Abstract: An electrode plate is constituted by a substrate, a plurality of metal electrodes formed with gaps therebetween in a prescribed pattern on the substrate, and a resin filling the gaps. The substrate is provided with an elongated projection disposed in a peripheral region thereof. The elongated projection formed on the substrate is effective in preventing the resin from flowing out from the sides of the substrate, thus suppressing an insufficient filling portion in the gaps between the metal electrode to provide a uniform and smooth surface of the resin and the metal electrode in combination.

Abstract: A subject of the present invention is to provide a water based hydraulic fluid and a hydraulic pressure device able to prevent burning and wearing in a sliding portion of a member constructed by an iron-based material as much as possible. Therefore, the water based hydraulic fluid relative to the invention contains copper ions for forming a film on addendum surfaces of a drive gear and a driven gear constructed by the iron-based material. A gear pump as the hydraulic pressure device relative to the invention uses the water based hydraulic fluid containing metallic ions for forming the film on the addendum surfaces of the drive gear and the driven gear constructed by the iron-based material.

Abstract: A liquid crystal device is constituted by a pair of electrode plates and a liquid crystal composition disposed between the electrode plates. At least one of the electrode plates comprises a light-transmissive substrate, a plurality of electrodes including principal electrodes and auxiliary electrodes supported on the light-transmissive substrate, and an insulating layer. Each auxiliary electrode is disposed between an associated principal electrode and the light-transmissive substrate so as to be electrically connected with at least a part of the associated principal electrode, and the auxiliary electrodes being disposed with spacings therebetween which are filled with the insulating layer. The liquid crystal composition comprises at least one species of a fluorine-containing mesomorphic compound comprising a fluorocarbon terminal portion and a hydrocarbon terminal portion, the terminal portions being connected with a central core, and having smectic mesophase or latent smectic mesophase.

Abstract: An electrode plate, suitable for constituting a liquid crystal device, includes a light-transmissive substrate, a plurality of first electrodes disposed on the light-transmissive substrate and a plurality of second electrodes disposed on the first electrodes. Each first electrode comprises a layer of metal nitride and is electrically connected with an associated second electrode, and each second electrode comprises a transparent electrode. The electrode plate is effective in improving an adhesiveness between the first electroded and the light-transmissive substrate and an antioxidizing property of the first electrodes while ensuring a good electrical connection state between the first electrodes and the second electrodes.

Abstract: In a variable gear ratio steering system, a control unit determines the steering angle ratio which is to be achieved by the steering angle ratio varying unit according to a condition of the vehicle with respect to a given road condition. Such vehicle conditions may include a road surface frictional coefficient so that an excessive steering may be avoided on slippery road surfaces by increasing the steering gear ratio under such conditions. Such vehicle conditions may also include a side force utilization ratio of the steerable wheels so that an excessive steering may be avoided when there is little margin in the available side force for the steerable wheels.

Abstract: A liquid crystal device is constituted by a pair of electrode plates and a liquid crystal composition disposed between the electrode plates. One of the electrode plates comprises a light-transmissive substrate, a plurality of electrodes including principal electrodes and auxiliary electrodes supported on the light-transmissive substrate, a plurality of color filters disposed on the light-transmissive substrate and an insulating layer disposed on the color filters. Each auxiliary electrode is disposed between an associated principal electrode and the light-transmissive substrate so as to be electrically connected with at least a part of the associated principal electrode, and the auxiliary electrodes are disposed with spacings therebetween which are filled with the color filters and the insulating layer.

Abstract: An electrode plate for a liquid crystal device is constituted by a light-transmissive substrate, a plurality of metal electrodes disposed on the light-transmissive substrate with a spacing therebetween, an insulating layer disposed at the spacing, and a plurality of transparent electrodes disposed on the insulating layer and each electrically connected with an associated metal electrode at a first end portion thereof. The first end portion of the transparent electrode is located closer to the light-transmissive substrate than an adjacent end portion of an adjacent transparent electrode. The electrode plate is effective in providing a liquid crystal device with a wider optical modulation region while improving image qualities.

