Device for stabilizing the attitude of an automobile

• US 5,263,737 A
• Filed: 12/26/1991
• Issued: 11/23/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Matsuura, Kazuo, Furuya, Kunitaka
• Primary Examiner(s): FERRITER, KARIN L
• Application Number:
  US07/814,052
• Time in Patent Office: 698 Days
• Field of Search: 280/112.2, 280/707, 280/714, 280/DIG. 1, 280/772, 280/689, 280/840, 280/6.12, 364/424.05
• US Class Current: 280/5.507
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/015 the regulating means comprising electric or electronic elements B60G17/002, B60G17/005 take 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 2400/252 vertical
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/42 Steering torque

Abstract

A device for stabilizing the attitude of an automobile having an automobile body and lefthand and right-hand road wheels which are rotatably supported on the automobile body, includes cylinder means independently disposed between the road wheels and the automobile body and having respective fluid chambers, the cylinder means being operable depending on fluid pressures in the fluid chambers, a communication pipe mechanism connectable for bringing the fluid chambers of the cylinder means into fluid communication with each other, valve means disposed in the communication pipe mechanism, for pressurizing a fluid in the communication pipe mechanism and controlling the direction of flow of the fluid in the communication pipe mechanism, detecting means including at least an automobile speed sensor for detecting the speed of travel of the automobile and a steering reactive force sensor for detecting a steering reactive force, and control means responsive to detected signals from the detecting means responsive to detected signals from the detecting means for controlling the valve means to transfer the fluid from the fluid chambers of the cylinder means which are located on a radially inner side of a turning circle when the automobile makes a turn into the fluid chambers of the cylinder means which are located on a radially outer side of the turning circle, thereby to stabilize the attitude of the automobile.

Claims

1. A device for stabilizing the attitude of an automobile having an automobile body and front left, front right, rear left and rear right road wheels which are rotatably supported on the automobile body, said device comprising:

cylinder means independently disposed between the road wheels and the automobile body and having respective fluid chambers, said cylinder means including front left and rear left cylinder means independently disposed between the front left and rear left road wheels and the automobile body, and front right and rear right cylinder means independently disposed between the front right and rear right road wheels and the automobile body, said cylinder means being operable depending on fluid pressures in the fluid chambers for adjusting the relative height between respective road wheels and the automobile body;

a communication pipe mechanism connecting said respective fluid chambers through a closed fluid circuit for bringing said respective fluid chambers of said cylinder means into direct fluid communication with each other, said communication pipe mechanism including a lefthand fore-and-aft communication pipe for providing fluid communication between said front left and rear left cylinder means, and a righthand fore-and-aft communication pipe for providing fluid communication between said front right and rear right cylinder means;

valve means disposed in said communication pipe mechanism, for pressurizing a fluid in said communication pipe mechanism and controlling the direction of flow of said fluid in the communication pipe mechanism, wherein said valve means comprises at least one control valve which is selectively openable and closable to allow a shut off of a flow of the fluid through said lefthand and righthand fore-and-aft communication pipes;

detecting means including at least an automobile speed sensor for detecting the speed to travel of the automobile and a steering reactive force sensor for detecting a steering reactive force, said detecting means further including a fore-and-aft acceleration sensor for detecting when the automobile is accelerated and decelerated or started and braked; and

control means response to detected signals from said detecting means for controlling said valve means to transfer, through said lefthand and right hand fore-and-aft communication pipes, the fluid from the fluid chambers of the front and rear cylinder means which are located on the radially inner side of the turning circle directly into the fluid chambers of the front and rear cylinder means which are located on the radially outer side of the turning circle, said control means comprising means, responsive to a detected signal from said fore-and-aft acceleration sensor indicating that the automobile is accelerated or started, for controlling said valve means to close said control valve and to transfer said fluid through said communication pipe mechanism, from the fluid chambers of the two front cylinder means into the fluid chambers of the two rear cylinder means, thereby to stabilize the attitude of the automobile.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein said control means comprises means, responsive to a detected signal from said fore-and-aft acceleration sensor indicating that the automobile is decelerated or braked, for controlling said valve means to close said control valve to transfer, through said communication pipe mechanism, from the fluid chambers of the two rear cylinder means into the fluid chambers of the two front cylinder means.

