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The electricity stored in the battery is the only source of energy driving an electric vehicle (EV). Therefore, the target of the air conditioning system for EVs is to cool and heat the air in the cabin and demist the wind shield using a small power consumption. We have developed a dehumidifying heat pump system that consists of an interior unit constructed to separate the recirculation air flow and fresh air flow, an exterior unit capable of controlling the absorption and radiation of heat, and an inverter-controlled, electric-driven compressor. The results of an experiment using this system proved that it could provide comfortable cabin air and good visibility through the wind shield with small power consumption at ambient temperatures ranging from -10°C to 40°C.

Instrument clusters used in automobiles play an important role as man-machine interface. A variety of information about the current driving situation is conveyed to the driver quickly and accurately. A great interest has been taken in the high visibility and legibility of the head-up display (subsequently abbreviated as HUD). Originally developed as display used in aeronautical applications, we have tried to exploit ways to adapt this device for automotive use. We have succeeded to produce a new HUD system, which has the following design features; (1) High brightness and high contrast display device using a liquid crystal display (subsequently abbreviated as LCD) and a halogen lamp illumination. (2) Long focus display in two colors using holographic lens. (3) Automatic dimming control system using an illuminance sensor. (see Fig. 1)

With the improvement in wiping performance of the windshield wiper, the method of evaluating the wiping performance has gained in importance. With the aim of developing a quantitative evaluation method under actual driving conditions which would take into account the driver's visibility, we devised an evaluation system which applies the theory of response function (O.T.F.), which is frequently used in the field of optics in the study of visibility of a solid through an optical medium. We carried out the study by means of model tests and vehicle tests. As a result, we have been able to obtain a wiping performance evaluation system in which quantitative evaluation is possible, taking into account visibility in all kinds of rainfall and driving conditions by using a wind-tunnel device which employs a checked indicator board.