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This paper describes an exhaust system using a new air-fuel ratio (hereinafter, A/F) sensor that contributes to low emissions and low fuel consumption of gasoline engines. As the first technical feature, the water splash resistance of the A/F sensor has been substantially improved which allows A/F control to be enabled without delay during engine cold start. To realize this capability, it is important that the sensor characteristics are not affected by the condensed water generated in the exhaust pipe. Therefore, a technique that has the effectiveness of a water splash resistance layer with water repellent function is demonstrated. As the second technical feature, the power consumption of the sensor has been substantially reduced. This is achieved by improving thermal efficiency of the sensor that the element can be activated at a low temperature.

In recent years, traffic fatalities in Japan have consistently numbered in excess of 10,000, making them a serious social issue. Among these deaths resulting from traffic accidents, fatal accidents occurring at night outnumber daytime fatalities by three to one; when conditions are rainy, this figure increases to ten to one. These facts point to the importance of the role of automobile forward lighting systems. In order to provide enhanced nighttime safety measures, we have been working since 1990 on the development of a headlamp system that can control and adjust the headlamp beam in response to driving conditions. In this report, we will outline the general features, functions and lighting performance of forward lighting systems, focusing on this newly developed headlamp system.

This is a report on the development of a lamp system that will change the extent of the illuminated area in response to the steering angle. The optical performance of headlamp systems has been improved in response to increases in automobile performance and changes in traffic conditions. However, most of a driver's perception at night is visual so it is necessary to improve the driver's forward visibility at night in accordance with the increased performance of automobiles. The light distribution of current headlamps is designed mainly in consideration of straight forward vehicle movement so the area that a driver wants to see when making a turn is not necessarily sufficiently illuminated. In order to provide sufficient illumination for safe cornering, a headlamp system that changes the distribution of light in response to the steering angle with the use of microcomputer control has been developed.

An original multi-body dynamics simulation program for reciprocating engine system with elastically deformable piston skirt was developed in order to understand and examine the secondary motion of piston. This program uses specialized equations of motion using only the rotational degree of freedom of each components taking the valiation of rotating speed of crank into account. In order to validate the practical use of this program, the calculations were compared with the measurements on the piston motion of a two-stroke engine for motorcycles and a four-stroke engine for automobiles, and good agreements were obtained between them.