Search Results

In order to meet increasing demands for safety and comfort in a vehicle compartment, automatic adjustment of seat, mirrors, steering wheel has been developed. The multiplex wiring system was constructed for the automatic adjustment of the cockpit elements to drivers preferred positions or to physique-matched settings based on ergonomic data. This paper describes the construction of the multiplex system and functions of automatic adjustment of the cockpit elements for comfortable driving position and better visibility.

Vehicle energy in head-on or rear-end collisions is mainly absorbed by the front or rear longitudinal members. This paper describes the methods of calculation of crush load and the energy absorbed during the static and dynamic crush of the sheet metal members with closed-hat section together with attached flanges or walls. Calculated results were compared with experiments including full-size automobile collisions. It is expected that the analysis considering the strain rate sensitivity will provide more accurate design information for improved automobile crash-worthiness.

For safety, high performance, and easy to drive reasons, various types of four wheel drive (4WD) systems, which utilize a center differential or viscous coupling unit between the front and the rear axles, have been introduced into passenger cars in recent years. This paper describes the vehicle behaviour of various types of 4WD passenger cars under the condition of acceleration, deceleration, cornering, and braking, in addition to the vehicle response to disturbance from the road surface, by both theoretical and experimental approaches.