Denso Corporation

Anden Co., Ltd.

Nippon Soken, Inc.

Denso Corpora Tion

Arden Co., Ltd.

Akikazu Uchida

Hiroshi Nakamura

Takumi Sugiura

Akira Takagi

Hiroshi Katsurahara

Toshiki Annoura

Jun Tarui

Yasunori Kobayashi

Daisuke Shikanai

Masao Kano

Noriyasu Amano

Shinichi Yokoyama

Masayuki Echizen

Kunihiro Tsuzuki

Shinji Wakabayashi

Yukinobu Kajita

Takayoshi Nakamura

A prime mover is provided in a housing, and can operate by energization and output a torque. A speed reducer can decelerate and output the torque of the prime mover. A rotational translation unit including a rotation portion that rotates relative to the housing when the torque output from the speed reducer is input, and a translation portion that moves relative to the housing in an axial direction when the rotation portion rotates relative to the housing and can change a state of a clutch to an engaged state or a non-engaged state. The speed reducer includes an output unit that outputs the decelerated torque of the prime mover to the rotation portion. The rotation portion is formed of a material different from that of the output unit separately, and is provided to be rotatable integrally with the output unit.

Clutch actuator

A prime mover includes a stator fixed to a housing, and a rotor rotatable relative to the stator. The prime mover outputs torque from the rotor by being supplied with electric power. A speed reducer reduces the torque of the prime mover and outputs the reduced torque. The speed reducer includes a sun gear to which the torque from the rotor is input, and a planetary gear that revolves in a circumferential direction of the sun gear while rotating in a state of meshing with the sun gear. The rotor and the sun gear are formed separately, and are disposed coaxially so as to be integrally rotatable.

Clutch device

A prime mover includes a stator fixed to a housing and a rotor relatively rotatable relative to the stator. The prime mover outputs torque from the rotor by being supplied with electric power. A speed reducer reduces the torque of the prime mover and outputs the reduced torque. One bearing portion rotatably supports the rotor. The speed reducer includes an input portion that is coaxial and integrally rotatable with the rotor and receives the torque from the rotor.

A prime mover includes a stator fixed to the housing and a rotor rotatable relative to the stator. The prime mover outputs torque by being supplied with electric power. A speed reducer reduces the torque of the prime mover and outputs the reduced torque. A rotational translation unit includes a rotation portion that rotates relative to the housing upon receiving the torque from the speed reducer, and a translation portion that moves relative to the housing in an axial direction. A clutch allows torque transmission in an engaged state, and interrupts the torque transmission in a disengaged state. A state changing unit changes the state of the clutch by receiving a force along the axial direction from the translation portion. Cogging torque generated between the rotor and the stator is set to such a magnitude that the rotor is stoppable at any rotation position relative to the stator.

A relay includes two stators each having a fixed contact, and a movable element having movable contacts. Each of the stators includes a stator proximity plate portion adjacent to the movable element, and the movable element includes a movable element proximity plate portion adjacent to the stators. A direction of current flowing in the stator proximity plate portions is set to be same as a direction of current flowing in the movable element proximity plate portion to generate an inter-plate attraction force for attracting the movable element proximity plate portion onto the stator proximity plate portions. The movable element proximity plate portion is biased by the inter-plate attraction force toward a direction for bringing the movable contacts into contact with the fixed contacts.

Relay

A relay includes two stators and a movable element. Each stator has a fixed contact and includes an excitation portion that has a winding shape and generates a magnetic field. The movable element has movable contacts. In a magnetic flux of the magnetic field generated by the excitation portion, a movable element passing magnetic flux that passes through the movable element is orthogonal to a direction of current flowing in the movable element and a moving direction of the movable element. A Lorentz force that is generated by the movable element passing magnetic flux and the current flowing in the movable element acts in a direction for bringing the movable contacts into contact with the fixed contacts.

A microcomputer of an alcohol concentration sensor reads a first measurement value corresponding to a first frequency and reads a second measurement value corresponding to a second frequency. The microcomputer calculates a difference between the first and second measurement values. The microcomputer performs stuck failure abnormality determination when a state where the difference between the measurement values is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value continues. The microcomputer outputs a PWM signal of a specific frequency, which is different from a frequency in a case of a normality, to an engine ECU. Thus, a failure of the alcohol concentration sensor can be surely determined.

