Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Nobuyoshi Asanuma

Hiroshi Sekine

Kiyoshi Wakamatsu

Manabu Ikegaya

Atsuo Ohno

Hiroshi Hasegawa

Shinnosuke Ishida

Yasushi Aoki

Takeshi Ohba

Yasuo Shimizu

Kanji Kubo

Yukio Hayakawa

Satoshi Kondo

Kazuo Saito

Shohei Matsuda

Yutaka Horiuchi

Nobuo Sugitani

Yoshikazu Tsuchiya

Akio Takahashi

Yorihisa Yamamoto

Yoshimitsu Akuta

Takashi Nishimori

Yozo Kami

Takashi Kohata

Kazuya Tamura

Yutaka Nishi

Toshihiko Aoyama

Makoto Otabe

Yukihiro Fujiwara

Keiichi Mitobe

Hideki Toyota

Hideki Kubonoya

Ichiro Harada

Hiroyuki Kamiya

Yuichi Okada

Shintaro Yokoyama

Atsushi Itakagi

Masaaki Ohshima

Yasuhiko Yamamoto

An apparatus for a vehicle for protection of a colliding object is provided, which includes one of a collision prediction module that delivers a precautionary signal when the collision prediction module predicts a collision of the vehicle with the object and a collision detection module that delivers a collision signal when the collision detection module detects the collision, an air bag which deploys on either a hood of the vehicle or an outside of its windshield when the collision is either predicted by the collision prediction module or detected by the collision detection module, a camera for taking a forward image of the vehicle and a monitor disposed in a cabin of the vehicle. In the apparatus, the monitor displays the image taken by the camera when the monitor receives one of the precautionary signal and the collision signal.

Apparatus for a vehicle for protection of a colliding object

A system for controlling steering of a vehicle, including an electric motor used for power-steering torque assist control. The system has an navigation system whose output is used to correct the detected steering angle input by the vehicle driver. A desired yaw rate is determined based on the corrected steering angle and the detected vehicle speed using a yaw rate model, thereby enabling to conduct the aforesaid lane-keeping-steering torque assist control in a more appropriate manner. Further, if the vehicle driver expresses a positive intention to steer the vehicle by himself, for example, so as to avoid an obstacle present on the road, the control is discontinue to meet the wishes of the vehicle driver. Furthermore, the system monitors the steering of the vehicle driver to prevent the vehicle driver from relying upon this steering assist control to an excessive extent.

Vehicle steering control system

In a first type, there is provided, inside an inner tube of a twin-tube type of damper, a pressurizing chamber to be defined by a free piston which is slidably fit onto an outer surface of a rod. A fluid pressure from an outside pressure source is supplied to the pressurizing chamber to push down a damper piston via the free piston to thereby forcibly contract the damper. In a second type, there is provided inside an inner tube a cylinder which is slidably fit onto an outer surface of a rod, and a piston mounted on the rod is inserted into the cylinder. A fluid pressure from the pressure source is supplied to the pressurizing chamber inside the cylinder to push down the rod via the piston to thereby forcibly contract the damper. In a third type, a rod is slidably inserted into a partition wall in an intermediate portion of a damper main body of a mono-tube type of damper. A free piston which is prevented by a stopper member from dropping out of position downwards is slidably mounted onto an outer surface of a rod portion below the partition wall. A fluid pressure from a pressure source is supplied to a pressurizing chamber to be defined between the partition wall and the free piston. The rod is pushed down via the free piston and the stopper member to thereby forcibly contract the damper.

Hydraulic damper for vehicle

The driving skill of a vehicle operator is determined according to how a driving operation is executed by the vehicle operator. The driving skill can be estimated by comparing an actual trajectory of a vehicle with a ideal or reference vehicle trajectory. The estimated driving skill is used as a control parameter of a vehicle steering system which, for instance, provides a steering property depending on the yaw rate of the vehicle, or provides a reaction opposing a steering input according to the yaw rate of the vehicle. Thus, a skilled vehicle operator will benefit from brisk handling of the vehicle, and can maneuver the vehicle at will, while an unskilled vehicle operator will benefit from stable handling of the vehicle, and will find the vehicle easier to handle and less tiring.

Vehicle control system based on estimation of the driving skill of a

An image of a road area ahead of a vehicle is formed based on road data read from a navigation system, or based on an image shot by a camera means such as a video camera. A temperature profile ahead of the vehicle detected by a temperature detecting means such as an infrared camera is superposed on the image of the road area. As a result, if a low-temperature zone is detected on the road area, it is determined that there is snow or ice existing on the road area, or if a high-temperature zone is detected, it is determined that there is a person or animal existing on the road area, thereby informing a driver by an alarm means or a display means to avoid such an obstruction or hazard. Thus, it is possible to perceive snow, ice, a person and an animal existing on a road ahead of the vehicle without relying on a driver's visual judgment, and to give an alarm so that the driver may timely take an appropriate countermeasure to avoid the obstruction or hazardous situation.

Road situation perceiving system

The hydraulic pressure to be supplied to a hydraulic actuator mounted on a vehicle, such as a hydraulic cylinder for vehicle height control, is arranged to be generated by utilizing a waste heat of a power source such as an engine of the vehicle or the like. There are provided an oil chamber to be connected to a hydraulic actuator, a pressurizing chamber containing therein, in a sealed manner, a medium which varies between a gaseous state and a liquid state, and a heating device which heats and evaporates the medium inside the pressurizing chamber and through which cooling water for cooling the power source to be mounted on the vehicle flows. The hydraulic pressure is generated by compressing the oil chamber by a vapor pressure of the medium inside the pressurizing chamber. In case the hydraulic actuator is a hydraulic cylinder for a vehicle height control, there is provided a flow control valve which controls the amount of supply of the cooling water to the heating device depending on the vehicle height.

