Eiichiro Okuda

See-through display with a holographic illuminator

A new type of display equipped with a transparent screen was proposed. One can see the background of the display through the screen on which the information is displayed. The see- through display was constructed by two main components; a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) panel and an illuminating unit with an edge-lit hologram. The OFF pixels in the scattering mode of the PDLC were illuminated by monochromatic light from the illuminator to display necessary information and/or patterns. The other part of the display was clear and the background was observed through the display because the ON pixels as well as the illuminator were transparent. The design to realize the multi-color display as well as the process to make quality edge-lit holograms were also discussed.

Modeling and control of electrically assisted power steering.

This paper outlines the development of a simulation method which predicts the handle torque of an electrically assisted power steering system. The electrically assisted power steering system would provide benefits for fuel economy and flexibility in controlling the handle torque. A DC motor with torque sensory feedback is used in this system. However, the DC motor tends to cause torque fluctuation and the feel of rough handling. In order to reduce torque fluctuation, an equation of motion with a 5-degree of freedom model has been formulated for analysis on the electrically assisted power steering, and the methods of controlling the handle torque have been investigated. Feasibility experiments and simulation results show that the simulation method is effective for developing an electrically assisted power steering system.