Nissan Motor Company Limited

Kayaba Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Yoshiyuki Eto

Toshiro Matsuda

Koji Masuda

Takayuki Watanabe

Koji Morita

Junichi Mine

Takashi Yonezawa

Keiichi Sawamura

Noboru Kurita

Satoshi Chikamatsu

Akira Kiribe

Hitoshi Tanaka

A torque split control apparatus for use with an automotive vehicle including an engine for producing a drive. The automotive vehicle is supported on a pair of primary drive wheels and a pair of secondary drive wheels. The drive is transmitted from the engine to the primary drive wheels and to the secondary drive wheels through a torque distributing clutch capable of varying a torque transmitted to the secondary drive wheels. A control torque is calculated based upon a difference between the primary and secondary drive wheel rotational speeds. The control torque is transmitted through the torque distributing clutch to provide a desired turning characteristic to the vehicle. At least one vehicle condition dependent torque, which is dependent on a specified vehicle operating condition, is calculated. Vehicle operating conditions are monitored to produce a command signal when a 4WD control is demanded. The control torque is selected in the absence of the command signal and a greater one of the control torque and the vehicle condition dependent torque is selected in the presence of the command. The torque distributing clutch is controlled to transmit the selected torque to the secondary drive wheels.

Torque split control apparatus

A torque split control apparatus for use with 4WD type vehicle. The drive from the engine is transmitted to the primary drive wheels of the vehicle and to the secondary drive wheels of the vehicle through a torque distributing clutch capable of varying a torque transmitted to the secondary drive wheels. First and second control gains are calculated. The first control gain is inversely proportional to the vehicle lateral acceleration. The second control gain is inversely proportional to the vehicle lateral acceleration. The second control gain is smaller than the first control gain. A start indication signal is produced when the vehicle is starting. A target torque is calculated. The target torque is proportional to the first control gain and to the wheel speed difference in the presence of the start indication signal. The target torque is proportional to the second control gain and to the wheel speed difference in the absence of the start indication signal. The torque distributing clutch is controlled to transmit the calculated target torque to the secondary drive wheels.

This invention relates to a pressure reducing valve wherein a spool is driven axially by a first plunger which moves according to the magnetization state of a first solenoid, and a control port is connected to a supply port and a tank port according to the axial position of this spool. The pressure of the control port acts on the spool in the opposite direction to that of the plunger via a feedback passage, and the pressure increases or decreases according to the current flowing through the first solenoid. According to this invention, a second plunger is arranged in series with the first plunger, and a spring tends to push the second plunger toward the first plunger. A second magnetized solenoid however keeps the second plunger held back against the restoring force of the spring so that it is not in contact with the first plunger, and releases the second plunger so that it pushes the first plunger when the current fails. Hence, even if the current supplied to the first and second solenoids is cut off, the control port maintains the predetermined pressure, and a fail-safe mechanism is realized by means of a simple construction.

Electromagnetic proportional pressure reducing valve

An active torque-split control system for actively controlling a distribution of driving torque applied to front and rear wheels in a four-wheel drive vehicle employing a transfer device including a transfer clutch for varying said driving torque distribution depending on the operating state of the vehicle, comprises sensors for monitoring the operating state, and a torque-split controller for switching from a normal torque-split control mode to a rigid torque-split control mode only when the controller determines that the vehicle is operated in a warning region closer to a critical state. The normal torque-split control mode corresponds to a first mode that the rear-wheel driving torque gets priority over the front-wheel driving torque, while the second controllable torque corresponds to a second mode that the transfer ratio of the front-wheel driving torque is quickly increased to be substantially equal to that of the rear-wheel driving torque so as to obtain a front-wheel speed substantially equal to a rear-wheel speed.

Active torque-split control system for actively distributing driving

A vehicle height control apparatus for a vehicle is comprised of a fluid chamber installed for each wheel. The fluid chamber changes the vehicle height by receiving or discharging the fluid supplied from a fluid supply source. The vehicle height control apparatus operates to decrease the difference between right and left vehicle heights when the difference between the right and left vehicle heights is greater than a predetermined value, the vehicle is in a parked condition, and the fluid supply source cannot supply the fluid to the fluid chamber. The operation by the apparatus is carried out such that the right and left fluid chambers are communicated with each other.

Vehicle height control apparatus

A driving force distribution control system for a vehicle includes a torque distributing clutch for varying a driving force transmitted to a secondary drive wheels in response to a control signal, sensors for determining a wheel speed difference between the wheel speed of primary drive wheels and the wheel speed of the secondary drive wheels, and a longitudinal acceleration, and a control unit for controlling the clutch engagement force of the torque distributing clutch by producing the control signal. The control unit has a first control mode for normally controlling the clutch engagement force in accordance with the wheel speed difference, and a second control mode for controlling the clutch engagement force in accordance with the longitudinal acceleration so as to prevent undesired hunting when a wheel spin of the primary or secondary drive wheels is detected.

Driving force distribution control system for a fourwheel drive vehicle

A driving force distribution control system for a 4WD vehicle includes a torque distributing clutch for varying a driving force transmitted to secondary drive wheels such as front wheels in response to a control signal, one or more sensors for determining a vehicle speed, and a measured wheel speed difference between a sensed speed of primary drive wheels such as rear wheels and a sensed speed of the secondary drive wheels, and a controller for producing the control signal. The controller determines a correction quantity which increases as the vehicle speed increases, further determines a corrected wheel speed difference by subtracting the correction quantity from the measured wheel speed difference in order to eliminate an undesired influence of a tire diameter difference between the front and rear wheels, and produces the control signal in accordance with the corrected wheel speed difference.

Torque split control system for a four wheel drive vehicle

A method of producing a monolithic three-way catalyst for the purification of exhaust gases of internal combustion engines. First, a mixed oxide coating is provided to a monolithic carrier by treating the carrier with a coating slip in which an active alumina powder containing cerium in oxide form is dispersed together with a ceria powder and then baking the treated carrier. Next, Pt, Rh and/or Pd are deposited on the oxide coating by a known thermal decomposition process. The addition of the ceria powder to the coating slip is effective in enhancing the CO, HC and NO.sub.x conversions and durability of the produced catalyst at high temperatures. Preferably the content of Ce in the active alumina powder is 1-5 wt %, and, in the coating after baking, Ce of the ceria powder amounts to 5-50 wt % of the coating. Optionally a zirconia powder too may be added to the coating slip such that Zr of the zirconia powder amounts to 1-10 wt % of the coating.

Method of producing monolithic catalyst for purification of exhaust gas

A catalyst for reforming CH.sub.3 OH to H.sub.2 and CO, which is high in activity, selectivity and durability. The catalyst uses a granular or monolithic carrier which is made of active alumina at least in its surface regions, and compound oxide(s) of perovskite structure MAlO.sub.3, where M is a metal selected from the rare earth elements, e.g. La or Ce, or from the titanium family elements, e.g. Ti or Zr, and catalytic metal(s) of the platinum group, e.g. Pt, Pd and/or Rh, are deposited on the carrier. Preferably the amount of the metal(s) M in the compound oxide(s) is 0.1-10.0 Wt % of the carrier, and the content of the metal(s) of the platinum group in the catalyst is 0.1 to 1.0 Wt %. The catalyst is prepared by first depositing the compound oxide(s) on the carrier by pyrolysis of suitable salts of the respective metals M and Al which are applied to the carrier as a mixed solution, and then depositing the catalytic metal(s) by pyrolysis of suitable compound(s) of the catalytic metal(s) applied to the carrier as a solution.

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Isehara, Japan

Yoshiyuki Eto