Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Denso Corporation

Kanto Auto Works, Ltd.

Nhk Spring Co., Ltd.

Kenichi Takenaka

Osamu Fukawatase

Shinya Suzuki

Masato Ohchi

Seiji Yamada

Satoru Hirai

Takeshi Itoh

Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi

Makoto Hasegawa

Hiroshi Tamura

Shigeaki Nishihashi

Yuji Kawamoto

Kazumutsu Azuma

Kuniharu Kutsuna

Yukihide Ota

Kazunori Takemura

Hiroki Iwashita

Shouji Yamauchi

Manabu Ushida

A vehicular manipulation apparatus, which manipulates a different apparatus, includes a manipulation unit, a communication unit, a display unit, and a controller. The manipulation unit accepts a manipulation and inputs a set value step-by-step for controlling the different apparatus. The communication unit communicates with the different apparatus, transmits manipulation information to the different apparatus, and receives a set value of the different apparatus. The display unit digitally displays the set value. The controller controls an image on the display unit using the set value. In displaying change due to the manipulation step-by-step, the controller broadens a change width between steps in cases where the manipulation amount within a threshold period of time is equal to or greater than a threshold manipulation amount, as compared with cases where the manipulation amount within the threshold period of time is less than the threshold manipulation amount.

Vehicular manipulation apparatus

A remote manipulation apparatus includes a touch sensor and a manipulation control circuit to detect manipulation on a manipulation surface using a manipulator's finger. The touch sensor and the manipulation control circuit can acquire a manipulation entity distance between the manipulation surface and the finger. When the manipulation entity distance is shorter than a first threshold distance, the manipulation control circuit associates the finger manipulation with a pointer control to move a pointer on a display screen. When the distance exceeds the first threshold distance, the manipulation control circuit associates the finger manipulation with a map control to move a map on the display screen. The manipulation control circuit stores a specified finger manipulation as an authorization manipulation. The association between the finger manipulation and the map control is inhibited until the authorization manipulation using the finger is performed.

Manipulation apparatus

A collision detection apparatus includes: an impact force detector configured to detect an impact force generated on a vehicle; a collision detector configured to detect collision with an obstacle outside of the vehicle at the time the impact force detector detects the impact force exceeding a threshold value; a collision predictor configured to predict that a bicycle being operated by a bicycle rider will collide with the vehicle before the collision with the obstacle outside of the vehicle is detected by the collision detector; and a colliding direction predictor configured to predict that the collision of the bicycle with the vehicle predicted collision with a front surface or a rear surface of the bicycle.

Collision detection apparatus

A remote manipulation apparatus includes a main body and a manipulating handle manipulated by a user to move to cover all the orientations from a manipulation basis position defined on a basis of the main body. Movement of the manipulating handle relative to the manipulation basis position corresponds to movement of a pointer image relative to a screen basis position on a screen of a display apparatus. An auxiliary navigational display window includes a specified button image assigned with pointer-pulling information. When the auxiliary navigational display window appears on the screen, the manipulating handle is automatically driven to a position that corresponds to a position of the specified button image on the screen so that the pointer image is moved onto the specified button image that is assigned with the pointer-pulling information.

An operation unit for a vehicle air conditioner includes a display device, a setting input portion of a control parameter of the air conditioner other than a set temperature, an obtaining portion configured to obtain a present set value of the control parameter, and an operating state identification portion configured to identify whether an air-conditioning operating state is in a plurality of predetermined operating states of the air conditioner. In the operation unit, a moving pattern of a pointer of the display device is changed according to the operating state of the air conditioner. For example, a pointer operation control portion can be configured to control an operation of a pointer driving motor such that the pointer moves on a dial of the display device at different moving speeds according to the air-conditioning operating state.

Operation unit for vehicle air conditioner and vehicle air-conditioning control apparatus using the same

A remote control apparatus mountable on a vehicle includes an operation input device operable to point a position in a predetermined operation area, a lighting device for illuminating the operation input device, and a controller for controlling a brightness of the lighting device. The remote control apparatus has a self-diagnostic mode for diagnosing a fault in the operation input device. The controller controls the brightness of the lighting device such that the lighting device produces a illumination pattern corresponding to the position pointed by the operation input device, when the self-diagnostic mode is set.

