Abstract: A four-wheel driven vehicle including a front wheel high/low speed changeover device adapted to be set to the high speed side upon detection of at least one condition out of three conditions, i.e. an excessive turning angle of the front wheel over a predetermined angle, a low vehicle speed below a predetermined speed and actuation of either rear wheel brake.

Abstract: Apparatus and method are disclosed by which toe is measured relative to a vehicle centerline or a nonsteerable wheel rolling direction for all four wheels on a vehicle having a pair of front steerable wheels and a pair of rear nonsteerable wheels. An alignment head is placed on one of the front wheels and another alignment head is placed on one of the rear wheels, both wheels being on the same side of the vehicle. The alignment heads project a beam pattern across the vehicle at the front and the rear. Reflectors are mounted on the other wheels at the front and the rear to intercept and reflect the beams back toward detectors included in the alignment heads. A beam pattern is also projected rearwardly along the length of the vehicle chassis from the alignment head mounted on the front wheel. A rear wheel mounted reflector intercepts the rearwardly projected beam pattern and reflects it back toward a detector in the front wheel mounted alignment head. Structure is provided on each of the rear wheels which provides an optical path which may be directed toward points at the front wheels which are equidistant from a center point between the front wheel pair. Measurements of total toe for each wheel pair and of individual toe for each wheel are obtained through use of the disclosed structure and process.

Abstract: An improved method, and apparatus for performing the method, for measuring and correcting the individual toe of pairs of steerable and non-steerable wheels of a vehicle relative to a longitudinal centerline passing through the midpoints of the wheel pairs. The improved methods utilize amiable alignment heads which are alternately mounted on the non-steerable wheels and the steerable wheels and are sighted only once on target on the other wheels thereby eliminating the need for resighting after each toe adjustment is made. Optical cross-toe paths of each head are operating in a continuous mode and provide a running display of incremental toe angle adjustments of one wheel while the toe display value associated with the other wheel of the pair is frozen, which other wheel is not being adjusted for toe.

Abstract: PURPOSE:To eliminate the error of accumulation due to an open-control of a four wheel steering device by adopting an open-type for a rear wheel steering control unit based on a front wheel steering angle and a car speed to compare with the rear wheel steering angle when the front wheel steering angle is 0 for correcting the rear wheel steering angle when the compared value is over a fixed level. CONSTITUTION:A rear wheel steering angle is calculated on the basis of signals C and D from a front wheel steering angle sensor 28 and a car speed sensor 27 respectively, and the output A thereof is inputted in a driver 31 to drive a pulse motor 14 for rear wheel steering and control the rear wheel steering by an open type control. When the front wheel steering angle sensor 28 outputs 0, a rear wheel steering signal E by a rear wheel steering angle sensor 29 is taken into a comparator to detect the difference, and a signal H is outputted when the value is over a fixed value for operating the driver of the rear wheel steering and eliminating the error of accumulation by the repetition of the open control.

Abstract: A child's pedal-powered vehicle simulating a four wheel drive vehicle includes a body on which there is rotatably supported a pair of rear wheels. Centrally of its front end portion is a drive and steering assembly which is rotatable within the body to effect rotation of a pedal-powered drive wheel at lower end thereof to effect turning motion of the wheel and thereby the vehicle. Mounted on the front end portion of the body outboard of the drive wheel are a pair of outboard front wheels which will readily move vertically on the body to adjust to differences in ground contour while presenting little resistance to turning of the vehicle. In one embodiment, there is included means for limiting the vertical movement so that these wheels will stop upward movement at a point where overturning might occur.

Abstract: An independent rear wheel suspenison for a motor vehicle having front wheel drive includes a telescopic strut rigidly mounted to a wheel support member and having its upper end pivotably mounted to the vehicle chassis. Two laterally extending control arms are pivotably connected at their outboard ends to the wheel support member and at their inboard ends to the vehicle chassis. The two control arms are longitudinally spaced apart and the wheel spindle is longitudinally positioned between the two arms. One arm has an integrally formed spring seat which seats a coil spring interposed between the arm and the vehicle chassis. The two control arms are connected together through a resilient bushing that is constructed to control the amount of wheel recession. In addition, the suspension can be constructed to control the toe angle of the rear wheel during jounce or recession of the rear wheel.

