Abstract: A three-dimensional position estimation device includes: a feature point detection unit detecting feature points from images captured by an image capturing device mounted in a moving object; a position-posture change amount calculation unit calculating change amounts of a position and a posture of the moving object; a feature point association unit associating feature points using a feature amount indicating a feature of the feature point; a three-dimensional position acquisition unit acquiring three-dimensional positions of the feature points and acquires a position and a posture of the image capturing device; a graph structure data generation unit generating graph structure data configured with feature point and image nodes, and a feature point and image capturing edges; an error function setting unit setting first and second error functions; and a graph structure data optimizing unit optimizing the three-dimensional position and the position and the posture of the image capturing device.

Abstract: A self-position estimation apparatus includes an image capturing unit capturing driving images and reference images at a plurality of positions along a predetermined driving route, a detection unit detecting feature points on each of the driving images and feature points on each of the reference images, a storage unit storing map information which includes the feature points on each of the reference images and a position and a posture of the image capturing unit at a time each of the reference images is captured by the image capturing unit, and an estimation unit selecting a similar image similar to one of the driving images from the reference images to correlate the feature points on the one of the driving images and feature points on the similar image, the estimation unit estimating a position and a posture of an own vehicle a predetermined driving route based on a correlation result.

Abstract: A three-dimensional position estimation device includes: a feature point detection unit detecting feature points from images captured by an image capturing device mounted in a moving object; a position-posture change amount calculation unit calculating change amounts of a position and a posture of the moving object; a feature point association unit associating feature points using a feature amount indicating a feature of the feature point; a three-dimensional position acquisition unit acquiring three-dimensional positions of the feature points and acquires a position and a posture of the image capturing device; a graph structure data generation unit generating graph structure data configured with feature point and image nodes, and a feature point and image capturing edges; an error function setting unit setting first and second error functions; and a graph structure data optimizing unit optimizing the three-dimensional position and the position and the posture of the image capturing device.

Abstract: A self-position estimation apparatus includes an image capturing unit capturing driving images and reference images at a plurality of positions along a predetermined driving route, a detection unit detecting feature points on each of the driving images and feature points on each of the reference images, a storage unit storing map information which includes the feature points on each of the reference images and a position and a posture of the image capturing unit at a time each of the reference images is captured by the image capturing unit, and an estimation unit selecting a similar image similar to one of the driving images from the reference images to correlate the feature points on the one of the driving images and feature points on the similar image, the estimation unit estimating a position and a posture of an own vehicle a predetermined driving route based on a correlation result.

Abstract: There is provided a cooling structure whose performance for cooling ring members and brushes is enhanced. In a cooling structure applied to a slip ring device including ring members provided to an input shaft and brushes contacting with these ring members, the input shaft includes a shaft member where an external spline portion is formed, and a cylindrical member that is installed over the external circumference of the shaft member so that an internal spline portion formed on the cylindrical member is meshed with the external spline portion, and that the ring members are fixed to the cylindrical member. The internal spline portion is formed upon a portion of the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical member that lies on the radially inward side of the ring members.

Abstract: Provided is a compound motor (14) comprising a magnet rotor (19) supported by bearings (B3, B4) in a rotatable manner, a winding rotor (20) supported by bearings (B5, B6) in a rotatable manner relative to the magnet rotor (19) at the inner side of the magnet rotor (19) and having rotor winding units (20b), and slip ring mechanisms (25). A space is formed in the inner circumference of the winding rotor (20). At least a part of the slip ring mechanisms (25) is arranged in the space of the inner circumference of the winding rotor (20). The bearings (B3 to B6) include bearings (B3, B6), the internal diameter of each is larger than the size of slip ring mechanisms (25) with respect to the radial direction. The bearings (B3, B6) are arranged outside the slip ring mechanisms (25) with respect to the radial direction.