Abstract: In a vehicle steering control system, a manual steering input is assisted by a powered actuating steering torque which is given by K(.gamma.-t.sub.d .multidot.d .gamma./dt), where y is a detected yaw rate, K and t.sub.d are coefficients which depend on a vehicle speed, and d/dt denotes a time derivative. The detected yaw rate contributes to reducing the yaw rate of the vehicle. In particular, the coefficient t.sub.d is positive in value in a low speed range, and substantially linearly decreases with the vehicle speed, becoming negative at a certain intermediate vehicle speed. Thus, in a high speed range, when the vehicle is steered in one direction either by external disturbances or by a manual steering input, the detected yaw rate and the change rate of the yaw rate both contribute to the reduction of the yaw rate.

Abstract: An electrode plate for a liquid crystal device is constituted by a light-transmissive substrate, a plurality of metal electrodes disposed on the light-transmissive substrate with a spacing therebetween, an insulating layer disposed at the spacing, and a plurality of transparent electrodes disposed on the insulating layer and each electrically connected with an associated metal electrode at a first end portion thereof. The first end portion of the transparent electrode is located closer to the light-transmissive substrate than an adjacent end portion of an adjacent transparent electrode. The electrode plate is effective in providing a liquid crystal device with a wider optical modulation region while improving image qualities.

Abstract: An electrode plate for a liquid crystal device is constituted by a light-transmissive substrate, a plurality of metal electrodes disposed on the light-transmissive substrate with a spacing therebetween, an insulating layer disposed at the spacing, and a plurality of transparent electrodes disposed on the insulating layer and each electrically connected with an associated metal electrode at a first end portion thereof. The first end portion of the transparent electrode is located closer to the light-transmissive substrate than an adjacent end portion of an adjacent transparent electrode. The electrode plate is effective in providing a liquid crystal device with a wider optical modulation region while improving image qualities.

Abstract: According to the invention, there is provided is a vehicle steering system which can improve the resistance of a vehicle against external disturbances such as crosswind, and can prevent the operability of the steering system from being seriously affected by a failure in a part of the system related to the generation of steering reaction such as a lateral acceleration sensor, a yaw rate sensor or a reaction control unit. Because the assisting steering torque continues to be produced even when a failure has occurred in a part related to the generation of steering reaction. Therefore, a fail-safe feature can be obtained, and unnecessary loss of the operability of the steering system can be avoided. By reducing the assisting steering torque from the normal level, which is effective when the sensors are operating normally, at such a time, the driveability of the steering system similar to that under the normal condition can be ensured.

Abstract: In a steering control system for a motor vehicle, the magnitude of the steering assist torque is reduced from a normal value by a value depending on the ratio of the steering angle to a maximum permissible steering angle which is determined according to the frictional coefficient between the road surface and the road wheels so that excessive steering, which may otherwise occur on a slipper road surface, can be avoided. Additionally, the value by which the steering assist torque is reduced is increased with an increase in the steering speed so that a certain damping effect may be achieved in the system. This is particularly beneficial in preventing any ill effect which may arise when the steering wheel has a large mass of inertia, for instance by being equipped with an air bag system.

Abstract: There is provided a plasma torch in which a plasma arc emanating from an electrode in a torch body (1) is pinched in a torch nozzle (3) and is then flushed therefrom, characterized in that an axis of said torch nozzle (3) is deviated in position from with a center line of said torch body (1).

Abstract: In a power assisted vehicle steering system, an actual traveling direction of the vehicle, and a tangential direction of a road on which the vehicle is traveling are detected, and the actuator for the steering system is controlled so as to reduce or minimize a deviation of the actual traveling direction of the vehicle from the road tangential direction. Thus, a supplemental steering torque is produced so as to force the direction of the vehicle into agreement with the direction of the road so that the effort required for the vehicle operator to maintain the vehicle on the road can be reduced or even eliminated, and the lateral stability of the vehicle is improved both on straight roads and curved roads.

