Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Takata Corporation

Takumi Makabe

Dai Arai

Mutsumi Katayama

Shinichiro Kato

Sumitaka Ogawa

Toshiya Nagatsuyu

Tomokazu Sakamoto

Yuki Kobayashi

Futoshi Miyakawa

Rodney M Frijas

Jason A Sovern

Brandon E Ricketts

Kazutaka Sugimoto

Hajime Uchiyama

Akihiko Yamashita

Hideo Namiki

David T Christian, Jr

Yohei Endo

Seth A Ritchie

Fujio Umebayashi

Dustin Lee Williams

Dirk Gavin Westendorf

Takefumi Tatewaki

Endo Yohei

The disclosure provides a steering system for a vehicle. The steering system may include a steering rack and an electronic power steering (EPS) system. The EPS system may include an actuator that assists movement of the steering rack, a torque sensor; an angle sensor; and an EPS system controller. The EPS controller may be configured to determine a steering rack center point indicating a center of the steering rack between opposite maximum steering angles. The EPS controller may be configured to determine a vehicle center zero point. The EPS controller may be configured to store the vehicle center zero point in response to determining that the vehicle center zero point is within a threshold of the steering rack center point.

Setting vehicle center in electronic power steering system

A vehicle includes an engine, an input device for controlling a speed of the engine, a seat for an occupant of the vehicle, a seat belt for securing the occupant in the seat, and a seat belt sensor for detecting when the seat belt is buckled. A controller may be operatively connected to the seat belt sensor and the engine for controlling the vehicle in a first mode when the seat belt is buckled and a second mode when the seat belt is unbuckled. The controller may perform various different functions, such as cutting fuel to the engine when the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold while operating in the second mode, or receiving input indicating that the input device is released before switching the vehicle to the first mode when the seat belt is buckled while the vehicle is operating in the second mode.

Vehicle including controller

System and method for operating an active suspension system of a vehicle includes actuating a switch on the vehicle, setting the active suspension system for the vehicle to a demonstration mode, setting a timer when the active suspension system is set to the demonstration mode, and setting the active suspension system for the vehicle to a normal operating mode after the timer reaches a predetermined time. Prior to expiration of the timer, the system and method determines a gear in which the vehicle is placed, determines whether an engine of the vehicle is running if the transmission gear of the vehicle is drive, reverse, or neutral, and determines a throttle angle of the vehicle if the engine is running. The active suspension system is set to a normal operating mode if the throttle angle is greater than a predetermined angle. An iterative process determines the status of the timer.

System and method for placing an active suspension system in a demonstration mode

A transmission system for optimally re-engaging a shift clutch irrespectively of running conditions of the vehicle. In the transmission system for a vehicle in which a shift clutch is actuated interlockedly with a shift spindle rotationally driven by a shift motor, a target clutch torque for the shift clutch is calculated based on an estimated engine torque derived from an estimated engine torque map which prescribes the relation between engine rotational speed, throttle angle, and estimated engine torque, and a target shift spindle angle is calculated based on a value derived from a target shift spindle angle map which prescribes the relation between the target clutch torque and the target shift spindle angle. A control unit controls the shift motor based on the target shift spindle angle calculated by a target shift spindle angle calculator, at the time of effecting a gear shift of a transmission.

Transmission system for vehicle

A vehicle control device for controlling an engine and an electric pump includes a relay having a contact part for connecting and disconnecting a power source to the electric pump, an engine stop instruction switch provided between the power source and a coil part of the relay for connecting and disconnecting the power source to and from the coil part. A control unit for controlling the engine and the relay and determining whether or not operation of the engine stop instruction switch is made. The control unit includes a port to which the coil part and a drive part are connected for switching current application of the coil part, a detection part for detecting a current flowing to the port, and a determiner for determining whether or not the operation of the engine stop instruction switch is made based on a detection result of the detection part.

Vehicle control device

A vehicle fault determination device includes a relay, a vehicle configuration circuit, and a control section. The relay is connected to a power source. The vehicle configuration circuit is supplied with power from the power source via the relay. The control section determines whether the relay is faulty while controlling the relay and the vehicle configuration circuit. The control section includes first and second ports. The first port outputs a control signal to a coil portion of the relay. The second port is connected to a contact portion of the relay via the vehicle configuration circuit. The second port serves as an input port when the fault determination is made and as an operation port when the vehicle configuration circuit is controlled. Thus, the number of parts is keep to a minimum to increase the number of dedicated ports for determining whether the relay is faulty.

