Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.

Masanobu Ishikawa

Masumi Nishikawa

Kazunori Sakamoto

Hakumi Ishii

Sumio Takizawa

Koji Ito

Shuhei Toyoda

Hiroki Sato

Yutaka Kondoh

Kazutaka Kuwana

Hiroshi Watanabe

Yuji Yokoya

Hiroshi Nakashima

Akio Sugiki

Yoshiyuki Ito

Kenichi Kazaoka

Tetsushi Hiramitsu

Atsuo Hirano

Kazuya Tanaka

Satoshi Ono

Kenichi Kikuchi

Haruhiko Tanahashi

Teiji Okuyama

Atsushi Onoda

Kiyokatsu Miura

Soichiro Masuda

Nobuhiro Yoshida

Kohji Hiro

An impact detecting apparatus includes a housing, a fixed electrode located within the housing, a movable electrode located adjacent the fixed electrode and adapted to be electrically connected with the fixed electrode, and a conical slope located within the housing. The conical slope has varying gradients or slopes along the circumferential direction of the conical slope for providing varying sensitivity. A ball is also located on the conical slope, and a shaft is located within the housing. The shaft is movably supported on the housing for engaging the ball and is adapted to control the position of the movable electrode.

Impact detecting apparatus

An air bag inflator apparatus incorporating a lower canister and an upper canister forming a canister housing. The canister housing has a first wall, a second wall, a third wall, a fourth wall and a fifth wall. The first, second, third and fourth walls define a first space which accommodates an air bag, and the first, second, third, fourth and fifth walls define a second space which accommodates an inflator. A first flow control wall is continuously formed on the surface of the first wall, and a second flow control wall is continuously formed on the surface of the second wall. The first and second flow control walls control a flow of a gas from the inflator.

Air bag inflator apparatus

The air bag apparatus has a pressure adjusting mechanism. The pressure adjusting mechanism controls a flow rate of the operating gas. When acceleration caused by a collision exceeds a predetermined level by a small level, the pressure adjusting mechanism releases the operating gas into the atmosphere. When the acceleration well exceeds the predetermined level, the pressure adjusting mechanism does not release the operating gas.

Air bag apparatus

A impact sensor includes a housing, a weight disposed within the housing for being moved by an externally applied impact that is in excess of a predetermined value, an output lever disposed within the housing for being disengaged by movement of the weight to move in one direction, a first contact point provided on the output lever, or the housing and a second contact point provided on the housing so as to lie on the path of movement of the output lever. The first and second contact points are electrically connected by coming into contact by movement of the output lever, thereby actuating an air-bag mechanism connected to the first and second contact points.

Impact sensor

A driving appratus which includes a driving shaft which is linked to a driving member, a driven shaft which is connected with the driving shaft and which is linked to a driven member, a joint member which connects the driving shaft with the driven shaft so that a torque is transmitted from the driving shaft to the driven shaft while absorbing the eccentricity between both shafts and an urging member which is disposed to the joint member and which urges the joint member in the axial and rotational direction in regard to the both shafts. According to this improved driving appratus, the joint member rotates under the condition which is urged by the urging member in the axial and rotational direction in regard to the driving shaft and the driven shaft and transmitts the torque from the driving shaft to the driven shaft. Therefore, it is able to effectively absorb the vibration between the driving shaft and the driven shaft by the urging member and therefore it is able to prevent the generation of the uncomfortable noise and so on due to the vibration.

Driving apparatus having a joint member around which is wound an urging

A shock detecting device includes a housing, a weight disposed in the housing and moved by a shock which is more than a predetermined value from outside, an output member rotatably disposed in the housing and rotated in response to the movement of the weight so as to be projected from the housing and a safety mechanism being provided with a stopper pin which is formed on the weight and which contacts with the housing in an initial condition in order to maintain the weight in the initial condition, a rock lever which is rotatably supported on the housing and which being able to engage or disengage with or from the stopper pin and a first urging device which is disposed between the rock lever and the housing always for urging the rock lever so as to be engaged the rock lever with the stopper pin. According to this improved shock detecting device, it is able to maintain the high reliability of the safety mechanism with a simple structure.

Shock detecting device

An impact sensing apparatus includes a housing having a wall portion which is parallel with the applied direction of an outside shock and a hole which is formed in the wall portion, a weight disposed in the housing and moved by an outside shock which is more than a predetermined value, an output member rotatably disposed in the housing and rotated in response to the movement of the weight and an urging member interposed between the housing and the output member for urging the output member so as to project from the hole. According to this improved impact sensing apparatus, it is possible to lengthen the stroke of the rotational motion of the output member and therefore it is possible to effectively utilize the urging force of the urging member as a kinetic energy of the output member. Thus, it is possible to improve the reliability for igniting the ignition element such as a primer due to a striking operation of the output member.

A hole 13 though which a firing pin 6a of a firing lever 6 is projected outside a housing 1 is formed in a wall 1c of the housing which is in parallel with a direction of an external shock applied to the housing 1. This structure ensures the rotational angle of the firing lever 6 and a biasing force of a spring 9 which urges the firing lever 6 can be used effectively as kinetic energy thereof.

