Sumitomo Electric Industries, Limited

Sumitomo Rubber Industries Limited

Tokai Rubber Industries, Ltd.

Advics Co., Ltd.

Shiro Nakajima

Hidetoshi Saito

Yukio Nishizawa

Akira Katagiri

Yasuhiro Kubota

Satoru Itsuaki

Hajime Nakamura

Kunihide Sakaguchi

Kenji Matsunuma

Mitsuhiko Nakagawa

Satoru Okamoto

Masataka Oji

Katsuhiko Yoro

Naruhito Nakajima

Koki Fukudome

Noboru Yamasaki

Yoshinori Koshino

A vibration damping device for use in a automotive suspension system, adapted to be disposed at a linking portion between a body of the vehicle and a suspension member that connects and supports a wheel on the body is disclosed. The vibration damping device comprises a load sensing unit adapted to sense a signal corresponding to a load exerted between the body and the suspension member. A suspension system equipped with the same is also disclosed.

Vibration damping device for use in automotive suspension system and suspension system using the same

A vibration damper system which can restore the performance of piezoelectric elements that have deteriorated in performance due to temperature buildup resulting from repeated braking operations by applying high voltage at a predetermined time. In the vibration damper system for a vehicle brake including a vibration detector for detecting vibration by pads and a disk rotor and adapted to transmit a vibration damping signal to a vibrator through a control circuit to suppress vibration, when a performance deterioration restoration timing signal is inputted from the ignition switch, the control circuit produces a performance restoration command signal to changeover switches, thus applying high voltage from a high voltage source for a predetermined time (about one second) to restore deteriorated piezoelectric properties.

Vibration damper for vehicle brakes

An exhaust gas purifier which can efficiently eliminate particulate matter discharged from an engine, and which has a long life. The purifier is attached to a discharge passage of an engine, and includes a filter constituted by a plurality of cylindrical filter elements each formed of porous metal. The filter elements are different in diameter from each other, and disposed concentrically and assembled radially apart from each other through a space. The filter has an exhaust gas inlet passage side end and an exhaust gas outlet passage side end, the exhaust gas inlet side end being closed, by a shielding plate, up to the cylindrical filter element of the largest outer diameter, and the exhaust gas outlet passage side end being closed at a portion between an outer circumferential case and the cylindrical filter element of the smallest outer diameter. The exhaust gas purifier further includes a plate-like heater disposed between the filter element of the largest outer diameter and the filter element disposed inside and adjacent to the filter element of the largest outer diameter without contacting with the two filter elements. Preferably, three-dimensional mesh porous metal having the same average pore-size is used as a material for each of the cylindrical filter elements.

Exhaust gas purifier

A three-way valve for changing over the direction of flow of high-temperature gas which can completely close flow paths and which is durable enough to prevent increase in leakage of gas even if the gas is engine exhaust. A valve mechanism provided in a valve chest includes an arm pivotable about a pivot shaft, a support rod mounted on a valve pressing portion of the arm, and two valve bodies supported on the support rod on both sides of the arm so as to be pivotable. The valve bodies have flat sealing surfaces adapted to be brought into surface-to-surface contact with flat valve seats formed at the inlets of bifurcated paths.

Three-way valve and exhaust gas purifier using the same

An exhaust gas purifier which can regenerate its trapper for trapping particulate matter (PM) in exhaust over the entire area of its filter portion, even if a large amount of PM is trapped. PM trapped on the trapper is burned by heating the trapper with an electric heater inserted in the trapper on its downstream side. With this arrangement, PM is less likely to accumulate between the electric heater and the trapper. Also, PM is less likely to adhere to the surface of heater supporting insulators. Thus, it is possible to prevent short-circuiting between the heater and the trapper through PM.

A is a vibration damper suppresses squeaks of a disk brake by positively damping vibrations of the brake. It is a high-performance, highly reliable vibration damper with no accurate machining required. This vibration damper has pressing pistons received in brake pistons so that brake fluid pressure acts thereon. It further includes a vibration detector for detecting brake vibrations through one of two pads, and a vibration imparter for vibrating the other pad based on detection signals of the vibration detector so as to cancel out the vibrations detected by the vibration detector. They are pressed against the back of the respective pads by the respective pressing pistons. By pressing them at a suitable pressure against the pads, it is possible to detect vibrations and vibrate the pads with high reliability. When replacing the pads, they never protrude from the pad pressing surfaces, so that they are less likely to be damaged or destroyed.

Vibration damper for use in disk brake

A particulate trap which can be used in a medium- or small-sized diesel engine car includes concentrically arranged cylindrical filters made of a three-dimensionally reticulated metallic porous material and a plate-shaped electric heater for regeneration having an output of 400 W or less, and is provided between the filters and spaced therefrom. The filters have a relatively shortened length. The heating amount of the filters by the heater is 0.60 W/cm.sup.2 or more. The filter has an increased thickness to make up for reduction in the filter surface area due to the shortened filter length. With this arrangement, it is possible to achieve a high regeneration efficiency with a low-output heater while suppressing heat loss.

Particulate trap for diesel engine

A vibration damper suppresses squeaks of a disk brake by positively damping vibrations of the brake. It is a high-performance, highly reliable vibration damper with no accurate machining required. This vibration damper has pressing pistons received in brake pistons so that brake fluid pressure acts thereon. It further includes a vibration detector for detecting brake vibrations through one of two pads, and a vibration imparter for vibrating the other pad based on detection signals of the vibration detector so as to cancel out the vibrations detected by the vibration detector. They are pressed against the back of the respective pads by the respective pressing pistons. By pressing them at a suitable pressure against the pads, it is possible to detect vibrations and vibrate the pads with high reliability. When replacing the pads, they never protrude from the pad pressing surfaces, so that they are less likely to be damaged or destroyed.

An abrasion evaluation test method is applicable to a case where a rotating disk and a friction member to be brought into sliding contact with the disk contact and abrade each other even while a brake is not applied due to vibrations and mounting errors. The disk is an actual disk, and the friction member is a test piece which is smaller than the actual friction member. The test piece is pressed against a frictional surface of the disk at a predetermined position, thereof. The abrasion of the disk is measured with respect to a portion of the frictional surface that is out of contact with the test piece, while the abrasion of the friction member is obtained from the difference in thickness of the test piece before and after testing.

Abrasion testing method

A floating disk brake of small weight and low manufacturing cost in which the caliper slides stably and the center of gravity of the caliper is set close to the front fork or the like where it is supported. Torque receiving surfaces formed on both sides of a caliper are arranged such that side surfaces of the backing plates of the pads are abutted thereagainst. A pin which supports the pads on both sides of the disk rotor is provided in the caliper, extending parallel to the rotary axis of the disk rotor and inserted into central portions of peripheries of the backing plates. Two slide bolts for slidably supporting the caliper have first end portions screwed into a member which is rigid with the body or frame of the vehicle and second end portions slidably inserted into respective sides of the caliper. At least one of the slide bolts is arranged so as to partially overlie the disk rotor with a slide center of that slide bolt being substantially coincident with the center of the thickness of the disk rotor.

Floating disk brake

A negative acting disc brake provided with arrangement for automatically adjusting the clearance between the brake pads and the disc caused by abrasion of the brake pads. The entire amount of abrasion is absorbed not by a single release of brake but by several times of release of brake.

Growing community of inventors

Itami, Japan

Shiro Nakajima