Control arrangement

• US 5,230,529 A
• Filed: 04/22/1991
• Issued: 07/27/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Harvey-Bailey Engineering Limited
• Original Assignee: Harvey-Bailey Engineering Limited
• Inventors: Harvey-Bailey, Rhoderick M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Valenza, Joseph E.
• Application Number:
  US07/669,413
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• Field of Search: 280/6.11, 280/112.2, 280/707, 280/772, 280/DIG. 1
• US Class Current: 280/5.508
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0162 mainly during a motion involving steering operation, e.g. cornering, overtaking B60G17/0164 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 21/05 between wheels on the same axle but on different sides of the vehicle, i.e. the left and right wheel suspensions being interconnected
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2202/413 Hydraulic actuator
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/104 lateral or transversal with regard to vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/25 Stroke; Height; Displacement
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/60 Load
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/90 Other conditions or factors
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/82 duty rate function
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/24 Steering, cornering
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 280/01 Load responsive, leveling of vehicle

Abstract

An active roll control system for attachment to a vehicle having a wheel suspension system includes an actuator attached by a linkage to the wheel suspension system. The actuator is controlled by a programmable computer having input signals from a lateral accelerometer and a load cell from an output signal to a servovalve controlling the hydraulic fluid to the actuator. The active roll control system operates to maintain the vehicle in a substantially level state about the vehicle longitudinal axis.

Claims

1. An active roll control system for attachment to a vehicle having a longitudinal axis, at least two transverse wheel pairs, a sprung and an unsprung mass and an existing wheel suspension means including a spring to support the sprung mass and damping means located between the sprung and unsprung mass to attenuate dynamic loads applied to the vehicle, the active roll control system comprising:

at least one actuating means being secured to effect displacement between the sprung and unsprung mass of the vehicle and located between at least one of the transverse wheel pairs, the actuating means including a double acting hydraulic actuator having a cylinder and a piston slidable therein, the actuator being connected to the suspension means of said transverse wheel pair by an actuating linkage free of attachment to the sprung mass, the actuating linkage having a first element driven by movement of the piston to move the suspension means of one vehicle wheel of the transverse wheel pair in one direction and a second element driven by movement of the cylinder to move the suspension means of the other vehicle wheel of said transverse wheel pair in an opposite direction; and

means responsive to dynamic loads applied to the actuating means for generating a signal, the actuating means being responsive to the signal so that loads are applied to the vehicle suspension means by the actuating means independently of the wheel damping means to oppose any dynamic loads tending to roll the vehicle, thereby maintaining the vehicle in a substantially level position about the longitudinal axis.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle wheel pair comprise the front wheels of a vehicle.

3. A system as in claim 1, wherein the vehicle wheel pair comprise the rear wheels of a vehicle.

4. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein an active roll control system is provided for both pairs of vehicle wheels.

5. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the linkage includes an arm rigidly secured to a pivotable arm of each wheel of the or each pair of vehicle wheels, a rod attached to the piston of the actuator attached to one of said arms and a further rod extending from the actuator and attached to the other one of said arms.

6. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuating means is secured between the vehicle and the wheel suspension means of the vehicle.

7. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuating means is secured between the wheel suspension means of at least one pair of wheels of the vehicle.

8. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means responsive to the loading of the actuating means generates an electrical signal, and includes means for processing said signal.

9. A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the processing means receive electrical signals from a source independent of the loading of the actuating means.

10. A system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the independent source comprises a lateral accelerometer.

11. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means responsive to the loading of the actuating means comprises a load cell.

12. A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the actuator has a hydraulic fluid supply including a pump, a reservoir and an accumulator, the hydraulic supply to the actuator being controlled by a servo-valve, the servo-valve being controlled by an output from the signal processing means.

13. A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the signa processing means comprises a computer programmed to control the servo-valve so that the actuator operates on the wheel suspension means to maintain the vehicle on a substantially level state about the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

14. A vehicle having wheel suspension means to support the vehicle sprung mass and damping means to attenuate dynamic loads applied to the vehicle characterised by the provision of an active roll control system as claimed in claim 1 to control the position of the vehicle in the roll mode only.

15. A system as in claim 5, wherein said actuating means comprises two ends, one end being attached to the unsprung mass of the vehicle near one wheel of said transverse vehicle wheel pair and attached to the unsprung mass of the vehicle near the other wheel of said transverse vehicle wheel pair.

16. An active roll control system for attachment to a vehicle having two or more transverse vehicle wheel pairs and an existing suspension means located between a sprung and unsprung mass of the vehicle, the active roll control system comprising:

at least one actuating means attachable to at least one of said transverse vehicle wheel pairs to effect displacement between the sprung and unsprung mass of the vehicle, the actuating means including a double acting hydraulic actuator having a cylinder and piston slidable therein, the actuator having an actuating linkage free of attachment to the sprung mass, the actuating linkage having a first element driven by movement of the piston to move the suspension means of one vehicle wheel of the transverse vehicle wheel pair in one direction and a second element driven by movement of the cylinder to move the suspension means of the other vehicle wheel of said transverse wheel pair in an opposite direction when installed on the vehicle;

means responsive to dynamic loads applied to the actuating means for generating a signal;

acceleration sensing means for generating a signal representing acceleration of the vehicle; and

control means for analyzing the actuating means signal and the acceleration signal to derive a control value for activating said actuating means, the actuating means operating independently of existing wheel suspension means to oppose any dynamic loads tending to roll the vehicle to maintain the vehicle in a substantially level position about the longitudinal axis to control vehicle roll only during cornering of the vehicle.