Abstract: It is a task of the invention to obtain a favorable thrust force characteristic with respect to a stroke of an actuator even if the actuator is used in a thrust force control. To solve the task, in the present invention, a linear motor type electrically-powered actuator AC with a linear motor 3 as a drive section is drivingly controlled. With a basic thrust force variation with respect to the stroke in a non-excitation state as a basis, a thrust force command Fc is used to correct a phase of the basic thrust force variation and a magnitude thereof to determine a compensation quantity which corresponds to the thrust force variation with respect to the stroke.

Abstract: An automotive vehicle with a steering apparatus includes a steering wheel, front and rear steerable road wheels, and a steering mechanism for steering the front and rear steerable road wheels. The steering apparatus measures a steering wheel angle of the steering wheel; sets a desired position of a center of rotation about which the vehicle is to rotate for changing a heading angle of the vehicle with respect to a path of the vehicle; sets a desired turning behavior of the vehicle in accordance with the measured steering wheel angle and the desired position of the center of rotation; sets the desired front and rear road wheel steer angles in accordance with the desired turning behavior; and controls the steering mechanism in accordance with the desired front and rear road wheel steer angles.

Abstract: An automotive vehicle with a steering apparatus includes a steering wheel, front and rear steerable road wheels, and a steering mechanism for steering the front and rear steerable road wheels. The steering apparatus measures a steering wheel angle of the steering wheel; sets a desired position of a center of rotation about which the vehicle is to rotate for changing a heading angle of the vehicle with respect to a path of the vehicle; sets a desired turning behavior of the vehicle in accordance with the measured steering wheel angle and the desired position of the center of rotation; sets the desired front and rear road wheel steer angles in accordance with the desired turning behavior; and controls the steering mechanism in accordance with the desired front and rear road wheel steer angles.

Abstract: It is a task of the invention to obtain a favorable thrust force characteristic with respect to a stroke of an actuator even if the actuator is used in a thrust force control. To solve the task, in the present invention, a linear motor type electrically-powered actuator AC with a linear motor 3 as a drive section is drivingly controlled. With a basic thrust force variation with respect to the stroke in a non-excitation state as a basis, a thrust force command Fc is used to correct a phase of the basic thrust force variation and a magnitude thereof to determine a compensation quantity which corresponds to the thrust force variation with respect to the stroke.

Abstract: To control a camber angle to an adequate value by the use of a lateral force acting on a wheel, without causing a displacement of a tire ground contact point. A suspension device includes a link mechanism replaceable by a first virtual link 11 which, when a lateral force acts at a tire ground contact point, inclines a wheel in a camber angle direction with respect to a vehicle body so as to increase the lateral force, and a second virtual link 12 which is connected virtually and rotatably between the first virtual link 11 and the vehicle body 1 and which is arranged to allow the wheel 2 to move in the up-and-down direction with respect to the vehicle body 1 in accordance with a load variation of the wheel in the up-and-down direction.

Abstract: [Problem] To control a camber angle to an adequate value by the use of a lateral force acting on a wheel, without causing a displacement of a tire ground contact point. [Means for solution] A suspension device includes a link mechanism replaceable by a first virtual link 11 which, when a lateral force acts at a tire ground contact point, inclines a wheel in a camber angle direction with respect to a vehicle body so as to increase the lateral force, and a second virtual link 12 which is connected virtually and rotatably between the first virtual link 11 and the vehicle body 1 and which is arranged to allow the wheel 2 to move in the up-and-down direction with respect to the vehicle body 1 in accordance with a load variation of the wheel in the up-and-down direction.

Abstract: A turning behavior control apparatus and turning behavior control process for a motor vehicle is disclosed. The apparatus is configured to set a target vehicle turning behavior (such as the target side slip angle and the target yaw rate) in accordance with a driver's steering operation, to independently set a target vehicle yaw direction, to modify the target vehicle turning behavior in accordance with the target vehicle yaw direction, to calculate target front and rear wheel steer angles in accordance with the modified target turning behavior and to control steer mechanisms in accordance therewith.

