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Recycling SMC molded parts has become one of the most important and urgent subjects. This paper discusses a system to recover SMC molded parts and recycle them to original automotive products. “Sandwich structure” in the core layer of which regrinded filler is concentrically involved, is very useful for increasing the volume of involved regrinded filler. This structure provides more weight reduction of recycled parts.

The metal top is used for convertible cars since the exterior design when the rooftop is closed is also important. A retractable metal top system which can automatically retract and extract the metal top has been popular to increase commercial values for the luxury convertible cars. We have developed the metal top open-close system comprising metal top,package tray and luggage panel operation link-mechanism units driven by electric motors. The metal top can be retracted or extracted in approximately 25 seconds by controlling the metal top system and the side and quarter window motors. The roof panel is pre-load so that the cabin air-tightness for high speed driving is maintained. The metal top is compactly retracted since the slide and side package trays are synchronized. Enough luggage space is secured using the multi-link mechanism to open and close the luggage panel. This retractable metal top system is equipped with the LEXUS SC430. (Fig.1) [1]

1 There are two design challenges of the flow path switching valve in a three-stage variable discharge oil pump. The first is to obtain the required discharge pressure characteristics and the other is to prevent hydraulic vibration. Therefore, we established technologies to determine the shape of the valve and the valve housing that resolve these two challenges. The technology to obtain the required discharge pressure characteristics solves equations that are statically true, such as the equations for the equilibrium of forces and hydraulic orifice. The hydraulic vibration control technology derives a differential equation that takes transient behavior, including oil elasticity and inertia, into account first. Then, the derived equations are converted to a transfer function that indicates the valve behavior according to the input of oil pressure changes. And then the stability criterion is applied to judge whether hydraulic vibration occurs or not.

As automotive electronic systems advance, the wire harness is the mainstream for necessary wiring in resin-made motor-driven actuators with wire connection labor and purchased-parts accounting for the majority of costs. As a means to eliminating the harness, there is a method of forming the conductive material on the inside, but this method leads to cost increases when there is a comparatively large number of wires because the required die insertion time becomes longer and automatic insertion equipment becomes necessary. The following paper reports on an integrated high-speed process that combines stamping and injection molding into a single process.

We developed amorphous alloy thin films having TCR(temperature coefficient of resistivity) less than ±5 ppm/°C for strain gauge applications. Thin film strain gauges are directly formed on metal substrates insulated with SiO2. These gauges have excellent aging stability at high temperature. The resistivity shows a drift in ▵R/R less than ±0.03% at 120°C in 1000 hours. We developed a pressure sensor and an acceleration sensor with high accuracy and reliability, employing these gauges.

An active suspension system controls a spring constant and an attenuater in real time using a power supply. Generally, the hydraulic pressures are used for transmitting the power. Therefore, a highly reliable and inexpensive control system has been required for a commercial use. This has been achieved by developing a mechanical fluid servo valve which comprises a simple combination of a solenoid valve and a spool valve. The technical problem of the valve vibrations has been solved through the numerical analyses, the fluid flow visualization tests and the vehicle tests.