Suspension control apparatus

• US 6,859,702 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2002
• Issued: 02/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2001
• 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: Suto, Shinji, Kitazawa, Hirokazu, Kawashima, Mitsunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US10/211,006
• Publication Number:
  US 20030033063A1
• Time in Patent Office: 935 Days
• Field of Search: 701/37, 701/38, 701/39, 280/5.5, 280/5.502, 280/5.506, 280/5.507, 280/5.512, 280/5.514, 280/5.515
• US Class Current: 701/37
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 13/14 having dampers accumulating utilisable energy, e.g. compressing air fluid springs with an accumulator B60G11/30
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0157 non-fluid unit, e.g. electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/016 characterised by their responsiveness, when the vehicle is travelling, to specific motion, a specific condition, or driver input B60G17/017 takes precedence
• 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 2300/60 Vehicles using regenerative power
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0511 Roll angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/102 vertical
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/252 vertical
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/41 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/012 Rolling condition
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/014 Pitch; Nose dive
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/24 Steering, cornering
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/702 Improving accuracy of a sensor signal
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/9122 ARS - Anti-Roll System Control
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 7/006 Attaching arms to sprung or unsprung part of vehicle, characterised by comprising attachment means controlled by an external actuator, e.g. a fluid or electrical motor B62D7/146 takes precedence

Abstract

The invention provides a suspension control system that executes control of actuators that apply a vertical force to the vehicle wheels depending on the travel state of the vehicle, and at the same time, carry out power generation by using the energy of the vertical motion of the wheels and use the obtained energy to drive the actuator motor. In the suspension control apparatus in which the vehicle wheels can receive a force in the vertical direction from a motor, power generation is carried out by the motor depending on the vertical motion of the vehicle wheels, and a storage cycle that stores energy in a storage apparatus and a discharge cycle that drives the motor by the energy stored in the storage apparatus are repeated.

Claims

1. A suspension control apparatus of a vehicle, the vehicle having vehicle wheels, comprising:

a wheel motor that uses vertical movement due to one of said wheels;

a power storage apparatus comprising a main storage member and an auxiliary storage member, said auxiliary storage member having a storage capacity smaller than a storage capacity of the main storage member;

a control unit; and

a relay device controlled by said control unit that turns connection one of on and off between said main storage member and said motor;

wherein, said suspension control apparatus carries out power generation by the wheel motor depending on the vertical movement of said vehicle wheels, and the suspension control apparatus repeatedly performs a storage cycle wherein electrical power generated by the motor is stored in said auxiliary storage member and a discharge cycle wherein said motor is driven by the electrical power stored in said power storage apparatus, and

wherein, at the start of the storage cycle, the connection between said main storage member and said motor is turned off by said relay device, and said auxiliary storage member is charged.

2. A suspension control apparatus according to claim 1 wherein:

said motor is driven by said auxiliary storage member when the suspension control apparatus carries out control of ride comfort of the vehicle, and said motor is driven by said main storage member when carrying out control other than the ride comfort of the vehicle.