Damper control device

• US 10,124,644 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2015
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: KYB Corp.
• Original Assignee: KYB Corp.
• Inventors: Kurita, Norihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Merlino, David P.
• Application Number:
  US15/125,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20170096040A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,300 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/016 characterised by their responsiveness, when the vehicle is travelling, to specific motion, a specific condition, or driver input B60G17/017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/08 Characteristics of fluid dampers adjusting fluid dampers in general F16F9/44 - F16F9/53
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2202/24 Fluid damper
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/12 Cycles; Motorcycles
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0511 Roll angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0522 Pitch rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0523 Yaw rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/204 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/41 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/5182 Fluid damper
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2500/10 Damping action or damper
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/014 Pitch; Nose dive
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 2025/044 Suspensions with automatic adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 25/04 for mounting axles resiliently on cycle frame or fork for sidecars, forecars or the like B62K27/06

Abstract

A damper control device includes a rate sensor that detects a pitching angular velocity of a vehicle body, a vehicle speed sensor, a steering angle sensor and a calculation unit that detect a roll angle and a yaw angular velocity of the vehicle body, a pressure sensor that detects a pressure of a contraction-side chamber in a front-wheel side damper, a pressure sensor that detects a pressure of a contraction-side chamber in a rear-wheel side damper, and a correction unit that corrects the pitching angular velocity. The pressures are controlled on the basis of the corrected pitching angular velocity and the pressures. The vehicle speed sensor, the steering angle sensor and the calculation unit detect the roll angle and the yaw angular velocity on the basis of a traveling speed and a steering angle.

Claims

1. A damper control device, comprising:

a pitching angular velocity detection unit configured to detect a pitching angular velocity of a vehicle body in a two-wheeled vehicle;

a roll angle detection unit for detecting a roll angle of the vehicle body, the roll angle detection unit being configured to have a calculation unit configured to calculate the roll angle;

a yaw angular velocity detection unit for detecting a yaw angular velocity of the vehicle body, the yaw angular velocity detection unit being configured to have the calculation unit, the calculation unit further being configured to calculate the yaw angular velocity;

a front-wheel side pressure detection unit configured to detect a pressure of a contraction-side chamber in a front-wheel side damper, the front-wheel side damper being interposed between the vehicle body and a front-wheel of the two-wheeled vehicle;

a rear-wheel side pressure detection unit configured to detect a pressure of a contraction-side chamber in a rear-wheel side damper, the rear-wheel side damper being interposed between the vehicle body and a rear wheel of the two-wheeled vehicle;

a control unit configured to control a current pressure of the contraction-side chamber in the front-wheel side damper and current pressure of the contraction-side chamber in the rear-wheel side damper; and

a correction unit configured to correct the pitching angular velocity on the basis of the roll angle and the yaw angular velocity,

wherein;

the control unit controls the current pressure of the contraction-side chamber in the front-wheel side damper on the basis of the corrected pitching angular velocity and a previous pressure of the contraction-side chamber in the front-wheel side damper, the previous pressure being detected by the front-wheel side pressure detection unit;

the control unit controls the current pressure of the contraction-side chamber in the rear-wheel side damper on the basis of the corrected pitching angular velocity and a previous pressure of the contraction-side chamber in the rear-wheel side damper, the previous pressure being detected by the rear-wheel side pressure detection unit; and

the yaw angular velocity detection unit detects the yaw angular velocity on the basis of a traveling speed and a steering angle of the two-wheeled vehicle.

2. The damper control device according to claim 1, wherein:

the roll angle detection unit detects the roll angle on the basis of the traveling speed and the steering angle of the two-wheeled vehicle.

3. The damper control device according to claim 1, wherein:

the control unit obtains a target torque that reduces a pitching of the vehicle body using the corrected pitching angular velocity, selects a damper that is contracted by the pitching out of the front-wheel side damper and the rear-wheel side damper using the target torque, obtains a target pressure of the contraction-side chamber in the selected damper, and feeds back the pressure of the contraction-side chamber of the selected damper to control the pressure of the contraction-side chamber of the selected damper.

4. The damper control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a velocity detection unit configured to detect a vertical direction velocity of the vehicle body, wherein

the control unit obtains a target torque that reduces a pitching of the vehicle body using the corrected pitching angular velocity,

the control unit obtains a pitching reducing damping force of a front-wheel side and a pitching reducing damping force of a rear-wheel side using the target torque, the pitching reducing damping force of the front-wheel side being required for reducing a pitching of the front-wheel side damper, the pitching reducing damping force of the rear-wheel side being required for reducing a pitching of the rear-wheel side damper,

the control unit obtains a bounce reducing damping force of the front-wheel side and a bounce reducing damping force of the rear-wheel side using the vertical direction velocity, the bounce reducing damping forces being required for reducing a bounce near a center of the vehicle body,

the control unit obtains a target front-wheel side pressure of the contraction-side chamber in the front-wheel side damper using the pitching reducing damping force of the front-wheel side and the bounce reducing damping force of the front-wheel side, and feeds back the pressure of the contraction-side chamber of the front-wheel side damper to control the pressure of the contraction-side chamber of the front-wheel side damper, and

the control unit obtains a target rear-wheel side pressure of the contraction-side chamber in the rear-wheel side damper using the pitching reducing damping force in the rear-wheel side and the bounce reducing damping force in the rear-wheel side, and feeds back the pressure of the contraction-side chamber of the rear-wheel side damper to control the pressure of the contraction-side chamber of the rear-wheel side damper.

