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There are such outside door handles called smart handles which have a transmitting antenna, a lock/unlock sensor, and a sensor detection circuit, with which operation of door lock is possible just by "touching" the electrostatic-capacitance type sensor of the handles.As the design of the outside handles, body color painting and Cr plating are adopted. However, if plating is applied over the entire surface of a smart handle, electromagnetic waves transmitted from the antenna will be blocked since plating material is electrically conductive. In addition to this, touching a part other than the sensor may change the electrostatic-capacitance of the sensor, which results in unwanted functioning of the lock/unlock sensor. Because of this, only part of the handle, which does not hinder the transmission of electromagnetic waves and does not cause unwanted functioning, is covered by plating, that is called, "Partially plated specifications" (Figure 1).

Introduction of occupant classification system which has load sensor with a strain gauge built into the seat structure, and identifies occupant's physique by measuring weight on seat, and meets the United States FMVSS requirements (new FMVSS208 Requirement).

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.

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.

Aiming at improved reliability and cost reduction of position sensors for automobiles, we tackled with the challenge of developing long life contact type potentiometer which has a simple construction and cost advantage. We made clear the wear characteristics of the resistor materials and the mechanism how noise occurs, and developed a long life, low noise resistor material, and the double - layer resistor structure which has excellent characteristic in durability. We also clarified the ways of using brushes according to applications through the investigation of the relationship between the contact shape and the amount of wear of the resistor. Based on these investigation, we have developed a highly reliable throttle position sensor and a long life vehicle height sensor.

We have developed Sensor-less Memory Seat system that requires no position sensors such as Hall ICs etc.. It detects the rotation of DC motor by current ripple signals in motor operating current. The developed Sensor-less position control system can attenuate a wide frequency variation of Motor current noise which varies depending on motor condition and convert small current ripples to Pulse signals in proportion to the rotation of DC motor. We realized low cost position control method for use in Memory Seat system.

By developing a mechanical-firing sensor using rotational inertia effect, we have completed miniaturization of the sensor and have developed a new-type mechanical-firing airbag system. This airbag system has been confirmed to have superior occupant protection performance after conducting a variety of vehicle crash tests and sled tests.

Development of a system which utilizes technology for the recognition of a vehicle's surroundings. Research is currently taking place in many countries, the goals of which are to improve a vehicle's safety and convenience by reducing driver strain through the automation of the recognition, judgment, and operation capabilities that are needed when driving an automobile. To recognize the vehicle's surroundings, we have adopted an image sensor system which offers superior three-dimensional recognition capabilities. In this paper, we will introduce a inter vehicle distance control system which controls the vehicle's throttle and braking functions by detecting the position of the driving lane and the distance to the vehicle in front based on the images obtained by a CCD camera.

In this paper, we discuss vehicle directional stability and introduce advanced stability control (ASTC) to stabilize the vehicle during severe cornering. Vehicle behavior in a transient steering condition during severe cornering was analyzed by computer simulation. It was found that applying an external yaw moment makes the vehicle more stable. The effect of controlling the brake force response is also evaluated by simulation to determine the brake actuator response criteria. The actual vehicle test was performed with a pylon slalom using a hydraulic brake actuator. It is verified that the ASTC stabilizes the vehicle for transient steering maneuvers.

This active-drive wheel speed sensor, developed by the high-frequency magnetic system, enables detection of very slow wheel speeds - hitherto difficult to accomplish with any conventional type of Magnetic Pick up - by applying the eddy current effect through the high-frequency magnetic field. The following report presents an analysis of the magnetic circuit which integrates the magnetic-field generating coil with the detection rotor, and the unique circuit system which ensures strength against eccentricity of the wheel rotor and air gap variations, etc.

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 have developed a Hall effect device based height sensor of a smaller size, and with higher temperature operation durability, as compared to conventional devices. Downsizing of the sensor is realized by decreasing a number of parts, and by employing a short bearing. Improvement in heat resistance is achieved by adopting an IC with sufficient heat resistance and a SmCo magnet with high coercive force. In addition, a sensor of a high degree of accuracy is accomplished by improvements in linearity and robustness of magnetic characteristics. Development of a small, heat-resistant and accurate height sensor will promote the spread of systems using a height sensor, such as a High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamp.

We have developed a power sliding door (PSD) system driven by a push-pull cable. The door closure and slide are operated by different actuators to limit the force required for a compact, light-weight drive unit. This paper introduces the concept of the PSD system using a push-pull cable drive. Two new technologies to achieve the PSD system are also described. One is the door position control for increasing the push-pull cable reliability. The other is a compact position sensor to accurately detect the sliding door's position.

Rear steering system can improve vehicle stability using active control of the rear wheel angles. For designing the rear steering system, environmental conditions, performance deterioration due to aging and component variation as a result of manufacturing tolerance under mass production must be taken into consideration. We have applied two-degree-of-freedom (2DOF) feedback control with feedforward control for the motor servo control so that the rear steering actuator can track the target rear steering angle accurately and stably. The control system is designed based upon a nominal mathematical model and its variation range. As a result, the rear steering actuator can be controlled with excellent performance and high reliability. This paper describes the mathematical model construction in the frequency domain and a robust motor servo controller design based on 2DOF feedback control with feedforward control.