Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha

Other

Ogura Clutch Company, Ltd.

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Tsutomu Takeuchi

Toshihiko Ishida

Kazunori Sakamoto

Morio Sakai

Osamu Fujimoto

Yasunori Hasegawa

Koichi Fujita

Seiichi Suzuki

Tateki Kawamura

Shin Sakai

Takashi Yamaguchi

Kentaro Morishita

Shigeyuki Miyazaki

Ryoichi Fukumoto

Tomoaki Nishimura

Yasuaki Suzuki

Kazuo Tsubota

Hiroyasu Onai

Naoya Oku

Masao Imamura

Satoshi Hayashi

Osamu c/oToyota Jidosha KK Fujimoto

A step unit that guides a sliding door of a vehicle includes a step member and a rail plate member. The step member includes first and second lower rails. The first lower rail has two ends that face toward each other to form a cutout portion in between. The rail plate member is arranged in the cutout portion. The step member includes an insertion hole and an extended portion. The insertion hole is located at a position corresponding to the cutout portion. The extended portion is extended from at least one of the two ends to support the rail plate member against a load received by the rail plate member from the roller. The rail plate member is inserted through the insertion hole from above the upper side of the step member and fixed by a fastening member to the step member.

Step unit

A step unit comprises: a step member which is provided on the vehicle body side so as to be adjacent to a slide door of the vehicle and has a flat plate section on which an occupant's foot is placed; and a drive device which is affixed to the step member and drives the slide door to open and close the slide door. The step member is molded using a resin material and has a accommodation portion which is provided with a bottom formed below the upper surface of the flat plate section. The drive device is affixed while at least a part thereof is accommodated within the accommodation portion.

A drive device is provided with a housingand an electromagnetic clutch mechanismaccommodated in the housing. The electromagnetic clutch mechanismis provided with an armaturerotatably supported in the housing, a rotorarranged to face the armatureand rotatably supported in the housing, and a coil. An annular magnetis fixed on the outer circumference surface of the rotor. A sensorarranged inside the housingdetects a polarity change of the magnetin association with rotation of the rotor. The magnetis provided with an annular wall portionextending toward the armaturebeyond a surface on which the armatureis in contact with the rotorwith respect to the axial direction. The annular wall portionis spaced radially outward from the armature. The annular wall portionprevents abrasion powder produced on actuation of the electromagnetic clutch mechanismfrom being scattered.

Drive device

A driving device includes a first rotating member, an armature member being movable and rotatable together with, a second rotating member being rotatable relative to the armature member, a magnetic force generating portion for generating a magnetic force for attracting the armature member toward the second rotating member in order to establish a connection between the armature member and the second rotating member so as to be integrally rotatable, a sensor magnet fixed to the second rotating member, a sensor provided for detecting a change of the magnetic field and a fixing member formed with a first claw portion engaged with the second rotating member and a second claw portion engaged with the sensor magnet while being press-fitted thereto in a radial direction thereof, wherein the sensor magnet is fixed to the second rotating member by means of the fixing member.

Driving device

A step unit includes: a step member which is provided with a pair of lower rails extending in an opening and closing direction of a slide door of the vehicle; and a rail plate member which is provided to a cutout formed in a part of either of the lower rails and which continuously connects the lower rails in the opening and closing direction. The step member is molded using a resin material and is provided with an insertion hole which vertically penetrates through the step member at a position corresponding to the cutout; and a support extension section which is extended from a side end of the cutout of the lower rail. The rail plate member is mounted to the step member by being inserted so as to penetrate through the insertion hole from above the step member.

An electromagnetic clutch includes a motor, a worm wheel rotatably driven by a motor, a rotor having an electromagnetic coil and rotatable about a same rotational axis as the worm wheel, an armature that is mounted to the worm wheel and is pulled into contact with the rotor upon application of electric power to the electromagnetic coil, so that the armature is rotated with the rotor, a cover member configured to cover the rotor and the armature, and a power supply mechanism disposed between the cover member and the rotor and connected to a power source for supplying power to the electromagnetic coil. The power supply mechanism includes a fixed frame body having a first power supply portion for receiving the power from the power source and fixed to the cover member, a rotary frame body having a second power supply portion in contact with the first power supply portion for supplying the power to the electromagnetic coil, the rotary frame body being fixed to the rotor and rotatably engaged with the fixed frame body; and a plate-like conducting member provided in the cover member, the conducting member coming into contact with a portion of the first power supply portion projecting from the fixed frame body.