5. The damper control device according to claim 4, further comprising:

a centrifugal force correction unit configured to remove an influence of a centrifugal acceleration from the vertical direction velocity of the vehicle body.

6. The damper control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a velocity detection unit configured to detect a vertical direction velocity of the vehicle body, wherein

the control unit obtains a target torque that reduces a pitching of the vehicle body using the corrected pitching angular velocity, selects a damper that is contracted by the pitching out of the front-wheel side damper and the rear-wheel side damper using the target torque, obtains a target pressure of the contraction-side chamber in the selected damper on the basis of the target torque and the vertical direction velocity, and feeds back the pressure of the contraction-side chamber in the selected damper to control the pressure of the contraction-side chamber in the selected damper.

7. The damper control device according to claim 6, wherein:

when the front-wheel side damper is selected, the control unit obtains the target pressure of the contraction-side chamber in the front-wheel side damper on the basis of the target torque, the vertical direction velocity, and a brake signal of the two-wheeled vehicle.

8. The damper control device according to claim 6, wherein:

when the rear wheel side damper is selected, the control unit obtains the target pressure of the contraction-side chamber in the rear-wheel side damper on the basis of the target torque, the vertical direction velocity, and an accelerator signal of the two-wheeled vehicle.

9. The damper control device according to claim 1, wherein

the front-wheel side damper and the rear-wheel side damper include:

a cylinder;

a piston slidably inserted into the cylinder, the piston partitioning an inside of the cylinder into the contraction-side chamber filled by liquid and an expansion-side chamber filled by liquid;

a reservoir that communicates with the contraction-side chamber,

an expansion-side damping passage configured to give a resistance to a flow of the liquid from the expansion-side chamber to the contraction-side chamber;

a contraction-side passage provided in parallel with respect to the expansion-side damping passage, the contraction-side passage allowing only a flow of the liquid from the contraction-side chamber to the expansion-side chamber;

a contraction-side damping passage configured to give a resistance to a flow of the liquid from the contraction-side chamber to the reservoir;

a suction passage provided in parallel with respect to the contraction-side damping passage, the suction passage allowing only a flow of the liquid from the reservoir to the contraction-side chamber;

a bypass passage provided in parallel with respect to the contraction-side damping passage and the suction passage, the bypass passage allowing the contraction-side chamber to communicate with the reservoir; and

a pressure control element provided at the bypass passage and configured to adjust the pressure of the contraction-side chamber.

10. A damper control device, comprising:

a pitching angular velocity detection unit configured to detect a pitching angular velocity of a vehicle body in a two-wheeled vehicle;

a roll angle detection unit for detecting a roll angle of the vehicle body, the roll angle detection unit being configured to have a calculation unit configured to calculate the roll angle;

a yaw angular velocity detection unit for detecting a yaw angular velocity of the vehicle body, the yaw angular velocity detecting unit being configured to have the calculation unit, the calculation unit further being configured to calculate the yaw angular velocity;

a front-wheel side pressure detection unit configured to detect a pressure of a contraction-side chamber in a front-wheel side damper, the front-wheel side damper being interposed between the vehicle body and a front-wheel of the two-wheeled vehicle;

a rear-wheel side pressure detection unit configured to detect a pressure of a contraction-side chamber in a rear-wheel side damper, the rear-wheel side damper being interposed between the vehicle body and a rear wheel of the two-wheeled vehicle;

a control unit configured to control a current pressure of the contraction-side chamber in the front-wheel side damper and a current pressure of the contraction-side chamber in the rear-wheel side damper; and

a correction unit configured to correct the pitching angular velocity on the basis of the roll angle and the yaw angular velocity,

wherein;

the control unit controls the current pressure of the contraction-side chamber in the front-wheel side damper on the basis of the corrected pitching angular velocity, the and a previous pressure of the contraction-side chamber in the front-wheel side damper, the previous pressure being detected by the front-wheel side pressure detection unit;

the control unit controls the current pressure of the contraction-side chamber in the rear-wheel side damper on the basis of the corrected pitching angular velocity and a previous pressure of the contraction-side chamber in the rear-wheel side damper, the previous pressure being detected by the rear-wheel side pressure detection unit; and

the roll angle detection unit detects the roll angle on the basis of a traveling speed and a steering angle.