Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Shape Corporation

Takashi Matsui

Hiroshi Sawada

Yasushi Iwazaki

Kohei Hisada

Masanobu Kanamaru

Matthew Kuipers

Tetsuo Nuruki

Zehua Qin

Kenji Tashiro

Kazutoyo Fujikawa

Masaya Kawaji

Kazuki Otake

A rocker component for a vehicle includes a tubular beam having a transverse cross-sectional shape extending continuously along a length of the tubular beam. The transverse cross-sectional shape of the tubular beam includes an inboard portion that has an inboard height dimension and an outboard portion that has an outboard height dimension. The outboard height dimension is less than the inboard height dimension. The transverse cross-sectional shape of the tubular beam also includes an upper planar wall and a lower planar wall that connect linearly between the respective upper and lower ends of the inboard portion and the outboard portion to form a tapered shape.

Rocker component with tapered shape

A vehicle rear structure includes a battery outer case, a side frame provided in a side portion of the battery outer case and extending forward from a rear side of the battery outer case, a rear vehicle frame member provided behind the battery outer case and inwardly from an end of a vehicle body so as to extend in the vehicle front-rear direction, and a front vehicle frame member provided in front of the battery outer case so as to extend in the vehicle front-rear direction and being connected to a front end portion of the side frame. The rear vehicle frame member is connected to a rear end portion of the side frame.

Vehicle rear structure

An air-fuel ratio sensor that outputs a sensor signal used for the feedback control of an air-fuel ratio is provided. It is determined whether an element crack is present by applying a reverse voltage to the air-fuel ratio sensor. The value of the sensor signal output from the air-fuel ratio sensor is corrected during a time period 'A'. The time period 'A' consists of a reverse-voltage application time period in which the reverse voltage is applied, and a return time period &#x201c;T&#x201d; after application of the reverse voltage ends. The return time period &#x201c;T&#x201d; is set based on sensor impedance correlated with the internal resistance of the air-fuel ratio sensor. The return time period &#x201c;T&#x201d; decreases as the sensor impedance decreases.

Method and apparatus for detecting exhaust gas sensor defect

Growing community of inventors

Toyota, Japan

Takashi Matsui