Vibration damping system for vehicle

• US 5,651,072 A
• Filed: 07/06/1993
• Issued: 07/22/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Harada, Shingo, Ikeda, Naoki, Takehara, Shin, Santo, Chiaki, Tukahara, Yutaka, Nakao, Norihiko, Seni, Hirofumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Isen, Forester W.
• Application Number:
  US08/085,951
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• Field of Search: 381/71, 381/94, 381/86
• US Class Current: 381/71.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2202/413 Hydraulic actuator
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/10 Mounting of suspension elements
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/30 Propulsion unit conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/38 Speed of engine rotation
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/62 Seat occupation; Passenger presence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/90 Other conditions or factors
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/91 Frequency
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/95 Position of vehicle body elements
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/76 Digital systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 5/12 Arrangement of engine supports supports comprising both a plastic spring and a fluid damper F16F13/06
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 15/02 Suppression of vibrations of non-rotating, e.g. reciprocating systems; Suppression of vibrations of rotating systems by use of members not moving with the rotating systems F16F15/005 takes precedence ; layered products B32B; suppression of vibration in ships B63; relieving load on bearings, using magnetic means F16C39/06
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17823 Reference signals, e.g. ambient acoustic environment
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17854 the filter being an adaptive filter
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17857 Geometric disposition, e.g. placement of microphones
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17883 the reference signal being derived from a machine operating condition, e.g. engine RPM or vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/1282 Automobiles
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/129 Vibration, e.g. instead of, or in addition to, acoustic noise
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3012 Algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3033 Information contained in memory, e.g. stored signals or transfer functions
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3039 Nonlinear, e.g. clipping, numerical truncation, thresholding or variable input and output gain
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3045 : Multiple acoustic inputs, single acoustic output
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3211 : Active mounts for vibrating structures with means to actively suppress the vibration, e.g. for vehicles

Abstract

A vibration damping system for a vehicle includes a vibration sensor which detects vibration of a particular vibrating element, an actuator which applies vibration to the particular vibrating element and a controller which receives a vibration signal output from the vibration sensor and controls the actuator to apply to the particular vibrating element such vibration that damps the vibration detected by the vibration sensor. The controller is provided with a sensitivity changing circuit which changes the sensitivity of the vibration sensor according to a predetermined condition of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vibration damping system for a vehicle comprising a plurality of vibration sensors for detecting vibration of particular vibrating elements, an actuator for applying vibration to the particular vibrating elements, a control means for receiving vibration signals output from the vibration sensors and controlling the actuator to apply to the particular vibrating elements such vibration that dampens the vibration detected by the vibration sensors, and means for changing a ratio among the inputs of the vibration signals output from the vibration sensors according to a predetermined condition of the vehicle wherein said predetermined condition of the vehicle is a driving condition of the vehicle.

2. A vibration damping system as defined in claim 1 in which said predetermined condition of the vehicle is the engine speed.

3. A vibration damping system as defined in claim 1 in which said predetermined condition of the vehicle is the load on the engine.

4. A vibration damping system as defined in claim 1 in which said predetermined condition of the vehicle is whether the vehicle is accelerating or decelerating.

5. A vibration damping system as defined in claim 1 in which said predetermined condition of the vehicle is the vehicle speed.

6. A vibration damping system as defined in claim 1 in which said predetermined condition of the vehicle is the condition of a transmission on the vehicle.

7. A vibration damping system for a vehicle comprising a plurality of vibration sensors for detecting vibration of particular vibrating elements, an actuator for applying vibration to the particular vibrating elements, a control means for receiving vibration signals output from the vibration sensors and controlling the actuator to apply to the particular vibrating elements such vibration that dampens the vibration detected by the vibration sensors, and a sensitivity changing means for changing a ratio among the inputs of the vibration signals output from the vibration sensors according to a predetermined condition of the vehicle;

wherein said predetermined condition of the vehicle is the vibration mode of the vehicle body and said sensitivity changing means lowers the sensitivity of a vibration sensor which is positioned substantially at a node of the vibration in the vibration mode.

