 1 and that cause abutment of side faces of the rotary cam 3 and the fixed cam 4 against each other, the rotary cams 3 and fixed cams 4 being arranged coaxially with the single shaft 1 so that abutment of the rotary cam 3 and fixed cam 4 is achieved at their side faces at two or more locations.

Abstract: In a stabilizer control apparatus for a vehicle, a stabilizer includes a pair of stabilizer bars disposed between a right wheel and a left wheel of the vehicle, and an actuator having an electric motor and a speed reducing mechanism disposed between the stabilizer bars. A desired torque for the electric motor is calculated on the basis of a vehicle behavior and a steering operation of a vehicle driver, and estimated is a torsional torque created on each end portion of each of the stabilizer bars mounted on the vehicle. According to a feedback controller, the electric motor is controlled in response to the result compared between the desired torque and the estimated torsional torque.

Abstract: A vehicle steering apparatus includes a drive unit for changing a steering angle of a steered wheel. A calculation unit calculates a control target amount of the steering angle based on a vehicle model. A control unit controls the drive unit to change the steering angle based on the control target amount. A determination unit determines whether the absolute value of at least one of yaw rate of the vehicle and lateral acceleration of the vehicle is greater than or equal to a predetermined value when velocity of the vehicle is less than or equal to a predetermined velocity. The control unit refrains from executing the control based on the control target amount when the absolute value is not greater than or equal to the predetermined value.

Abstract: A steering control apparatus is provided for controlling a steered wheel angle of a wheel to be steered. On the basis of a road coefficient of friction estimated between right and left wheels, a braking force difference between the right and left wheels is calculated. A slip angle—total lateral force characteristic indicative of a relationship between a slip angle and a total lateral force of a wheel to be steered is provided on the basis of the estimated coefficient of friction. Then, a steered wheel angle of the wheel to be steered is set on the basis of the braking force difference and the slip angle—total lateral force characteristic.