Abstract: A control apparatus for a vehicular drive system including a first transmission portion having a differential mechanism operable to distribute an engine output to a first electric motor and a power transmitting member, and a second electric motor disposed in a power transmitting path between the power transmitting member and a drive wheel; and a second transmission portion constituting a part of the power transmitting path.

Abstract: A control apparatus for a vehicular drive system including (a) a differential portion having a differential mechanism operable to distribute an output of an engine to a first electric motor and a power transmitting member, a second electric motor disposed in a power transmitting path between the power transmitting member and a vehicle drive wheel, and a switching clutch and a switching brake provided in the differential mechanism and operable to limit a differential function of the differential portion, and (b) a step-variable automatic transmission portion constituting a part of the power transmitting path and operable to perform a clutch-to-clutch shifting action by a releasing action of a coupling device and an engaging action of another coupling device, the control apparatus including a step-variable shifting control configured to change an amount of racing of an input speed of the automatic transmission portion during the clutch-to-clutch shifting action, depending upon whether the differential function

Abstract: To provide a defect inspection apparatus and defect inspection method adapted to make it possible to easily assign threshold levels to a plurality of scattered-light detectors and to appropriately acquire data detected by each of the scattered-light detectors.

Abstract: A shroud 15 attached to an air discharge side of a radiator 13 narrows toward a centrifugal-flow-type rotary fan 11 and forms a cylindrical shape. A surrounding portion 17 is provided so as to surround the rotary fan 11, and a guide portion 19 extending in the centrifugal direction of the rotary fan 11 is provided at the end of the surrounding portion 17. The length of the guide portion 19 is about 6% the diameter of the rotary fan 11. Since this mitigates turbulence of centrifugally flowing air 21 flowing out of the rotary fan 11 and suppress a drop in the amount of air passing through the radiator 13, the cooling capacity of the radiator 13 can be enhanced.

Abstract: A shroud 15 attached to an air discharge side of a radiator 13 narrows toward a centrifugal-flow-type rotary fan 11 and forms a cylindrical shape. A surrounding portion 17 is provided so as to surround the rotary fan 11. A guide portion 23 extending in the centrifugal direction of the rotary fan 11 is provided at a circumferential edge portion of the surrounding portion 17. A cylindrical portion 19, which is smaller in diameter than the surrounding portion 17 is provided inside the surrounding portion 17, and an upper portion of the cylindrical portion 19 is fixed to the wall surface of the shroud 15. A lower portion of the cylindrical portion 19 is fixed by a fixing portion 21 having an inner diameter equal to the diameter of the cylindrical portion and an outer diameter equal to the diameter of the surrounding portion 17.

Abstract: A second electric motor is arranged on a first axis on which an output shaft of the engine is arranged, a transmission is arranged on a second axis which is parallel with the first axis, and a clutch is arranged on the first axis to selectively connect and disconnect the second electric motor and the transmission to and from the engine. Power on the first axis is transmitted to an input shaft of the transmission via a power transmitting mechanism.

Abstract: A transmission can be provided which achieves multiple speeds while maintaining good balance of gear ratio steps between gears by having a first clutch which selectively connects a first intermediate output member and a fourth rotating element RE4 together, a second clutch which selectively connects an input shaft and a second rotating element RE2 together, a third clutch which selectively connects the first intermediate output member and a first rotating element RE1 together, a fourth clutch which selectively connects the input shaft and the first rotating element RE1 together, a fifth clutch which selectively connects a second intermediate output member and the first rotating element RE1 together, a first brake which selectively holds the first rotating element RE1 to a transmission case, and a second brake which selectively holds the second rotating element RE2 to the transmission case.

Abstract: At a first forward speed, the oil passage in a relay valve is switched to control the torque capacity of a lock-up clutch using a linear solenoid valve that controls the engagement pressure of a clutch that is engaged at each of fifth to eighth forward speeds. At each of second to eighth forward speeds, the oil passage in another relay valve is switched to control the torque capacity of the lock-up clutch using a linear solenoid valve that controls the engagement pressure of a brake that is engaged at the first forward speed.

Abstract: A solid-state image pickup device includes a plurality of pixels on a light-receiving surface, photodiodes disposed on the light-receiving surface of a semiconductor substrate while being partitioned on the pixel basis, signal transferring portions which are disposed on the semiconductor substrate and which read signal charges generated and stored in the photodiodes or voltages corresponding to the signal charges, insulating films disposed on the semiconductor substrate while covering the photodiodes, concave portions disposed in the insulating films, pad electrodes disposed on the insulating films, a passivation film which covers inner walls of the concave portions, which is disposed on the pad electrodes, and which has a refractive index higher than that of silicon oxide, and a core layer which is disposed on the passivation film while being filled in the concave portions and which has a refractive index higher than that of silicon oxide.