Abstract: PURPOSE:To improve a responding property in the change of a lane or in the like, by steering rear wheels oppositely to front wheels for a set period at the beginning of steering of the front wheels in the middle or high speed range of a vehicle and steering the rear wheels in the same direction as the front wheels after the set period. CONSTITUTION:When the steering of front wheels 2 is started through a steering unit 1 in the middle or high speed range of a vehicle, a controller 25 which receives the output signals of a vehicle speed sensor 22 and a front wheel steering angle sensor 23 performs operational control based on the rear wheel steering angle characteristics of the hydraulic pump drive motor 26 and pulse motor 16 of a rear wheel steering unit 7, so that rear wheels 8 are steered oppositely to the front wheels for a set period DELTAt. After the set period, the rear wheels 8 are steered from the neutral steering angle position in the same direction as the front wheels 2 along with the increase in the steering angle of the front wheels. For that reason, the sliding angle of the rear wheels 8 is augmented on a plus value basis along with the increase in the yaw rate to apply a high sideward force to each rear wheel to shift the vehicle to a different lane with a good reponse.

Abstract: An independent rear wheel suspension for a motor vehicle having front wheel drive includes a telescopic strut rigidly mounted to a wheel support member and having its upper end pivotably mounted to the vehicle chassis. Two laterally extending control arms are pivotably connected at their outboard ends to the wheel support member and at their inboard ends to the vehicle chassis. The two control arms are longitudinally spaced apart. One arm has an integrally formed spring seat which seats a coil spring interposed between the arm and the vehicle chassis. One of the arms is mounted through two longitudinally spaced resilient bushings which controls the amount of wheel recession. In addition, the suspension can be constructed to control toe-in of the rear wheel during jounce of recession of the rear wheel.

Abstract: In a device for measuring the toe and/or the camber of a motor vehicle wheel, provision is made of a component which is suspended by universal joints and can be brought to bear centrally against the wheel rim or the wheel hub. Arranged in each case on the two elements of the suspension using universal joints is a resilient measuring tongue whose free end is situated between two pickups (measuring sensors). The two measuring tongues are at right angles to one another and to the wheel axis, so that one measuring tongue can be used to measure the toe angle and the other measuring tongue can be used to measure the camber angle. In the event of deviation from the desired value of the camber angle and of the toe angle, the associated pickup generates a signal which is rendered visible in a display unit and/or is used directly to set the camber angle or the toe angle automatically.

Abstract: PURPOSE:To increase the speed of the front wheels according to a turning angle in a tractor that proportionally increases the speed of the front wheels along with the increase of the front wheel turning angle and to reduce turning radius without making a driver feel uneasy by changing a power take-off mechanism for the front wheel drive into a non-stepping speed change. CONSTITUTION:An engine driving power synchronously drives respectively the rear wheels 5 through a gear transmission mechanism 12 and a differential mechanism 14 and the front wheels through a power take-off mechanism 15. On the other hand, the front wheels 4 are turned by a steering handle, a pulley 19 is slided on a power take-off axis 20 and is shifted along with the increase of the front wheel turning angle. Consequently, the speed of the front wheels is proportionally increased slowly along with the increase of the front wheel turning angle. As a result, the speed of the front wheels is increased according to the turning angle and the turning radius can be reduced without making a driver feel uneasy.

Abstract: The invention relates to an impact protection device for motor vehicles having an air bag which can be automatically inflated when a specific vehicle deceleration is exceeded and which is arranged in front of the upper end of a steering shaft which is inclined by 10 DEG to 60 DEG with respect to the horizontal within the steering wheel and in front of the steering wheel spokes. It is proposed that the air bag be arranged and constructed in such a way that during inflation it at first only lies on front of the upper region of the steering wheel and in the inflated state its distance from the steering wheel plane is not greater than 20 cm.

Abstract: A method is disclosed by which, through the use of known wheel alignment equipment including wheel mounted alignment heads and targets, the off-track condition between the rear and front wheel pairs of a vehicle and the rear wheel total toe is initially measured to determine if it is within specifications for the specific vehicle. Following adjustment of the rear wheels, if necessary, to place these characteristics within the specifications, the wheel alignment equipment on each side of the vehicle is adjusted to assume an orientation dictated by the remaining off-track condition and the rear wheel average rolling direction. The alignment equipment is then fixed in such orientations. The wheel mounted alignment heads and targets are thereafter transferred, with adjustments intact, to diagonally opposite wheels. The front wheels are then moved through a steering excursion sufficient to provide an indication on the targets that the total front wheel toe is split about the rear wheel average toe direction. Thereafter adjustment to the front wheel steering linkage may be made to center the steering control and to obtain desired total front toe.

