Mazda Motor Corporation

Mazada Motor Corporation

Nippon Seiko Kaisha

Akihiko Miyoshi

Hirotaka Kanazawa

Shigeki Furutani

Kenichi Watanabe

Takeshi Tanaka

Hitoshi Nakashima

Shin Takehara

Isamu Chikuma

Satoru Shimada

Shoichi Kamimura

Hiroo Shimoe

Shunsuke Kawasaki

Masaki Watanabe

Norio Tsukaana

Shigeuki Okimoto

Shoich Kamimura

A friction detecting device comprising running condition detector for detecting a running condition of a vehicle including a lateral acceleration acting on a gravity center of the vehicle, steering angle detector for detecting steering angle of front and rear wheels of the vehicle, vehicle speed sensor, memory for storing stability factors of the vehicle including a vehicle weight, respective distances between the gravity center and front and rear axles, cornering powers acting on the front and rear wheels at a standard condition and a yawing moment of inertia, control unit for obtaining a frictional coefficient .mu. of a road surface on which the vehicle is running by employing a following formula;

Friction detecting device for vehicles

A vehicle suspension system including a hydraulic cylinder and a gas spring having a gas chamber and a hydraulic chamber which is connected with the hydraulic cylinder. The hydraulic cylinder is located between the vehicle body and the wheel to support the body on the wheels. A control valve is provided for controlling the supply of hydraulic pressure to the cylidner in accordance with a signal from a control unit. The control unit receives a detection signal from a detector which detects the pressure in the cylinder and produces a control signal in accordance with a transfer function H(s)=R.times.S/(1+R.times.S).

Vehicle suspension system having variable suspension properties

A steering mechanism of a vehicle including a front wheel steering mechanism for steering front wheels of the vehicle, a steering wheel wheel for effecting a steering movement of the front wheel steering mechanism to a desired angle, a rear wheel steering mechanism for steering rear wheels of the vehicle, a control unit for effecting a steering movement of the rear wheel steering mechanism in relation with the steering movement of the front wheels. The arrangement is such that a ratio of the steering angle of the rear wheel to the steering angle of the front wheel is increased in the same direction of steering as the steered direction of the front wheels as the rate of the steering operation for the steering wheel is increased so as to obtain a desirable steering movement of the rear wheels.

Vehicle steering system

The rear wheels of a vehicle are turned together with the front wheels in response to the operation of a steering wheel. Turning ratio changing means is provided so as to be able to change a turning ratio of the rear wheels to the front wheels. In altering the turning ratio, a speed of changing the turning ratio is designed to get delayed when a road surface is more slidable or slippery, i.e., a road surface friction coefficient .mu. is smaller, as compared to when a road surface is less slidable or less slippery, i.e., a road surface friction coefficient .mu. is larger.

Four-wheel steering apparatus for vehicles

A steering system for a vehicle comprises a front wheel turning mechanism for turning the front wheels in response to operation of a steering wheel, a steering ratio changing mechanism inserted into the front wheel turning mechanism to change the ratio of the turning angle of the steering wheel to the turning angle of the front wheels, and a vehicle speed sensor for detecting the vehicle speed. The steering ratio changing mechanism is controlled to increase the ratio as the vehicle speed increases, and as the vehicle speed increases, the control speed of the steering ratio changing mechanism is lowered.

Vehicle steering system having a steering ratio changing mechanism

The rear wheels of a vehicle are turned together with the front wheels in response to the operation of a steering wheel. Turning ratio changing means is provided so as to be able to change a turning ratio of the rear wheels to the front wheels. In altering the turning ratio, a speed of changing the turning ratio is designed to get delayed when the turning ratio is changed in the reverse phase direction as compared with when the turning ratio is changed in the same phase direction.

A four-wheel steering system for a vehicle comprises a steering wheel, a front wheel turning mechanism for turning front wheels in response to operation of the steering wheel, and a rear wheel turning mechanism which turns rear wheels in response to operation of the steering wheel and is provided with an electric actuator for changing the position of a movable member the position of which determines a rear wheel turning angle ratio which is the ratio of the turning angle of the rear wheels to the turning angle of the front wheels for a given turning angle of the steering wheel. A control circuit receives a vehicle speed signal from a vehicle speed sensor and controls the electric actuator according to the detected vehicle speed so that a target rear wheel turning angle ratio determined in advance according to the vehicle speed is obtained. A preset vehicle speed detector detects a preset vehicle speed and a rear wheel turning angle ratio detector detects the actual rear wheel turning angle ratio. A correction circuit which receives signals from the preset vehicle speed detector and the rear wheel turning angle ratio detector and controls the electric actuator to change the position of the movable member so that the actual rear wheel turning angle ratio coincides with the target rear wheel turning angle ratio at said preset vehicle speed.

Four-wheel steering system

In a suspension system for a vehicle, suspension arms are connected to the vehicle body by way of rubber bushings. The bushings are provided with an adjustment device for changing the resistance of the bushings in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. A control circuit is provided to control the adjustment device so that the resistance of the bushings in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body is increased as the steering angle is increased and/or as the vehicle speed is increased.

Suspension system for vehicle

A steering mechanism of a vehicle including a front wheel steering mechanism for steering front wheels of the vehicle, a steering handle wheel for effecting a steering movement of the front wheel steering mechanism to a desired angle, a rear wheel steering mechanism for steering rear wheels of the vehicle, a control circuit for effecting a steering movement of the rear wheel steering mechanism in relation with the steering movement of the front wheels. The arrangement is such that a ratio of the steering angle of the rear wheel to the steering angle of the front wheel as considered in the same direction of steering is increased in accordance with an increase in the steered angle of the front wheel.

A four-wheel steering system for a vehicle has a rear wheel steering ratio changing means which changes the rear wheel steering ratio in accordance with rear wheel steering ratio characteristics predetermined according to the vehicle speed, and an inhibiting means which inhibits the rear wheel steering ratio changing means from changing the rear wheel steering ratio when the steering wheel is turned right or left from its neutral position.

Growing community of inventors

Hiroshima, Japan

Akihiko Miyoshi