Remote control apparatus for vehicle

An onboard electronic device operating unit enables a needle calibration mode by performing a specified needle calibration enabling operation on part of multiple setup operation sections. The setup operation sections can change setting states of control contents for an onboard electronic device. In the needle calibration mode, part of the setup operation sections functions as a needle calibration section. Operating the needle calibration section can calibrate a needle position of a needle-type display apparatus.

Onboard electronic device operating unit

A passenger-seat airbag () includes a pair of left and right airbags (), and a root portion () that is connected to both of the left and right airbags (). When the passenger-seat airbag () is provided in a vehicle, an airbag folded portion () that forms the left and right airbags () is positioned closer to the rear of the vehicle than the root portion () is, and a slack portion () that forms the root portion () is made upright along the airbag folded portion (), and is positioned closer to the front of the vehicle than the airbag folded portion () is. Thus, the slack portion () is expanded and deployed toward a windshield earlier to form 'a wall'. Then, the left and right airbags () are stably deployed toward a passenger seat (toward the rear of the vehicle).

Method of folding passenger-seat airbag

A passenger-seat airbag () includes a left airbag (), a right airbag (), and a root portion (). A strap () is provided in the root portion () that is inflated by gas injected from an inflator () when a passenger-seat airbag device () operates. The strap () connects the base-end portion (B) of the root portion () to a connection root portion (C). Further, the strap () is provided such that a peripheral length (L) on a front side is longer than or equal to a peripheral length (L) on a rear side in a lateral view showing the inflated root portion ().

Passenger seat airbag

A passenger-seat airbag includes a left airbag and a right airbag. A root portion connects a left-airbag root portion and a right-airbag root portion. An accordion-folded portion with relatively small folding widths is formed by accordion-folding both side portions of the root portion, whereby at least a gas-injection hole closest to each of both ends of an inflator in a longitudinal direction among a plurality of the gas-injection holes of the inflator is prevented from being closed by the root portion when the passenger-seat airbag is provided in a vehicle.

Passenger-seat airbag device and method of folding passenger-seat airbag

Head restraint supporting structure of the present invention is such that a head restraint bracket supporting a head restraint is secured to a seat back frame, a stay of the head restraint being inserted into the head restraint bracket. Wherein the head restraint bracket is formed into a tubular shape by joining two end portions of a plate material having been bent, and is secured to the front face of the seat back frame so that junction between the two end portions abuts against the seat back frame. A reinforcement structure is formed at the upper end of the junction. This reinforcement structure prevents the upper end of the junction from being opened by a load being applied to the head restraint, thereby allowing the head restraintto restrain reliably the rearward movement of occupant's head and hence to reliably protect the occupant's neck.

Head restraint supporting structure

When a vehicle is rear-ended and a seated user moves rearward in reaction to the rear-end collision, a load movement of a lumbar part of the seated user is sufficiently transmitted from a pressure plate of operating force generating means to an operating force generating mechanism, regardless of an amount of rearward tilting of a seat back. Then, a pressure roller serving as a driven member of the operating force generating mechanism largely deflects and sufficiently pulls inner cables of respective pulling cable devices, thereby smoothly moving both end portions of a headrest frame upward. As a result, the headrest frame is moved upward smoothly and reliably, and a headrest is moved in an upward-forward direction, that is, toward the head of the seated user smoothly and reliably.

Vehicle seat

When a vehicle is rear-ended and a seated user moves rearward in reaction to the rear-end collision, a load generated by a rearward movement of a lumbar portion of the seated user is transmitted from a pressure plate of operating force generating means to an operating force generating mechanism. Then, a pressure roller of the operating force generating mechanism deflects and pulls inner cables of pulling cable devices, thereby moving both end portions of a headrest frame upward. As a result, the headrest frame is moved upward along with headrest supporting brackets smoothly and reliably, whereby a headrest attached to the headrest supporting brackets with headrest stays arranged between the headrest and the respective headrest supporting brackets is moved in the upward-forward direction, that is, toward the head of the seated user smoothly and reliably.

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Chiryu, Japan

Kenichi Takenaka