Vehicle suspension control system and method

• US 20070021886A1
• Filed: 07/20/2006
• Published: 01/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Miyajima, Takayuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,706,942 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/37
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/019 characterised by the type of sensor or the arrangement thereof B60G17/01941 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/106 longitudinal with regard to vehicle, e.g. braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/204 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/37 Brake pad or disc friction
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/40 Steering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/824 Travel path sensing; Track monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2401/142 Visual Display Camera, e.g. LCD
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2401/16 GPS track data
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2401/28 Gyroscopes

Abstract

A vehicle suspension control system includes a level change recognition section that recognizes a change in level in a road, e.g. roadside curb, a travel path prediction section that predicts the travel path of the host vehicle, a ride-up judgment section which predicts that a wheel or wheels will ride up over the change in level, based on the predicted travel path, and a vehicle suspension element control section that controls the operation of the vehicle suspension or of an element thereof when ride up over the change in level is predicted. The system reliably reduces the jolting sensation which would otherwise occur when a wheel rides up over the change in level.

Claims

1. A vehicle suspension control system for a host vehicle, comprising:

level change recognition means for recognizing a change in level in a road;

travel path prediction means for predicting a travel path of the host vehicle;

ride-up judgment means for predicting whether or not a wheel of the host vehicle will ride up over the change in level, based on the predicted travel path; and

vehicle suspension control means for controlling operation of at least one vehicle suspension element to reduce jolting caused by a wheel riding over the change in level.

2. The vehicle suspension control system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an image capture unit that photographs a specified image capture field along the road; and

wherein the level change recognition means recognizes the change in level in the road by image processing of image data of the image capture field photographed by the image capture unit.

3. The vehicle suspension control system according to claim 1, further comprising:

information acquisition means for obtaining map data; and

wherein the level change recognition means recognizes the change in level in the road based on road conformation data in the obtained map data.

4. The vehicle ride-up control system according to claim 2, further comprising:

distance computation means for computing the distance between the vehicle and the change in level, based on the processed image data; and

wherein the ride-up judgment means predicts whether or not a wheel will ride up over the change in level, based on the predicted travel path and the computed distance.

5. The vehicle suspension control system according to claim 4, further comprising:

estimated ride-up time computation means for computing the time that a wheel will ride up over the change in level, based on the predicted travel path and the vehicle information; and

wherein the vehicle suspension control means controls the operation of the at least one vehicle suspension element at the computed time.

6. The vehicle suspension control system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle suspension control means varies a strain resistance index that expresses the degree of resistance to strain as stress is applied to the at least one vehicle suspension element.

7. The vehicle suspension control system according to claim 1, further comprising:

light distribution control means for controlling light distribution of an illumination device associated with the wheel predicted to ride up over the change in level.

8. The vehicle suspension control system according to claim 1, further comprising:

current position detection means for detecting the current position of the host vehicle; and

wherein the ride-up judgment means predicts whether or not a wheel will ride up over the change in level, based on the detected current position.

9. The vehicle suspension control system according to claim 1, wherein the travel path prediction means computes a predicted travel path for each wheel.

10. A method for vehicle suspension control in a host vehicle, comprising:

recognizing a change in level in a road;

computing a predicted travel path of the host vehicle;

judging whether or not a wheel of the host vehicle will ride up over the recognized change in level, based on the predicted travel path; and

controlling the operation of at least one vehicle suspension element when a wheel is predicted to ride up over the change in level.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

photographing a specified roadside image capture field to capture image data; and

recognizing the change in level in the road by image processing of the captured image data.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

obtaining map data; and

recognizing the change in level in the road based on road conformation data in the obtained map data.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

computing the distance between the host vehicle and the change in level, based on the captured image data; and

predicting whether or not a wheel will ride up over the change in level, based on the predicted travel path and the computed distance.

14. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

computing the time that a wheel will ride up over the change in level, based on the predicted travel path and the vehicle information; and

controlling operation of the at least one vehicle suspension element at the computed time.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the controlling is by varying a strain resistance index that expresses the degree of resistance to strain as stress is applied to the at least one vehicle suspension element.

16. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

controlling aim of an illumination device associated with a wheel predicted to ride up over the change in level.

17. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

detecting the current position of the host vehicle; and

predicting whether or not a wheel will ride up over the change in level, based on the detected current position.

18. The method according to claim 10, wherein a predicted travel path is computed for each wheel.