Abstract: An automotive vehicle with a steering apparatus includes a steering wheel, front and rear steerable road wheels, and a steering mechanism for steering the front and rear steerable road wheels. The steering apparatus measures a steering wheel angle of the steering wheel; sets a desired position of a center of rotation about which the vehicle is to rotate for changing a heading angle of the vehicle with respect to a path of the vehicle; sets a desired turning behavior of the vehicle in accordance with the measured steering wheel angle and the desired position of the center of rotation; sets the desired front and rear road wheel steer angles in accordance with the desired turning behavior; and controls the steering mechanism in accordance with the desired front and rear road wheel steer angles.

Abstract: An electric power steering system for an automotive vehicle, including a steering torque detecting device which detects a steering torque of a steering shaft. An electric motor is provided to generate an assist torque for assisting a driver's steering effort required for steering the vehicle and a counter-assist torque for increasing the driver's steering effort. The assist torque and the counter-assist torque are applied to a steering mechanism. Additionally, a controller is provided to output a drive command to the electric motor in accordance with the detected steering torque. The drive command is for causing the electric motor to generate the counter-assist torque when the detected steering torque is a transitional torque.

Abstract: In a multiplex power steering device for a wheeled vehicle, there is provided a control unit which includes a feedback computing part. The feedback computing part comprises an operating force estimating section that, by analyzing an output from a controlled system of actuators of a steering mechanism, estimates an output of the actuators, a disturbance estimating section that, by comparing a control signal actually fed to the actuators and the estimated output of the actuators, estimates a disturbance applied to the controlled system from the exterior, and a disturbance compensating section that adjusts the control signal in a manner to remove the estimated disturbance therefrom. The control unit calculates the control signal on the assumption that the actuators constitute a single actuator.

Abstract: An electric power steering system for an automotive vehicle, including a steering torque detecting device which detects a steering torque of a steering shaft. An electric motor is provided to generate an assist torque for assisting a driver's steering effort required for steering the vehicle and a counter-assist torque for increasing the driver's steering effort. The assist torque and the counter-assist torque are applied to a steering mechanism. Additionally, a controller is provided to output a drive command to the electric motor in accordance with the detected steering torque. The drive command is for causing the electric motor to generate the counter-assist torque when the detected steering torque is a transitional torque.

Abstract: In a multiplex power steering device for a wheeled vehicle, there is provided a control unit which includes a feedback computing part. The feedback computing part comprises an operating force estimating section that, by analyzing an output from a controlled system of actuators of a steering mechanism, estimates an output of the actuators, a disturbance estimating section that, by comparing a control signal actually fed to the actuators and the estimated output of the actuators, estimates a disturbance applied to the controlled system from the exterior, and a disturbance compensating section that adjusts the control signal in a manner to remove the estimated disturbance therefrom. The control unit calculates the control signal on the assumption that the actuators constitute a single actuator.

Abstract: In an electric brake system with at least an electric wheel brake mechanism having a pair of brake friction pads to produce a braking force based on a brake manipulated variable, and a brake friction pad thrust sensor detecting a pressure of either one of the brake friction pad pair against a disk rotor, an electric brake control unit causing a temporary movement of the brake friction pad pair into contact with the disk rotor when a predetermined time period has expired from a time when a brake pedal has been recovered to an inoperative state. In the system, a position of the brake friction pad pair, at which the pressure becomes greater than a predetermined threshold value during the temporary movement of the brake friction pad pair into contact with the disk rotor, is detected or determined as a braking initiation position.

Abstract: In an electric brake system with at least an electric wheel brake mechanism having a pair of brake friction pads to produce a braking force based on a brake manipulated variable, and a brake friction pad thrust sensor detecting a pressure of either one of the brake friction pad pair against a disk rotor, an electric brake control unit causing a temporary movement of the brake friction pad pair into contact with the disk rotor when a predetermined time period has expired from a time when a brake pedal has been recovered to an inoperative state. In the system, a position of the brake friction pad pair, at which the pressure becomes greater than a predetermined threshold value during the temporary movement of the brake friction pad pair into contact with the disk rotor, is detected or determined as a braking initiation position.