3. A device according to the claim 2, wherein said detecting means further comprises an automobile height sensor for detecting the height of the automobile;

said control means comprising target value calculating means for calculating a control target value to stabilize the attitude of the automobile based on detected signals from said automobile speed sensor, said steering reactive sensor, and said fore-and-aft acceleration sensor, condition valve calculating means for calculating an automobile height based on a detected signal from said automobile height based on a detected signal from said automobile height sensor, correcting means for comparing the automobile height from said condition value calculating means with said control target value from said target value calculating means and for correcting said control target value to determine a target value, and driver means for controlling said value means based on said target value determined by said controlling means.

4. A device for stabilizing the attitude of an automobile having an automobile body and front left, front right, rear left and rear right road wheels which are rotatably supported on the automobile body, said device comprising:

left and right fluid pressure activating means independently disposed between the road wheels and the automobile body, for actively interconnecting the automobile body and the road wheels depending on the pressure of the a fluid, and for adjusting a height between respective road wheels and the automobile body;

a communication pipe mechanism connecting said left and right fluid pressure activating means through a closed fluid circuit for bringing the left and right fluid pressure activating means into direct fluid communication with each other, said communication pipe mechanism including a lefthand fore-and-aft communication pipe for providing fluid communication between said front left and rear left fluid pressure activating means, and a righthand fore-and-aft communication pipe for providing fluid communication between said front right and rear right fluid pressure activating means, wherein said communication pipe mechanism further includes front and rear lateral communication pipes for providing fluid communication between said lefthand and righthand and fore-and-aft communication pipes;

an operating mechanism disposed in said communication pipe mechanism and comprising pump means for pressurizing the fluid in said communication pipe mechanism and direction control means for controlling the direction of flow of said fluid between and left and right fluid pressure activating means, said operating mechanism including first control valve means disposed in said lefthand and righthand fore-and-aft communication pipes and selectively openable and closable for allowing and cutting off fluid communication through said lefthand and righthand fore-and-aft communication pipes, and second control valve means disposed in said front and rear lateral communication pipes and selectively openable and closable for allowing and cutting off fluid communication through said lateral communication pipes;

detecting means including at least an automobile speed sensor for detecting the speed of travel of the automobile and a steering reactive force sensor for detecting a steering reactive force; and

control means responsive to detected signals from said detecting means for controlling said valve means to transfer, through said lefthand and righthand fore-and-aft communication pipes, the fluid from the front and rear fluid pressure activating means which are located on the radially inner side of the turning circle directly into the front and rear fluid pressure activating means which are located on the radially outer side of the turning circle, said control means comprising means, responsive to detected signals from said detecting means indicating that the automobile is running straight ahead, for opening said first and second control valve means to being all of said fluid pressure activating means into equilibrium and thereby stabilize the attitude of the automobile.

5. A device according to claim 4, wherein said control means comprises means, responsive to detective signals from said detecting means indicating that the automobile is making a turn, for controlling said operating mechanism to open said first control valve means, close said second control valve means and switch said directional control valve to transfer, through said communication pipes mechanism, from the fore-and-aft communication pipe which is located on the radially inner side of the turning circle into the fore-and-aft communication pipe which is located on the radially outer side of the turning circle.

6. A device according to claim 4, wherein said control means comprises means, responsive to detected signal from said detecting means indicating that the automobile is accelerated or started, for controlling said operating mechanism to close said first control valve means, open said second control valve means, and switch said directional control means to transfer, through said communication pipe mechanism, from the front lateral communication pipe into the rear lateral communication pipe.

7. A device according to claim 4, wherein said control means comprises means, responsive to detected signals from said detecting means indicating that the automobile is decelerated or braked, for controlling said operating mechanism to close said first control valve means, open said second control valve means, and switch said directional control means to transfer, through said communication pipe mechanism, from the rear lateral communication pipe into the front lateral communication pipe.