Hydraulic pressure source apparatus and vehicle height control apparatus

An azimuth change quantity .theta. of a road during traveling of a vehicle for a time .delta.t is calculated based on road data provided by a navigation system and a vehicle speed provided by a vehicle speed sensor (at step S3 in FIG. 2). On the other hand, an azimuth change quantity .THETA. of the vehicle is calculated by integrating a yaw rate .gamma. obtained from a yaw rate sensor over the time .delta.t (at step S5). A deviation D between the azimuth change quantity .theta. of the road and the azimuth change quantity .THETA. of the vehicle is calculated (at step S6). When the deviation D becomes equal to or larger than a reference value .beta., it is determined that there is a possibility that the vehicle will depart from the road (at step S9), and a predetermined steering torque is applied to a steering device, so that the deviation is converged into zero (at steps S10 and S11).

Vehicle control system using navigation system steering

Vehicle steering control system including corrections for map position

An azimuth change quantity .theta. of a road during traveling of a vehicle for a time .delta.t is calculated based on road data provided by a navigation system and a vehicle speed provided by a vehicle speed sensor (at step S3 in FIG. 2). On the other hand, an azimuth change quantity .THETA. of the vehicle is calculated by integrating a yaw rate .gamma. obtained from a yaw rate sensor over the time .delta.t (at step S5). A deviation D between the azimuth change quantity .theta. of the road and the azimuth change quantity .THETA. of the vehicle is calculated (at step S6). When the deviation D becomes equal to or larger than a reference value .beta., it is determined that there is a possibility that the vehicle will depart from the road (at step S9) , and a predetermined steering torque is applied to a steering device, so that the deviation is converged into zero (at steps S10 and S11).

The road friction is determined from the deviation of the estimated yaw rate under a standard condition from the actually measured yaw rate. The system for determining the road friction includes a parameter identification unit which determines a parameter of a variation term defined in the transfer function of the model for the vehicle response. The variation term may consist of a zero-th order or a first-order transfer function which would not cause any large computation load, and may not depend on the vehicle speed. The determined road friction may be used for controlling the rear wheel steering angle of a four wheel steering vehicle.

System for estimating the road surface friction

Vehicle steering control system using navigation system

A motor vehicle steering system has a yaw rate sensor for detecting a yaw rate of a motor vehicle, and a lateral acceleration sensor for detecting a lateral acceleration of the motor vehicle. The detected yaw rate and lateral acceleration are processed according to predetermined functions to determine a control signal, which is applied to a motor to turn a steering wheel. Road wheels are correspondingly steered through a steering mechanism in a direction to suppress a disturbant motor vehicle behavior that is caused by the yaw rate and the lateral acceleration.

Motor vehicle steering system with automatic disturbance suppression

When a subject vehicle is traveling on a main line which is a preferential road, the number of lanes of the main line and a lane on which the subject vehicle is traveling are detected (at steps S1 and S2). When there is a merging section with a subordinate line (at step S3), an information transmitted from another vehicle is received (at step S4). If another vehicle which will merge to the subject vehicle exists on the subordinate line (at step S5), an approach degree between the subject vehicle and the other vehicle at the merging section is determined based on the vehicle speed of the subject vehicle and the information of the other vehicle (at steps S6 and S7). If the approach degree is large, namely, there is a possibility that the subject vehicle may interfere with the other vehicle (at step S8), a vehicle traveling behind the subject vehicle is detected by a radar or the like (at step S9). If no vehicle exists behind the subject vehicle, and it is possible for the subject vehicle to change the lane (at step S10), the lane change is indicated to a driver (at step S11). If the lane change is impossible (at step S10), a warning is given to the driver (at step S12). Thus, it is possible for the subject vehicle to smoothly merge at the merging section of a road.

Vehicle control system for merging vehicles safely

A course travel judging device judges based on outputs from a map information outputting device and a subject vehicle position outputting device whether a subject vehicle is traveling on a course set by a course setting device. If the subject vehicle is traveling on the set course, a vehicle speed is controlled by a travel control device, so that the subject vehicle can safely pass through a curve ahead thereof. If the subject vehicle has deviated from the set course, an alarm is given to an occupant by an alarm device, and the control of vehicle speed by the travel control device is stopped. If a departing possibility judging device judges that there is a possibility of departing of the subject vehicle from the set course, a deviatable course is set by a deviatable course determining device, and the vehicle speed is controlled by the travel control device, so that the subject vehicle can safely pass through a curve having a severest passing condition on either of the set course or the deviatable course. Therefore, even if a vehicle has deviated from a course determined through a navigation system, an appropriate control of vehicle speed can be carried out.

Travel control unit for vehicle

To the end of ensuring a brisk maneuverability of a front and rear wheel steering vehicle without causing any unstable behavior of the vehicle, the rear wheels are steered in an opposite phase relationship to the front wheels to offset an under-steer tendency of the vehicle when a lateral acceleration acting on the vehicle is between a first prescribed value and a second prescribed value higher than the first prescribed value, and the vehicle would otherwise demonstrate an under-steer tendency, and in a same phase relationship to the front wheels to prevent an excessive slip angle from developing in the rear wheels when the detected lateral acceleration is greater than the second prescribed value, and the slip angle of the rear wheels would otherwise develop an excessive slip angle. In other words, the rear wheels are steered in an opposite phase relationship to the front wheels so long as a lateral acceleration acting on the vehicle is within a range which would not give rise to any excessive slip angle of the rear wheels.

Method for controlling a front and rear wheel steering vehicle

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Saitama, Japan

Nobuyoshi Asanuma