Abstract: A drive shaft includes a first annular wall and a second annular wall joined together via a friction-welded portion. The first annular wall and the second annular wall have outer diameters of 30 to 50 mm and wall thicknesses of 3 to 5 mm. A burr created at the friction-welded portion has a connection radius of greater than or equal to 0.5 mm, a base radius of greater than or equal to 0.5 mm, a burr base angle of less than or equal to 40°, and a burr slope length of 0.2 to 5 mm.

Abstract: A display apparatus includes: a display; a display driver that drives the display such that the display displays in accordance with display data; and a host controller that transfers update display data of one screen to the display driver. The display driver includes a light-emission controller that causes a self-luminous elements to emit light, and a memory that stores the update display data of the one screen. The display driver reads the update display data on the memory after an elapse of a predetermined period of time from a drive end time at which the display controller finishes driving in accordance with the update display data and drives the screen by using the read update display data. The display driver drives the self-luminous elements once or more at a timing when the update display data from the host controller to the display driver is not updated.

Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus includes: a follow-up-running control portion configured to execute a follow-up running control for causing a vehicle to run following a preceding vehicle with a target inter-vehicle distance; and a shift control portion configured to change a gear ratio of an automatic transmission in accordance with a predetermined shifting condition. The shift control portion is configured to set a high fluid-temperature determination value, based on information relating to the preceding vehicle that affects an air flow rate. When a fluid temperature of the automatic transmission is not lower than the high fluid-temperature determination value, the shift control portion is configured to change the shifting condition such that a higher-speed gear position making the gear ratio lower is more frequently established in the automatic transmission than when the fluid temperature of the automatic transmission is lower than the high fluid-temperature determination value.

Abstract: A control apparatus for a vehicle provided with a power source and a fluid transmission device that includes a lockup clutch. The control apparatus includes: (a) a follow-up-running control portion for controlling a follow-up running in which the vehicle automatically runs following a preceding vehicle with a predetermined inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle; and (b) a lockup-clutch control portion for controlling the lockup clutch such that an operation state of the lockup clutch is placed in one of a released state, a slipping state or an engaged state. The lockup-clutch control portion is configured, during the follow-up running, to execute a fluid-temperature increase suppressing control for controlling the operation state of the lockup clutch in a manner that suppresses increase of a temperature of a working fluid which circulates in the fluid transmission device and which is used to switch the operation state of the lockup clutch.

Abstract: A vehicle control device for controlling platooning of platoon participating vehicles by connecting the platoon participating vehicles to one another via radio communication, the platoon participating vehicles include a lead vehicle and follow-up vehicles that perform automatic follow-up running in line at a predetermined intervehicle distance from the lead vehicle, the device comprises a control portion that, during execution of the platooning, sets a permissible output range of a drive amount with a current gear ratio of an automatic transmission remaining kept, as a change characteristic of the drive amount in each of the platoon participating vehicles so that change of the drive amount in response to change of a drive demand amount lies within a predetermined range, the automatic transmission being included in each of the platoon participating vehicles to transmit power of a power source to driving wheels.

Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus includes: a follow-up-running control portion configured to execute a follow-up running control for causing a vehicle to run following a preceding vehicle with a target inter-vehicle distance; and a shift control portion configured to change a gear ratio of an automatic transmission in accordance with a predetermined shifting condition. The shift control portion is configured to set a high fluid-temperature determination value, based on information relating to the preceding vehicle that affects an air flow rate. When a fluid temperature of the automatic transmission is not lower than the high fluid-temperature determination value, the shift control portion is configured to change the shifting condition such that a higher-speed gear position making the gear ratio lower is more frequently established in the automatic transmission than when the fluid temperature of the automatic transmission is lower than the high fluid-temperature determination value.

