Abstract: A vehicle steering apparatus is configured to apply, to a steered wheel of a vehicle, a driving force for canceling a toe change amount caused by a road irregularity. The vehicle steering apparatus includes a road reaction force detector configured to detect a road reaction force received by a tire of the steered wheel, a toe adjustment actuator coupled to the steered wheel, and a controller configured to control a driving force of the toe adjustment actuator. The controller includes a toe change amount setter configured to set the toe change amount based on the road reaction force detected by the road reaction force detector, an operation amount calculator configured to calculate an actuator operation amount for canceling the toe change amount set by the toe change amount setter, and a driver configured to drive the toe adjustment actuator by the actuator operation amount calculated by the operation amount calculator.

Abstract: A front-rear wheel driving force distribution device includes a center differential and a limited slip differential. The limited slip differential includes a first clutch, a second clutch, a first piston, a second piston, and a one-way clutch provided between the first clutch and a rear propeller shaft. If the second clutch is engaged by the second piston, the propeller shaft on the rear side rotates at increased speed as compared with a case where the first clutch is engaged by the first piston. The one-way clutch couples the first clutch and the rear propeller shaft if a number of rotations of the first clutch is same as or higher than a number of rotations of the rear propeller shaft, and idles if the number of rotations of the first clutch is lower than the number of rotations of the rear propeller shaft.

Abstract: A vehicle includes a center differential device and an air pressure controller. The center differential device includes a first output shaft coupled to front wheels and a second output shaft coupled to rear wheels. The center differential device is configured to perform differential operation between the first output shaft and the second output shaft and to limit the differential operation between the first output shaft and the second output shaft. The air pressure controller is configured to control air pressure of one or more tires of the front wheels and the rear wheels such that an average rotational speed of the front wheels and an average rotational speed of the rear wheels are equal to each other.

Abstract: A manufacturing method for manufacturing a separator for a fuel cell includes a step of applying a laser beam to a surface of a plate-shaped metal plate having a rectangular shape such that an application range of the laser beam extends linearly. In the step, the laser beam is applied such that the application range includes a high-energy region in which energy to be given by the laser beam per unit distance in a direction where the application range extends linearly is high, and a low-energy region in which the energy is low. The high-energy region includes a first region, a second region, a third region, and a fourth region. The first region and the second region extend in parallel to one of long sides of the rectangular shape. The third region and the fourth region extend in parallel to the other one of the long sides.

Abstract: A manufacturing method for manufacturing a fuel cell includes a laser application step and a bonding step. In the laser application step, a laser beam is applied to a carbon film of a separator including a metal plate and the carbon film covering a surface of the metal plate such that the metal plate is exposed by removing the carbon film within an application range of the laser beam. In the bonding step, the separator is bonded to a resin member within a range including at least part of a range where the metal plate is exposed.

Abstract: A method for stack-welding dissimilar metal members by placing a first metal member and a second metal member having a melting point higher than that of the first metal member on top of one another and performing laser welding is provided. The second metal member is placed on the first metal member, and a molten pool in which only the second metal member is melted is formed by applying a laser beam for thermal-conduction welding from above the second metal member. After the molten pool comes into contact with the first metal member and hence the first metal member melts in the molten pool, the molten pool solidifies, so that the first and second metal members and are welded together.

Abstract: A method for stack-welding dissimilar metal members by placing a first metal member and a second metal member having a melting point higher than that of the first metal member on top of one another and performing laser welding is provided. The second metal member is placed on the first metal member, and a molten pool in which only the second metal member is melted is formed by applying a laser beam for thermal-conduction welding from above the second metal member. After the molten pool comes into contact with the first metal member and hence the first metal member melts in the molten pool, the molten pool solidifies, so that the first and second metal members and are welded together.

Abstract: A manufacturing method for manufacturing a fuel cell includes a laser application step and a bonding step. In the laser application step, a laser beam is applied to a carbon film of a separator including a metal plate and the carbon film covering a surface of the metal plate such that the metal plate is exposed by removing the carbon film within an application range of the laser beam. In the bonding step, the separator is bonded to a resin member within a range including at least part of a range where the metal plate is exposed.

Abstract: A manufacturing method for manufacturing a separator for a fuel cell includes a step of applying a laser beam to a surface of a plate-shaped metal plate having a rectangular shape such that an application range of the laser beam extends linearly. In the step, the laser beam is applied such that the application range includes a high-energy region in which energy to be given by the laser beam per unit distance in a direction where the application range extends linearly is high, and a low-energy region in which the energy is low. The high-energy region includes a first region, a second region, a third region, and a fourth region. The first region and the second region extend in parallel to one of long sides of the rectangular shape. The third region and the fourth region extend in parallel to the other one of the long sides.

Abstract: A vehicle includes a center differential device and an air pressure controller. The center differential device includes a first output shaft coupled to front wheels and a second output shaft coupled to rear wheels. The center differential device is configured to perform differential operation between the first output shaft and the second output shaft and to limit the differential operation between the first output shaft and the second output shaft. The air pressure controller is configured to control air pressure of one or more tires of the front wheels and the rear wheels such that an average rotational speed of the front wheels and an average rotational speed of the rear wheels are equal to each other.