Electromagnetic clutch

Brushes () which come into slidable contact with slip rings () having power feeding terminals () electrically connected to a power feeding side include extending portions () extending in the radial direction of a field core (). These extending portions () are bent in a direction away from a coil bobbin (). The third bent portions () located at the ends of the extending portions are electrically connected to the terminal portions () of coil terminals. An outer diameter Rof a mounting recess portion () which stores a power feeding device () of the field core () is smaller than an inner diameter Rof the coil bobbin (). This makes it possible to position the mounting recess portion () at a distance H from the coil bobbin () in the field core () in the arrow A direction, thereby reducing the size of the rotating coil type electromagnetic clutch () in the arrow A-B direction.

Rotating coil type electromagnetic clutch

An attachment structure for installing a load sensor to a vehicle seat includes the load sensor having a plate-shaped strain unit and a strain gauge for detecting a strain of the plate-shaped strain unit. The load sensor is structured that one end of the plate-shaped strain unit is fixed to a seating portion of the vehicle seat and the other end of the strain unit is fixed to a vehicle body. Also, a strain portion is defined between each fixed end of the plate-shaped strain unit, and the strain portion is deformable in a vertical direction relative to the vehicle seat. In addition, a load input point from the seating portion is defined approximately at a central portion of the strain portion of the plate-shaped strain unit.

Attachment structure of a load sensor for a vehicle seat

An attachment structure installs a load sensor between a seating portion of a vehicle seat and a vehicle body through an attachment structure unit. The attachment structure unit includes a first attachment bracket for holding one end of the strain unit, and a second attachment bracket for holding the other end of the strain unit. At least a pair of attachment structure units are arranged at right and left portions of a front side, right and left portions of a back side, or right and left portions of the front and back sides of the seating portion relative to the vehicle seat and the first attachment brackets of the attachment structure units of the right and left are connected to each other through a connecting rod.

A vehicle seat that detects a child restraint apparatus, which is attached to the seat by a seat belt, for operation of an air bag. A first load sensor is attached to one side of the seat to detect load and generate a first detection value. A second load sensor is attached to the seat at an opposite side of the seat to detect load and generate a second detection value. A control unit is connected to the first and second load sensors and determines whether the child restraint apparatus is present based on the first and second detection values.

Vehicle seat

An acceleration detecting device includes a hollow housing having a side wall, a bottom wall and an opening and a cover closing the opening of the hollow housing. A weight is pivotally mounted in the hollow housing to be rotated about a locus in response to an applied acceleration. Also positioned within the housing is a contact assembly to be electrically-closed by the rotated weight. A plastic main body is held in the hollow housing along the side wall to support the contact assembly and keep the contact assembly spaced from the locus of the weight during the rotation of the weight. The plastic main body which supports the contact assembly may have a wider support along the side wall of the hollow housing, which is independent from fixture of the cover. Therefore, the contact assembly may be supported by the hollow housing through the main body in a more reliable manner. Further, the weight may rotate without any interference to the contact assembly because the contact assembly is kept off the locus of the weight.

Acceleration detecting device

The present invention provides adhesion inhibitors for suppressing the adherence between E-cadherin of glandular cells and integrin of lymphocytes. Sjogren's syndrome comprises disorders wherein secretory glands such as lacrimal gland are destroyed by autoimmunity, and the adherence of CD8.sup.+ T cells to the surface of acinar cells is observed by the immunohistological analysis of lacrimal gland from patients. Integrin on the surface of T cells and E-cadherin on the surface of acinar cells play a major role in the mechanism of adhesion between these cells, while the adherence of T cells to acinar cells is reduced using anti-E-cadherin and anti-integrin antibodies. Sjogren's syndrome, such as autoimmune adenitis, can be treated using these antibodies.

Inhibitors for the adhesion of lymphocytes to glandular cells

An acceleration detecting device includes a housing, a weight pivotally mounted inside the housing for rotating along a locus in response to an applied acceleration, a spring provided between the housing and the weight to apply a biasing force to the weight against the applied acceleration, and a contact assembly located outside the locus of the weight. The contact assembly is adapted to be electrically closed by the rotation of the weight. An arc-shaped circumference of the weight maintains the same distance between the weight and the contact assembly during the rotation of the weight. When an excessive acceleration is applied to the device, the weight rotates from an initial position against the biasing force of the spring to electrically close the contact assembly. The weight is returned to the initial position by the biasing force of the spring to electrically open the contact assembly when the excess acceleration is no longer present. Because the spring which applies the biasing force is separated from the contact assembly, the biasing force is reliably maintained for a longer period. Further, the weight can rotate without any interference to the contact assembly because the arc-shaped outer circumference of the weight maintains the contact assembly spaced from the locus of the weight.

Growing community of inventors

Gamagori, Japan

Tsutomu Takeuchi