Tokai Trw & Co., Ltd.

Toyo Kogyo Co., Ltd.

Trw Steering & Industrial Products (japan) Co., Ltd.

Trw Steering Systems Japan Co. Ltd.

Naoyuki Maeda

Michio Abe

Seiichiro Kumagai

Hirotaka Kanazawa

Takeshi Tanaka

Shigemitsu Tokunaga

Robert M Lynas

A device for detecting asynchronization or stepping out of a stepping motor without making the stepping motor large in size. Parallel resonance circuit LC is provided in a recovery circuit of stator coil RL of the stepping motor for detecting linking current IX. If the stepping motor is out of step, the magnetic resistance between stator and rotor increases while the reactance of stator coil RL decreases. When motor drive current ID is turned off, a large transient current is momentarily generated yet is quickly dampened. While the motor drive current ID is off, linking current IX approaches zero. Consequently, if the stepping motor is out of step, there is no substantial difference in the linking current IX when motor drive current ID is turned on from when motor drive current ID was off. Also, the amplitude of the transient or resonance waveform is smaller than the amplitude when the stepping motor is operating normally. By thus detecting the resonance waveform of the parallel resonance circuit when motor drive current ID is turned on, it can be precisely determined whether or not the stepping motor is out of step.

Device for detecting step-out of a stepping motor

An apparatus and a method for detecting an abnormal load for a pressurizing apparatus is disclosed, in which a load change of the work is detected by use of an effective power detector or a mechanical strain detector, and values obtained by sampling at a plurality of points of pressurizing time are compared with a normal value already stored. The result of comparison is used to detect an abnormal load condition.

Apparatus and method of detecting abnormal load of pressurizing apparatus

There is an electric power steering apparatus comprising: an electronic control circuit to output a drive signal having a vehicle velocity response characteristic and steering response characteristic in accordance with the vehicle velocity, steering torque, and steering direction; and a motor for assisting a steering force which is made operative by the drive signal. The electronic control circuit has a braking control circuit to short-circuit between both terminals of the motor when the steering operation is stopped and the supply of the drive signal to the motor is stopped while the vehicle is running at a high speed. With this apparatus, when the steering operation is suddenly stopped when the vehicle is running at a high speed, the inertia rotation of the motor can be rapidly reduced. The yawing of the vehicle body due to the inertia rotation can be effectively prevented.

Electric power steering apparatus having motor braking function

A rack-pinion type electrically powered steering apparatus is provided with an electronic control circuit adapted to control a motor driving current which is applied to a motor for power assistance, in response to a steering load characteristic and/or a vehicle speed characteristic. The steering apparatus is also provided with a rack end proximity sensor adapted to detect a position adjacent the both ends of the rack during a steering operation, and a device for providing the motor driving current with an attenuation characteristic in response to the detected signal from said rack end proximity sensor.

Rack and pinion steering gear with electric power assistance

An apparatus for converting a single phase electrical signal into a three phase electrical signal is disclosed. A converter includes a rectifier connectable to a single phase electrical power source. One output of the rectifier is connected through a smoothing ciruit to four switching transistors. The other output of the rectifier is connected to center taps of a first and a second load coil. The first phase load coil is connected across a first pair of the switching transistors and the second phase load coil is connected across a second pair of the switching transistors. Third and fourth phase load coils are connected to opposite sides of the first and second phase load coils. The first, second, and third phase load coils are delta connected and the first, second, and fourth phase load coils are delta connected. The first and second pairs of switching transistors are controlled by first and second pairs of phase shifting signals. Each of the first and second pairs of phase shifting signals includes positive and negative pulses which provide three phase conversion across the first, second, and third plus fourth phase load coils.

Single phase to three phase signal converter

An inverter apparatus for converting a single-phase A.C. power source to three-phase A.C. outputs is described wherein the single-phase power source is directly connected to a first phase load and is connected through a one-phase converter to a second phase load, and the single-phase power source and the one-phase converted single-phase power source are connected to a third phase load and a fourth phase load, the third and fourth phase loads being formed by dividing a single load, so that three-phase power outputs are provided for the first phase load, the second phase load, and the third plus fourth loads.

Apparatus for converting single-phase power to three-phase outputs

A power steering device of an automotive vehicle, comprises an engine of the vehicle, a steering pump driven by the engine, an actuator, a control valve connected to both the steering pump and the actuator for controlling the amount and direction of power fluid supplied from the steering pump into the actuator in response to the steering operation of the steering wheel, a centrifugal clutch having an input shaft and an output shaft for receiving the power from the engine at the input shaft and transmitting the power to the steering pump from the output shaft when the vehicle speed is low or zero, and spring means for causing the centrifugal clutch to cut off the power transmission from the input shaft to the output shaft when the vehicle speed is so high that the centrifugal force of the centrifugal clutch is larger than the biasing force of the spring means.

Power steering device

A rotation detecting apparatus for a power steering system of a vehicle is described which comprises a control valve coupled to a steering shaft of a steering wheel of the vehicle for controlling a flow of power fluid supplied to a power cylinder for powering a steering operation, a rotator magnet secured on an input shaft of the control valve to rotate therewith as a body, a concentric-circle shaped stator coil adapted to face to the rotor magnet, and a casing functioning also as an iron core yoke mounted on a housing of the control valve for receiving the rotor magnet and the stator coil and supporting the stator coil, whereby, when the input shaft is rotated in response to the steering operation of the steering wheel, an electromotive force is produced so as to detect a displacement in rotation of the input shaft.