Abstract: There is provided a slip ring device in which three ring members through are provided so as to be lined up in sequence along an axial line of an input shaft and brushes contact with the ring members respectively, three inner bus bars are provided and are supported by a sleeve portion of the input shaft, and contacting groove portions are provided so as to dent in the radially outwards direction into the inner circumferential surfaces of the ring members and extend along the axial line direction, with one end portions of the inner bus bars being set into these contacting groove portions respectively.

Abstract: There is provided a cooling structure whose performance for cooling ring members and brushes is enhanced. In a cooling structure applied to a slip ring device including ring members provided to an input shaft and brushes contacting with these ring members, the input shaft includes a shaft member where an external spline portion is formed, and a cylindrical member that is installed over the external circumference of the shaft member so that an internal spline portion formed on the cylindrical member is meshed with the external spline portion, and that the ring members are fixed to the cylindrical member. The internal spline portion is formed upon a portion of the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical member that lies on the radially inward side of the ring members.

Abstract: During an inertial energy storage operation, electric power conversion at an inverter is controlled such that a direct current electric power from an electric power storage device is converted into an alternating current by the inverter so as to be supplied to stator windings, such that torque in the direction of engine rotation is applied to an output side rotor from a stator to rotatively drive the output side rotor in a state where power transmission from the output side rotor to a drive axle is stopped. During a cranking operation after the inertial energy storage operation, the electric power conversion at an inverter is controlled to permit application of the alternating current to rotor windings, such that a torque in the direction of engine rotation is applied to an input side rotor from the output side rotor, thereby rotatively driving an input side rotor to crank the engine.

Abstract: Provided is a compound motor (14) comprising a magnet rotor (19) supported by bearings (B3, B4) in a rotatable manner, a winding rotor (20) supported by bearings (B5, B6) in a rotatable manner relative to the magnet rotor (19) at the inner side of the magnet rotor (19) and having rotor winding units (20b), and slip ring mechanisms (25). A space is formed in the inner circumference of the winding rotor (20). At least a part of the slip ring mechanisms (25) is arranged in the space of the inner circumference of the winding rotor (20). The bearings (B3 to B6) include bearings (B3, B6), the internal diameter of each is larger than the size of slip ring mechanisms (25) with respect to the radial direction. The bearings (B3, B6) are arranged outside the slip ring mechanisms (25) with respect to the radial direction.

Abstract: During an inertial energy storage operation, electric power conversion at an inverter is controlled such that a direct current electric power from an electric power storage device is converted into an alternating current by the inverter so as to be supplied to stator windings, such that torque in the direction of engine rotation is applied to an output side rotor from a stator to rotatively drive the output side rotor in a state where power transmission from the output side rotor to a drive axle is stopped. During a cranking operation after the inertial energy storage operation, the electric power conversion at an inverter is controlled to permit application of the alternating current to rotor windings, such that a torque in the direction of engine rotation is applied to an input side rotor from the output side rotor, thereby rotatively driving an input side rotor to crank the engine.

Abstract: A tire-generated sound detection sensor detects a tire-generated sound that is generated from a tire while the vehicle is running. A wheel rotation sensor detects a wheel rotation speed. A preprocessor calculates feature quantities corresponding to a road surface state and tire-generated sound sources. A feature vector generator generates a feature vector having, as components, the feature quantities calculated by the preprocessor and the detected wheel rotation speed. A judgment processor estimates a state of a road surface on which the vehicle is running on the basis of the feature vector generated by the feature vector generator and feature vectors that are stored in a judgment map memory so as to be correlated with a plurality of road surface states, respectively, and each of which corresponds to a road surface state and tire-generated sound sources.

Abstract: The load element state detecting portion 72 detects the completion of the filling of the hydraulic oil into the clutch 62 and the working limit of the accumulator 64 on the basis of the displacement of the spool valve element 42. That is, since the completion of the filling of the hydraulic oil into the clutch and the working limit of the accumulator 64 are directly detected, so that the completion of the filling of the hydraulic oil into the clutch 62 and the working limit of the accumulator 64 can be detected with high precision regardless of differences among products and the time-lapse variation. Furthermore, they can be detected without equipping any special device to the hydraulic control circuit, and thus there is an advantage that the device construction is simple.