Abstract: A vehicle program update system and a vehicle program update method are provided which update a vehicle program that is used to control a vehicle by an on-board control device mounted on the vehicle to an update program received by the vehicle from an external device separate from the vehicle via wireless communication. When the update of the vehicle program is completed, determination is made whether the updated vehicle program is normal. When determination is made that the updated vehicle program is not normal, control of the vehicle is switched from control that is performed by the on-board control device using the vehicle program to limp home control for performing a limp home operation in which the vehicle travels using a driving force from a vehicle driving force source without being controlled by the on-board control device.

Abstract: A control apparatus for a vehicle provided with a power source and a fluid transmission device that includes a lockup clutch. The control apparatus includes: (a) a follow-up-running control portion for controlling a follow-up running in which the vehicle automatically runs following a preceding vehicle with a predetermined inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle; and (b) a lockup-clutch control portion for controlling the lockup clutch such that an operation state of the lockup clutch is placed in one of a released state, a slipping state or an engaged state. The lockup-clutch control portion is configured, during the follow-up running, to execute a fluid-temperature increase suppressing control for controlling the operation state of the lockup clutch in a manner that suppresses increase of a temperature of a working fluid which circulates in the fluid transmission device and which is used to switch the operation state of the lockup clutch.

Abstract: A central ECU includes a download execution feasibility determination unit that determines whether or not execution of download of data from an external distribution server of a vehicle is feasible based on position information of the vehicle, a download execution unit that executes the download in a case where the download execution feasibility determination unit determines that the execution of the download is feasible, and a transmission unit that records execution failure result information including position information of the vehicle when the download is executed by the download execution unit and fails, in an external monitoring server of the vehicle, in which the download execution feasibility determination unit determines whether or not the execution of the download is feasible based on the execution failure result information recorded in the distribution server and the current position information of the vehicle.

Abstract: A vehicle program update system and a vehicle program update method are provided which update a vehicle program that is used to control a vehicle by an on-board control device mounted on the vehicle to an update program received by the vehicle from an external device separate from the vehicle via wireless communication. When the update of the vehicle program is completed, determination is made whether the updated vehicle program is normal. When determination is made that the updated vehicle program is not normal, control of the vehicle is switched from control that is performed by the on-board control device using the vehicle program to limp home control for performing a limp home operation in which the vehicle travels using a driving force from a vehicle driving force source without being controlled by the on-board control device.

Abstract: A vehicle control device connecting platoon participating vehicles to one another via radio communication, to control platooning of the platoon participating vehicles, the platoon participating vehicle includes a leading vehicle and following vehicles that perform automatic follow-up running in line with a predetermined intervehicle distance from the leading vehicle, During execution of the platooning, the vehicle control device acquires, for each of the platoon participating vehicles, information of an estimated value of retardation based on a driven torque generated when coasting solely in its current vehicle state, the vehicle control device controls the driven torque of each of the platoon participating vehicles so that the platoon participating vehicles align in ascending order of the estimated value of retardation increasing rearward in sequence from the leading vehicle.

Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus including: a storage portion configured to store therein a vehicle control software for controlling a vehicle; a receiving portion configured to receive an update software from an external server; and an updating portion configured to update the vehicle control software stored in the storage portion, to the update software received by the receiving portion. The updating portion is configured to determine whether the vehicle is in a long-time requiring state that requires a long time for making a repair of the vehicle which is needed in case update of the vehicle control software is not successfully completed. The updating portion is configured to execute the update of the vehicle control software when determining that the vehicle is not in the long-time requiring state, and is configured to withhold the update of the vehicle control software when determining that the vehicle is in the long-time requiring state.

Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus including: a storage portion configured to store therein a vehicle control software for controlling a vehicle; an updating portion configured to update the vehicle control software stored in the storage portion, to an update software, and an operation check portion configured, when the update software is stored in the storage portion, to make an operation check as to whether the vehicle operates normally or not, by executing processing of the update software on condition that the vehicle is in a vehicle stopped state in which the vehicle is suppressed from being moved in forward and reverse directions. When it is checked by the operation check portion that the vehicle operates normally with the processing of the update software, the updating portion is configured to update the vehicle control software to the update software.