A steering system for a vehicle including a fixed body secured to the body of the vehicle, a fixed shaft rotatably supported by the fixed bracket, a movable bracket connected for relative axial movement to the fixed bracket, a movable shaft rotatably supported by the movable bracket and connected to the shaft so as to be axially movable relative to the fixed shaft and rotatable as one unit with the fixed shaft, a driving mechanism disposed on the fixed bracket and connected to move the movable bracket and the movable shaft axially relative to both the fixed bracket and the fixed shaft, and a control mechanism for controlling the level of the frictional force acting between the fixed bracket and the movable bracket. The control mechanism normally maintains the frictional force at a level to ensure rigidity between the fixed and movable brackets, but is operable, upon actuation of the driving mechanism, to reduce the frictional force and thereby decrease resistance to relative axial movement of the fixed and movable brackets.

Steering system

The present disclosure is directed to a vehicle steering mechanism which independently allows for tilting or telescopic motion of the steering wheel. The mechanism includes a stationary bracket having a slider mounted for axial movement with respect to the stationary bracket. A lower main shaft is rotatably journalled within the stationary bracket and slider, and is splined to a middle main shaft portion. The middle main shaft portion is pivotally linked to an upper main shaft portion which extends through an upper bracket. The upper bracket is pivotally mounted for pivotable motion with respect to the slider. The steering wheel is attached to the upper shaft. The upper bracket and the upper main shaft pivot around a coaxial pivot rod. First screw shafts are mounted for rotational motion, extend through the stationary bracket and are linked to the slider such that rotational motion of the screw shafts by a first motor cause the slider to move with respect to the bracket. A second shaft extends below the slider and is linked to the support bracket. Rotation of the second shaft by the first motor causes the support bracket and upper shaft to pivot. The mechanism further includes a second motor for moving a switching rod between two positions. In the first position, the rod is lined to the first shaft such that rotation of the first motor causes telescopic motion. In the second position, the rod is linked to the second shaft such that rotation of the first motor causes pivoting motion. Pivotal motion occurs independently of telescopic motion depending upon the position of the rod.

Adjustable vehicle steering mechanism

A tilting steering apparatus for a vehicle includes a fixed bracket secured to the vehicle chassis, a movable bracket pivotally supported on the fixed bracket, a ratchet provided on the movable bracket and having ratchet teeth, a pawl having pawl teeth meshing with the ratchet teeth and constraining the ratchet position, a tilt operating lever causing the pawl teeth and ratchet teeth to mesh and unmesh, means for biasing the movable bracket to a lifted position with respect to the fixed bracket, a main lever pivotally supporting the pawl and rotatably supported by a first pin about which the movable bracket is turned, a second pin secured to the fixed bracket so as to abut against the other end of the main lever to inhibit turning of the main lever in one direction, a hook lever supported by the fixed bracket so as to clamp the main lever in the inhibit position in cooperation with the second pin, a lifted-position lock member provided on the fixed bracket so as to engage at a lifted position a projection on the ratchet, a lifting lever pivotally mounted on the fixed bracket and adapted to unclamp the main lever by the turning of the hook lever, and a return lever pivotally supported on the fixed bracket for disengaging the lifted position lock member and the ratchet member from each other.

Tilting steering apparatus

A tilt steering apparatus for vehicles has a fixed bracket member fixed on a vehicle body and a rotatable bracket member pivoted on the fixed bracket member. A ratchet member and a pawl are disposed on the opposite bracket members. A lever for disengaging the pawl from the ratchet is rotatably disposed around the pivoting point between the fixed bracket and the rotatable bracket at one end thereof.

Tilt steering apparatus for vehicles

A tilt steering mechanism, a telescopic steering mechanism and a seat attitude adjusting mechanism are controlled in their attitudes by an electric motor such that the respective attitudes are automatically set into a retreat attitude where the driver easily gets on and off a vehicle upon boarding/alighting, and into a driving attitude assumed before retreat upon the completion of boarding. Whether or not the driver is about to get on and off the vehicle is judged in accordance with the status of an ignition switch, status of a door switch, vehicle speed, status of a parking brake, shift lever position of a transmission, etc. A change speed of attitude is monitored during energization of the electric motor and, if the change speed is less than a predetermined value, this is judged as the presence of overload and the electric motor is stopped.

Attitude controlling system for vehicle-supported equipment

A screw-nut type driving mechanism having a rotatable screw shaft, a nut engaged with the screw shaft and a driven member secured to the nut. The nut has an axially tapered outer surface which is formed with external threads. The driven member has an internally threaded, axially tapered hole with which the nut is threadably engaged. A retaining plate is provided to hold the nut on the driven member to prevent rotation of the nut.

Screw-nut type mechanism

A tilt steering apparatus for vehicles includes a fixed bracket and a rotational bracket rotatably mounted on the fixed bracket and having a ratchet fixed on a side thereof. A pawl, pivotally mounted on the fixed bracket, engages the ratchet when the rotational bracket is in an upward position and in a downward driving position. Memory means memorizes a selected engagement relationship between the pawl and ratchet when the pawl and ratchet are engaged and the rotational bracket is in a downward position. When the rotational bracket is subsequently being rotated to the downward position, intermediate means maintain the ratchet and pawl in a disengaged state until the rotational bracket is in the downward driving position.

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Masanobu Ishikawa