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This technical paper reports the development of an automatic defect detector utilizing deep learning for “polished skins”. Materials with a “polished skin” are used in the fabrication of the external plates of commercial airplanes. The polished skin is obtained by polishing the surface of an aluminum clad material, and they are visually inspected, which places a significant burden on inspectors to find minute defects on relatively large pieces of material. Automated inspection of these skins is made more difficult because the material has a mirror finished surface. Defects are broadly classified into three categories: dents, bumps, and discolorations. Therefore, a defect detector must be able to detect these types of defects and measure the defects’ surface profile. This technical paper presents details related to the design and manufacture of an inexpensive automated defect detector that demonstrates a sufficiently high level of performance.

Machine learning is used for the research and development of ITS services and the rider assistance for on-road motorcycle racing. Meanwhile, rider assistance systems for off-road motorcycles have yet to be developed, partly due to the complexity of the measurement conditions, as described in the previous paper. This research aims to create a reliable AI which is capable of classifying typical jump behaviors in off-road riding by machine learning to create a rider assistance system for off-road motorcycles. Motorcycle manufacturers and certain research institutes use motion sensors to collect data, but the data is obtained from a limited number of vehicles and riders. The creation of a rider assistance system requires a large amount of validation data. Furthermore, it is desirable to achieve the target with data that can be measured in mass-produced vehicles, which will make it possible to collect data even from general users.

Fuel-efficient motorcycles are essential for energy conservation and environmental load reduction. To achieve low fuel consumption, reducing the weight of the body parts of the motorcycle is important. This study focuses on reducing the weight of the swingarms, a relatively heavy body part. However, reducing the weight of swingarms is challenging owing to the low flexibility in their shape because swingarms are conventionally made of multiple pipes and casting parts welded together. Therefore, we utilized the integral casting technology and examined a new light weight shape. However, creating a new shape manually is difficult. Thus, we examined a new shape using the shape optimization technology, which has been recently used in additive manufacturing. The shapes fabricated using this technology are generally complex and difficult to manufacture by casting. Therefore, we adjusted optimization condition with casting.

In this study, we efficiently predict the vibration response of a design shape at a low computational cost in the early development stage, select design proposals with good characteristics from many proposals devised by the designer at the early stage, and forward them to the next stage to achieve the front-loading of development while increasing product value. The application of participation factor (PF) focusing on the response at a specific part for vibration evaluation of a motorcycle frame is described. To reduce the motorcycle frame vibration, an eigenvalue analysis was performed, and appropriate design change proposals were efficiently selected using partial participation factor (PPF), an index showing the relevance of vibration of specific parts or positions. Using the PPF, we extracted which vibration modes considerably contribute to the vibration response of the part of interest.

Electronically controlled suspensions are expected to improve driving performance as the damping characteristics of the suspension can be adjusted in real time to respond to road conditions. This paper reports the results of testing the suspension control logic for improving ride quality, especially when driving on rough roads, using an internally developed riding simulator. The skyhook theory is widely known as a control logic for reducing vibration when driving a four-wheeled vehicle on a rough road, which we utilized in our riding simulator to examine the vibration reduction effects when applying control logic for motorcycle suspensions. The test results show that the skyhook theory can be applied in motorcycles. However, sensors for suspension systems that can be installed in mass-produced motorcycles are severely limited in terms of cost and space.

The traction-drive integrated drive generator (T-IDG®) has been developed since 1999 to replace current hydrostatic transmission drive generators mounted on Japanese military aircraft. The T-IDG® consists of a generator and a half-toroidal traction-drive continuously variable transmission (CVT), which maintains a constant output speed of 24000 rpm, that is, a 400 Hz AC power supply. To cope with recent trends of more electric aircraft (MEA) and the need for weight reduction, a high-speed traction-drive CVT is advantageous over other transmissions. The torque on the half-toroidal variator is transmitted through multiple power rollers. The equal load sharing among power rollers is typically controlled by a mechanical hydraulic feedback system, whose stability is one of the main issues for the high-speed traction-drive CVT. Previous studies have shown that insufficient damping and stiffness of the mechanical hydraulic feedback system cause self-induced vibration.