Liquid concentration measuring device

An object of the invention is to provide a fuel-aspect sensor having higher detection accuracy. A first electrode is inserted into a hole formed in a first housing member. A cylindrical second electrode is inserted into and firmly fixed to the first electrode by a cylindrical insulating member. A first elastic member, for example, made of rubber, is arranged between the first electrode and a second housing member. The first electrode has a large-diameter portion, which is biased by the first elastic member toward a sealing surface formed on an inner wall of the hole, so as to fluid-tightly seal a space between the first electrode and the second housing member.

Fuel-aspect sensor

A capacitance sensing section senses a capacitance between first and second electrodes. A temperature sensing section senses fuel temperature. A microcomputer functions as a concentration sensing section and senses a concentration of ethanol contained in fuel based on the capacitance sensed by the capacitance sensing section and the temperature sensed by the temperature sensing section. The microcomputer functions as an abnormality detecting section and performs abnormality determination to determine that an abnormality has occurred in the capacitance sensing section when the capacitance sensed by the capacitance sensing section does not change and the temperature sensed by the temperature sensing section changes. Since a dielectric constant has such a temperature characteristic that the dielectric constant changes with the temperature, the abnormality detecting section can detect occurrence of the abnormality in the capacitance sensing section.

Liquid concentration sensing device

An alcohol density sensor for detecting an alcohol density in mixture fuel composed of petroleum-fuel and alcohol is installed in a fuel tank of an automotive vehicle. The alcohol density sensor includes a pair of electrodes immersed in the mixture fuel and a conductor portion for connecting the electrodes to a control unit having a circuit board. The conductor portion is composed of a first conductor portion integrally formed with the electrode and a second conductor portion connected to the first conductor portion. The first conductor portion is led out of a casing containing the electrodes and liquid-tightly sealed at a first through-hole formed in the casing. The second conductor portion is led out of the fuel tank through a second through-hole formed in the fuel tank. Since the first through-hole is sufficiently sealed to prevent pressurized mixture fuel in the casing from leaking into an inner space of the fuel tank, sealing of the second through-hole can be simplified.

Alcohol concentration sensor disposed in fuel tank of automotive vehicle

In a fuel property sensor, a pair of first and second electrodes is arranged in a fuel chamber to measure an electric capacitance, thereby detecting a mixing ratio of alcohol to gasoline in a fuel of the fuel chamber. An outer wall surface of the first electrode is exposed in the fuel, and a sensing portion contacts an inner wall surface of the first electrode to detect a temperature of the fluid via the first electrode. One end portion of a lead is connected to the sensing portion and the other end portion thereof is connected to a plate portion attached to a housing. Furthermore, an elastic deformation portion is provided as a part of the lead to be elastically deformed, and to cause the sensing portion to be biased in a direction on which the sensing portion contacts the inner wall surface of the first electrode.

Fuel property sensor

In a fuel property detection device, a fuel housing is made of a thin-plate metal member that can be elastically-deformed by a fuel pressure in a fuel chamber. Thus, if the fuel pressure in the fuel chamber is increased, the fuel housing expands and the pressure in the fuel chamber is decreased. Further, if the fuel pressure in the fuel chamber is decreased, the fuel housing contracts and the pressure in the fuel chamber is increased. That is, the fuel housing functions as a kind of damper. Therefore, in the fuel property detection device, generation of abnormal noise due to fuel pulsation or the like, and a positional change of the electrodes due to the fuel pulsation or the like can be prevented.

Fuel property detection device

A fuel property sensor, which is installed to a fuel tank of a fuel tank assembly, senses a property of fuel at the fuel tank. First and second electrodes of the fuel property sensor are made of an electrically conductive material and are exposed in a fuel flow passage in a housing of the fuel property sensor such that the first and second electrodes are generally parallel to a flow direction of fuel in the fuel flow passage and are spaced from each other by a predetermined distance. The fuel property sensor determines the property of the fuel based on a capacitance, which is generated between the first electrode and the second electrode.

Growing community of inventors

Obu, Japan

Akikazu Uchida