Abstract: An existing mathematical model of a motorcycle in free control, which is capable of explaining in general terms the small perturbation steering stability and modal properties, is extended to allow the calculation of responses to sinusoidal inputs of rider applied steering torque, and to forcing arising from dynamic unbalance of the front wheel, lateral force variations at the front tyre/road contact, and swashing of the front wheel. The various responses are presented and their practical implications are discussed. Steering torque inputs are shown to be capable of exciting the main oscillatory modes of motion when the vehicle speed and forcing frequency are appropriate. Responses to front wheel and tyre derived forcing are shown to peak when the vehicle speed is such that the front wheel rotation frequency coincides with the natural frequency of the wobble model. In this resonant condition, it is suggested that easily perceptible vibrations can occur, depending on the wobble mode damping and the degree of wheel imperfection. A design criterion for avoiding extreme sensitivity to wheel condition is suggested.

Abstract: PURPOSE:To secure the understeered state of steering characteristic and prevent tack-in phenomenon by steering a hydraulic mechanism in the same direction to a front wheel when a car is decelerated, in a car equipped with the hydraulic mechanism for steering a rear wheel when the front wheel is steered. CONSTITUTION:When a steering wheel 9 is turned leftward, the variable orifices (c) and (d) in an oil-pressure adjusting valve 8 are opened, and the oil supplied from a hydraulic pump 10 is supplied into the left chamber (e) of a power cylinder 6 through a hydraulic pipe 12. Therefore, a rack gear 5 is applied with a rightward force, and the steering force for the steering wheel 9 is reduced. When a swtich 41 is closed during turning by a deceleration signal, an electromagnetic selector valve 37 is operated, and the hydraulic pipes 12 and 35 and 13 and 36 are allowed to communicate. Therefore, as for the left-side rear wheel, oil is supplied into the inner chamber (g) of a cylinder apparatus 21, and the effective length of a front lateral rod 18 is elongated and is steered by the equal angle beta in the direction of steering of a front wheel 2.

Abstract: PURPOSE:To reduce the turning radius of car by employing the turret to be set on the basis of car speed, steering angle, etc. as a target level to perform steering of rear wheel thus to obtain proper steering angle of rear wheel corresponding to the front wheel steering. CONSTITUTION:Outputs from car speed sensor 2, front wheel steering angle sensor 3, steering angle speed sensor 4 and steering angle acceleration sensor 5 are fed to retrieval circuit 1. A memory 6 prestored with plural types of optimal target yaw rate data for matching the rear wheel locus with front wheel locus when steering as the referential data corresponding to car speed, front wheel steering angle, steering angle speed and steering angle acceleration is connected to said circuit 1. The target yaw rate retrieved on the basis of said sensor output is produced from an arithmetic unit 1 as a set yaw rate to control a rear wheel steering actuator 8 through an output circuit 7 in accordance with the output from a comparator 9 for comparing the set yaw rate with the actually measured yaw rate.

Abstract: The Langley 16-foot transonic tunnel was used to determine the effects of several empennage and afterbody parameters on twin-engine aft-end aerodynamic characteristics. Model variables included twin-vertical-tail cant angle, toe angle, airfoil camber, and root-chord length and afterbody/engine interfairing shape. Tests were conducted over a Mach number range from 0.6 to 1.2 and over an angle-of-attack range from 2 deg to 10 deg. Nozzle pressure ratio was varied from 1.0 (jet off) to approximately 10.0.

Abstract: PURPOSE:To improve steering stability through having toe angle change performed in case a bound quantity is large by equipping the captioned device, with front and rear parts of its wheel supporter for a rear wheel being supported to a car body by means of each front and rear control link, with a link turn control means. CONSTITUTION:Front and rear parts of a wheel supporter 2, supporting a rear wheel 1 so as to be capable of turning, are elastically fitted to a car body 5 by means of front and rear control links 3, 4 through rubber bushes 6 provided on both ends of each link 3, 4. Further, the wheel supporter 2 is supported to the car body 5 by means of a radius rod 9 and a strut 10. In this case, besides a link turn control projection 8a provided on the end part 4a of a car body side cylinder for a rear control link 4, a stopper 8b is provided on the car body 5 closely to a projection 4a. A link turn control means 8, operating so that the rear wheel 1 makes a toe angle change in the toe-in direction in case of a big bound quantity, is composed of both 8a, 8b.

Abstract: A pulling hitch assembly, which includes a front beam which can be attached to a pulling unit, such as a tractor. An angle beam is pivotably attached to the front beam, and a pivoting device is provided which is associated with the front beam and the angle beam for effecting pivoting of the angle beam and the front beam relative to one another. Pivotably connected to the angle beam is a guide wheel assembly which includes a tire mounted on a wheel. Also provided is a fixed length cable which is connected to the front beam, is guided by the angle beam, and is connected to the guide wheel asssembly. The cable is disposed in such a way, and is of such a length, that it is adapted to pivot the guide wheel assembly relative to the angle beam, when the latter is pivoted relative to the front beam, in such a way that the tire of the guide wheel assembly is always disposed substantially perpendicular to the front beam.