Abstract: In a processor allocating apparatus employed in a multiprocessor system capable of executing a plurality of tasks in a parallel manner, a compiler compiles a source program of a program constructed of parallel tasks to produce a target program 3, and also to produce a communication amount table for tasks, which holds therein a data amount of communication process operations executed among the respective tasks of the parallel tasks. While referring to both the communication amount table for tasks, and a processor communication cost table for defining data communication time per unit data in sets of all processors employed in the scheduler makes a decision such that a processor where communication time among the tasks becomes minimum is allocated to the task of the parallel tasks, and registers this decision to a processor management table.

Abstract: A steering angle sensor for accurately detecting the steering angle of a vehicle, which has a signal pattern based on partial changes of the electromagnetic characteristics formed at part of the steering rack bar of the steering gear box and reads the same by a signal detector provided opposing the steering rack bar so as to detect the absolute position of the steering rack bar.

Abstract: A suspension control system for controlling a suspension having a shock absorber provided for each wheel of a vehicle includes a damping force change rate detector which detects a damping force change rate indicating a rate of change of a damping force of the shock absorber, and a damping force controller which alters the setting of the damping force on the basis of a relationship between the damping force change rate and an adjustment reference value. The system also includes a road surface condition detector which detects a condition of a road surface on which the vehicle is running on the basis of a change of the damping force of the shock absorber. Further, the system includes a damping force adjustment correcting unit which corrects the adjustment reference value by learning the adjustment reference value on the basis of a parameter related to the damping force of the shock absorber which reflects the condition of the road surface.

Abstract: A suspension control system for controlling a suspension having a shock absorber provided for a wheel of a vehicle includes a damping force detector which generates a damping force detection signal which indicates a change of a damping force of the shock absorber based on a condition of a road surface on which the vehicle is running. The system also includes a sprung resonance component extraction unit which extracts a sprung resonance component signal from the damping force detection signal. The sprung resonance component signal includes components having frequencies around a sprung resonance frequency of the shock absorber. Further, the system includes a determining part which determines whether or not the sprung resonance component signal exceeds a first level range provided for detecting a sign of the occurrence of a long-term vehicle vibration and which outputs a determination result.

Abstract: A suspension control system for controlling a suspension having a shock absorber provided for a wheel of a vehicle includes a damping force change rate detector which detects a damping force change rate indicating a rate of change of a damping force of the shock absorber, and a damping force controller which alters the setting of the damping force on the basis of the relationship between the damping force change rate and an adjustment reference value. The system also includes a road surface condition detector which detects, for every first period, the condition of a road surface on which the vehicle is running on the basis of a change of the damping force of the shock absorber, and a damping force adjustment correcting unit which corrects the adjustment reference value by learning, for every second period, the adjustment reference value on the basis of a parameter related to the damping force of the shock absorber which reflects the condition of the road surface.

Abstract: A shock absorber control system having shock absorbers provided respectively between wheels of a vehicle and a body thereof includes road surface condition detecting units provided for the respective shock absorbers, and damping force characteristic alteration units provided for the respective shock absorbers. The shock absorber control system also includes a correction unit for separately generating signals indicative of detection characteristics of the road surface condition detecting units provided for the respective shock absorbers on the basis of road surface condition detection signals generated by the road surface condition detecting units and for separately correcting either reference values used for determining whether or not the road surface is rough by the damping force characteristic alteration units or the road surface condition detection signals on the basis of the detection characteristics of the road surface condition detecting units provided for the respective shock absorbers.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling a damping force of a shock absorber provided between a wheel of a vehicle and a body thereof includes a road surface condition detecting unit for detecting a roughness of a road surface on which the vehicle is traveling, and a damping force characteristic alteration unit for altering the setting of the damping force of the shock absorber on the basis of the roughness of the road surface detected by the road surface condition detecting unit. The apparatus also includes a damping force detecting unit, for detecting a magnitude of the damping force of the shock absorber, and an alteration speed control unit for controlling, on the basis of the magnitude of the damping force detected by the damping force detecting unit, an alteration speed at which the setting of the damping force is altered so that the alteration speed decreases as the magnitude of the damping force increases.

