Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Honda Giken Kabushiki Kaisha

Kunitaka Furuya

Yasuji Shibahata

Katsuhiko Masuda

Kazunori Shibuya

Kazuhiko Shimada

Kazuo Matsuura

Shoichi Sano

Hiromi Inagaki

Tetsuro Hamada

Etsuo Fujii

Yozo Kami

Tetsurou Hamada

Hiroshi Ikegami

Tsunehiko Fukatsu

Kiyoshi Koga

Masaru Yorita

Akiyuki Kinbara

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 system for controlling distribution of drive forces from a drive source unit to front and rear wheels of a four-wheel drive motor vehicle includes drive force distributing means for transmitting the drive forces to the front and rear wheels at a continuously variable distribution ratio, first speed detecting means for detecting a rotational speed (Nf) of the front wheels, second speed detecting means for detecting a rotational speed (Nr) of the rear wheels, and control means for calculating a slip ratio (S) of the rear wheels to a road on which the motor vehicle is running based on the rotational speeds (Nf, Nr) of the front and rear wheels, calculating a distribution ratio between the drive forces to be distributed to the front and rear wheels based on the slip ratio (S), and controlling the drive force distributing means to transmit the drive forces from the drive source unit to the front and rear wheels according to the distribution ratio. According to a method of controlling distribution of drive forces to the front and rear wheels, a continuously variable optimum distribution ratio is determined in view of a slip ratio between the wheels and the road, and the drive forces from the drive source unit are distributed and transmitted to the front and rear wheels according to the distribution ratio.

System method for drive force distributing control for

A torque transmitting device for transmitting torque by utilizing the viscosity of a fluid includes a casing having a cylindrical barrel having closed opposite ends, shafts rotatably supported in the casing in concentric relation to the cylindrical barrel, a fluid chamber defined by an inner peripheral surface and outer peripheral surfaces of the shafts, a plurality of annular outer plates disposed in the fluid chamber and rotatable with the casing, a plurality of annular inner plates disposed in the fluid chamber alternately with the outer plates and rotatable with the shafts, and a fluid filled in the fluid chamber. Torque can be transmitted between the casing and the shafts through the viscosity of the fluid present between the outer plates and the inner plates. Flow passages are defined in the fluid chamber and extending axially of the shafts for allowing the fluid to flow in the fluid chamber axially of the shafts.

Torque transmitting device

A drive force distribution control system in a four-wheel drive motor vehicle for distributing drive forces from an engine of the motor vehicle to first and second wheels of the motor vehicle includes drive force distributing means for distributing and transmitting the drive forces to the first and second wheels, first speed detecting means for detecting a rotational speed (Nf) of the first wheel, second speed detecting means for detecting a rotational speed (Nr) of the second wheel, torque detecting means for detecting a torque (Tr) transmitted to the second wheel, and control means for controlling the drive force distributing means. The control means for calculating a slip ratio (S) of the second wheel to a road on which the motor vehicle is running based on the rotational speeds of the first and second wheels, calculating a ratio (Tr/S) between the torque (Tr) and the slip ratio (S), determining a distribution ratio between the drive forces to be distributed to the first and second wheels based on the ratio between the torque and the slip ratio, and controlling the drive force distributing means to distribute and transmit the drive forces to the first and second wheels according to the distribution ratio.

Drive force distribution control system for four-wheel drive motor

A method and mechanism for selectively transmitting and interrupting power between an input shaft and an output shaft arranged in coaxial relation in which a rotary member is coupled to one of the shafts to provide first and second states therebetween and wherein in the first state the rotary member is free to rotate and rotation is transmitted between the input and output shafts, whereas in the second state the input shaft can rotate relative to the output shaft and transmission of rotation is interrupted. The rotary member and the one shaft are angularly rotated relative to one another between first and second relative positions in the first and second states, and rotation of the rotary member is halted by a disc brake in the second state.

Method and mechanism for selectively transmitting and interrupting

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

A leveling system for motor vehicles including leveling dampers at front and rear road wheels, a solenoid-operated selector valve assembly connected between an air compressor and the leveling dampers, and a central processing unit programmed so as to be responsive to command signals from level sensors or a manual override control switch for controlling the selector valve assembly to direct pressurized air through selected pneumatic circuits to the level dampers, thus adjusting the riding height of the vehicle frame, even in opposite directions, at the front and rear road wheels. A drier is disposed in the pneumatic circuit downstream of the air compressor to remove water from the pressurized air for preventing the leveling system from malfunctioning due to the presence of water in the system.

Leveling system for motor vehicles

The present invention discloses a suspension spring device having at least two suspension coil springs arranged in series between a vehicle body and wheels, the same interconnected through a spring adjusting cylinder disposed movably up and down relative to the body, and a lock device disposed on the body for restraining the upward and downward movements of the spring retaining cylinder.

Growing community of inventors

Saitama, Japan

Kunitaka Furuya