Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho

Katsuhiko Fukui

Yasutaka Hayashi

Kazuo Miki

Kazumasa Sumi

Michio Ishiguro

Eiichi Ono

Shunichi Doi

Junzo Hasegawa

Yuzo Yamamoto

Kazukata Takei

Satoru Matsushima

Shigeru Iketani

Tomoaki Shida

Yasuhiro Iga

Mutsuo Sawa

A shape of a boundary line between a forward view in a forward field of vision of a driver and a vehicle structural part that blocks a lower end of the forward view, i.e., the shape of a so-called visible edge of a vehicle hood, a shape of a visible edge of a vehicle instrument panel, or a shape of a top edge of a ceramic line formed at a windshield glass is made to be a curve. The curve may be expressed by hyperbolic function y=Ax+2Bx+C, where x is a depression angle, y is an azimuth angle, A is a constant expressed by a sum of a ratio of a distance between a viewpoint height and a roll axis with respect to the viewpoint height and a reciprocal of a product of a roll rate and the viewpoint height, B is a constant expressed by a reciprocal of the roll rate, and C is a constant expressed by the constant A, the constant B and a depression angle of a sight-line direction of a driver.

Vehicle, vehicle control device, and vehicle manufacturing method

A rear wheel steer angle controlling apparatus for vehicles having steerable front and rear wheels, adapted for controlling the steer angle of rear wheels in response to the operation of the steering wheel for steering the front wheels. When the steering wheel is operated quickly, a rear wheel steer angle is formed in the counter direction to the direction of the front wheel steer angle, so that the response to the steering input for turning the vehicle is improved. Conversely, when the steering wheel is operated slowly, a rear wheel steer angle is formed in the same direction as the front wheel steer angle, thus enhancing the stability of the vehicle running straight. When the vehicle is running at a high speed, the rear wheel steer angle is formed always in the same direction as the front wheel steer angle regardless of the speed of operation of the steering wheel, so that the steering stability during high speed running is improved. When a yawing moment is generated due to a disturbance such as lateral wind, the rear wheel steer angle is automatically controlled in such a manner as to negate the yawing moment, thus compensating for the lateral displacement of the vehicle without requiring correcting steering operation by the driver.

Apparatus for controlling steer angle of rear wheels of vehicle

A rear wheel steer angle controlling apparatus for vehicles having steerable front and rear wheels, adapted for controlling the steer angle or rear wheels in response to the operation of the steering wheel for steering the front wheels. The speed with which the steering wheel is turned is detected and compared with a reference value which varies in accordance with changes in a physical amount related to the vehicle velocity. When the speed of operation of the steering wheel is larger than the reference value, a rear wheel steer angle is formed in the counter direction to the direction of the front wheel steer angle, so that the response to the steering input for turning the vehicle is improved. Conversely, when the speed of operation of the steering wheel is smaller than the reference value, a rear wheel steer angle is formed in the same direction as the front wheel steer angle, thus enhancing the stability of the vehicle running straight.

An apparatus for controlling steer angle of rear wheels of a 4-wheel steering vehicle in accordance with the operation of a steering wheel for generating steer angle of front wheels. The apparatus comprises a first member which moves in response to the operation of the steering wheel; a second member which moves in response to the operation of the steering wheel in a direction counter to that of the first member; an output shaft for controlling the steer of the rear wheels; a resilient member disposed between the first member and the output shaft and a controller disposed between the second member and the output shaft for controlling the direction of movement of the output shaft in accordance with the speed of operation of the steering wheel. When the steering wheel is operated at high speed, the resilient member absorbs the force from the first member so that the output shaft moves in the same direction as the second member, whereby the rear wheels are turned in a direction counter to that of the front wheels. When the steering wheel is operated at low speed, the force from the second member is damped so that the output shaft moves in the same direction as the first member, whereby the rear wheels are turned in the same direction as the front wheels.

Apparatus for controlling steering angle of rear wheels of a vehicle

The automotive tire being measured is loaded in advance by the load applying means, and the drum is driven to rotate the tire. A displacement of the rotatable shaft produced in response to a variation in the radial force acting between the tire and the drum is detected as a displacement of the movable member which is in turn indicated as the radial force variation generated on the tire. Thus, the apparatus can measure a radial force variation with precision under a condition approximating an actual running condition of automobiles.

Apparatus for measuring tire uniformity

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Katsuhiko Fukui