Rotation detecting apparatus

An electric-oil pressure power steering system for a vehicle is described which comprises an oil pump driven by an electric motor for supplying power fluid to a power cylinder, a steering wheel connected to a control valve for controlling the supply of the power fluid, and an electronic switching device for controlling the supply of electric power to said motor in response to the change of a vehicle speed, said electronic switching device including a means for controlling continuously the supply of the electric power and a means for controlling discontinuously or variably the supply of the electric power.

Power steering system

A power steering apparatus includes a power steering fluid supply pump which is driven through a clutch. A sensor detects changes in vehicle speed and effects operation of the clutch to decrease the rate at which the pump is driven in response to an increase in vehicle speed. When the vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined speed, the clutch is disengaged and the pump is not driven. When the clutch is disengaged, the steerable vehicle wheels are turned without power assist.

A power steering system including a power cylinder and a hydraulic pump for supplying a hydraulic pressure to the power cylinder through a control valve to produce a hydraulic assisting force. A control device is provided to drive the hydraulic pump only when one or both of the vehicle power clutch disconnecting member and the brake actuating member are actuated under a vehicle speed lower than a predetermined value.

Power steering system for road vehicles

An electrically driven oil pressured power steering apparatus is disclosed herein. The apparatus comprises an oil pump driven by an electric motor for supplying a working oil to a power cylinder, a control valve for controlling the supply of the working oil and a manipulating apparatus and an electronically operated on-off means which, in common, control a power supply to the electric motor. In the apparatus, a state of power steering is shifted to a state of manual steering in accordance with a stop of the electric motor effected by the electronically operated on-off means.

Electrically driven oil pressured power steering apparatus

An improved apparatus for igniting a lien air-fuel mixture includes a spark plug having a straight longitudinally extending main electrode and a side electrode disposed adjacent to and electrically insulated from the main electrode. An attraction plug is mounted in the cylinder head at a location offset to one side of and adjacent to the spark plug. The attraction plug includes a straight longitudinally extending central electrode and an insulator which at least partially encases the central electrode for electrically insulating the central electrode and for isolating the portion of the central electrode disposed in the combustion chamber from the atmosphere in the combustion chamber. The central electrode has a longitudinal axis which extends transversely to the longitudinal axis of the main electrode of the spark plug. In addition, the central electrode has an end portion which is disposed adjacent to the main electrode of the spark plug. An electrical potential is applied to the central electrode of the attraction plug to establish an electrostatic field in the combustion chamber without establishing a corona discharge in the combustion chamber. In addition, an electrical potential is applied to the main electrode to establish a spark between the main and the side electrode to ignite fuel particles attracted to the vicinity of the spark plug by the electrostatic field from the attraction plug.

Lean air-fuel mixture attraction method and attraction electrode plug in

An improved method and apparatus for effecting the ignition of a relatively lean air-fuel mixture includes a pair of electrode gaps at which strong electrostatic fields of relatively long duration are established to accumulate fuel particles in a portion of a combustion chamber adjacent to a spark gap. In one embodiment of the invention, one of the electrode gaps is enclosed so that the atmosphere in this gap is not affected by changes in the pressure and composition of the atmosphere in the combustion chamber. By maintaining the atmosphere in the electrode gap separate from the atmosphere in the combustion chamber, an electrostatic field of substantially constant strength can be maintained at the enclosed electrode gap after the establishment of a corona discharge at an electrode gap exposed to the atmosphere in the combustion chamber. In another embodiment of the invention, both of the electrode gaps are exposed to the atmosphere in the combustion chamber. This embodiment of the invention enables strong electrostatic fields and corona discharges of relatively long duration to be established by providing a secondary or floating electrode which is electrically insulated from both a main electrode surface and a third or tertiary electrode surface.

Method and apparatus for accumulating fuel particles in a portion of a

An internal combustion engine ignition apparatus includes a secondary spark plug having a center electrode to which a high voltage is applied. A cylindrical peripheral electrode surrounds the center electrode and has peripheral openings. Upon the formation of a corona discharge due to the high voltage applied to the center electrode, a strong ionic wind and convection of an air-fuel mixture are produced. The ionic wind causes fuel constituents to be gathered in the vicinity of the peripheral electrode thus preventing production of hydrocarbons due to cooling or quenching of the fuel on the combustion chamber wall. Initial ignition of the air-fuel mixture is by means of a main spark plug. The resultant flames are propagated to the corona discharge portion of the secondary spark plug. The corona discharge is then changed to secondary continuous spark discharge, to thereby positively fire the stratified air-fuel mixture. In another embodiment of the invention the auxiliary combustion chamber has a generally spherical configuration. The spherical auxiliary combustion chamber wall directs the extremely lean air-fuel mixture along a relatively long arcuate path back to outer side areas of the entrance to the auxiliary combustion chamber. The flow out of the auxiliary combustion chamber of the extremely lean air-fuel mixture from which fuel particles have been electrostatically precipitated, is further promoted by forming secondary openings in the wall of the auxiliary combustion chamber. The flow of the very lean air-fuel mixture to either the main or secondary openings in the wall of the auxiliary combustion chamber may be still further promoted by forming arcuate grooves on the inside of the auxiliary combustion chamber wall. The establishment of a corona discharge in either a main or auxiliary combustion chamber is promoted by forming a central electrode with a plurality of projections which extend toward a peripheral electrode which circumscribes the central electrode.

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Inuyama, Japan

Naoyuki Maeda