Abstract: A suspension control system controls suspensions provided for wheels of a vehicle includes a driving condition detecting part for detecting a driving condition of the vehicle, and a determination part for determining whether or not the driving condition detected by the driving condition detecting part coincides with a predetermined driving condition. The suspensions are grouped into a plurality of groups. Also the system includes a control part for separately controlling the suspensions on the basis of the driving condition when the determination part determines that the driving condition does not coincide with the predetermined driving condition and for controlling the suspensions for each of the groups so that the suspensions in an identical group are set to an identical condition when the determination part determines that the driving condition coincides with the predetermined driving condition.

Abstract: A drive system of a piezo-type actuator for use in a motor vehicle, which piezo-type actuator is constructed with a piezoelectric device which is expandable and contractible in accordance with application of a voltage thereto. The drive system includes a voltage-increasing section for increasing an output voltage of a power source mounted on the motor vehicle so as to develop a drive voltage for the piezo-type actuator and a voltage-application section for applying to the piezoelectric device of the piezo-type actuator the drive voltage. Also included in the drive system is an abnormality detection section which is arranged so as to an abnormality of the drive voltage developed by the voltage-increasing section.

Abstract: A shock absorber includes a piston for partitioning the interior of a cylinder into two liquid chambers while affording communication between both liquid chambers through a plurality of ports, and a valve body biased toward the piston for opening and closing the ports. The piston has a ring portion which forms a path in cooperation with the valve body for regulating the amount of liquid flowing from the ports around an outer peripheral edge of the valve body. An effective area of the ports is larger than the maximum effective area of the path.

Abstract: An electrically operated tiltable vehicle steering mechanism includes an electric motor of a reversible type which is adapted to drive through a speed reduction mechanism a screw shaft of a screw-nut mechanism. The screw-nut mechanism includes a nut which is engaged with the screw shaft and connected with a tiltable bracket supporting a steering shaft. Stoppers are provided to limit the stroke of the movement of the nut. The stopper includes a stopper plate made of a metallic material of a low frictional coefficient and a rubber cushion. The stopper is located with the stopper plate faced to the nut for engagement therewith and the rubber cushion maintained in contact with the housing of the screw-nut mechanism. The mechanism is provided with a clutch means for allowing a slip between the motor and the screw nut mechanism when the excessive load is applied to a torque transmission mechanism.

Abstract: A telescopic steering mechanism for automotive vehicles includes first and second support members telescopically coupled with each other for relative movement, a first shaft rotatably carried by the first support member, a second shaft rotatably carried by the second support member and telescopically coupled with the first shaft for rotation therewith, a feed screw shaft arranged in parallel with the first and second shafts and rotatably carried by the first support shaft, and a feed nut fixedly mounted on the second support member and threadedly coupled over the feed screw shaft for effecting relative movement of the support members in accordance with rotation of the feed screw shaft.

Abstract: A rotary driving device includes a pair of stator magnetic poles having opposing end faces separated by gaps; a rotor of magnetic material rotatably supported inside the stator magnetic pole pair, having two pole surfaces between two planes parallel with the axis of rotation; and an excitation coil of the stator magnetic pole pair. The angular positions of the gaps between the end faces of the stator magnetic pole pair along the circumferential direction are changed along the axial direction, so that output and detent torques are obtained effectively and satisfactorily.