Abstract: A method of welding laminated metal foils (LMF) by projecting a laser beam onto LMF sandwiched between an upper metal plate and a lower metal plate from a side of the upper metal plate and laser-welding the LMF to the upper metal plate and the lower metal plate. The method includes: forming a hole in an upper surface of the upper metal plate and forming a chamfered part so that a diameter of the hole expands toward the upper surface before the laser welding; and in the laser welding, projecting the laser beam for heat conduction welding onto the chamfered part of the upper metal plate to form a molten pool; and projecting the laser beam in a circle to agitate the molten pool and grow the molten pool in a laminating direction of the LMF so that the molten pool reaches the lower metal plate.

Abstract: A laser welding method and a laser welding apparatus capable of preventing formation of blowholes and obtaining an excellent welled state are provided. An embodiment is a laser welding method for a component to be welded 40 including a third metal component 40c sandwiched between first and second metal components 40a and 40b, in which the metal components are welded to each other by scanning a laser beam in a first direction perpendicular to a direction in which the third metal component 40c is sandwiched, in which a welded part 42 is formed by applying a first laser beam 12a while scanning it in the first direction and thereby melting and then solidifying the component to be welded 40.

Abstract: Provided is a method of welding laminated metal foils that can prevent blowholes and spatter from being formed. It is a method of welding laminated metal foils sandwiched between a pair of metal plates to the pair of metal plates. The method of welding laminated metal foils sandwiched between a pair of metal plates to the pair of metal plates includes locally pressing and crimping the laminated metal foils sandwiched between the pair of metal plates at a welding point in a laminating direction, and welding the crimped pair of metal plates and laminated metal foils at the welding point.

Abstract: A method for welding quality inspection proposed herein includes a step of obtaining a surface image including a welded portion in which a first metal member and a second metal member are welded, and a step of obtaining, based on the surface image, a ratio of an area of an intermetal compound of the first metal member and the second metal member in an image area including at least the welded portion.

Abstract: A method for stack-welding dissimilar metal members by placing a first metal member and a second metal member having a melting point higher than that of the first metal member on top of one another and performing laser welding is provided. The second metal member is placed on the first metal member, and a molten pool in which only the second metal member is melted is formed by applying a laser beam for thermal-conduction welding from above the second metal member. After the molten pool comes into contact with the first metal member and hence the first metal member melts in the molten pool, the molten pool solidifies, so that the first and second metal members and are welded together.

Abstract: Provided is a method of welding laminated metal foils that can prevent blowholes and spatter from being formed. It is a method of welding laminated metal foils sandwiched between a pair of metal plates to the pair of metal plates. The method of welding laminated metal foils sandwiched between a pair of metal plates to the pair of metal plates includes locally pressing and crimping the laminated metal foils sandwiched between the pair of metal plates at a welding point in a laminating direction, and welding the crimped pair of metal plates and laminated metal foils at the welding point.

Abstract: A laser welding method and a laser welding apparatus capable of preventing formation of blowholes and obtaining an excellent welled state are provided. An embodiment is a laser welding method for a component to be welded 40 including a third metal component 40c sandwiched between first and second metal components 40a and 40b, in which the metal components are welded to each other by scanning a laser beam in a first direction perpendicular to a direction in which the third metal component 40c is sandwiched, in which a welded part 42 is formed by applying a first laser beam 12a while scanning it in the first direction and thereby melting and then solidifying the component to be welded 40.

Abstract: A method of welding laminated metal foils (LMF) by projecting a laser beam onto LMF sandwiched between an upper metal plate and a lower metal plate from a side of the upper metal plate and laser-welding the LMF to the upper metal plate and the lower metal plate. The method includes: forming a hole in an upper surface of the upper metal plate and forming a chamfered part so that a diameter of the hole expands toward the upper surface before the laser welding; and in the laser welding, projecting the laser beam for heat conduction welding onto the chamfered part of the upper metal plate to form a molten pool; and projecting the laser beam in a circle to agitate the molten pool and grow the molten pool in a laminating direction of the LMF so that the molten pool reaches the lower metal plate.

Abstract: Provided is a laser welding apparatus that performs welding by irradiating a laser beam onto a welded part, the laser welding apparatus including: a shielding gas supply unit that supplies a shielding gas to the welded part; a gas feed rate controlling unit that controls a flow rate of the shielding gas; a light intensity measurement unit that measures a light intensity of plasma light emitted from the welded part; and a rate-of-change calculation unit that calculates a rate of change of the light intensity measured by the light intensity measurement unit. The gas feed rate controlling unit controls, according to the calculated rate of change of the light intensity, the flow rate of the shielding gas supplied to the welded part.

Abstract: A welding portion inspection method includes: irradiating welding laser beam along welding trajectories set in works plural times or irradiating inspection laser beam along scanning trajectories set in a molten pool of the works which is melted by the welding laser beam plural times; receiving return light including reflected light from the molten pool of the work, evaporation luminescence generated due to evaporating of the work and thermal radiation light radiated from the molten pool of the work; extracting short wavelength component containing evaporation luminescence and long wavelength component containing thermal radiation light from the return light and inspecting the welding condition of the welding portion of the work based on a ratio between an intensity of the short wavelength component and an intensity of the long wavelength component.