Method of controlling a vehicle active suspension system

• US 10,000,103 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2017
• Issued: 06/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Hrovat, Davorin David, Xu, Li, Tseng, Eric Hongtei
• Primary Examiner(s): Brushaber, Frederick M
• Application Number:
  US15/584,306
• Publication Number:
  US 20170297401A1
• Time in Patent Office: 413 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0165 to an external condition, e.g. rough road surface, side wind
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/823 Obstacle sensing
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/182 Active control means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/22 including control of suspension systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/22 Suspension systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/095 Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/0953 the prediction being responsive to vehicle dynamic parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/0956 the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/16 Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal

Abstract

A method of controlling a vehicle active suspension system may include, in response to an object being detected forward of the vehicle and a vehicle speed exceeding a threshold, identifying an object classification associated with the object. The method may further include actuating the active suspension system to induce a vibration signature in the vehicle based on the object classification such that a different identified object classification corresponds to a different vibration signature.

Claims

1. A method of controlling an active suspension system in a vehicle comprising:

in response to an object being detected forward of the vehicle and a vehicle speed exceeding a threshold, identifying an object classification associated with the object and actuating the active suspension system to induce a vibration signature in the vehicle based on the object classification such that a different identified object classification corresponds to a different vibration signature.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

varying at least one of a frequency and an amplitude of the vibration signature based on at least one of a wheel speed and the object classification.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

varying a steering ratio of a steering system in the vehicle responsive to the object being detected forward of the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting an indicator via a user interface responsive to the object being detected forward of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the indicator is an auditory signal indicative of the object classification.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the indicator is a visual indicator indicative of the object classification.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the object being detected proximate to the vehicle and a parking maneuver being executed by the vehicle, identifying the object classification associated with the object and actuating the active suspension system to induce the vibration signature in the vehicle based on the object classification and the vehicle speed.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the object being detected proximate to the vehicle and an autonomous maneuver being executed by the vehicle, identifying the object classification associated with the object and actuating the active suspension system to induce the vibration signature in the vehicle based on the object classification prior to completion of the autonomous maneuver.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the vibration signature has a frequency within a range of 1 Hz to 100 Hz.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the object classification includes at least one of road obstructions, road debris, road speed bumps, and other vehicles.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a notification to a driver of the vehicle via a user interface to reduce the vehicle speed below the threshold.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

actuating the active suspension system until the vehicle speed is less than the threshold.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to an autonomous vehicle maneuver being completed by the vehicle, actuating the active suspension system to induce the vibration signature to notify a driver of the vehicle of a vehicle handover.

14. A method of controlling a vehicle, comprising:

actuating an active suspension system by a controller of the vehicle to induce a vibration signature in the vehicle in response to detecting an object proximate the vehicle and vehicle speed exceeding a threshold, the vibration signature in the vehicle based on an object classification of the object such that a different identified object classification corresponds to a different vibration signature.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising, in response to the object being detected proximate to the vehicle and a parking maneuver being executed by the vehicle, identifying the object classification associated with the object and actuating the active suspension system to induce the vibration signature in the vehicle based on the object classification and the vehicle speed.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising activating at least one of a visual and an audio indicator indicative of the object classification.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising varying a steering ratio of a steering system of the vehicle in response to the object being detected forward of the vehicle.

18. A method for controlling a vehicle having an active suspension system, comprising, by a vehicle controller:

detecting an object forward of the vehicle;

identifying an object classification associated with the object; and

actuating the active suspension system to induce a vibration signature in the vehicle based on the object classification in response to detecting the object and vehicle speed exceeding a threshold, wherein a different identified object classification corresponds to a different vibration signature.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the vibration signature has a frequency within a range of 1 Hz to 100 Hz.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising actuating the active suspension system until the vehicle speed is less than the threshold.