Nissan Motor Company Limited

Haruhiko Iizuka

Fukashi Sugasawa

Junichiro Matsumoto

Yukihiro Etoh

Takayuki Yanagishima

Yasutoshi Seko

Hideo Obara

Toshiaki Tanaka

Yasuhisa Takeuchi

Fumiaki Kato

Seishi Yasuhara

Noburu Fukasawa

Nagayuki Marumo

Junichi Kasai

Hiroshi Ueno

Kenji Ikeura

Hiroyuki Asano

Yoshitaka Hata

Terukiyo Murakami

Kazuaki Shimizu

Mitsuhiko Ezoe

Kunihiko Kurami

Yoshinori Katayama

Yuichi Abe

Yoshio Fukai

Akitoshi Mumura

A distance measuring apparatus installed on a car for measuring the distance of the car from the one in front. The distance measuring apparatus comprises a laser generator for emitting a laser beam, a photosensor for receipt of the laser beam reflected from the car in front, means for calculating the distance between the cars when the photosensor receives the reflected laser beam, and a control unit for controlling an adjustable range of the emitted laser beam according to the calculated distance.

Distance measuring apparatus

An automatic braking system for a vehicle is provided. This system includes generally a speed sensor for monitoring speed of the vehicle and a distance sensor for monitoring a distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle. The system determines a marginal time required for the vehicle to collide with the preceding vehicle based on speed relative to the preceding vehicle and the distance to the preceding vehicle to automatically actuate a brake when the marginal time is shorter than a preselected marginal time.

Automatic braking system with proximity detection to a preceding vehicle

There is proved a driving force control system which comprises device for measuring operating state of the vehicle brake system and generating an output signal, and device for controlling a driving force upon a predetermined condition being fulfilled after the output signal has indicated a predetermined operating state of the vehicle brake system.

Driving force control system

A drowsiness alarm system and method for use in automotive vehicles is set to a stand-by state in response to a specific sequence of steering wheel maneuvers which may reflect driver drowsiness, for example, a relatively long period during which the steering wheel is not turned followed by an abrupt steering adjustment. From the standby state, an alarm or display alerting the driver will be generated in response to another sequence of steering maneuver confirming driver drowsiness. The second sequence of maneuvers may be selected from among a number of conventional steering behavior criteria. If driver drowsiness is not confirmed within a predetermined period of time after initiation of the stand-by state, the system is reset to its initial state.

Alarm system and method for sensing a stand-by state in a driver

A system and method for detecting driver drowsiness in an automotive vehicle employs means for detecting changes in steering direction of a steering wheel on the basis of steering pulses, each steering pulse being produced whenever the steering wheel is rotated through a predetermined angle, and determines that the vehicle driver is drowsy when the number of steering pulses within a fixed interval of time exceeds a first reference value and the number of steering reversals within the fixed interval of time is below a second preset reference value.

System and method for detecting driver drowsiness including detection of

A fatigue alarm system and method for an automotive vehicle driver is adapted to measure periods of time during which the vehicle is driven and to subtract therefrom periods of time during which the driver rests. The driver rest periods are distinguished from brief stops of the vehicle in order to accurately measure the adjusted period of driving time. In order to distinguish rest periods from brief traffic stops, the duration of vehicle stops are measured and compared with a given value. When the vehicle stop periods are shorter than the given value, the vehicle is judged to be stopped briefly, i.e. that the driver is not resting, and the measured driving period is incremented by the measured vehicle stop period. On the other hand, when the stop periods are longer than the given value, the driver is judged to be resting. In this case, the measured stop time is subtracted from the measured driving time after being adjusted by a suitable proportionality factor. The result of measurement is visually displayed by means of a plurality of fatigue level indicator segments. The threshold levels at which each indicator segment is activated or deactivated in adjusted in accordance with its current activation state in order to avoid hunting thereof.

Method and system for detecting driver fatigue including differentiation

A drowsiness alarm system for a vehicle detects and signals that the vehicle driver is drowsy on the basis of the duration during which no steering adjustments are made and the magnitude and speed of abrupt steering adjustments immediately following the non-steering period. Parameters compared to the magnitude and speed of the abrupt steering adjustments in order to recognize steering behavior reflecting drowsiness are adjusted in accordance with the duration of the non-steering period.

Method and system for detection of driver drowsiness by an abrupt

A system and method for detecting driver drowsiness on the basis of steering pulses, each steering pulse being produced whenever a steering wheel is rotated through a predetermined angle and indicating the direction of rotation of the steering wheel, comprising means for detecting the roughness of the road surface on which the vehicle is travelling and interrupting the detection of driver drowsiness for a fixed interval of time when the road surface roughness exceeds an acceptable level, i.e. a level conductive to accurate drowsiness detection.

