Kansei Corporation

Ud Trucks Corporation

Calsonic Kansei Corporation

Kanto Seiki Co., Ltd.

Volvo Truck Corporation

Kunihiro Kaneko

Yasuo Saito

Satoru Matsumori

Kazuyasu Kon

Katsushi Ohneda

Shin-ichiro Tsurushima

Kajiro Watanabe

Haruyoshi Hayashi

Masafumi Shirai

Takayuki Kishi

Shinichiro Tsurushima

A control unit decides whether or not a first condition that a service brake is released, a parking brake is actuated, and a transmission is shifted into neutral is established at a vehicle stopping time. In addition, the control unit decides whether or not a second condition that the service brake is actuated, and the transmission is shifted to an ahead stage is established at the vehicle stopping time. Then, the control unit stops the engine when the first condition or the second condition is established.

Controller and control method for engines

The objective of the present invention is to provide a clutch disengagement control mechanism that is for a mechanical automatic transmission and that can perform clutch disengagement control at an optimal timing during both ordinary driving and low-speed driving at the verge of stopping. To this end, the present invention is provided with a vehicle speed measurement device (and, or), a brake-operation-speed measurement device (), a clutch operation device (), and a control device (). The control device () has: a function for generating a control signal that disengages the clutch from the clutch operation device () when the brake operation speed is at least a second threshold (B) in the case that the vehicle speed (X) is at least a first threshold (A); and a function for generating a control signal that disengages the clutch from the clutch operation device () when the brake operation speed is at least a third threshold (C) in the case that the vehicle speed (X) is less than the first threshold (A).

Clutch disengagement control mechanism for mechanical automatic transmission

An object is to provide a vehicle start-up control, mechanism capable of preventing the occurrence of clutch judder with no need of paying excessive attention thereto for a driver. For this purpose, the present invention is provided with a clutch judder detection device () for detecting the occurrence of clutch judder, a clutch state detection, device () for detecting a partially engaged clutch state, and a control unit, (), wherein the control unit () has a function, for storing an accelerator opening (position) in the partially engaged clutch state in a case where the clutch judder has occurred during start-up and a function, for comparing an accelerator opening during next start-up with an accelerator opening in case where the clutch judder has occurred during previous start-up.

Vehicle start-up control mechanism

The present invention has an object to provide a vehicle control device which does not require a complicated operation to start an engine even if an idle-stop function has been executed. Thus, the present invention includes a mechanical automatic transmission, an idle-stop device () for stopping the engine when the vehicle is stopped, a slope detection device () for detecting a slope of a road, and a control unit (), and is characterized in that the control unit () has a function for disengaging a clutch and selecting a gear appropriate for the detected slope, when the slope detected by the slope detection device () is at or above a threshold value and an operation of the idle-stop device () has been requested.

Vehicle control device

A passenger protecting apparatus for inflating an air bag or tightening a seat belt is provided that is smaller in size and more reliable than any previously known passenger protecting apparatus. The passenger protecting apparatus has two switches connected in series with a squib. The switches are controlled by a control unit using independent program routines in a redundant manner. The control unit combines front collision and side collision detection in one unit. The control unit controls the switches based on the outputs of several acceleration sensors, by comparing their respective outputs to threshold values.

Passenger protecting apparatus

A crew protection apparatus includes a DC power source; a squib connected in series with the DC power source; a plurality of switch circuits inserted between the DC power source and the squib or between the squib and the ground side; an acceleration sensor for detecting an acceleration caused by a collision; a collision determination circuit for, when receiving an acceleration signal from the acceleration sensor, determining the scale of a collision on the basis of the acceleration signal and outputting an ignition control signal in coincident with the timing supplied to the switch circuit and further outputting a current control signal in synchronism with the ignition control signal when it is determined that the collision is a serious collision; and a current limit circuit for limiting the magnitude of an ignition current flowing through the squib in accordance with the ignition control signal and the current control signal from the collision determination circuit.

Crew protection apparatus

A control circuit for an air-bag mounted in a motor vehicle comprises an acceleration sensor for producing an acceleration signal indicative of acceleration of the vehicle, an ignition timing circuit for processing the acceleration signal to predict the time when a passenger's head will reach a front surface of the air-bag in fully deployed condition and producing a first air-bag deploying signal in accordance with the predicted time, and a damage discrimination circuit for processing the acceleration signal and judging the need of activation of the air-bag when the cumulative effect of the acceleration exceeds a predetermined limit. The damage discrimination circuit produces a second air-bag deploying signal when judging the need of activation of the air-bag. A so-called AND circuit is further employed which actually activates the air-bag when receiving the first and second air-bag deploying signals concurrently.

Air-bag control circuit

A control circuit for an air-bag mounted in a motor vehicle comprises an acceleration sensor for producing an acceleration signal indicative of acceleration of the vehicle, an ignition timing circuit for processing the acceleration signal to predict the time when a passenger's head will reach a front surface of the air-bag in fully deployed condition and producing a first air-bag deploying signal in accordance with the predicted time, and a damage discrimination circuit for processing the acceleration signal and judging the need of activation of the air-bag when the cumulative effect of the acceleration exceeds a predetermined limit. The damage discrimination circuit produces a second air-bag deploying signal when judging the need of activation of the air-bag. A so-called AND means is further employed which actually activates the air-bag when receiving the first and second air-bag deploying signals concurrently.

An occupant protecting device for a motor vehicle, which inflates an air-bag system reliably to protect occupants in the event of a collision with high reliability. The occupant protecting device includes an acceleration sensor for sensing an acceleration signal of a vehicle in the event of collision with another vehicle or the like, a signal processor for detecting a collision waveform from an acceleration signal output from the acceleration sensor, a comparator for determining whether or not the output signal of the signal processor exceeds a preset level to produce a trigger signal when it exceeds the preset level, a latch circuit for latching the trigger signal from the comparator, and a firing circuit for operating an occupant protecting unit in response to a drive signal from the latch circuit.

Occupant protecting device for use in motor vehicles

Power source circuit for an occupant protecting device of motor vehicles

The invention relates to circuits which increase the reliability of a passenger restraint system. In one embodiment, the connection layout with respect to a main power source, such as a vehicle battery, prevents accidental activation in the event certain portions of the wiring become grounded and which enables the activation when required even when some of the wiring is cut. Another embodiment increases the time for a which a diagnostic system can be maintained operative should the connection with the vehicle battery be lost. A third and more complex embodiment features circuits which can estimate the amount of damage which has occurred to the vehicle and predict the displacement of person under the influence of the acceleration (deceleration) caused by a collision.

Growing community of inventors

Saitama, Japan

Kunihiro Kaneko