摘要:
An automatic travelling apparatus which is capable of finding out a permissible travelling area from images taken by an image pick-up device to set a target course in the permissible travelling area; determining a steering amount appropriate for the purpose of permitting the vehicle to put itself on the target course, in consideration of the instantaneous travelling condition of the vehicle; and performing the exact steering control in terms of the steering amount. The exact travelling attained by the automatic travelling apparatus according to the present invention is attributable to a two-step determination in which first, a target course is set in a permissible area, and a tentative course is set appropriate for the purpose of permitting the vehicle to put itself on the target course.
摘要:
An automatic travelling apparatus which permits: determination of a permissible travelling area on the basis of images taken by an image pickup device or video camera, showing the sight of the area appearing ahead of the vehicle; steering control of the vehicle to go into a target course in the permissible travelling area; and selection of a predetermined way of a selected crossing or branch in the target course.For the image pickup device or video camera taking images of the area extending ahead of the vehicle for determining a permissible travelling area, a wide-angle camera, a telescopic range camera and an ordinary camera are selectively used to meet particular situations for example, taking pictures of a crossing, zigzag way or straight long way. This selective use of cameras of different characteristics permits correct identification of particular roads with those stored in the map storage.
摘要:
A device for switching vehicle characteristics which includes means for setting information concerning a road, such as a highway, in the running path of the vehicle, means for detecting the fact that the vechicle comes to a designated road portion in the running path and for producing output information concerning said predetermined road portion and means for effecting switching of the vehicle characteristics in response to the output information concerning the road.
摘要:
In a first type, there is provided, inside an inner tube of a twin-tube type of damper, a pressurizing chamber to be defined by a free piston which is slidably fit onto an outer surface of a rod. A fluid pressure from an outside pressure source is supplied to the pressurizing chamber to push down a damper piston via the free piston to thereby forcibly contract the damper. In a second type, there is provided inside an inner tube a cylinder which is slidably fit onto an outer surface of a rod, and a piston mounted on the rod is inserted into the cylinder. A fluid pressure from the pressure source is supplied to the pressurizing chamber inside the cylinder to push down the rod via the piston to thereby forcibly contract the damper. In a third type, a rod is slidably inserted into a partition wall in an intermediate portion of a damper main body of a mono-tube type of damper. A free piston which is prevented by a stopper member from dropping out of position downwards is slidably mounted onto an outer surface of a rod portion below the partition wall. A fluid pressure from a pressure source is supplied to a pressurizing chamber to be defined between the partition wall and the free piston. The rod is pushed down via the free piston and the stopper member to thereby forcibly contract the damper.
摘要:
An image of a road area ahead of a vehicle is formed based on road data read from a navigation system, or based on an image shot by a camera means such as a video camera. A temperature profile ahead of the vehicle detected by a temperature detecting means such as an infrared camera is superposed on the image of the road area. As a result, if a low-temperature zone is detected on the road area, it is determined that there is snow or ice existing on the road area, or if a high-temperature zone is detected, it is determined that there is a person or animal existing on the road area, thereby informing a driver by an alarm means or a display means to avoid such an obstruction or hazard. Thus, it is possible to perceive snow, ice, a person and an animal existing on a road ahead of the vehicle without relying on a driver's visual judgment, and to give an alarm so that the driver may timely take an appropriate countermeasure to avoid the obstruction or hazardous situation.
摘要:
A course travel judging device judges based on outputs from a map information outputting device and a subject vehicle position outputting device whether a subject vehicle is traveling on a course set by a course setting device. If the subject vehicle is traveling on the set course, a vehicle speed is controlled by a travel control device, so that the subject vehicle can safely pass through a curve ahead thereof. If the subject vehicle has deviated from the set course, an alarm is given to an occupant by an alarm device, and the control of vehicle speed by the travel control device is stopped. If a departing possibility judging device judges that there is a possibility of departing of the subject vehicle from the set course, a deviatable course is set by a deviatable course determining device, and the vehicle speed is controlled by the travel control device, so that the subject vehicle can safely pass through a curve having a severest passing condition on either of the set course or the deviatable course. Therefore, even if a vehicle has deviated from a course determined through a navigation system, an appropriate control of vehicle speed can be carried out.
摘要:
A road surface condition-detecting system for a vehicle detects a road surface condition from road noise generated by a vehicle wheel. The road surface condition is determined based on parameter data of frequency components of the road noise, by a neural network. The road noise may be corrected by eliminating therefrom a disturbance, such as audio output and exhaust noise. A present state of the road surface condition may be determined based on at least two consecutive determinations made based on the road noise detected at regular time intervals. Exclusive neural networks may be used for respective road surface condition types. One of a plurality of neural networks provided for respective vehicle speed ranges may be selected according to an actual vehicle speed. Detected sound pressure levels of the road noise extracted by frequency analysis may be normalized within respective ranges defined by upper and lower limits set corresponding to predetermined frequency ranges before being supplied to the neural network.
摘要:
An independent rear suspension includes a knuckle having a spindle for supporting a wheel, the spindle having a central axis, a trailing arm coupled to the knuckle, a pair of spaced lower arms pivotally mounted on the knuckle, a knuckle arm extending substantially upwardly from the knuckle, an upper arm pivotally mounted on the knuckle arm, and a damper having a lower end coupled to the knuckle at a position below the central axis of the spindle, the damper having a lower portion disposed between the spaced lower arms and in the vicinity of the central axis of the spindle.
摘要:
This driving support apparatus for a motor vehicle of the present invention includes: a road information storage device for storing road information comprising a plurality of nodes, the road information storage device being mounted in a motor vehicle; a position detection device for detecting position information, including a height, on the motor vehicle from the road information stored in the road information storage device, the position detection device being mounted in the motor vehicle; a communications device capable of exchanging the position information between itself and a communications terminal mounted in a moving object, the communications device being mounted in the motor vehicle; a height difference calculation device for calculating a height difference between the motor vehicle and the moving object from the height of the vehicle detected by the position detection device and the height of the moving object obtained by the communications device, the height difference calculation device being mounted in the motor vehicle; and a control object determination device for determining whether or not to treat the moving object as a control object based on the position information detected by the position detection device and the position information on the moving object obtained by the communications device, the control object determination device being mounted in the motor vehicle. The control object determination device eliminates, from the control object, the moving object with the height difference, calculated by the height difference calculation device, by a predetermined value or more.
摘要:
The hydraulic pressure to be supplied to a hydraulic actuator mounted on a vehicle, such as a hydraulic cylinder for vehicle height control, is arranged to be generated by utilizing a waste heat of a power source such as an engine of the vehicle or the like. There are provided an oil chamber to be connected to a hydraulic actuator, a pressurizing chamber containing therein, in a sealed manner, a medium which varies between a gaseous state and a liquid state, and a heating device which heats and evaporates the medium inside the pressurizing chamber and through which cooling water for cooling the power source to be mounted on the vehicle flows. The hydraulic pressure is generated by compressing the oil chamber by a vapor pressure of the medium inside the pressurizing chamber. In case the hydraulic actuator is a hydraulic cylinder for a vehicle height control, there is provided a flow control valve which controls the amount of supply of the cooling water to the heating device depending on the vehicle height.