An aircraft steering system includes an electric actuator, a clutch, at least one plasma actuator, and a controller. The electric actuator is configured to vary an angle of a flight control surface of an aircraft. The clutch is configured to cut off torque by driving of the electric actuator. The torque is to be transmitted to the flight control surface. The at least one plasma actuator is configured to form a flow of air on a surface of the flight control surface when the torque is cut off. The controller is configured to control the electric actuator, the clutch, and the at least one plasma actuator.

An electronic control unit executes gradual reduction control when a friction clutch is to be maintained in a fully engaged state such that an input rotary member and an output rotary member rotate integrally. As a result, a motor current supplied to a motor is adjusted to a lower current value. Thus, an average current value of the motor current supplied to the motor when the friction clutch is to be maintained in the fully engaged state is appropriately reduced.

An electric control device for actuating an actuator may include an electric motor including a rotor for driving the actuator and a substantially cylindrical stator housing having an axial lower side and a circumferential shell. The axial lower side may merge into the circumferential shell via a circumferential edge. The control device may also include an equipment housing including a substantially cylindrical motor mounting which at an axial end is sealed by a mounting bottom and in which the electric motor is arranged with the axial lower side facing the mounting bottom. On the axial lower side, a central, axially projecting motor end portion may be disposed. In the motor mounting between the circumferential shell of the stator housing and the equipment housing, an annular space may be defined. The annular space may be at least partly filled with an adhesive which attaches the stator housing to the equipment housing.

The invention relates to a method for determining and/or controlling a position of an electric motor, in particular in a clutch actuation system of a motor vehicle, wherein the position of a rotor of the electric motor is picked up by a sensor system situated on a stator of the electric motor outside an axis of rotation of the electric motor, and the position signal picked up by the sensor system is analyzed by an analysis unit. In a method in which the rotor position is detected with a high level of certainty, the position signal is transmitted to the analysis unit depending on a transmission distance between the sensor system and the analysis unit by means of an SPI protocol signal for short transmission distances, and/or by means of a PWM signal for longer transmission distances.

A disconnect clutch actuator mechanism includes a shift fork, an actuator, and a position sensor. The shift fork includes a rack gear, a pair of pins, and a sensor target. The shift fork is arranged to be pivotable on the pair of pins. The actuator includes a pinion gear engaged with the rack gear. The actuator is arranged to pivot the shift fork. The position sensor is arranged proximate the sensor target for sensing a pivot position of the shift fork. In some example embodiments, the rack gear includes a pair of arched portions and a toothed portion disposed on at least one of the pair of arched portions. The pinion gear is engaged with the toothed portion. In an example embodiment, the rack gear has a gap disposed between the pair of arched portions and the pinion gear is disposed in the gap.

A controller according to an embodiment that controls a control object by driving a motor includes an estimation unit and a switching unit. The estimation unit estimates a load of the control object on the basis of a value of a current applied to the motor. The switching unit switches control contents between learning control in which learning is performed on the basis of the load estimation and normal control other than the learning control. The control contents in the learning control cause the current fluctuation in the learning control to be further reduced than that in the normal control using other control contents.

A method of controlling an all-wheel-drive system connect event including providing a power transmission apparatus having a clutch, a propeller shaft, and a rear drive unit with a clutch pack assembly. The rear drive unit clutch pack is actuated by creating a model of the propeller shaft rotational speed, adapting the model parameters to compensate for temperature and vehicle wheel speed, storing the model, adapting the model utilizing information collected during a previous all-wheel-drive system connect event, and developing a set point for the clutch driving element utilizing the model and a multi-loop control architecture. The power transmission apparatus clutch is then engaged.

A control apparatus for a four-wheel drive vehicle includes a current detector configured to output a detection signal in accordance with the magnitude of an actual control current, a target current value calculator configured to calculate a target current value that is a target value of the control current, and a current controller configured to control a current output circuit to output the control current having the target current value calculated by the target current value calculator based on a result of detection performed by the current detector. When the four-wheel drive vehicle is in a two-wheel drive mode in which first and second friction clutches are released, the current controller performs zero-point adjustment for adjusting a zero point of the control current to be output from the current output circuit.

A retrofittable control system for controlling an engine and a clutch of a frost fan may include a data processing system, a thermostat, a human machine interface, a throttle control module, and/or a clutch control module. The control system may be configured to automatically start the fan when the thermostat detects a temperature below a user defined turn-on temperature, and to automatically shut down and park the fan when the thermostat detects a temperature above a user defined turn-off temperature. In some examples, starting up the fan may include running a clutch engagement sequence that engages the clutch at different speeds for different durations.

A control apparatus controls a driving force transmission device including: an electric motor; a pressing mechanism to convert the rotational force of the motor into an axial pressing force; friction clutches including friction members configured to come into frictional engagement with each other by the pressing force provided by the pressing mechanism. The driving force transmission device is configured to transmit a driving force between a pair of rotary members by the friction clutches. The apparatus includes: a target current calculating circuit to calculate a target current to be supplied to the motor; and a correction circuit to correct a voltage to be applied to the motor so as to reduce a difference between the target current and an actual current supplied to the motor. The correction circuit increases or reduces, in accordance with the actual current, the amount of correction of the voltage to be applied to the motor.