Nissan Motor Company Limited

Hitachi, Ltd.

Yasuhisa Takeuchi

Haruhiko Iizuka

Norimasa Kishi

Hiroshi Tanaka

Kenji Maio

Kazunori Noso

Junichiro Matsumoto

Tadashi Suzuki

Hiroshi Inoue

Isao Yamamoto

Yoshiro Morimoto

Jian Chen

Hiroyuki Nomura

Naohiko Inoue

Yoshiyuki Etoh

Kiyoshi Yamaki

Kinichiro Nakano

Kazuyuki Mori

Hidetaka Suzuki

Shinichi Kato

Kiyoshi Yoshida

Mitsuhiko Ezoe

Haruto Tanaka

Hiroshi Yano

Keiichi Miyamoto

Kiyoshi Sasanuma

Yohsiyuki Etoh

A system and method for automatically controlling a vehicle speed to a desired cruise speed are disclosed in which when at least one of conditions that any one of command signals from corresponding operation command switches is outputted and that a microcomputer of the automatic cruise speed controlling system normally operates and outputs control command signals indicating that corresponding one of control valves is energized is satisfied, the power supply to the control valves is enabled. On the contrary, when at least one of conditions that none of the command signals from the corresponding command switches is outputted and that the microcomputer erroneously outputs control command signals indicating that the corresponding one of the control valves is energized is satisfied, the power supply to the control valves is disabled. The control valves cause air pressure in a chamber defined by a diaphragm to be adjusted, the diaphragm being linked to an engine throttle valve, so that an opening angle of the throttle valve is adjusted to control the vehicle speed.

System and method for automatically controlling vehicle speed to desired

A system and method for automatically controlling a vehicle speed to a desired cruise speed are disclosed in which whether after any one of command and release signals is outputted from the corresponding set/cruise, acceleration, resume, brake, clutch, and cancel switches, a control unit outputs a corresponding receipt signal via a corresponding output port is determined, whether the contents of the control command signals presently outputting through the respective control valves are equal to inverted levels at the respective control valve is determined, and a power supply to control valves for adjusting an operating variable of an engine driving force adjusting mechanism and the control unit is interrupted when at least one of the results of determinations indicates a negative result. In addition, when the control unit outputs the control command signals to the control valves to increase the vehicle speed, a subroutine of monitoring a cruise speed control enable state from the vehicle speed, command switches, release switches, and flag indicating the cruise control state in the control unit is executed.

A display of images on a screen which is installed in an automotive vehicle for displaying the driving direction and location of the automotive vehicle within a graphic pattern, such as a drive map, comprising: (a) a screen device; (b) a first memory unit in which data of a graphic pattern to be displayed on said screen device is stored; (c) a second memory unit in which at least one word and mark to be superimposed on the graphic pattern and those positional data on the graphic pattern are stored; (d) a signal generator which outputs a command signal to rotate the graphic pattern on said screen unit by an angle with respect to an original position; (e) a shift circuit which shifts the positions of all words and marks stored in said second memory unit to those rotated at the angle corresponding to the command signal from said signal generator; and (f) an image control unit which controls the display of graphic pattern rotated by the angle corresponding to the command signal from said signal generator on said screen unit and controls the superimposition of at least one word and mark stored in said second memory unit on the position of the graphic pattern shifted by said shift circuit.

System for maintaining an orientation of characters displayed with a

A function generator circuit is provided which generates a target engine revolution speed electric signal indicative of a target engine revolution speed which is a first predetermined function of an accelerator pedal stroke electric signal indicative of a depression degree of an accelerator pedal. There is also provided another function generator circuit which generates a target engine torque electric signal indicative of a target engine torque which is a second predetermined function of the accelerator pedal stroke electric signal. A comparator compares the actual and target engine revolution speed electric signals and generates a deviation signal indicative of a difference between these signals. A shift control varies a reduction ratio in the continuously variable transmission to vary the revolution speed of the engine in a direction to reduce the deviation signal. A fuel supply device is controlled in response to the target engine torque electric signal so as to supply a fuel enough for production of the target engine torque.

Control apparatus and method for engine-continuously variable

A guidance method and system for an automotive vehicle which switches from an electronic navigational signal method to a dead reckoning method when any of the field strengths of three navigational electromagnetic wave signals drops below a predetermined lower limit or vice versa when the field strengths of the three navigational electromagnetic wave signals all exceed the lower limit. Therefore, even if the navigational wave signals are obstructed by buildings or mountains, it is possible to continuously determine and display the vehicle position. The guidance system according to the present invention comprises a receive-state detection unit for detecting three field strengths and for comparing the detected field strengths with a predetermined lower limit, and a selector for selectively outputting vehicle position signals on the basis of navigational signals or dead reckoning, in addition to the conventional electronic navigation system and dead reckoning system.

Guidance method and system for an automotive vehicle

An optical signal transmission system for an automotive vehicle by which a number of electric signals generated from switches arranged on the steering wheel are transferred to other controllers optically and digitally for control the necessary vehicle operating conditions with high reliability, without producing electrical noise even while steering wheel is being turned. The optical signal transmission system of the present invention comprises optical transmission devices including an electricity-to-light converting means, a light-transmitting ring, a light-to-electricity converting means, in addition to a digital circuit including an encoder, decoder, etc.

