Abstract: A tibia pad has: a right foot placement portion having a right side horizontal portion formed horizontally and on which a passenger's right heel is placed, and a right side inclined portion formed at a vehicle front side of this right side horizontal portion and inclined with respect to a vehicle longitudinal direction to head toward a vehicle upper side while heading toward a vehicle front side; a pair of groove portions formed, at least in a bottom surface of the right side horizontal portion at the right foot placement portion, to extend along the vehicle longitudinal direction and to lined-up in a vehicle transverse direction; and a step portion formed at a transition portion between the right side horizontal and the right side inclined portions, and positioned between a rear and a front side ribs are formed at the right side horizontal and the right side inclined portions, respectively.

Abstract: A tibia pad has: a right foot placement portion having a right side horizontal portion positioned beneath and rearward of an accelerator pedal on which a passenger's heel who is stepping-on the accelerator pedal is placed, and a right side inclined portion integrally formed with a vehicle front side of the right side horizontal portion and positioned beneath the accelerator pedal; and a rib formed at least at a bottom surface of the right side horizontal portion at the right foot placement portion by a region between a pair of groove portions that are formed so as to extend along a vehicle longitudinal direction and so as to be lined-up in a vehicle transverse direction, and that is provided at a position that is offset toward a vehicle transverse direction one side with respect to a central line that passes-through a vehicle transverse direction central portion of the accelerator pedal.

Abstract: A tibia pad has: a right foot placement portion having a right side horizontal portion formed horizontally and on which a passenger's right heel is placed, and a right side inclined portion formed at a vehicle front side of this right side horizontal portion and inclined with respect to a vehicle longitudinal direction to head toward a vehicle upper side while heading toward a vehicle front side; a pair of groove portions formed, at least in a bottom surface of the right side horizontal portion at the right foot placement portion, to extend along the vehicle longitudinal direction and to lined-up in a vehicle transverse direction; and a step portion formed at a transition portion between the right side horizontal and the right side inclined portions, and positioned between a rear and a front side ribs are formed at the right side horizontal and the right side inclined portions, respectively.

Abstract: A tibia pad has: a right foot placement portion having a right side horizontal portion positioned beneath and rearward of an accelerator pedal on which a passenger's heel who is stepping-on the accelerator pedal is placed, and a right side inclined portion integrally formed with a vehicle front side of the right side horizontal portion and positioned beneath the accelerator pedal; and a rib formed at least at a bottom surface of the right side horizontal portion at the right foot placement portion by a region between a pair of groove portions that are formed so as to extend along a vehicle longitudinal direction and so as to be lined-up in a vehicle transverse direction, and that is provided at a position that is offset toward a vehicle transverse direction one side with respect to a central line that passes-through a vehicle transverse direction central portion of the accelerator pedal.

Abstract: A DC motor is driven with a predetermined driving signal thereto before a headlight axis direction control is started by using a headlight axis control angle calculated on a basis of a variety of sensor information and a positional signal from a potentiometer. If there is no variation in the positional signal, a failure in the driving system of the DC motor is decided to exist. Therefore, for example, if failure detection is implemented when an ignition switch to start an engine is turned on, the failure in the driving system of the DC motor is detected before the headlight needs to be turned on. Thereby, reliability in the system for headlight axis direction control is able to be improved.

Abstract: Output of each sensor arrangement is supplied to an ECU through a communication bus line. A value of a turning radius of a vehicle, which is used for adjusting directions of optical axes of swivel lights, is computed based on the output of each sensor arrangement in the ECU. When a majority of the computed values fall within a predetermined allowable range, the majority of the computed values are determined as normal, and the remaining of the computed values is determined as abnormal. The communication bus line is determined as abnormal when none of the output from the sensor arrangements is obtained. An optical axis control angle is computed based on the normal computed values and is used to drive actuators to adjust directions of the optical axes of the swivel lights.

Abstract: A filter is changed to change a response in swivel adjustment of a direction of an optical axis of each swivel light based on a steering angle variation of a steering angle of a steering wheel measured with a steering angle sensor. The direction of the optical axis of each swivel light is adjusted based on a swivel control angle obtained upon application of the filter. A weaker filter is selected if the steering wheel is quickly steered, and a stronger filter is selected if the steering wheel is slowly steered. By this filtering operation, the direction of the optical axis of each swivel light is adjusted in response to the steering operation of the steering wheel without causing an uncomfortable feeling to a driver.

Abstract: A steering wheel is determined to be under a counter steering state when the following two conditions are both satisfied: (I) a steering angle measured with a steering angle sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle; and (II) a steering direction does not coincide with a turning direction of the vehicle. The vehicle is determined to be under a slipping state when the following two conditions are both satisfied: (I) the steering angle is equal to or greater than the predetermined angle; (II) an absolute value of a change per unit time of a difference between a left wheel speed and a right wheel speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Under both the counter steering state and the slipping state, adjustment of the optical axes of the swivel lights is stopped or modified.

Abstract: In a vehicle headlight optical axis adjusting apparatus, inter-vehicle distance in each of divided zones is detected by a laser radar device. Desired optical axis raising angles for a vehicle headlight are calculated based on these inter-vehicle distances of the divided zones. The optical axis of the headlight is adjusted to the most downward pointing angle selected from among these angles, so that a driver of a preceding vehicle is not blinded.

