Mazda Motor Corporation

Toyo Kogyo Co., Ltd.

Jiro Maebayashi

Takao Kijima

Fumitaka Ando

Isao Tohda

Masaya Hamamoto

Shoji Kasai

Shigefumi Hirabayashi

Teruhisa Yamamoto

Yoshinori Takashi

Kouji Noma

The present invention is a vehicle planning support system for supporting the planning of new vehicles by building vehicle models, comprising a database () for storing vehicle data for building vehicle models, and a computing device () utilizing the vehicle data stored in the database to build planned vehicle models for the vehicle being planned, wherein performance evaluation values for quantifying performance valuations of the vehicle with respect to each of a predetermined evaluation items are included in vehicle data stored in the database for a plurality of existing vehicles, and the computing device has a target value setting section for setting target values with respect to each evaluation item based on a distribution of performance evaluation values for at least a section of comparison subject existing vehicles among the existing vehicles, a performance calculation section for computing performance evaluation values for each evaluation item with respect to the planned vehicle models, and a degree-of-completion calculation section for obtaining a target degree-of-completion by comparing target values and performance evaluation values with respect to each evaluation item.

Vehicle planning support system

The left rear wheel is driven with the left motor and the right rear wheel is driven with the right motor. Selection of a control mode is made from a first control mode in which the left and right motors are driven in common and a second control mode in which the left and right motors are driven discretely and separately. A region in which the motors are driven is so arranged as to be altered in accordance with the running state of the vehicle, such as the lateral acceleration acting upon the vehicle body, the road surface friction coefficient .mu., the vehicle speed, the steered angle of the steering wheel, etc. A clutch can be disposed to couple the left and right wheels to be driven with the motors when a predetermined condition is met. When the motor is of a hydraulic type, the accumulator for accumulating the hydraulic pressure is disposed to thereby drive the secondarily driven wheels by the motors by taking advantage of the hydraulic pressure from the accumulator, in addition to the driving of the engine, leading to an increase in acceleration with a force larger than the force generated by the engine.

System for driving an automotive vehicle

This invention has as its object to provide a vehicle power train structure, which can decrease the total height and the total length of the entire power train as a combination of an engine, a transmission, a drive shaft, and the like. In order to achieve this object, a power train structure according to this embodiment includes an engine which has a plurality of cylinders arranged in series with each other, and is mounted in a vehicle body with a bore center axis of the cylinder inclining downwardly towards a cylinder head of said cylinder with respect to horizontal plane of the vehicle, such that a crankshaft as an output shaft extends in the widthwise direction of the vehicle body, a transmission, arranged at a position neighboring the engine to be substantially parallel to the extending direction of the crankshaft, for receiving a rotating force of the engine, and a drive shaft, arranged behind the transmission to extend in the widthwise direction of the vehicle body, for receiving the rotating force of the engine from the transmission.

Vehicle power train structure

An open top automobile body including a rigid roof panel extending between the front windshield section and a hoop member of a substantially inverted U-shape mounted at the opposite leg portions to the rear fenders for fore-and-aft swinging movements between an erected position and a retracted position. A foldable hood is provided between the hoop member and the rear body section to provide a rear windshield section. The roof panel is connected at the rear edge through a hinge mechanism with the hoop member so that the roof panel can be retracted into the rear body section together with the hoop member. A locking member prevents a relative rotation of two links of the hinge mechanism with respect to each other when the hoop member is in the erected position and the roof panel is placed between the front windshield and the hoop member.

Open top type automobile body structure

An open top automobile body having a hoop member which is mounted for swinging movement between an erected position and a retracted position. A rigid roof panel is removably mounted to extend between the front windshield and the hoop member. A foldable rear hood having a rigid transparent glass is provided to cover the rear body section. The rear hood is secured to the rear body section at a position below the upper edge of the rear body section. A peripheral hood tensioning link is provided to force the hood against the upper edge of the rear body section substantially over an entire outer periphery of the hood link.

