Authors have developed a Whiplaash Injury Lessening concept seat that is achieved by restraining the head and body of the occupant simultaneously in rear-end collision. This concept was evolved further in the development of the Active Head Restraint(AHR) system and various physique, position and posture of the occupants were considered this time. Having succeeded in reducing the injury values to the dummy in-house examination. We predict that our new system to help reduce whiplash injury in the real world.

View full abstract

The use of biomass fuel as automotive fuel is expected to reduce CO2 emissions derived from motor vehicles. This study examines and discusses the effects of ethanol- and Ethyl tert-Butyl Ether (ETBE) -blended gasolines on exhaust emissions, evaporative emissions and drivabilities on in-use latest Japanese passenger vehicles.

View full abstract

We have previously proposed a worm with a new tooth profile for use in electric power steering (EPS). Use of this new tooth profile enables a reduction in the diameter of the worm wheel. This paper describes the study of the worm with the new tooth profile proposed by the authors that was conducted with a view toward enhancing transfer efficiency. For this purpose, a meshing model for the worm gear (worm & worm wheel set) was first created and used in order to examine the effects of the flexural rigidity of the worm wheel on transfer efficiency. Next, worm wheels that actually have different flexural rigidity were fabricated. The transfer efficiency of the different worm wheels was studied in terms of their tooth contact area. The results revealed that there is a proper value for the flexural rigidity required to enhance transfer efficiency.

View full abstract

Facings,frictional disk for automobile dry clutch are fabricated by using glass yarns while resin is used as the matrix in conjunction with some filler.In order to assure the durability of a prototype facing at severe conditions,a spin-burst strength can be well in obliged where the facing disk is rotating at higher than 10,000 rpm. The purpose of this study is to show how much accurately we can predict the spin-burst strength of facing disks based on the tensile strength of the material,and to discover a factor effective in order to raise spin-burst strength..

View full abstract

To measure high accuracy ground velocity by the TD(Time Differential) GPS(Global Positioning Systems) usage only, it is impossible to measure the velocity for the GPS propagation obstacle period. Interpolating the velocity to integrate the acceleration, together with GPS Doppler velocity, we developed high accuracy speedometer. This equipment could replace the optical speedometer or fifth wheel speedometer, and could have the advantages of easy installation and accurate measurement irrespective of GPS propagation obstacle and road surface conditions.

View full abstract

A weldable steel was developed which has equivalent strength and toughness to machine structural steel SCM435H. This steel is characterized by quenching hardness to 400HV or less, and internal hardness descent is low compared with SCM435H. By applying this steel to rear spindles which hold non-driven wheels, the junction structure with an rear axle beam was able to be changed from bolt fastening to welding. This reduced the number of parts, therefore a weight saving and cost reduction were achieved.

View full abstract

A new procedure that readily allows to idnetify and quantify zinc dialkyldithiophosphates(ZDTPs) formulated in lubricating oils using high performance liquid chromatography with UV detector has been developed. This procedure utilized derivatives of highly UV active anthracenylmethyl dialkyldethiophosphates(AMDTPs) from the reaction of ZDTPs and 9-chloromethylanthracene(CMA). Types of alkyl groups in commercial ZDTPs were readily analyzed with this procedure. Since it was confirmed that none of lubricating oil additives other than ZDTPs reacts with CMA and forms its derivatives, this procedure was suitably applied to the analysis of ZDTPs in formulated lubricating oils.

View full abstract

The comparison of the emission rate of 1m³ chamber and 2m³ chamber was executed by using Permeation-tube and the interior material that VOCs constantly emitted from the interior material. As a result, if it was a sample that was the constant emittance even if the air change rate was changed, it was confirmed that it was the same emission rate. Moreover, the evaluation was executed by the bag method by using the same sample, and the comparison with the chamber method was executed.

View full abstract

Reducing CO2 emission has become a critical social issue in recent years. In this regard, measures must be taken to improve the fuel consumption of motor vehicle power sources. It is expected that vehicles with electric-motor, such as hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in HEVs can achieve optimal solutions to this issue. This paper explains the simulation model of electric-motor vehicles. It then describes the effect of EV range for reducing CO2 emission in each electric-motor vehicle.

View full abstract

This paper reports the activity of a JSAE working group about evaluation indices concerning estimation of driver's risk perception. In this paper, various evaluation indices about driver's risk perception with respect to the leading vehicle, which were already proposed from different academic field researchers, are organized based on the definition, purpose, and characteristics. Moreover, the relationships between the indices are considered theoretically, and time series variations of typical following situations are compared by using numerical simulations.

View full abstract