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Apparatus and method for controlling damping force characteristic of vehicular shock absorber

  • US 6,092,011 A
  • Filed: 04/01/1998
  • Issued: 07/18/2000
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/08/1997
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A method for controlling a damping force characteristic for a vehicular shock absorber, the shock absorber being so arranged and constructed as to take a first mode of operation such as to provide a relatively high damping force characteristic for a damping force characteristic in an extension phase while providing a relatively low damping force characteristic in a compression phase, a second mode of operation such as to provide the relatively high damping force characteristic for the damping force characteristic in the compression phase while providing the relatively low damping force characteristic for the damping force characteristic in the extension phase, a third mode of operation such as to provide the relatively low damping force characteristics for the damping force characteristics in both of the extension and compression phases, and a fourth mode of operation such as to provide the relatively high damping force characteristics in both of the extension and compression phases, the method comprising the steps of determining a vertical behavior of the sprung mass of a vehicle body;

  • determining a direction of the determined vertical behavior of the vehicle body;

    switching a present mode of operation of the shock absorber into the first mode of operation when the direction of the determined vertical behavior is upward;

    switching the present mode of operation into the second mode when the direction of the determined vertical behavior is downward; and

    switching the present mode of operation into the third mode when the direction of the determined vertical behavior is neither upward nor downward;

    determining whether a predetermined condition on a vehicular behavior is satisfied; and

    switching the present mode of operation of the shock absorber into the fourth mode of operation when the predetermined condition is satisfied.

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