A vehicle rear suspension mechanism capable of producing a toe-in displacement under a side force, a brake force, an engine brake force and an engine drive force to obtain a stabilized steering property. The mechanism includes a suspension member connected with a vehicle body, a wheel hub supporting a rear wheel for rotation about a rotating axis, a connecting device for connecting the wheel hub with the suspension member. The connecting device includes a ball joint connecting the wheel hub to the suspension member pivotably about the joint center. The ball joint is located in one of four quadrants defined in a rectangular coordinate system having its origin on the rotatable axis of the rear wheel. The device also includes a first resilient bushing located between the wheel hub and the suspension member in one of the three remaining unoccupied quadrants and a second resilient bushing located between the wheel hub and the suspension member in one of the two remaining unoccupied quadrants. In certain embodiments, the first and second bushings are of unequal relative rigidity. In still other embodiments, each of the first and second bushings include stoppers to restrict either forward or rearward movement of the wheel hub.

Vehicle rear suspension mechanism

A vehicle suspension mechanism including a carrier for carrying a rear wheel rotatably about an axis of rotation, a strut assembly having an upper end connected with a vehicle body and a lower end connected with the carrier, a swingable arm pivotably connected through resilient rubber bushes with the vehicle body at a longitudinally spaced first forward point and a first rearward point and with the carrier at a longitudinally spaced second forward point and a second rearward point. The aforementioned points are arranged so that the distance between the line connecting the first forward and first rearward points and the line connecting the second forward and second rearward points increases toward the rearward direction, whereby a toe-in movement is produced when the arm is upwardly swung.

Strut type vehicle suspension mechanism

A body side support member such as the semi trailing arm of a semi trailing type rear-suspension, the strut of a strut type rear-suspension or the like is connected to a wheel hub for a rear wheel by way of a resilient connecting means such as a pair of resilient bushings to permit the wheel hub to change its position with respect to the body side support member. An end of a stabilizer is connected to the wheel hub so that, when the rear wheel on the wheel hub bumps, the rear wheel is caused to toe in by the counterforce of the stabilizer produced upon bump thereof.

Vehicle rear-suspension mechanism

A vehicle rear suspension mechanism capable of producing a toe-in displacement under a side force, a brake force, an engine brake force and an engine drive force to obtain a stabilized stearing property. The mechanism includes a suspension member connected with a vehicle body, a wheel hub supporting a rear wheel for rotation about a rotating axis, a connecting device for connecting the wheel hub with the suspension member. The connecting device includes a ball joint connecting the wheel hub to the suspension member pivotably about the joint center, a first resilient bush located between the wheel hub and the suspension member, and a second resilient bush located between the wheel hub and the suspension member. The ball joint is located rearwardly of and below the wheel center, whereas the first resilient member is rearwardly of and above the wheel center and the second resilient member forwardly of and above the wheel center.

A body side support member such as the semi trailing arm of a semi trailing type rear-suspension system, the strut of a strut type rear-suspension system and the like is connected to a wheel hub for a rear tire by way of a ball joint and a pair of rubber bushings. The ball joint is positioned, as viewed from the left side of the vehicle body, in quadrant I, one of the rubber bushings is positioned in quadrant IV and the other rubber bushing is positioned in quadrant II or III on a coordinate plane having its origin on the center of the rear wheel, its abscissa on the horizontal line passing through the center of the rear wheel and its ordinate on the vertical line passing through the center of the rear wheel.

A body side support member such as the semi trailing arm of a semi trailing type rear-suspension system, the strut of a strut type rear-suspension system and the like is connected to a wheel hub for a rear tire by way of a ball joint and a pair of rubber bushings. The ball joint is positioned, as viewed from the left side of the vehicle body, in quadrant II, one of the rubber bushings is positioned in quadrant IV and the other rubber bushing is positioned in quadrant I or III on a coordinate plane having its origin on the center of the rear wheel, its abscissa on the horizontal line passing through the center of the rear wheel and its ordinate on the vertical line passing through the center of the rear wheel. The other rubber bushing in quadrant I or III is adapted to permit a rotational displacement of the wheel hub about the line connecting said ball joint and said one rubber bushing in quadrant IV, and the central axes of the bushings are directed so that the lower forward part of the rear wheel is adapted to be displaced inwardly with respect to the vehicle body.