Vehicle fault determination device

An airbag apparatus is provided having an inflator in which the waterproofing property of the connection between an initiator and a harness for distributing power is ensured by potting, and leakage at the time of the filling of a potting material is prevented. An airbag apparatus includes a bag portion formed of a base cloth panel in a bag shape and deployed and inflated by being supplied with gas for deployment, and an inflator that generates the gas for deployment supplied to the bag portion. The inflator includes a gas-generating agent, an initiator that causes the gas-generating agent to start gas-generating reaction, a housing that houses the gas-generating agent and the initiator, a harness for distributing power that supplies power to the initiator from the outside through an opening formed in the housing, a cap member disposed so as to face the surface of the housing around the opening, an annular elastic member disposed so as to surround the opening and so as to be sandwiched between the surface of the housing and a surface portion of the cap member facing thereto, and a potting material P filled in a space between the housing and the cap member on the inner side of the elastic member.

Airbag apparatus

An airbag device for a saddle-ride type vehicle can include an acceleration sensor for detecting impacts working on a body to actuate the airbag, a left-right pair of acceleration sensors in side frame members.

Airbag device for saddle-ride type vehicle

To suppress temperature rises of an electric power steering device provided at a vehicle equipped with a diff lock device and to restrict the operation of the electric power steering device at times other than during diff locking. An electric power steering device that is coupled to a steering shaft fitted with handlebars at an upper end and that generates auxiliary force that supplements the steering force, and a diff lock unit that selects a differential state and a non-differential state (diff lock) of a differential device are provided. An ECU reduces the maximum value of the auxiliary force generated by the electric power steering device to a prescribed limit value when the diff lock is detected by the diff lock sensor is also provided. The ECU releases limiting of the maximum value of the auxiliary force when release of the diff lock is detected by the diff lock sensor.

Power steering device for a saddle-ridden vehicle

A wearable air bag device formed by defining air inflating chambers in a jacket of a rider of a vehicle. An ECU, a battery, a rider separation detecting part, a main switch and a warning device are incorporated into the jacket. A wire is connected to a vehicle via a connecting terminal. When a rider who wears the jacket is separated from the vehicle, the wire which is connected to the vehicle is extended and a reel is rotated. Upon detecting a rotational angular speed of the reel, the ECU determines that the rider is separated when the rotational angular speed is large. Upon detection of the separation of the rider, ECU develops an air bag by operating an inflator.

Wearable air bag device

A removable steering angle sensor for a motor-driven power steering apparatus for use in a vehicle intended for rough road use. The handlebar of the vehicle is disposed on an upper portion of a steering shaft, and a motor-driven power steering apparatus, including a power assist portion as an actuator unit, is disposed in a middle portion of the steering shaft. The steering angle sensor for detecting a steering angle is disposed on one end of the steering shaft, or more specifically, on a lower end portion of an output shaft, or a leading end portion of an output shaft. During maintenance, this arrangement provides for easy removal and installation of the steering angle sensor.

Steering angle sensor arrangement structure of vehicle intended for rough road use

An air bag, a control device and a rider or operator removal detecting part are disposed in an operator's jacket. An air bag device body includes air inflating chambers, an ECU, a battery, a radio receiver, a main switch and a warning device incorporated into the jacket. In response to a synchronizing signal transmitted from a vehicle-body-side radio transmitter, a vehicle-body-side electric wave signal generating part and a rider-side reference waveform signal generating part, respectively, generate an electric wave signal and a comparison signal in a synchronized state with a signal comparing part determining a phase difference between both signals. When a delay quantity or a change of the delay quantity of the electric wave signal from the electric wave signal generating part is increased, the ECU detects a removal of a rider for informing an air bag drive part.

Air bag device

To prevent an air bag from being operated by mere inclination when the vehicle body does not fall down, that is, at the time of handling during a banking operation or the like. An air bag and a removal detecting part for detecting a rider removal from a vehicle body are incorporated in a rider jacket. An inclination sensor for detecting an inclination of the vehicle body of a motorcycle is provided. An angle acceleration calculating part for calculating the inclination angle acceleration of the vehicle body calculates the inclination angle acceleration based on a plurality of detected inclination angles. When the state of the vehicle body falls within the air bag operable range, an air bag deploying instruction is outputted. The air bag deploying instruction is supplied to the air bag when the rider removal from the vehicle body is not detected by the removal detecting part.

Growing community of inventors

Saitama, Japan

Takumi Makabe