Abstract: An electromagnetic directional control valve for changing over flow paths of fluid comprises a plunger disposed in a case and being capable of moving from a neutral position in one axial direction by a first solenoid and in the other axial direction by a second solenoid to participate in the changeover of the flow paths. First and second stoppers bearing against the plunger are moved together with the plunger respectively in one axial direction and the other axial direction. First and second springs bias the first and second stopper respectively in the direction of abutting against the plunger. The plunger is stopped at the first neutral position held by the first and second springs, at a second position to which the plunger is moved in one axial direction by the first solenoid against the first spring and a third position to which the plunger is moved in the other axial direction by the second solenoid against the second spring.

Abstract: An air suspension system which includes an air spring provided between a car body and a suspension arm for adjusting the car height by changing the volume of the air spring. The air spring includes a diaphragm and an air piston formed to contact with the diaphragm. The air piston has a plurality of wall portions arranged longitudinally. Each wall portion is different in its external shape from the portion adjacent thereto. The external shapes of the air piston includes a combination of at least two shapes of the group including a straight cylindrical shape, a tapered shape converging downward and a tapered shape diverging downward.

Abstract: A hydraulic buffer comprises a cylinder, a piston disposed slidably in the cylinder to partition the interior of the cylinder into first and second liquid chambers, a piston rod connected with the piston and having a first path communicating to the first liquid chamber and a second path communicating to the second liquid chamber and a control rod disposed in the piston rod. A regulating valve operated by the control rod is disposed in the first path and has a third path capable of affording communication between the first and the second paths. The buffer further comprises a case fixed on an outer peripheral surface of the piston rod in the second liquid chamber and having a fourth path affording communication between the second path and the second liquid chamber and a check valve provided in association to the fourth path.

Abstract: A method of adjusting the height of a vehicle provided with an air suspension system capable of adjusting the vehicle height and having two air chambers capable of being communicated with and shut off from each other. The method comprises the steps of shutting off temporarily one air chamber from the remaining one and supplying the compressed air to the other air chamber when the vehicle height is to be increased. The supply of the compressed air is carried out at the same time as or prior to the shutting-off.

Abstract: A combined torque motor and rotary flow control valve unit (10) incorporating a torque motor (12) and a rotary flow control valve (14). The unit (10) includes an enclosure member (70) surrounding a rotor (38) of the torque motor (12) and fluid-tightly isolating the stationary part (18) of the torque motor from a sealed chamber (96) defined within the enclosure member (70) to prevent fluid leakage. Preferably, the chamber (96) in the enclosure member (70) is communicated with a fluid inlet (56) of the valve (14) to counterbalance fluid pressures acting on a rotary flow control member (54) of the valve, thereby eliminating any axial thrust that would otherwise be exerted on the rotary flow control member due to the fluid pressure acting thereon in one direction.

Abstract: An air suspension comprises a shock absorber having a piston rod in which is disposed a control rod for adjusting a damping force, an air spring having a main air chamber and an auxiliary air chamber, a valve body for affording and shutting off communication between both air chambers to adjust the spring constant of the air spring, a support having a rigid member to which the piston rod is fixed and in which the valve body is disposed and connected to a car body and an actuator provided above the support to adjust at the same time the damping force of the shock absorber and the spring constant of the air spring. The actuator is provided with an electric motor, a gear fixed to the motor and a pair of rods arranged parallel to each other and extended toward the rigid member of the support, one rod being coupled with the control rod and the other being coupled with the valve body. The pair of rods are coupled respectively with a pair of tubes supported rotatably by a bracket through pins.

Abstract: A fastening device for a tiltable steering shaft assembly of the type in which when shifted into a remote position upwardly from a pre-selected angular position, the steering wheel is automatically returned to the pre-selected angular position and locked at the same position only by depression of the steering wheel. The fastening device comprises a first manual lever arranged to release lock of the fastening device for permitting upward movement of the steering wheel to the remote position, and a second manual lever arranged to readjust the pre-selected angular position of the steering wheel in accordance with a user's physique, in which the first manual lever is cooperable with the second manual lever in operation of the latter to carry out readjustment of the pre-selected angular position of the steering wheel in a simple manner.