Abstract: An electromechanical brake system for a vehicle has a brake actuator installed to each wheel of the vehicle and a controller for controlling an operation of each brake actuator. The brake actuator is constituted to clamp a disc rotor by a pair of brake pads through a rotational motion converting mechanism according to an operation of the motor. The rotational motion converting mechanism is constituted by a screw shaft integrally connected to a rotation shaft of the motor and a ball screw screwed with the screw shaft and integrally connected to one of the pair of brake pads. When the vehicle is put in a stopping state, the controller drives the motor so that an ordinary use region of the screw shaft, which is contacted with balls of the ball nut during a brake operation, is faced with a lubricant hole formed at an end portion of the ball nut.

Abstract: In the disk brake, mounting portions of the caliper of a disk brake extending toward the entrance side and the exit side with respect to the rotation direction of the disk. Relative to the rotation direction, the length of the mounting portion on the entrance side is greater than that of the mounting portion on the exit side so that the cylinder portion is offset toward the exit side. Further, the mounting portion on the entrance side has thickenings formed to extend in a longitudinal direction thereof, so that with respect to the direction of the axis of the disk, the thickness of the mounting portion on the entrance side is greater than that of the mounting portion on the exit side. During braking, when a bending moment acts on the caliper, which can cause inclination of the caliper relative to the disk, flexural rigidity of the mounting portion on the entrance side is higher than that of the mounting portion on the exit side.

Abstract: A disk pass portion for receiving a part of a disk is provided between a cylinder portion and an outer claw portion of a caliper body at the inner peripheral side of a bridge portion of the caliper body. A pair of mounting portions extend arcuately from both sides of the bridge portion to lie outside the disk pass portion with respect to the radial direction of the disk. A pair of sliding pins are secured to the distal ends of the mounting portions through pin bolts and slidably fitted in pin-fitting holes provided in a mounting member supporting the caliper. When the brake is activated, friction pads are pressed against the disk by the caliper. At this time, deformation of the caliper by reaction forces from the disk is small around the area where proximal portions of the mounting portions are connected to the caliper body.

Abstract: A disk brake in which a cylinder bore of a caliper is decentered toward the exit side in the rotational direction of a disk with respect to friction pads, and claw portions of the caliper are also decentered toward the exit side with respect to the friction pads. The entrance-side and exit-side claw portions have approximately the same wall thickness in the circumferential direction of the disk. When the brake is activated, the claw portions exhibit approximately the same rigidity so that the surface pressure of each claw portion pressing the outer friction pad can is kept uniform, and non-uniform.

Abstract: Two shim plates provided for a friction pad are arranged to be slidable relative to each other in the circumferential direction of a disk, thereby suppressing the transmission of rotational force from the disk to a caliper through the friction pad and so forth during a braking operation. A friction pad including a lining and a backing plate is disposed between the disk and an outer leg portion of the caliper. An inner shim plate is integrally mounted on the back of the backing plate. An outer shim plate is disposed between the inner shim plate and the outer leg portion of the caliper in such a manner as to be slidable relative to the inner shim plate in the circumferential direction of the disk. During a braking operation, when the friction pad pressed by the caliper is circumferentially displaced by being dragged by the disk, the inner shim plate, together with the friction pad, slides relative to the outer shim plate, thereby reducing rotational force transmitted from the disk to the caliper.

Abstract: A disc brake includes a carrier with a pair of axially and outwardly extending arms. A pair of pad springs are mounted to the inner side of the arms. Each of the pad springs has a pair of return springs. The return springs extend radially of a rotor and have respective projections. Each of the return spring is made by bending an elongated tongue. A pair of backing plates are attached to a corresponding pair of friction pads and have lugs. A wear warning element is attached adjacent to the lug of each backing plate and has a bent portion. Each of the projections is resiliently in contact with the inner side of the bent portion so as to constantly urge the backing plate and the friction pad in a direction away from the rotor.