An automatic steering system for a vehicle includes a memory section for storing data for a steering angle of a wheel with respect to a distance of movement of a vehicle in correspondence to four parking modes. If a desired parking mode is selected by a mode selecting switch, and the vehicle is moved in a creep travel while depressing a brake pedal, a control section controls the operation of a steering actuator to conduct automatic parking. When the driver releases his foot from the brake pedal...

A magnetostrictive torque sensor includes a rotating shaft rotatably supported; magnetostrictive materials provided on a surface of the rotating shaft, magnetic permeability of which changes according to the magnitude of rotary torque acting on the rotating shaft; and at least two detection coils provided to the rotating shaft, which detect change in the magnetic permeability of the magnetostrictive materials to output in the form of electrical change. Section secondary moments of the rotating s...

A magnetostrictive torque sensor includes a magnetostrictive portion provided on a shaft. At least one torque detection coil is disposed opposite the shaft. The at least one torque detection coil detects a torque applied to the shaft. A demagnetization circuit (C) demagnetizes the shaft via the detecting coil.

An array type ultrasonic probe in which a plurality of rectangular piezoelectric elements is arranged on a backing material is provided. Each piezoelectric element has lower and upper face electrodes and an acoustic matching layer fixedly secured onto the upper face electrode. At one end portion of the piezoelectric element, a first slit is provided for electrically separating the lower face electrode, and at the other end portion of the piezoelectric element, a second slit reaching the piezoele...

A plane parallel plate 91 constituted with optical glass and disposed further frontward relative to an image-capturing element 10 is caused to swing and vibrate by alternately expanding and contracting piezoelectric elements 92a and 92c. As the plane parallel plate 91 becomes slanted relative to the image-capturing element 10, the angle of incidence of subject light 20 changes, causing the position of the subject image projected on the image-capturing element 10 to move from point A to point B. ...

In an automatic power steering system incorporated with a power steering system and an automatic steering system, a continuous switching unit carries out a switch over between a power steering mode and an automatic steering mode in a continuous manner depending on the magnitude of the manual steering torque applied to the steering wheel. Thus, a smooth transition from one of the steering modes to the other can be accomplished without involving any absence of control.

In a variable gear ratio steering device comprising a rack and pinion gear mechanism, the rack of the rack and pinion gear mechanism is provided with tooth pitch distribution for producing a variable rack gain property in relation to a steering input which includes, in each rotational sense, a low fixed rack gain region near a neutral position, a high fixed rack gain region in a large steering input region, and a progressively increasing rack gain region connected to the low fixed rack gain regi...

An electromagnetic servo device (200) includes a driving control circuit (100) adapted for, in accordance with an output signal (VR, VL) from a torque detection mechanism (11) for detecting steering torque (Ti) acting on an input shaft (1), providing a first control signal (Vmo), to thereby feed an armature current (Io) of a controlled quantity in a controlled direction, to an electric motor (18) for generating auxiliary torque to be applied to an output shaft (4) and a second control signal (Vc...

A driving control method for an electromagnetic servo device including a driving control circuit adapted to generate a torque magnitude signal and a torque direction signal on the basis of an output signal from a torque detection mechanism for detecting torque acting on an input shaft in relation to an output shaft and to send an armature current of such a magnitude and of such a polarity as desirous in accordance with the torque magnitude and direction signals to an electric motor for additiona...

A variable diameter sheave including a hydraulic chamber for controlling the spacing of the side plates of the sheave. A control valve is employed to control the hydraulic cylinder and is itself responsive to an input mechanism and a feedback mechanism. The input mechanism employed is a centrifugal weight responsive to the speed of rotation of the sheave. Feedback is provided by a rigid link sensing the effective diameter of the sheave. Two valve elements are employed in the control valve which ...