A vehicle rear suspension mechanism capable of producing a toe-in displacement under a side force and an upward bump force, and possibly under other forces to obtain a stabilized stearing property. The mechanism includes a suspension member connected with a vehicle body, a wheel hub supporting a rear wheel for rotation about a rotating axis, a connecting device for connecting the wheel hub with the suspension member. The connecting device includes a ball joint located rearwardly of and below the wheel rotating axis for connecting the wheel hub to the suspension member pivotably about the joint center, a first resilient bush located between the wheel hub and the suspension member in one of quadrants defined in a rectangular coordinate having an origin on the rotatable axis of the rear wheel other than the quadrant wherein the ball joint is located, a second resilient bush located between the wheel hub and the suspension member in one of the quadrants other than the quadrants wherein the ball joint and the first resilient bush are located. A suspension strut assembly is connected to the wheel hub rearwardly of the ball joint.

In a rear-suspension mechanism for vehicle, each wheel hub for a rear wheel is supported on a body side support member such as the semi trailing arm of a semi trailing type rear-suspension, the strut hub of a strut type rear-suspension or the like by way of a single ball joint and resilient bushings. The ball joint and the bushings permit displacement of the wheel hub about a point with respect to the body side support member. A stabilizer comprising a body portion extending in the transverse direction of the vehicle body and arm portions extending from opposite ends of the body portion substantially in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body is supported on the vehicle body for rotation about the body portion. Each arm portion of the stabilizer is connected to one wheel hub at a junction point on the wheel hub. When one rear wheel bumps and the wheel hub supporting the rear wheel is swung upwardly together with the body side support member with respect to the vehicle body, the junction point on the wheel hub tends to move along an arcuate path in a vertical plane extending substantially in the transverse direction of the vehicle body, while the arm portion of the stabilizer connected to the wheel hub tends to move, pushed by the wheel hub, along an arcuate path in a vertical plane extending substantially in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. The position of the rear wheel with respect to the body side support member is controlled by a counterforce of the stabilizer produced as a result of the difference between the paths.

A vehicle rear suspension mechanism capable of producing a toe-in displacement under a side force, a brake force, an engine brake force and an engine drive force to obtain a stabilized steering property. The mechanism includes a suspension member connected with a vehicle body, a wheel hub supporting a rear wheel for rotation about a rotating axis, a connecting device for connecting the wheel hub with the suspension member. The connecting device includes a ball joint connecting the wheel hub to the suspension member pivotably about the joint center, a first resilient bush located between the wheel hub and the suspension member in one of quadrants defined in a rectangular coordinate having an origin on the rotatable axis of the rear wheel other than the quadrant wherein the ball joint is located, a second resilient bush located between the wheel hub and the suspension member in one of the quadrants other than the quadrants wherein the ball joint and the first resilient bush are located.

An automobile rear wheel suspension mechanism including a carrier for carrying a rear wheel for rotation about an axis of rotation which passes through a center of the rear wheel, a swingable arm having a rear end portion pivotably connected through a substantially vertical pin with the carrier at a portion forwardly of the axis of rotation, the arm having a forward end portion connected with an automobile body for vertical swinging movement about a swing axis inclined transversely inwardly and rearwardly with respect to a transverse line, a substantially transversely extending control rod being provided and having one end connected with the automobile body pivotably about a substantially longitudinally extending first axis and the other end connected, at a portion rearwardly of the portion where the arm is connected to the carrier, with the carrier for pivotable movement about a substantially longitudinally extending second axis.

Growing community of inventors

Hiroshima, Japan

Jiro Maebayashi