We developed the motorcycles based on RIDEOLOGY (Ride + Ideology) concept. In the past, the “Ride” was studied by a sensory evaluation with actual driving. However, the recent progress in numerical analysis, there have been developed driving simulators. It allows more quantitative measurement in a sensory evaluation. Therefore, we also developed a riding simulator specialized for motorcycles. In order to develop such riding simulator, there are some technical challenges for motorcycles. First, we need to reproduce roll motion height of motorcycles. Compared to four-wheeled vehicles, motorcycles have a higher center of rotation. Second, we need to reproduce vehicle motion control by rider’s changing body position. A rider controls vehicle’s lean by shifting his center of gravity. Therefore, it is necessary to construct a measurement system of rider’s body position. Third, we need to improve senses of speed and reality.

In this study on the motorcycle engine, we investigated the geometry of the newly developed intake port with an objective of improving the fuel consumption and the torque in practical range. Herein we present the results obtained. We believe that an effective measure for achieving the stated objective is to improve the combustion speed and combustion stability. To realize that, it is necessary to increase the turbulence during combustion and improve the homogeneity of air-fuel mixture. To investigate the feasible shape of the port, the CFD simulation (including fuel spray analysis) was performed and a geometry that improved the turbulent kinetic energy and mixture homogeneity at the time of ignition was selected. For confirming the combustion improvement effect achieved by tumble strengthening, an engine test was conducted with the same amount of intake air as that used in.

Owing to the recent developments in sensors with reduced size and weight, it is now possible to install sensors on a body of a motorcycle to monitor its behavior during running. The analysis of maneuverability and stability has been performed based on the data resulted from measurements by these sensors. The tire forces and moments is an important measurement item in maneuverability and stability studies. However, the tire forces and moments is difficult to measure directly, therefore, it is a common practice to measure the force and the moment acting on the center of the wheel. The measuring device is called a wheel forces and moments sensor, and it is widely used for cars. The development of a wheel forces and moments sensor for motorcycles has difficulty particular to motorcycles. First, motorcycles run with their bodies largely banked, which restricts positioning the sensors.

The power train system for Utility Vehicles (UVs) or All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) mainly consists of a rubber V-belt CVT. The adjustment of the CVT specification requires many steps to realize the shifting operations of the CVT so as to satisfy the acceleration feeling of the driver. In this paper, we report on the simulation technology that predicts the transient behavior during an acceleration of the vehicle equipped with a belt tension clutching CVT, which has both functions of the shift operation and the clutch action. By using the developed simulation technique, it has become possible to adjust the CVT specifications efficiently.

In motorcycles, the size and output performance of the engine itself has a major effect on the maneuverability of the motorcycle. In particular for cases where a high output engine is mounted on a lightweight frame, these effects are even more of a concern. In the case of developing a racing motorcycle with a high power engine, the behavior of the motorcycle differs depending on the output range used and there are a lot of cases where changes to the basic dimensions of the motorcycle as well as the main components are required. Here, there are a lot of cases where the rider and drive-able courses are limited to compatibility with distinct specifications and when considering use as a general mass production motorcycle by riders with varying levels of skills and in various environments, it difficult to determine how to provide support.

1 In the development of motorcycle engines, a strong feeling of power, an element of being fun to ride has continued strong demand. However, demand to meet environmental performance, a conflicting element, has increased dramatically in recent years and a breakthrough technology that achieves both environmental performance and a feeling of power is in demand. Here, the newly developed engine has greatly enhanced feeling of power while clearing stringent environmental restrictions through use of a centrifugal type supercharger. However, there were several problems that had to be resolved with regards to application of a supercharger to a motorcycle engine. In applying a supercharger to a motorcycle, a major problem is the best way to keep the engine size from increasing in size. The engine, which is the heaviest parts on a motorcycle greatly affects motorcycle maneuverability so it must be compact and the mass concentrated.

In the development of a motorcycle frame, the balance between high performance and reliability and a short development period are important. In this study, a fatigue durability evaluation technique for a motorcycle frame was developed to enable highly accurate development within a short period of time. Furthermore, we developed a shaking table excitation system as a means to supplement the road test.

