Abstract: A vehicle driving system that can suppress a difference in effect of vehicle attitude control between the cases where a friction braking force is applied and not applied, is provided. The system includes a rotating electric machine, a battery, a steering apparatus, a steering angle sensor, a brake actuator that applies a friction braking force, a friction braking force sensor, and a controller that sets a deceleration torque based on a steering speed detected by the steering angle sensor and controls the rotating electric machine to apply the deceleration torque to a front wheel of the vehicle, thereby executing a vehicle attitude control. When the friction braking force is applied to the wheels by the brake actuator during the vehicle attitude control, if the friction braking force is large, the controller corrects the deceleration torque to a larger value than when the friction braking force is small.

Abstract: A control device for a vehicle is provided, which includes a power source that generates torque for driving or braking the vehicle, an accelerator pedal sensor that detects an operating amount of an accelerator pedal, and a control unit that controls the power source. The control unit sets a target acceleration based on the accelerator pedal operating amount detected by the accelerator pedal sensor. The control unit sets a target jerk based on the target acceleration, and when the target acceleration increases toward 0 from a value below 0, sets the target jerk so that the target jerk becomes smaller as the target acceleration approaches 0. The control unit sets torque to be outputted or regenerated by the power source, based on the target acceleration and the target jerk.

Abstract: A control device for a vehicle is provided, which includes a power source that generates torque for driving or braking the vehicle, an accelerator pedal sensor that detects an operating amount of an accelerator pedal, and a control unit that controls the power source. The control unit sets a target acceleration based on the accelerator pedal operating amount detected by the accelerator pedal sensor. The control unit sets a target jerk based on the target acceleration, and when the target acceleration decreases toward 0 from a value above 0, sets the target jerk so that an absolute value of the target jerk becomes smaller as the target acceleration approaches 0. The control unit sets torque to be outputted or regenerated by the power source, based on the target acceleration and the target jerk.

Abstract: A powertrain system for an electric automobile outputs a desired torque from a motor with an angle of an accelerator pedal that is easy for a driver to operate, regardless of traveling environments such as the road surface gradient and the wind direction. The powertrain system includes a paddle switch and a shifter that are mounted to be operable by a driver, and are electrically connected directly or indirectly to an electronic control unit (ECU). The ECU controls, based on a torque control map defining the relationship between an accelerator pedal opening and output torque of a motor in advance, the output torque of the motor according to the accelerator pedal opening, and changes, based on an operation on the paddle switch or the shifter, the torque control map to be used for controlling the output torque of the motor.

Abstract: A vehicle driving system that can suppress a difference in effect of vehicle attitude control between the cases where a friction braking force is applied and not applied, is provided. The system includes a rotating electric machine, a battery, a steering apparatus, a steering angle sensor, a brake actuator that applies a friction braking force, a friction braking force sensor, and a controller that sets a deceleration torque based on a steering speed detected by the steering angle sensor and controls the rotating electric machine to apply the deceleration torque to a front wheel of the vehicle, thereby executing a vehicle attitude control. When the friction braking force is applied to the wheels by the brake actuator during the vehicle attitude control, if the friction braking force is large, the controller corrects the deceleration torque to a larger value than when the friction braking force is small.

Abstract: In the vehicle control system, a controller may perform first regenerative control that causes a motor generator to perform regeneration so as to apply a braking force to a vehicle when the accelerator is off and, when the accelerator is off and a steering is turned, perform second regenerative control that causes the motor generator to perform regeneration so as to apply a braking force to the vehicle in order to control the vehicle attitude by generating a deceleration that corresponds to a steering angle in the vehicle in addition to the first regenerative control.

Abstract: Steam is contacted with a hydrogen absorbing alloy in a temperature range from 200.degree. C. to 400.degree. C. With a contact catalytic reaction of water, a metal contained in the hydrogen absorbing alloy is changed to an oxide or a hydroxide. Hydrogen produced causes the Ni compound to be reduced and thereby the Ni metal that is catalytically active is produced. Thus, the surface of the hydrogen absorbing alloy is activated. The steam is contained in an inert gas or a reductive gas. This treatment method is suitable as an activation treatment for a hydrogen absorbing alloy used as an active material of a negative electrode of a secondary battery.

Abstract: An electrode for a sealed nickel/metal hydride battery and a method of manufacturing the same, which is capable of suppressing a decrease in the charging reserve of a hydrogen-storage alloy electrode (negative electrode) and an increase in the internal pressure of the battery, is provided. The hydrogen-storage alloy electrode is formed using a tackifier or a binder which is prepared from an organic polymer material containing the ether linkage (--O--), for example, polyethylene oxide, polypropylene oxide , or polybutylene oxide. The specified material is suitably hydrophilic, and it exhibits an oxidation resistance which is much higher than that of a conventional material containing the hydroxyl group (--OH). Therefore, the specified material is especially resistant to oxidation and decomposition at the positive electrode of the battery and can significantly reduce the production of hydrogen attributed to the oxidation and decomposition.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a nickelous positive-electrode active material for an alkaline battery has a formation process in which nickel hydroxide and cobalt hydroxide are formed by adding an alkali metal hydroxide to a reaction system containing nickel ions and cobalt (II) ions. The method comprises at least one step of removing any oxidant which oxidizes the cobalt (II) ions into cobalt (III) ions, during or before the formation process. An expedient for the removal of the oxidant is, for example, to reduce and remove the oxidant by adding a reductant, such as L-ascorbic acid, to the reaction system. The reductant should preferably have an oxidation potential which is lower than the reduction potential of oxygen. Besides, the method should preferably comprise the step of removing the cobalt (III) ions, during or before the formation process.

Abstract: An electroless metal or alloy plating solution as a photo-plating solution contains at least one of copper, nickel, cobalt or tin, and a sacrificial reagent which supplies electrons as a result of irreversible oxidative decomposition. A semiconductor is supported on a substrate, and dipped in the photo-plating solution, and the surface of the semiconductor is irradiated with light having a higher level of energy than the exciting energy of the semiconductor. A thick coating containing at least one of copper, nickel, cobalt or tin can be formed on that portion of the semiconductor which has been irradiated with light.

Abstract: A process for photo-plating only a light-irradiated portion of a dye layer formed on a substrate comprises: forming a dye layer on the surface of a substrate; immersing the substrate with the dye layer into an electroless plating solution comprising a sacrificial reagent for supplying electrons by irreversible oxidative decomposition, and at least one of copper ions, nickel ions, cobalt ions, and tin ions; and irradiating the surface of the dye layer with light having an energy higher than the excitation energy of the dye in the dye layer. A thick coating containing at least one of copper, nickel, cobalt, and tin can be formed with excellent adhesion strength only on the light-irradiated portion of the dye layer formed on the substrate.

Abstract: A reference electrode is formed of lead, zinc, tin, indium, cadmium, magnesium, or any alloy thereof. A pair of electrodes comprising the reference electrode and a responding electrode made of a conductive solid, when placed in oil, develop a potential difference varying with the acidity or basicity of the oil and thus enable the efficient determination of the acidity or basicity.