Horiba, Ltd.

Shinji Noguchi

Yasuhiro Ogawa

Hideki Nakanishi

Hiroji Kohsaka

Tokihiro Tsukamoto

Takao Konishi

Shigeyuki Kawarabayashi

Kaori Adachi

Susumu Togawa

Masanori Nishikawa

A chassis dynamometer that tests a two-wheel drive vehicle includes: a driving wheel side roller on which the driving wheels of the vehicle are placed; a driven wheel side roller on which the driven wheels of the vehicle are placed; a driving wheel side power absorbing part connected to the driving wheel side roller; a driven wheel side power absorbing part connected to the driven wheel side roller; a braking force measuring part that, via the driven wheel side power absorbing part, measures braking force exerted on the driven wheel side roller; and a control part that with use of the braking force measured by the braking force measuring part, sets the control target value of the power absorbing force of the driving wheel side power absorbing part to control the driving wheel side power absorbing part.

Chassis dynamometer for testing a two wheel drive vehicle, control method for the same, and chassis dynamometer program for testing a two wheel drive vehicle

A map preparing method for an engine testing apparatus or a vehicle testing apparatus capable of preventing a peculiar driving state from being generated is provided. The method includes varying a throttle valve from its fully closed position to its fully opened position while maintaining a constant engine rotation number, carrying out operation for storing an output torque Nm at that time using at least three kinds of different engine rotation numbers, determining each obtained torque curves A&tilde;E as actual machine data, and preparing a map based on the actual machine date.

Engine testing apparatus and map preparing method for an engine testing apparatus/vehicle testing apparatus

The present invention provides a map preparing method for an engine testing apparatus or a vehicle testing apparatus capable of preventing a peculiar driving state from being generated. The method includes varying a throttle valve from its fully closed position to its fully opened position while maintaining a constant engine rotation number, carrying out operation for storing an output torque N at that time using at least three kinds of different engine rotation numbers, determining each obtained torque curves A&tilde;E as actual machine data, and preparing a map based on the actual machine date. The map is prepared by describing each of the torque curves A&tilde;E on the same X-Y plane based on the actual machine data, converting actual machine data function for describing torque approximation curves a&tilde;e with respect to throttle opening degrees (X axis) on the same X-Y plane while making approximations to the torque curves determining the existence of intersecting torque approximation curves a&tilde;e and automatically correcting one of the torque approximation curves c which can be determined peculiar such that a value Y of y-component of the torque approximation curve c which appears peculiar among the intersecting torque approximation curves b and c in the determining step assumes a median value Y , Y of values of y-components of the vertically adjacent torque approximation curves b and d.

The present invention provides an engine testing apparatus capable of accurately conducting a simulation of a vehicle and includes a dynamometer connected to an output section of an engine under test, a dynamo controller for controlling rotation of the dynamometer, and an actuator for controlling a throttle opening degree of the engine. The dynamo controller and the actuator are controlled to adjust an output of the engine under test, wherein a constant speed driving slip ratio (S ) in a constant speed running state in a target vehicle speed pattern, an acceleration driving slip ratio (S ) in an acceleration running state, and a deceleration driving slip ratio (S ) in a deceleration running state are previously computed as data for correcting tire slippage of the actual running vehicle.

Engine testing apparatus

The driving robot placed on the driver's seat can be easily and surely fixed. The supporting rod 4 is laid on the front side of the body 2 of the robot 1, connected with the end portions of the belts 38 and provided with the hook 45 at the other ends thereof. And, the body 2 is placed on the seat 34 of the driver's seat 33 and the hook 45 of the belt 38 is engaged with the chassis 37 to fix the body 2.

Robot for driving automobile on chassis dynamometer

A method and apparatus for controlling a robot to simulate driving of a motor vehicle while the vehicle is actually on a chassis dynamometer includes provision for quickly, automatically, and accurately determining an accelerator gain factor to be used by the robot in actuating the accelerator of the motor vehicle to achieve predetermined vehicle speeds and accelerations. As a result, the simulated driving of the motor vehicle can be achieved so that the vehicle may be tested according to a predetermined travel pattern. To determine the accelerator gain, a proportional gain is determined on the basis of differences in incremental accelerator openings and resulting accelerations's while the motor vehicle is in a selected transmission gear. A product of the gain multiplied by a coefficient based on the various transmission ratios available is used as the accelerator gain dependent upon the particular transmission ratio selected during a test sequence.

Apparatus and method of controlling a robot to automatically simulate

A method of controlling a robot for testing of a motorcar by the simulated driving thereof, as on a chassis dynamometer. The robot is capable of detecting shifted operating quantities of actuators of the robot to correct the detected shifted quantities, whereby surely achieving operations of pedals and the like of the motorcar by the actuators. In the case where the actuators of the robot are shifted in position during a test driving of the motorcar, these positional shifts are automatically sensed and compensated for during the simulated driving of the motorcar, and the test need not be discontinued or interrupted.

Method and apparatus for controlling a robot to simulate driving of a

A robot for driving a vehicle safely stops the vehicle's engine even in the event of an accident such as an electric power failure or operating error. A robot body is provided with an ignition key-operating actuator consisting of a holder member for holding an ignition key of an automobile, a shaft for turning the holder member, and a motor for driving the shaft. An actuator for operating an accelerator pedal may be returned to a zero point by an emergency power source provided within a control unit, after which the key actuator operates the ignition key to stop the engine, for example, when a power source for the control unit is turned off. In this case, if it is dangerous to stop the engine, it is not necessary to do so.

Robot for driving an automobile on a chassis dynamometer

A method and apparatus for automatically operating the controls of a vehicle and, more specifically, a gearshift lever pattern in a manual transmission to determine an envelope of movement of the gearshift lever, is provided. X and Y motors can be operatively attached to a manual gearshift lever with appropriate encoders to determine positions. A computer circuit controls an automatic learning cycle of movement of the gearshift pattern, while appropriately storing the spatial positions of the gearshift lever, to thereby enable an automatic driving of the gearshift during an automatic operation of the vehicle in a controlled situation.

Apparatus and method of controlling the robotic driving of a vehicle

The present invention provides a system for controlling the automatic driving of a vehicle for monitoring its performance and includes robotic controls for operating the driver controls. The relationship between accelerator and throttle-open positions at various speeds is stored and for a particular desired nominal velocity, an estimated open position for the throttle can be determined. The actual velocity of the vehicle, for example, on a dynamometer, is monitored and fed back to create further adjustment of a throttle-open position. Additionally, acceleration and brake pedal force can also be stored and an estimated brake pedal force can be derived and varied, depending upon any calculated difference between the actual velocity monitored and the desired monitored velocity. As a result of these features, a more precise robotic control of the vehicle can be established for closely responding to a predetermined driving pattern.

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Kyoto, Japan

Shinji Noguchi