Generally, it is thought that control is simpler than an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)-Motorcycle(MC) as for the Electric Vehicle(EV) type MC. However, there is few characteristic to the ICE-MC to the EV-MC and it cannot get good performance without control for EV-MC. We study the methodology for design and evaluation an EV-MC. In this approach, we developed the prototype EV-MC having manual transmission. In our study, we think that EV-MC having manual transmission is feature in comparison with other general EV-MC. From this feature, we had to develop the function control in addition to standard EV-MC function control. This paper provides a function control for EV-MC having manual transmission. In this paper, we arrange the problem points of EV-MC which put electric propulsion motor and manual transmission together at first. And report the result that studied a method to solve the problem points.

In the modern aircraft manufacturing, the cost reduction, the manufacturing time reduction, and the weight saving of aircraft are strongly demanded. The Refill Friction Spot Joining [1,2](FSJ, in other words FSSW, Friction Stir Spot Welding), which is one of innovative solid-state joining methodologies based on the Friction Stir Welding[3], is a promising technology that can replace rivets and fasteners. This technology is expected to offer cost reduction and weight saving for the aircraft manufacturing. In this study, to make stronger and reliable joints, the shoulder-plunging process of Refill FSJ was employed. The weldability of the Alodine or Chromic Acid Anodize coated materials along with a faying-surface sealant was investigated. The joint properties, such as tensile shear strengths and corrosion resistance, were evaluated.

As for automobile, the mass production period of Electric Vehicle(EV) has begun by the rapid progress of the battery performance. But for EV-Motorcycle(MC), it is limited for the venture companies' releases. The design and evaluation methodologies are not yet established or standardized so far. This paper provides the practical and the experimental examples. To study the feasibility of EV-MC, we developed the prototypes in the present technical and suppliers' parts environments, and evaluated them by the practical view of the MC usage. The developed EV-MC has the equivalent driving performance of the 250cc internal combustion engine(ICE)-MC and a cruising range of 100km in normal use.

As for automobile, the mass production period of Electric Vehicle(EV) has begun by the rapid progress of the battery performance. But for EV- Motorcycle(MC), it is limited for the venture companies' releases. The design and evaluation methodologies are not yet established or standardized so far. This paper provides the practical and the experimental examples. To study the feasibility of EV-MC, we developed the prototypes in the present technical and suppliers' parts environments, and evaluated them by the practical view of the MC usage. The developed EV-MC has the equivalent driving performance of the 250cc internal combustion engine(ICE)-MC and a cruising range of 100km in normal use. In the prototype development, the reliability and the ability of protection design of the battery in the whole vehicle against the environmental loads are mainly studied, especially, heat and cold, water, shock, and the accident impact.

Environmental and energy independence concerns have stimulated the development of an apparatus for alternative fuel. It estimates the ethanol content in the fuel in order to perform a reliable combustion. One means for measuring the ratio of ethanol present in the fuel tank is to provide a fuel composition sensor. However, such a fuel composition sensor increases the number of parts and causes the cost issues in motorcycles. We used an oxygen sensor disposed to the exhaust pipe to estimate the ethanol content without increasing the parts and costs. The common method of the estimation is the oxygen feed-back in stoichiometric air fuel ratio condition. Unfortunately, two-wheel vehicles are often operated in rich conditions and have less chance of stoichiometric condition. In this study, we used a one-liter four-cylinder motorcycle, and have developed a practical method to estimate the ethanol content even in the not-stoichiometric condition.

In this study, a technology for measuring dynamic deformation of motorcycle bodies in running is developed. The deformation has significant association with the maneuverability and stability of motorcycles. The developed system by combining the numerical simulation and the measurement of strains enable application of the measurement of dynamic deformation of motorcycles. This paper reports technical details of the system and measurement results of dynamic deformation of motorcycle bodies.

Motorcycle has broad spectrum of developments, such as excellent engine performance, low fuel consumption, emission and noise reduction. As global warming become a serious issue internationally, reduction of fuel consumption is especially of importance. In this study, an evaluation method for the WMTC mode fuel consumption using a one-dimensional engine simulation is investigated. The fuel consumption for the WMTC mode can be predicted in a short time without a complicated vehicle model to simulate transient behavior. The proposed method mostly showed good agreement with measured data for middle-class motorcycle using a chassis dynamometer.