Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Honda Giken Kabushiki Kaisha

Kazuo Matsuura

Hiromi Inagaki

Kiyoshi Honda

Motohiro Okada

Kunitaka Furuya

Kiyoshi Koga

Masaru Yorita

Katsumi Oka

Hiroshi Yoshioka

Yoshimitsu Akuta

Masaki Izawa

Toshihiko Suenaga

Keiichi Takikawa

Tsunehiko Fukatsu

Tetsuya Koike

Takafumi Katou

A vehicle steering system includes a rack and pinion mechanism having a pinion functionally coupled to a steering wheel and a rack meshing with the pinion and functionally coupled to steerable wheels and a mechanism for displacing the rack in the axial direction thereof to steer the steerable wheels independently of steering operation initiated by the steering wheel. The rack and pinion mechanism comprises a variable gear ratio rack and pinion mechanism having a variable gear ratio, which is the lowest when the steering wheel is in a neutral position and becomes higher as the steering angle of the steering wheel becomes large.

Vehicle steering system

A device for stabilizing the attitude of an automobile having an automobile body and lefthand and right-hand road wheels which are rotatably supported on the automobile body, includes cylinder means independently disposed between the road wheels and the automobile body and having respective fluid chambers, the cylinder means being operable depending on fluid pressures in the fluid chambers, a communication pipe mechanism connectable for bringing the fluid chambers of the cylinder means into fluid communication with each other, valve means disposed in the communication pipe mechanism, for pressurizing a fluid in the communication pipe mechanism and controlling the direction of flow of the fluid in the communication pipe mechanism, detecting means including at least an automobile speed sensor for detecting the speed of travel of the automobile and a steering reactive force sensor for detecting a steering reactive force, and control means responsive to detected signals from the detecting means responsive to detected signals from the detecting means for controlling the valve means to transfer the fluid from the fluid chambers of the cylinder means which are located on a radially inner side of a turning circle when the automobile makes a turn into the fluid chambers of the cylinder means which are located on a radially outer side of the turning circle, thereby to stabilize the attitude of the automobile.

Device for stabilizing the attitude of an automobile

A fluid-filled bushing comprises an outer tube, an inner tube disposed coaxially in the outer tube, a plurality of resilient members disposed between the outer and inner tubes and defining a fluid chamber therebetween, and a closure member disposed in the fluid chamber and having a base fitted in the outer tube and a support disposed around the inner tube and supporting the inner tube swingably and axially slidably, the closure member dividing the fluid chamber into a plurality of fluid chambers. The closure member has a valve mechanism for varying the rate of fluid communication between the divided fluid chambers. The resilient members include two substantially annular resilient partitions positioned coaxially and axially symmetrically with respect to the closure member positioned between the resilient partitions.

Fluid-filled bushing

A fluid-filled bushing comprises at least two sleeves disposed in concentric relation to each other, a resilient member interposed between the two sleeves and having a substantially annular recess defined in an outer circumferential surface thereof, a partition disposed in the annular recess and having holes defined therein and defining first and second substantially annular fluid chambers in the annular recess which selectively communicate with each other through the holes of the partition, a fluid filled in each of the first and second fluid chambers, and a valve for variably restricting the flow of the fluid between the first and second fluid chambers.

A control device in a suspension having a link rod includes a pair of fluid-sealed bushings provided on the respective opposite ends of the link rod and having hydraulically adjustable compliances, a valve mechanism for varying the compliances of the fluid-sealed bushings, an actuator for actuating the valve mechanism, and a control mechanism for controlling the actuator. The control mechanism includes a first sensor for detecting the acceleration of vertical vibrations of the vehicle body and generating a signal commensurate with the detected acceleration, a bandpass filter connected to the first sensor for transmitting a signal having a frequency range in the vicinity of the natural frequency of the sprung mass of the vehicle, a second sensor for detecting the steering angle of the steering wheel and generating a signal commensurate with the detected steering angle, a third sensor for detecting when the vehicle is braked and generating a signal when the vehicle is braking, and a circuit for processing the signals from the bandpass filter, the second sensor, and the third sensor to control the actuator based on the processed signals. The control device can control the compliances of the bushings dependent on the road conditions and the conditions in which the vehicle is operated.

Control device for a suspension

An improved safety air cushion bag which is constructed with a main body of the air cushion bag, an air outlet port or hole formed in one part of the air cushion bag main body, a gas-permeable cloth covering the air outlet port, and at least a single reinforcing member for preventing the gas-permeable cover cloth from breakage or bursting at an excessive load being applied to the air cushion bag at the shock of collision, the reinforcing member being attached separately to the air outlet port, or formed integrally with the air cushion bag main body at the part of the air outlet port, in a manner to extend across the air outlet port with both ends thereof being joined to the peripheral edges of the air outlet port in the air cushion bag main body.

Safety air cushion bag in automotive vehicles

An improved safety air cushion bag which is constructed with a main body of the air cushion bag, an air outlet port formed in one part of the air cushion bag main body, and a gas-permeable cloth covering the air outlet port, the gas-permeable cover cloth being provided with at least one dart, or being so designed as to provide thereon with a bugle-out portion to prevent the cover cloth from becoming torn out, or separated from the air cushion bag main body at the joined portion between them due to excessive load to be imparted thereto at the time of collision accident of the automotive vehicles, thereby protecting vehicle riders or passengers from unexpected danger of the traffic accident.

Growing community of inventors

Tochigi, Japan

Kazuo Matsuura