Vehicle Damping Control

• US 20180126817A1
• Filed: 11/07/2016
• Published: 05/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Russell, David Michael, McGee, Charles Gavin, Bulat, Ben, Norton, Russ Lee, Keller, John, Butler, Darrell Erick
• Granted Patent: US 10,286,745 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/018 characterised by the use of a specific signal treatment or control method
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/01908 Acceleration or inclination sensors characterised by the use of gyroscopes B60G21/08
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/01933 Velocity, e.g. relative velocity-displacement sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/06 Characteristics of dampers , e.g. mechanical dampersB60G17/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/10 Acceleration; Deceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/20 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/182 Active control means

Abstract

A system for damping control for a vehicle includes a parameter component and a damping adjustment component. The parameter component is configured to determine one or more driving parameters of a vehicle. The one or more driving parameters include a velocity of the vehicle. The damping adjustment component is configured to adjust damping of suspension of the vehicle during driving based on the one or more driving parameters. The damping adjustment component is also configured to adjust damping of suspension at a zero velocity for a threshold time period in response to transitioning from a non-zero velocity to the zero velocity.

Claims

1. A method for vehicle damping control, comprising:

determining one or more driving parameters of a vehicle, wherein the one or more driving parameters comprise a velocity of the vehicle;

adjusting damping of suspension of the vehicle during driving based on the one or more driving parameters; and

adjusting damping of suspension at a zero velocity for a threshold time period in response to transitioning from a non-zero velocity to the zero velocity.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising deactivating adjusting damping of suspension after the threshold time period at the zero velocity.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, previous to reaching the zero velocity, determining whether to trigger adjusting damping at the zero velocity based on the one or more parameters.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining whether to trigger adjusting damping based on the one or more parameters comprising one or more of:

braking pressure above a braking threshold;

an acceleration or deceleration rate above an acceleration threshold;

or

a pitch rate above a pitch rate threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting damping of suspension of the vehicle during driving comprises adjusting damping in response to detecting that a forward velocity of the vehicle exceeds a threshold velocity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting damping of suspension comprises independently controlling damping of suspension for each wheel based on the one or more driving parameters.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting damping comprises providing an instruction or current to dampers at one or more wheels of the vehicle to control an amount of damping.

8. A system for damping control for a vehicle, the system comprising:

a parameter component configured to determine one or more driving parameters of a vehicle, wherein the one or more driving parameters comprise a velocity of the vehicle;

a damping adjustment component configured to

adjust damping of suspension of the vehicle during driving based on the one or more driving parameters, and

adjust damping of suspension at a zero velocity for a threshold time period based on the one or more driving parameters in response to transitioning from a non-zero velocity to the zero velocity.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a deactivation component configured to deactivate adjusting damping of suspension after the threshold time period at the zero velocity.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising an activation component configured to, previous to reaching the zero velocity, determine whether to trigger adjusting damping at the zero velocity based on the one or more parameters.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the activation component determines whether to trigger adjusting damping based on the one or more parameters comprising one or more of:

braking pressure above a braking threshold;

an acceleration or deceleration rate above an acceleration threshold;

or

a pitch rate above a pitch rate threshold.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the damping adjustment component is configured to adjust damping of suspension of the vehicle during driving in response to detecting that a forward velocity of the vehicle exceeds a threshold velocity.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the damping adjustment component is configured to adjust damping of suspension by independently controlling damping of suspension for each wheel based on the one or more driving parameters.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the damping adjustment component is configured to adjust damping of suspension by providing an instruction or current to dampers at one or more wheels of the vehicle to control an amount of damping.

15. Computer readable storage media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the processors to:

determine one or more driving parameters of a vehicle, wherein the one or more driving parameters comprise a velocity of the vehicle;

adjust damping of suspension of the vehicle during driving based on the one or more driving parameters; and

adjust damping of suspension at a zero velocity for a threshold time period in response to transitioning from a non-zero velocity to the zero velocity.

16. The computer readable storage media of claim 15, further comprising instructions that cause the processors to deactivate adjusting damping of suspension after the threshold time period at the zero velocity.

17. The computer readable storage media of claim 15, further comprising instructions that cause the processors to, previous to reaching the zero velocity, determine whether to trigger adjusting damping at the zero velocity based on the one or more parameters, wherein the one or more parameters comprise one or more of:

a braking pressure above a braking threshold;

an acceleration or deceleration rate above an acceleration threshold;

or

a pitch rate above a pitch rate threshold.

18. The computer readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the instructions cause the processors to adjust damping of suspension of the vehicle during driving by adjusting damping in response to detecting that a forward velocity of the vehicle exceeds a threshold velocity.

19. The computer readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the instructions cause the processors to adjust damping of suspension by independently controlling damping of suspension for each wheel based on the one or more driving parameters.

20. The computer readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the instructions cause the processors to adjust damping by providing an instruction or current to dampers at one or more wheels of the vehicle to control an amount of damping.