Abstract: A platooning system executes automatic follow-up running in line with a predetermined intervehicle distance between adjacent vehicles from a leading vehicle, the platoon participating vehicles each comprising a driving force source, an automatic transmission capable of shifting to a plurality of gear stages each having a different gear ratio, and an in-vehicle control device automatically controlling output of the driving force source and the gear stages of the automatic transmission, the platooning system comprising a platoon control device connected via wireless communication to the platoon participating vehicles, for managing at least shifting of the automatic transmission, the platoon control device executing platoon shift control that shifts the automatic transmission via the in-vehicle control device in order from vehicles on tail side among the platoon participating vehicles in case of satisfying shift conditions previously defined to allow the driving force source to work in a proper working range.

Abstract: An apparatus for estimating a remaining life of a vehicle component included in a vehicle, based on various kinds of remaining-life-related data that influence the remaining life. The apparatus includes: a data transmitting portion provided in the vehicle, and configured to correlate the remaining-life-related data with running of the vehicle and to transmit the remaining-life-related data correlated with the running of the vehicle, to a data management center provided outside the vehicle, via a wireless communication; a data-unobtained running-section specifying portion configured to specify a data-unobtained running section in which the remaining-life-related data has been unobtainable by the data management center; and a remaining-life calculating portion configured to estimate the remaining life, by taking account of a reduction of the remaining life of the vehicle component in the data-unobtained running section.

Abstract: A software update system includes: a vehicle data acquiring unit configured to acquire data on a state of a vehicle including data of a predetermined performance of the vehicle; an effect predicting unit configured to predict an effect on the predetermined performance which is obtained when update data of software used in the vehicle for improvement of the predetermined performance is applied to the vehicle based on the data acquired by the vehicle data acquiring unit; and a delivery unit configured to deliver the update data to the vehicle when the effect predicted by the effect predicting unit satisfies a predetermined reference and to withhold delivery of the update data to the vehicle when the effect predicted by the effect predicting unit does not satisfy the predetermined reference.

Abstract: When a required download time is equal to or shorter than a communication-enabled time on a running route, an update program is received from an external device via wireless communication, so a vehicular program is appropriately updated. Besides, when the required download time is longer than the communication-enabled time on the running route, a driving method ensuring the communication-enabled time that is equal to or longer than the required download time is suggested to a driver, so the update program is easy to receive via wireless communication. In consequence, the opportunities to update the vehicular program can be ensured. That is, the vehicular program can be restrained or prevented from being updated with a delay.

Abstract: A software update system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is configured to update software used in a vehicle based on update data of the software, the update data being transmitted to the vehicle from an external device that is communicably connected to the vehicle. The software update system includes: a software update unit configured to update the software based on the update data; a vehicle data acquisition unit configured to acquire respective pieces of second vehicle data about states of the vehicle before and after the software update by the update unit; and an effect evaluation unit configured to evaluate an effect of the software update based on the respective pieces of second vehicle data before and after the software update.

Abstract: A software update system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a software update system configured to update software used in a vehicle based on update data of the software, the update data being transmitted to the vehicle from a distribution server that is communicably connected to the vehicle. The software update system includes: a notification unit configured to notify, when the update data is present, the presence of the update data to a user of the vehicle, along with information about an effect provided by the software update based on the update data; and an update unit configured to update the software based on the update data, when a predetermined input is accepted from the user after the notification by the notification unit.

Abstract: A central ECU includes a download execution feasibility determination unit that determines whether or not execution of download of data from an external distribution server of a vehicle is feasible based on position information of the vehicle, a download execution unit that executes the download in a case where the download execution feasibility determination unit determines that the execution of the download is feasible, and a transmission unit that records execution failure result information including position information of the vehicle when the download is executed by the download execution unit and fails, in an external monitoring server of the vehicle, in which the download execution feasibility determination unit determines whether or not the execution of the download is feasible based on the execution failure result information recorded in the distribution server and the current position information of the vehicle.