System and method for detecting driver drowsiness of a vehicle

An internal combustion engine is disclosed which comprises first and second cylinder units each including at least one cylinder, a control circuit responsive to engine load for supplying a mixture of an optimum air/fuel ratio to the first and second cylinder units and for terminating the supply of the mixture to the second cylinder unit when the engine load is below a given value, and an exhaust system having therein a catalytic converter. An emergency circuit is provided for forcing the control circuit to lean out the air/fuel ratio in response to an increase in the temperature of the catalytic converter.

Split type internal combustion engine

A split engine control system operates a multiple cylinder internal combustion engine by using only some of the plurality of cylinders under light load conditions. The total number of cylinders are split into a first cylinder group which is always activated during engine operation and a second cylinder group which is deactivated under light load conditions. The engine is provided with an exhaust passage which consists of first and second upstream exhaust passages connected to the first and second cylinder group, respectively, and a common downstream exhaust passage. An exhaust gas sensor and a first catalytic converter are disposed in the first upstream exhaust passage, and a second catalytic converter is disposed in the common downstream exhaust passage. A temperature sensor is provided in the second catalytic converter. When the temperature of the second catalytic converter is above a certain level during the partial cylinder mode, the engine is feedback controlled by a signal from the exhaust gas sensor and the exhaust gases are purified by the first catalytic converter. When the temperature is below the level during the partial cylinder mode, the air-fuel mixture is enriched with respect to the stoichiometric point so as to promote reduction of the NOx component of the exhaust gases in the first catalytic converter and oxidation of the remaining HC and CO components in the second catalytic converter.

Split engine control system

An internal combustion engine is disclosed which includes an active cylinder unit always active and an inactive cylinder unit being inactive when the engine load is below a predetermined value. The engine has an intake passage divided into first and second branches leading to the active and inactive cylinder units, respectively. The second intake passage branch is connected through an EGR passage to the exhaust passage of the engine. The second intake passage branch has therein a stop valve and the EGR passage having therein an EGR valve. Means are provided for closing the stop valve and opening the EGR valve at a predetermined time after a low engine load condition occurs.

Internal combustion engine

An internal combustion engine is disclosed which includes first and second cylinder units each having at least one cylinder, and a control unit responsive to engine load for rendering the first and second cylinder units active at high load conditions and rendering the second cylinder unit inactive when the engine load is below a predetermined value. A rapid acceleration detector is provided which is responsive to rapid engine acceleration for causing the control unit to render the first and second cylinder units active regardless of the engine load.

Disclosed is a cylinder control system for a multicylinder internal combustion engine equipped with an exhaust gas purification device. This system has a valve control circuit which controls the number of fuel injection valves opened and closed, according to the load conditions of the engine. A detector is provided for determining the temperature in the exhaust gas purification device to generate a signal indicative of the temperature. A comparator compares the temperature signal with a reference value to generate, for the valve control circuit, a second signal indicative of whether the determined temperature is higher than a predetermined value. When the determined temperature is higher than the predetermined value, the second signal causes the valve control circuit to close the fuel injection valve or valves which thus far have been opened.

Cylinder control system for multicylinder combustion engine

An internal combustion engine is disclosed which comprises first and second cylinder units each including at least one cylinder, an induction passage divided downstream of the throttle valve into first and second intake passages leading to first and second cylinder units, respectively, a vacuum tank held at a vacuum above that in the induction passage downstream of the throttle valve, a stop valve provided at the entrance of the second intake passage and adapted to move toward its closed position when connected to the vacuum tank, and a control circuit adapted to block the supply of fuel to the second cylinder unit and connect the vacuum tank to the stop valve thereby shifting the engine operation into a split engine mode when the engine load is below a predetermined value. The control circuit includes means for forcing the engine operation into its full cylinder mode regardless of engine load conditions before the vacuum in the vacuum tank reaches a value sufficient to move the stop valve to its fully closed position.

An internal combustion engine is disclosed which comprises first and second cylinder units each including at least one cylinder, a stop valve provided between the first and second cylinder units, an EGR passage for recirculating exhaust gases into the second cylinder unit, an EGR valve provided in the EGR passage, and control means for disabling the second cylinder unit when the engine load is below a given value. Means is provided to ensure that the EGR Valve opens after the stop valve closes when the engine load changes from its high condition to a low condition and to ensure that the stop valve opens just after the EGR valve closes when the engine load changes from its low condition to a high condition.

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Yokosuka, Japan

Haruhiko Iizuka