Abstract: In a detecting apparatus, a resolver generates signals whose magnitudes vary periodically in accordance with a positional change of a fixed element side rotating shaft, which is a base for rotation of a rotator and whose position is offset when force of a component parallel to a rotation plane is applied thereto, and in accordance with a rotational state of the tire. An R/D converter generates pulses whose periods correspond to a rotational angle of the rotator and to positional offset of the rotating shaft. From the pulses, a computer detects a characteristic amount which varies in accordance with the positional offset of the shaft. On the basis of the detected amount and a relationship which is determined in advance on the basis of stiffness of the shaft and the amount, the computer detects a moment applied to the shaft, and computes a force generated at the tire.

Abstract: The load element state detecting portion 72 detects the completion of the filling of the hydraulic oil into the clutch 62 and the working limit of the accumulator 64 on the basis of the displacement of the spool valve element 42. That is, since the completion of the filling of the hydraulic oil into the clutch and the working limit of the accumulator 64 are directly detected, so that the completion of the filling of the hydraulic oil into the clutch 62 and the working limit of the accumulator 64 can be detected with high precision regardless of differences among products and the time-lapse variation. Furthermore, they can be detected without equipping any special device to the hydraulic control circuit, and thus there is an advantage that the device construction is simple.

Abstract: An instruction value Duty for bringing a slip rotation speed Nslip to a target rotation speed is feedback-controlled based on a difference e between the slip rotation speed Nslip and the target rotation speed, and a weight &thgr; from a parameter map. Weights &thgr; are assigned individually to a plurality of models, each of which includes a group of parameters and which are used to form a control model that represents a slip control system. Based on a weight that is assigned to one of the plurality of models, a weight that is assigned to at least one model that is other than the one of the plurality of models is specified. Thus, the amount of calculation required can be reduced by estimating weights for the models including the groups of parameters, which contain parameters that are used to construct the control model, instead of directly estimating the control model-constructing parameters.

Abstract: In a detecting apparatus, a resolver generates signals whose magnitudes vary periodically in accordance with a positional change of a fixed element side rotating shaft, which is a base for rotation of a rotator and whose position is offset when force of a component parallel to a rotation plane is applied thereto, and in accordance with a rotational state of the tire. An R/D converter generates pulses whose periods correspond to a rotational angle of the rotator and to positional offset of the rotating shaft. From the pulses, a computer detects a characteristic amount which varies in accordance with the positional offset of the shaft. On the basis of the detected amount and a relationship which is determined in advance on the basis of stiffness of the shaft and the amount, the computer detects a moment applied to the shaft, and computes a force generated at the tire.

Abstract: A tire-generated sound detection sensor detects a tire-generated sound that is generated from a tire while the vehicle is running. A wheel rotation sensor detects a wheel rotation speed. A preprocessor calculates feature quantities corresponding to a road surface state and tire-generated sound sources. A feature vector generator generates a feature vector having, as components, the feature quantities calculated by the preprocessor and the detected wheel rotation speed. A judgment processor estimates a state of a road surface on which the vehicle is running on the basis of the feature vector generated by the feature vector generator and feature vectors that are stored in a judgment map memory so as to be correlated with a plurality of road surface states, respectively, and each of which corresponds to a road surface state and tire-generated sound sources.

Abstract: A characteristics change of a control object is functionally represented by a parameter &thgr; which varies between values of 0 and 1 as the gain of the control object is surveyed. The frequency of the identification signal is set at a frequency where the difference in gains becomes large. The amplitude of the identification signal is set so that the variation width of the output of the control object is less than or equal to a predetermined value. Because the identification accuracy improves where the input/output characteristics with respect to the parameter are more sensitive, the identification signal set by such a setting apparatus imparts high identification accuracy. Moreover, because the amplitude of the identification signal is set based on the variation width of the output of the control object, identification can be performed without significantly affecting the output of the control object.