Aisin Aw Co., Ltd.

Toshihiro Kano

Kazumasa Tsukamoto

Masahiro Hayabuchi

Masahiko Ando

Yoshihisa Yamamoto

Hiroki Ishikawa

Yukio Yamamoto

Masaaki Nishida

Hiroshi Tsutsui

Takayuki Kubo

Saoto Tsuchiya

Akihiro Nakajima

Traffic situation determination systems, methods, and programs acquire a current position of the vehicle based on a radio signal received from a GPS satellite and determine a first travel path of the vehicle based on the acquired position of the vehicle. The systems, methods, and programs determine whether a road on which the vehicle is traveling has a traffic jam. If the road on which the vehicle is traveling has a traffic jam, the systems, methods and programs transmit first information relating to the first travel path from the vehicle to an information center. The systems, methods, and programs receive second information relating to a second travel path of the vehicle, the second information being received from a mobile phone communication center and being based on a mobile phone signal received by the mobile phone communication center. The systems, methods, and programs determine a road corresponding to the first travel path as having a traffic jam and determine a road corresponding to the second travel path, and not corresponding to the first travel path, as having no traffic jam.

Traffic situation determination systems, methods, and programs

Vehicle position information providing devices, methods, and programs acquire a first current position of a vehicle based on a radio signal received from a GPS satellite and acquire a second current position of the vehicle based on a signal received by a communication device that communicates over a mobile phone network. The devices, methods, and programs determine whether the first current position and the second current position coincide. If the first current position and the second current position do not coincide, the devices, methods, and programs cause the communication device to transmit information relating to the first current position to an information center.

Vehicle position information providing devices, methods, and programs

In a driving assist system for a vehicle, a camera driver controls an on-board rear camera to take an image of an area around a vehicle only when light-emitting diodes of the tail lights and brake lights are non-luminous, responsive to an image pickup timing signal output from a light control. An image processor executes panoramic view conversion of image data input from the camera driver, stores the converted data in an image memory, and displays a composite image by combining a plurality of sets of panoramic view data.

Driving assist method and driving assist apparatus

A hydraulic pressure control apparatus for an automatic transmission including a microprocessor-based control unit for controlling hydraulic pressure supplied to hydraulic servos of friction engagement elements. The control apparatus calculates a target hydraulic pressure P.sub.TA for a condition at the start of the inertia phase in accordance with the input torque, and a gradient based on the target hydraulic pressure and a predetermined time t.sub.TA. A first up-sweep of hydraulic pressure is performed by the apparatus with the gradient. A relatively gradual gradient .delta.P.sub.TA is set based on a target rotation change rate for the input rotational speed to provide a predetermined change amount when the hydraulic pressure becomes the target hydraulic pressure P.sub.TA. The control apparatus performs a second up-sweep with the gradient .delta.P.sub.TA. When the rotational speed change .DELTA.N of the input rotation becomes a rotation change start-determining rotational speed dN.sub.S, the control apparatus feedback-controls the hydraulic pressure with a predetermined gradient while referring to the input rotation change. Further, the control apparatus detects the target shift start time and the rotational speed change rate at the target shift start time to correct the target hydraulic pressure P.sub.TA, the gradient .delta.P.sub.TA of the second sweep section, and the target shift start time t.sub.aim.

Hydraulic pressure control apparatus for an automatic transmission

A controller for an automatic transmission which reduces wear of frictional engagement elements and shortens gear change time even when a gear change jump is made. The controller of the present invention includes a first hydraulic servo to which oil is supplied to make a gear change jump, a second hydraulic servo to which oil is supplied to make a gear change to an intermediate gear stage, a limited supply oil circuit having an oil flow limiting element, a quick supply oil circuit bypassing the oil flow limiting element and a pressure governor for regulating a line pressure to supply oil at a controlled pressure to the quick supply oil circuit. An oil path switching valve switches oil supply, to the first hydraulic servo or the second hydraulic servo, between the limited supply oil circuit and the quick supply oil circuit. Accordingly, when a gear change jump is made, oil is supplied to the first hydraulic servo via the quick supply oil circuit and the operating pressure can be increased quickly, so that the gear change time is shortened.

Quick shift hydraulic control for a two stage jump shift

A control system for an automatic transmission, includes a first hydraulic servo adapted to be fed with oil for effecting a shift to a target gear stage; a second hydraulic servo adapted to be fed with the oil for effecting a shift to the target gear stage; a limit oil feed circuit formed through an oil limit flow limiting device; a quick oil feed circuit bypassing the oil flow limiting device; and an oil passage switch for switching and connecting the limit oil feed circuit and the quick oil feed circuit to the first hydraulic servo and the second hydraulic servo. The oil passage switch feeds oil from the quick oil feed circuit to the first hydraulic servo and the second hydraulic servo, when the engine load is high, and feeds oil from the limit oil feed circuit to at least the first hydraulic servo when the engine load is low.

Control system for automatic transmissions

A controller of an automatic transmission provides gear changes with optimum gear change characteristics under any traveling conditions. The controller of the automatic transmission of the present invention includes an input torque detector for determining input torque to the transmission, an inertia torque estimator for estimating an inertia torque corresponding to the rate of change of rotary speed of a rotary member during a gear change, input torque corrector for calculating a required operating torque by adding the input torque and the inertia torque and an operating pressure controller for controlling operating pressure to correspond to the required operating torque. The operating pressure corresponding to the necessary engagement torque is supplied to a hydraulic servo, to effect a gear change, irrespective throttle opening and driving speed and irrespective of whether the gear change is made step by step or jumped.

Growing community of inventors

Anjo, Japan

Toshihiro Kano