Abstract: The alertness of the vehicle operator is determined from an operating condition of the vehicle such as the steering torque, the rack thrust, and/or the yaw rate, and the determined level of alertness of the vehicle operator is advantageously reflected in the control property of the steering control system. If the alertness of the vehicle operator is significantly low, and the vehicle operator may even have dozed off, the steering control system then maximizes its intervention in the steering control so that the vehicle is automatically forced to travel along the proper path of travel. If desired, the vehicle operator may be warned by applying a vibratory torque to the steering wheel. Conversely, when the alertness of the vehicle operator is high, the intervention of the control system in the steering control is minimized so that the intentional steering effort by the vehicle operator would not be resisted or opposed by the steering control system even when an extreme steering operation is carried out.

Abstract: An electrode plate including a substrate, a plurality of stripe-shaped electrodes with gaps therebetween, and a flattening layer filling the gaps is produced through a process including the steps of: supplying a flowable polymeric material to a part of a surface of a smooth plate or substrate; applying the smooth plate and the substrate to each other so as to sandwich the polymeric material therebetween to provide a laminate; pressing the smooth plate and the substrate to each other, the pressing step including a preliminary pressure step wherein a pressed portion is moved from a first side of the laminate to a second side parallel to the first side under application of a first pressure and a main pressure step wherein a pressed portion is moved from one side of the laminate to the other side parallel to the one side under application of a second pressure larger than the first pressure to extend the polymeric material over at least a region including the stripe-shaped electrodes; curing the polymeric material

Abstract: Provided is a counter-steer condition detecting device which is suited to be used in combination with steering control systems based on the control of the magnitude of the effort required for the vehicle operator to steer the vehicle depending on the behavior of the vehicle. An over-steer condition may be detected by evaluating the signs of the current and previous values of the steering angle and the steering angular speed, and the magnitude of the steering angular speed when the steering angle passes a certain monitor level.

Abstract: In an electric power steering system, a road surface reaction applied to a steering mechanism is estimated from a voltage and an electric current applied to an electric actuator, and a steering torque. Because the road surface reaction provides a useful data for assessing the condition of the road surface, it is possible to optimally control various control systems which depends on the condition of the road surface. In particular, a frictional coefficient between a road surface and a tire of the vehicle can be estimated according to a steering angle and the road surface reaction, for instance by comparing the estimated road surface reaction with a reference road surface reaction which is computed from a set of standard conditions. Thus, the road surface reaction and the road frictional coefficient can be obtained during a normal steering action by using functions which are normally provided in the electric power steering system.

Abstract: A circuit plate, suitable for constituting an optical modulation device, such as a liquid crystal device, includes a light-transmissive substrate, and a plurality of principal electrodes and sub-electrodes supported on the light-transmissive substrate. Each sub-electrode is disposed between an associated principal electrode and the light-transmissive substrate so as to be electrically connected with the associated principal electrode. The plurality of sub-electrodes are disposed in a region in the light-transmissive substrate with gaps therebetween which are filled with an insulating layer, the sub-electrodes and the insulating layer in combination forming a surface on which the principal electrodes are formed. Further, a plurality of projection pieces are disposed in a region on the light-transmissive substrate outside the region of the sub-electrodes so as to be free from connection with the principal electrodes and the sub-electrodes.

Abstract: In a vehicle steering control system, an actuating torque is applied to steerable wheels according to a steering torque applied to a steering wheel in a conventional manner, and an additional actuating torque is applied to the steering wheel by an electric motor according to lateral dynamic conditions of the vehicle so as to control the lateral stability of the vehicle even in the presence of external interferences such as crosswind. Such external interferences are detected as a lateral dynamic condition of the vehicle such as the yaw rate of the vehicle, and the steering control system produces a steering reaction which counteracts such a lateral dynamic condition by applying the additional actuating torque to the steerable wheels so that the vehicle may maintain a straight course in spite of such external interferences without requiring any intentional efforts by the vehicle operator.