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 semi-aromatic polyamide film having a thermal shrinkage factor in the longitudinal direction of the film, SMD, of ?1.0 to 1.5% and a thermal shrinkage factor in the width direction of the film, STD, of ?1.0 to 1.5% as measured under the conditions of 250° C. and 5 min, a tensile breaking elongation of 70% or more in the longitudinal direction and the width direction, and a haze of 14% or less.

Abstract: A particular-driving-operation identification system for identifying whether a failure or a durability reduction of a component installed in a vehicle has been caused by a driving operation of an occupant of the vehicle or not. The system includes a particular-driving-operation identification portion configured to determine whether there has been a particular driving operation that is the driving operation likely to cause the failure or the durability reduction of the component, based on a driving-operation data. When determining that there has been the particular driving operation in a case in which the failure or the durability reduction of the component has been caused, the particular-driving-operation identification portion identifies, based on a vehicle-state data related to the vehicle state, whether the failure or the durability reduction of the component has been caused by the particular driving operation or not depending on the vehicle state when the particular driving operation has been executed.

Abstract: A sound-source-candidate extraction system for extracting a candidate of a sound source that causes a noise propagated inside or outside a cabin of a vehicle. The sound-source-candidate extraction system includes: (a) an imaging device configured to acquire data of an image inside or outside the cabin of the vehicle; and (b) an extracting device configured to extract the candidate of the sound source, depending on a difference between first and second image data acquired by the imaging device, wherein the first image data is the data of the image before generation of the noise, and the second image data is the data of the image upon or after the generation of the noise. Also disclosed is a sound-source search method using the sound-source-candidate extraction system.

Abstract: A sound-source search system for searching a sound source that causes a noise propagated inside or outside a cabin of a vehicle. The system includes: a sound-source search device for acquiring sound data by collecting and measuring a sound; an informing device for informing a sound measuring position in which the sound-source search device should be installed for collecting and measuring the sound; and a control device for acquiring a driving information related to a driving state of the vehicle upon generation of the noise. The control device extracts a sound-source candidate that is a candidate of the sound source causing the noise, based on the acquired driving information, and to cause the informing device to inform the sound measuring position that is set based on a predetermined relationship between the sound-source candidate and the sound measuring position. Also disclosed is a sound-source search method using the sound-source search device.

Abstract: An in-vehicle system that is to be provided in a vehicle. The in-vehicle system includes: (a) a control apparatus; (b) a first battery configured to supply an electric power to devices that are to be provided in the vehicle; and (c) a second battery provided apart from the first battery. The in-vehicle system is constructed such that rewriting of a software of the control apparatus is executable when an electric power switch of the vehicle is in an OFF state, and such that the rewriting of the software is executed with supply of the electric power from the second battery to the control apparatus when the electric power switch of the vehicle is in the OFF state.

Abstract: A laminated film having a resin layer laminated on at least one surface of a base film. The laminated film is characterized by: the base film being a semi-aromatic polyamide film that has been at least uniaxially stretched; the resin layer having a thickness of 0.03 to 0.5 ?m; and the close adhesion between the base film and the resin layer, according to the cross-cut method described in JIS K 5600, being 95% or more.

Abstract: A control apparatus provided with first and second control devices, and configured to execute vehicle control and to execute update processing for updating a vehicle control software that is to be used for the vehicle control. The control apparatus includes: a first storage device included in the first control device and configured to store therein the vehicle control software; a second storage device included in the second control device and configured to store therein a new software to which the vehicle control software is to be updated; an update processing portion configured to execute the update processing for updating the vehicle control software by writing the new software stored in the second storage device, into the first storage device; and a backup processing portion configured, prior to the update processing by the update processing portion, to write the vehicle control software into the second storage device.

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: This polyester film has at least one surface constituted of a polyester film layer A, and is characterized in that: a polyester resin constituting the polyester film layer A has an inherent viscosity of 0.63 to 0.85 dl/g; the polyester film layer A contains organic particles and the surface of the polyester film layer A has an arithmetic average roughness (Ra) of a roughness curve of 0.2 to 1.0 ?m, and an average length (RSm) of roughness curve elements of 10 to 250 ?m.

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 drive shaft is configured by joining solid stub shafts formed of a medium carbon steel to both ends of a hollow tubular body formed of a medium carbon steel. When expressed as grain size number, the grain size of the hollow tubular body at joint parts where the hollow tubular body and the solid stub shafts are joined together ranges from #5 to #9, and the grain size of the solid stub shafts at the joint parts ranges from #10 to #12.

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 control apparatus for a vehicle includes: a program updating portion configured to update a vehicle program to a new program received via a radio communication from an external device that is provided outside the vehicle; and a remaining-electric-energy reduction suppressing portion configured, when there is a program update request requesting the vehicle program to be updated to the new program, to execute a control for suppressing reduction of a remaining electric energy remaining in a vehicle electric-storage device configured to supply an update-consumed electric energy that is an electric energy consumed when the vehicle program is being updated to the new program.

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 control apparatus for a vehicular power transmitting system includes a power transmission switching portion configured to selectively establish a first drive mode by placing one of the first and second coupling elements in an engaged state, a second drive mode by placing the other of the first and second coupling elements in an engaged state, or a third drive mode by placing both of the first and second coupling elements in the engaged states. The power transmission switching portion switches the vehicular power transmitting system between the first and second drive modes through the third drive mode, where a predetermined condition is not satisfied, and switches the vehicular power transmitting system between the first and second drive modes with concurrent engaging and releasing actions of the first and second coupling elements, where the predetermined condition is satisfied.

Abstract: A drive shaft is configured by joining solid stub shafts formed of a medium carbon steel to both ends of a hollow tubular body formed of a medium carbon steel. When expressed as grain size number, the grain size of the hollow tubular body at joint parts where the hollow tubular body and the solid stub shafts are joined together ranges from #5 to #9, and the grain size of the solid stub shafts at the joint parts ranges from #10 to #12.

Abstract: A control device includes an electronic control unit configured to selectively execute traveling in a first traveling mode and traveling in a second traveling mode, the first traveling mode being a traveling mode in which in a state where one engagement device is controlled so as to be engaged, a differential state is controlled by a first rotating machine to transmit torque of an engine, and the second traveling mode being a traveling mode in which in a state where the other engagement device is controlled so as to be engaged, a differential state is controlled to transmit torque of the engine, and perform switching to traveling in the second traveling mode in a case where a vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined vehicle speed when engine stop control that stops the engine is executed during traveling in the first traveling mode.

Abstract: A positioning control device of an actuator provided with a strain wave gearing has a full-closed control system for feeding back a position of a load shaft, and driving and controlling a motor so as to position the load shaft at a target position. The full-closed control system has an H? compensator designed so that, when a generalized plant having angular transmission error in the strain wave gearing as a disturbance input is assumed, an H? norm of a transfer function from the disturbance input of the generalized plant to an evaluation output is a predetermined value or less. Mechanical vibration during positioning response caused by angular transmission error in the strain wave gearing can be reliably suppressed.

Abstract: A positioning control system is provided with a state-feedback control system with a state observer as a full-closed control system for driving and controlling a motor so that a load shaft, which is an output shaft of a strain wave gearing, is positioned at a target position on the basis of a load shaft position actually detected. The state observer estimates a motor shaft position and a motor velocity based on a control input for the motor and the load shaft position. The state-feedback control system feeds back the state quantity of the object of control using the load shaft position as well as estimated motor shaft position and estimated motor velocity obtained by the state observer. It is possible to suppress resonant vibration caused by angular transmission error in the strain wave gearing and perform highly accurate positioning.