Abstract:
A steering apparatus for a vehicle having steerable front and rear wheels includes a front wheel steering system for steering the front wheels, a rear wheel steering system for steering the rear wheels, a linkage member for coupling the front and rear wheel steering systems to each other. The rear wheel steering system comprises a housing adapted to be mounted on the vehicle, an input shaft angularly movably supported by the housing and having a front end coupled to the connecting means and an eccentric shaft on a rear end thereof, a joint member supported by the housing so as to be movable transversely of the vehicle, a pair of tie rods connected at ends to the joint member and at opposite ends to the rear wheels, and a slide member held in slidable engagement with the joint member and operatively coupled to the eccentric shaft for movement in response to angular movement of the input shaft. The joint member and the slide member are held in tapered engagement with each other to assure desired operation of the steering apparatus for an extended period of time.
Abstract:
A steering system for a vehicle with front and rear wheels suspended from a vehicle body through a suspending mechanism, comprising a front wheel steering mechanism for steering the front wheels at an angle in accordance with a steering operation of a driver, and a rear wheel steering mechanism for steering the rear wheels at an angle in accordance with a travelling state of the vehicle. The rear wheel steering mechanism has an arrangement for determining a steered angle correction quantity of the rear wheels in correspondence with a cushioning state of the wheel suspending mechanism, and an arrangement for specifying the steering angle of the rear wheels in accordance with the steered angle correction quantity.The cushioning state may be ascertained by detecting a cushioning stroke of the suspending mechanism or a roll angle of the vehicle.
Abstract:
A vehicular steering system for steering both front and rear wheels through steering operation of a steering wheel wherein a rear wheel steering mechanism is advantageously reduced in both size and weight. The rear wheel steering mechanism includes a shaft member which rotates in interlocking cooperation with a steering wheel and which is inserted and supported rotatably through a cylindrical holder in a sleeve fixed to the vehicle body. A crank pin is attached to the shaft member, with a joint member being loosely mounted and supported thereon. A link mechanism is pivoted at one end thereof to the vehicle body and integrally connected at the other end thereof to the joint member, and right and left rear wheel steering tie rods are connected and supported respectively through ball joints to the right and left of the joint member. The axis of each rear wheel steering tie rod, the center of each ball joint and the core of the crank pin are substantially aligned with one another on each of the right and left sides.
Abstract:
A safety wheel designed so that when air sealed within a tire is lost, the vehicle may be supported by a flat protector device in place of air pressure within the tire. The safety wheel comprises a split rim, a tubeless tire and a flat protector device which comprises a flat protector seat portion annularly fixed along the outer peripheral surface of the split rim, and a flat protector body formed of at least one pipe annularly fixed along the outer peripheral surface of the flat protector seat portion.
Abstract:
A tubeless tire and rim assembly including an annular bead lock in the form of an endless train of lock elements interconnected by flexible joints. The bead lock can have not only a fully expanded circular configuration to fit over the rim base but also a partly folded configuration to lie within the inner peripheral circle of the tire. This particularly facilitates the mounting of such bead lock while effectively preventing any improper positioning thereof. An embodiment incorporating a flat-protector together with the bead lock is also contemplated to further improve the driving safety.
Abstract:
A grinding machine includes a spindle head for rotatably driving a crankshaft around a journal center as a rotational axis and, two wheel heads that support respective two grinding wheels and that advance and retract in a direction perpendicular to the rotational axis independently with each other. Two of plural pin portions of the rotating crankshaft are simultaneously ground by the respective two grinding wheels, in which rotational phases of the two pin portions are different from each other. Further, the rotational phases of the two pin portions are stored as a combination in a memory. The two pin portions are simultaneously ground in accordance with the combination by the respective two grinding wheels.
Abstract:
In a multi-location television conference system that connects five locations A, B, C, D, and E, when speeches take place at the four locations A, B, C, and D at the same time, at a listening location E, images of all the speaking locations A, B, C, and D are displayed on one screen with four divided screen areas. On the other hand, at the speaking location A, images of the speaking locations B, c, and D and an image of the former speaking location E are displayed on one screen with four divided screen areas. In addition, when images of speaking locations are displayed, locations names thereof are also displayed. Thus, a television conference held at a plurality of locations at a time can be smoothly managed as with a real conventional conference.
Abstract:
A multi-site video conference control system comprising a number of video conference terminals respectively situated at a number of sites and a video conference control unit for controlling a video conference. A communication line interface provided at each terminal makes a single calling with respect to the video conference control unit. A connection data section, which is provided at each terminal, manages connection data for other terminals to be connected and transmits the connection data to the video conference control unit. A control calling section, which is provided at the video conference control unit, calls the terminal corresponding to the connection data to be transmitted from the connection data section, based on the single calling. A connection controller, which is provided at the video conference control unit, connects the calling terminal, whose communication line interface made the single calling, and the other terminals called by the control calling section, with communication lines.
Abstract:
Disclosed is a suspension having an improved transverse leaf spring with its longitudinal axis extending transversely of a car body. The leaf spring is operatively associated at opposite ends with the right and left wheels of a car and is curved along its intermediate length in the direction in which the car moves ahead or back. The curved portion may be along a full length of the leaf spring or along a length defines between support points on the leaf spring, and in the latter case, lengths extending from the respective support points to the ends of the leaf spring most adjacent thereto remain linear to form linear portions extending substantially perpendicularly with respect to respective suspension arm rocking shafts. Various forms of support elements are described for securing the leaf spring for only pivotal movement about one of the support points and both pivotal and linear movement about the other thereof.
Abstract:
A power unit mounting structure in a motor vehicle includes a power unit comprising an engine having a crankshaft, a transmission coupled to the crankshaft of the engine, and a differential interposed between drive axles connected to a pair of laterally spaced front road wheels of the motor vehicle and the transmission. The power unit is mounted in a front portion of the motor vehicle with its center of gravity positioned rearwardly of the drive axles extending from the differential toward front road wheels serving as the drive road wheels. A steering gearbox extends parallel to the drive axles and is disposed forwardly of the drive axles.