Abstract: Engagement, disengagement, and slip of a lock-up clutch can be controlled using two valves that are a lock-up relay valve and a linear solenoid valve. A lock-up control valve employed in a conventional hydraulic control apparatus can be eliminated, which simplifies the configuration, and reduces the size of a hydraulic control apparatus for a torque converter with a lock-up clutch. When the lock-up clutch is engaged, hydraulic pressure output from the linear solenoid valve is supplied to a disengagement-side oil chamber of the torque converter, and a pressure difference between the engagement-side oil chamber and the disengagement-side oil chamber is applied to a spool valve element of the linear solenoid valve. Therefore, the spool valve element is driven such that an electromagnetic force applied from a linear solenoid becomes equal to the pressure difference.

Abstract: A control apparatus for a shift-position changing mechanism that changes the shift positions of an automatic transmission mounted in a vehicle using a rotational force of an actuator based on the state of an operation member includes: a detection unit that detects a command to change the shift positions based on a change in the state of the operation member; a control unit that controls the actuator such that the actuator is rotated by a predetermined rotation amount, when a predetermined first condition concerning the state of the vehicle is satisfied in a case the command to change the shift positions is not detected; and a determination unit that determines that a failure has occurred in the shift-position changing mechanism, when a predetermined second condition on the control of the actuator is satisfied.

Abstract: A second electric motor is arranged on a first axis on which an output shaft of the engine is arranged, a transmission is arranged on a second axis which is parallel with the first axis, and a clutch is arranged on the first axis to selectively connect and disconnect the second electric motor and the transmission to and from the engine. Power on the first axis is transmitted to an input shaft of the transmission via a power transmitting mechanism.

Abstract: A shift-position control apparatus for an automatic transmission mounted in a vehicle includes a shift-position changing unit that moves a mechanical element using an actuator in response to an operation to change a shift-position to another shift-position instructed by the operation from among a plurality of shift-positions; a detection unit that detects the operating state of the shift-position changing unit; a malfunction determination unit that determines whether a malfunction has occurred in the shift-position changing unit based on the operating state during a reference time; and a setting unit that sets the reference time, which is used when a shift-position change that involves a change in the direction of power transfer is made, to a time that is shorter than the reference time, which is used when a shift-position change that does not involve a change in the direction of power transfer is made.

Abstract: A shift-position changing apparatus for an automatic transmission mounted in a vehicle includes a shift-position changing unit that moves a mechanical element using an actuator in response to the operation to change a shift-position to another shift-position instructed by the operation from among a plurality of shift-positions; and a setting member that places the mechanical element within a predetermined range independently of the operating state of the actuator.

Abstract: A traveling vehicle, wherein a power transmission system for traveling straight forward, a power transmission system for turning, a power transmission system for PTO, and a power transmission system for driving a pump are disposed in a transmission part integrally with each other and a transmission device for traveling straight forward and a continuously variable transmission device for turning are interlockingly installed in the transmission part continuously with each other in a parallel state, whereby the transmission systems can be compactly disposed in the transmission part, and all of the power transmission system for traveling straight forward, the power transmission system for turning, the power transmission system for PTO, and the power transmission system for driving the pump can be easily assembled by merely installing the transmission part on a body frame.

Abstract: In an automatic transmission position control by a motor, it is determined whether the present instant belongs to a starting period, that is, the present instant is immediately after resetting of a control unit or application of power to it. If it is the starting period, an actual shift position that is detected from an output of an output shaft sensor for detecting a rotation position of a motor is set as an instructed shift position. With this measure, even if the control unit is reset for a certain reason while the vehicle is running, the instructed shift position is not changed in association with the resetting. This prevents trouble that the shift position is switched contrary to the intention of the driver, whereby the reliability of a position switching control can be increased.

Abstract: A control apparatus for a vehicular drive system provided with a step-variable transmission portion operable to transmit an output of an engine to a drive wheel of a vehicle and functioning as a step-variable transmission, and an input clutch operable to permit and inhibit an input of a drive force from the engine to the step-variable transmission portion, the control apparatus including an input-clutch control portion operable to reduce a torque capacity of said input clutch, during a shifting action of the step-variable transmission portion, for limiting a torque to be transmitted to the step-variable transmission portion, to a value not larger than a predetermined value.

Abstract: In an automatic transmission position control by a motor, it is determined whether the present instant belongs to a starting period, that is, the present instant is immediately after resetting of a control unit or application of power to it. If it is the starting period, an actual shift position that is detected from an output of an output shaft sensor for detecting a rotation position of a motor is set as an instructed shift position. With this measure, even if the control unit is reset for a certain reason while the vehicle is running, the instructed shift position is not changed in association with the resetting. This prevents trouble that the shift position is switched contrary to the intention of the driver, whereby the reliability of a position switching control can be increased.

Abstract: A control apparatus for a vehicular drive system including a continuously-variable transmission portion operable as an electrically controlled continuously variable transmission, the continuously-variable transmission portion having a differential mechanism operable to distribute an output of an engine to a first electric motor and a power transmitting member, and a second electric motor disposed in a power transmitting path between the power transmitting member and a drive wheel of a vehicle.