8. A vibration damping system as defined in claim 7 in which said predetermined condition of the vehicle is the vibration mode of the vehicle body and said sensitivity changing means lowers the sensitivity of the vibration sensor which is positioned substantially at a node of the vibration in the vibration mode and increases the sensitivity of the vibration sensor which is positioned substantially at an antinode of the vibration.

9. A vibration damping system for a vehicle comprising a plurality of vibration sensors for detecting vibration of particular vibrating elements, an actuator for applying vibration to the particular vibrating elements, a control means for receiving vibration signals output from the vibration sensors and controlling the actuator to apply to the particular vibrating elements such vibration that dampens the vibration detected by the vibration sensors, and means for changing a ratio among the inputs of the vibration signals output from the vibration sensors according to a predetermined condition of the vehicle;

wherein said predetermined condition of the vehicle is the position of the passengers on the vehicle.

10. A vibration damping system for a vehicle comprising a plurality of vibration sensors for detecting vibration of particular vibrating elements, an actuator for applying vibration to the particular vibrating elements, a control means for receiving vibration signals output from the vibration sensors and controlling the actuator to apply to the particular vibrating elements such vibration that dampens the vibration detected by the vibration sensors, and a sensitivity changing means for changing a ratio among the inputs of the vibration signals output from the vibration sensors according to a predetermined condition of the vehicle;

wherein said predetermined condition of the vehicle is the condition of the vibration signal output from the vibration sensor and the sensitivity changing means lowers the sensitivity of the vibration sensor when the condition of the vibration signal output from the vibration sensor is less reliable than the vibration output signal of the remaining vibration sensors.

11. A vibration damping system for a vehicle comprising a plurality of vibration sensors for detecting vibration of particular vibrating elements, an actuator for applying vibration to the particular vibrating elements, a control means for receiving vibration signals output from the vibration sensors and controlling the actuator to apply to the particular vibrating elements such vibration that dampens the vibration detected by the vibration sensors, and a sensitivity changing means for changing a ratio among the inputs of the vibration signals output from the vibration sensors according to a predetermined condition of the vehicle;

wherein the sensitivity changing means increases the level of the vibration signal when the vibration detected by the vibration sensors is lower than a predetermined value, and lowers the level of the vibration signal when the vibration detected by the vibration sensors is greater than a predetermined value; and

the sensitivity changing means lowers the level of the driving signal output to the actuator when the level of the vibration signal is increased, and increases said driving signal when the level of the vibration signal is lowered.

12. A vibration damping system for a vehicle comprising a plurality of vibration sensors for detecting vibration of particular vibrating elements, an actuator for applying vibration to the particular vibrating elements, a control means for receiving vibration signals output from the vibration sensors and controlling the actuator to apply to the particular vibrating element such vibration that dampens the vibration detected by the vibration sensors, and a sensitivity changing means for setting the sensitivity of at least one of the vibration sensors that detect the vibration desired to be damped, higher than that of the other vibration sensors wherein the sensitivity changing means determines, on a basis of predetermined factors which affect the vibration, at least one of the vibration sensors that detect a vibration which is preferred to be damped over the other vibration, and sets the sensitivity of said at least one of the vibration sensors higher than that of the other vibration sensors.

13. A vibration damping system for a vehicle comprising a plurality of vibration sensors for detecting vibration of particular vibrating elements, said particular vibrating elements including auxiliary equipment, an actuator for applying vibration to the particular vibrating elements, a control means for receiving vibration signals output from the vibration sensors and controlling the actuator to apply to the particular vibrating elements such vibration that dampens the vibration detected by the vibration sensors, and means for changing a ratio among the inputs of the vibration signals output from the vibration sensors according to a predetermined condition of the vehicle;

wherein said predetermined condition of the vehicle is an operating condition of the auxiliary equipment.

14. A vibration damping system as defined in claim 13 in which said predetermined condition of the vehicle is opening and closure of windows of the vehicle.

15. A vibration damping system as defined in claim 13 in which said predetermined condition of the vehicle is the conditioner of an air-conditioner on the vehicle.

16. A vibration damping system as defined in claim 13 in which said predetermined condition of the vehicle is the condition of an audio system on the vehicle.