Optical signal transmission system for an automotive vehicle

A voice responsive door lock system is provided wherein the operation of the door lock device is vocally controlled by the driver via a voice recognition unit. The voice responsive door lock system for a motor vehicle comprises a door position detection means, an indication means for indicating a question as to the necessity of locking the door, a voice recognition unit for identifying the driver's reply and producing a door lock command signal, and a door lock control means for actuating a door lock device upon receiving the door lock command signal.

Voice responsive door lock system for a motor vehicle

A solar radiation heat influx sensor mounted within an automotive vehicle fender mirror housing, which can accurately detect solar radiation heat influx due to rays of sunlight falling upon the vehicle. The detected heat influx value is used in controlling an automotive vehicle air-conditioning system to adjust passenger compartment air temperature, more specifically to determine an appropriate air conditioning air mix door opening percentage. The solar radiation heat influx sensor according to the present invention comprises a sensor body having inlet and outlet portions and a central window, a blower to drive air therethrough, an outside-air temperature sensor disposed in the inlet portion thereof and a warmed-air temperature sensor disposed in the outlet portion thereof, and a calculating unit to calculate solar radiation heat influx in response to the two detected temperatures in accordance with a predetermined equation.

Solar radiation heat influx sensor for an automotive vehicle

A voice response control system is disclosed which comprises a voice recognition unit adapted to recognize a voice instruction given thereto and operate a vehicle component in accordance with the given voice instruction. A control circuit is provided for turning down the sound volume of an audio set to a sufficient level to ensure correct voice instruction recognition before a voice instruction is given the voice recognition unit and returning the audio set to its initial condition at the termination of the voice instruction recognition.

Voice response control system

Disclosed is an aerial transport system which comprises an aerial track having therealong a pair of electric current-carrying cables in a parallel relationship with respect to one another and with respect to the track, and self-propelled carriages. Each carriage has an electric current collector to collect electric power from the current-carrying cables and to supply the power to an electrical driving mechanism mounted thereon for driving wheels engaging with the track. The current-carrying cables are separated at longitudinal given intervals so as to define respectively independent electric power supply zones. The transport system further includes a system for controlling electric power supply for the vehicle or carriage including a mechanism for detecting a vehicle or carriage position in the track provided in each power supply zone. The vehicle or carriage position detecting mechanism has a circuit which is closed when the vehicle or carriage is present within the zone, and a detector for detecting an electric current flowing in the zone when the circuit is closed. The detector is associated with a holding relay control circuit. The holding relay controls an electric power supply control circuit having a controlling contactor connected with a contact of the holding relay.

Aerial transport system

In an automatic brake controller having a vehicle velocity detector for detecting vehicle velocity and a wheel velocity detector for detecting wheel velocity, a failure detecting system is provided for the vehicle velocity detector and the wheel velocity detector. A comparator which makes a comparison between the vehicle velocity signal obtained from said vehicle velocity detector and the wheel velocity signal obtained from said wheel velocity detector generates a predetermined output signal when the difference between both the output signals of said detectors exceeds a predetermined value, and a logical circuit is responsive to said output signal from said comparator to provide a failure signal when a signal representative of a normal transit condition is being generated.

System for detecting a failure in a vehicle velocity detector and a

A vehicle controlling device wherein an output signal proportional to vehicle velocity obtained from a vehicle velocity detector and an output signal proportional to wheel velocity obtained from a wheel velocity detector are to be compared by a comparator and the slip state of the wheel is to be detected from the result of the comparison, thereby to control a brake mechanism, characterized in that an adder circuit is provided which adds an output signal proportional to a predetermined wheel velocity at a low vehicle running speed to the output signal obtained from the wheel velocity detector and that the output signal of the adder circuit and the output signal from the vehicle velocity detector are compared by the comparator to ensure accurate brake control at all vehicle speeds.

Vehicle brake controlling device for anti-skid control of vehicle wheels

An anti-lock brake system includes a center hydraulically boosted master cylinder for hydraulically actuation of wheel master cylinder associated with a wheel brake, a center brake control valve assembly functioning to channel pump generated fluid pressure to a booster of a center master cylinder for actuation thereof and including an operator actuating assembly functioning to dampen the reaction force to an operator pedal during anti-lock control operation and permit booster actuation in the event of the loss of pump generated fluid pressure, an hydraulically actuated return piston for return actuation of the wheel master cylinder to relieve brake pressure to the wheel brake, and an anti-lock control valve functioning to cyclically apply and release fluid pressure to the hydraulically actuated return piston for actuation thereof during anti-lock control operation.

Anti-lock brake system

A device for effectively controlling the braking system of a wheeled vehicle to eliminate a possibility of skidding comprising an electric computing module which is responsive to electric signals fed thereinto from a vehicle speed sensor mounted on an extra wheel which mechanically contacts the road surface, and a vehicle supporting wheel rotational speed sensor.

Vehicle skid control system including vehicle speed sensor

A skid control system for fluid-actuated brake of a wheeled vehicle which comprises a release and reapplication signals generator for producing a release signal or a reapplication signal, a wheel velocity sensor, an actuating circuit for producing an actuating signal in accordance with the release signal, a reference wheel velocity signal generator for producing a reference wheel velocity signal in response to the actuation signal and the actual wheel velocity signal from the wheel velocity detector, a comparator for producing a gate signal when the actual wheel velocity signal voltage exceeds the reference wheel velocity signal voltage, an AND gate for passing therethrough the reapplication signal when triggered by the gate signal, and a brake pressure modulator for modulating the brake pressure in accordance with the release signal and the reapplication signal passed through the AND gate.

Growing community of inventors

Yokosuka, Japan

Yasuhisa Takeuchi