Abstract: Output of each sensor arrangement is supplied to an ECU through a communication bus line. A value of a turning radius of a vehicle, which is used for adjusting directions of optical axes of swivel lights, is computed based on the output of each sensor arrangement in the ECU. When a majority of the computed values fall within a predetermined allowable range, the majority of the computed values are determined as normal, and the remaining of the computed values is determined as abnormal. The communication bus line is determined as abnormal when none of the output from the sensor arrangements is obtained. An optical axis control angle is computed based on the normal computed values and is used to drive actuators to adjust directions of the optical axes of the swivel lights.

Abstract: A DC motor is driven with a predetermined driving signal thereto before a headlight axis direction control is started by using a headlight axis control angle calculated on a basis of a variety of sensor information and a positional signal from a potentiometer. If there is no variation in the positional signal, a failure in the driving system of the DC motor is decided to exist. Therefore, for example, if failure detection is implemented when an ignition switch to start an engine is turned on, the failure in the driving system of the DC motor is detected before the headlight needs to be turned on. Thereby, reliability in the system for headlight axis direction control is able to be improved.

Abstract: A filter is changed to change a response in swivel adjustment of a direction of an optical axis of each swivel light based on a steering angle variation of a steering angle of a steering wheel measured with a steering angle sensor. The direction of the optical axis of each swivel light is adjusted based on a swivel control angle obtained upon application of the filter. A weaker filter is selected if the steering wheel is quickly steered, and a stronger filter is selected if the steering wheel is slowly steered. By this filtering operation, the direction of the optical axis of each swivel light is adjusted in response to the steering operation of the steering wheel without causing an uncomfortable feeling to a driver.

Abstract: A steering wheel is determined to be under a counter steering state when the following two conditions are both satisfied: (I) a steering angle measured with a steering angle sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle; and (II) a steering direction does not coincide with a turning direction of the vehicle. The vehicle is determined to be under a slipping state when the following two conditions are both satisfied: (I) the steering angle is equal to or greater than the predetermined angle; (II) an absolute value of a change per unit time of a difference between a left wheel speed and a right wheel speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Under both the counter steering state and the slipping state, adjustment of the optical axes of the swivel lights is stopped or modified.

Abstract: In a vehicle headlight optical axis adjusting apparatus, inter-vehicle distance in each of divided zones is detected by a laser radar device. Desired optical axis raising angles for a vehicle headlight are calculated based on these inter-vehicle distances of the divided zones. The optical axis of the headlight is adjusted to the most downward pointing angle selected from among these angles, so that the preceding vehicle is not blinded by dazzling.

Abstract: A bumper assembly is effective to prevent stepped walls of a concave portion of a bumper cover from being sharply deformed. Cavities are formed at parts of an energy absorber facing to a bottom wall of the concave portion of the bumper cover to define spaces behind the bottom wall. The stepped walls are moved in the cavities of the energy absorber when the energy absorber is deformed elastically in collision.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photoreceptor comprising a cylindrical electrically conductive substrate having thereon at least a photoconductive layer, the conductive substrate having a marking portion in which the light reflectance of the surface of the conductor substrate has been changed by a laser light treatment, a method for producing the photoreceptor, and an image correcting method using the photoreceptor.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photoreceptor comprising a cylindrical electrically conductive substrate having thereon at least a photoconductive layer, the conductive substrate having a marking portion in which the light reflectance of the surface of the conductor substrate has been changed by a laser light treatment, a method for producing the photoreceptor, and an image correcting method using the photoreceptor.

Abstract: A process control apparatus of electrophotographic apparatus has an optical sensor for optically detecting the density of toner patches formed on a photoreceptor drum. The present apparatus is further provided with a control device for controlling lamps for the copying process, chargers and other elements. A toner patch is formed on the photoreceptor so as to be located between every two toner images for a copying operation. The control device controls the lamps, chargers and other elements in accordance with the result of the toner patches detected by the optical sensor so as to stabilize the copying picture quality. With the arrangement, it is avoided that the job efficiency during the copying operation deteriorates, and the control data obtained from the toner patches is soon used for the toner image formation for the copying operation, thereby ensuring that the process control improves in accuracy.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a system controller which calculates a ratio of a first signal to a second signal and adjusts a control parameter of an electrophotographic reproduction process so that the density of fog indicated by the ratio is within a predetermined range. A first optical sensor outputs the first signal by detecting a reflectance of a non-image area on the photoreceptor between a developing unit and a transfer charger. A second optical sensor outputs the second signal by detecting a reflectance of a surface of the photoreceptor between a cleaning unit and a charger. The system controller controls developer including toner and carrier to be agitated when the ratio obtained after adjusting the control parameter is still outside the predetermined range. Since the density of fog is detected with accuracy by calculating the ratio, copy quality is stabilized even when temperature changes.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process control stabilizing system including a cleaning device for the corona wires which allows the process control to be carried out optimally based on exact information which is obtained by certain sensors while a discharge from the main charger unit is kept uniform. The system is constructed so that an electrode cleaner is activated before the detection of the surface potential and/or the detection of the optical density, and in addition, the cleaning operation will be operated until the detection result falls within a predetermined range. Alternatively, the system causes detection of the surface potential and/or detection of the optical both before and after a cleaning operation by the electrode cleaner. The cleaning operation will be repeated until the difference between the first and second detections falls within a predetermined range.