Suspension control system

• US 7,406,371 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2005
• Issued: 07/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Sekiya, Shigenobu, Izawa, Masaki, Kato, Takafumi, Fukuzato, Tsukasa, Onoe, Yoshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu; Yonel
• Application Number:
  US11/197,541
• Publication Number:
  US 20060047387A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,089 Days
• Field of Search: 701 36- 38, 73/110.4, 73/110.7, 280/5.5, 280/5.507, 280/5.512, 280/5.515
• US Class Current: 701/37
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0182 involving parameter estimation, e.g. observer, Kalman filter
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/019 characterised by the type of sensor or the arrangement thereof B60G17/01941 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/01908 Acceleration or inclination sensors characterised by the use of gyroscopes B60G21/08
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/08 Characteristics of fluid dampers adjusting fluid dampers in general F16F9/44 - F16F9/53
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2202/25 Dynamic damper
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0511 Roll angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0512 Pitch angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0521 Roll rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0522 Pitch rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/104 lateral or transversal with regard to vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/106 longitudinal with regard to vehicle, e.g. braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/202 Piston speed; Relative velocity between vehicle body and wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/252 vertical
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/60 Load
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/821 Uneven, rough road sensing affecting vehicle body vibration
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2500/104 continuous
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/012 Rolling condition
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/014 Pitch; Nose dive
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/162 Reducing road induced vibrations

Abstract

In a suspension control system, accelerations detected by acceleration sensors are differentiated by a differentiator to calculate acceleration derivative values. Based on these values, a target electrical current calculating section calculates a target electrical current that is supplied to an actuator which controls a damping force of a damper. Before a rolling or pitch angle occurs in the vehicle, the change of the rolling or pitch angle is predicted to control the damping force of the damper, thereby improving the response of rolling angle and pitch angle control to achieve, simultaneously, an accurate posture control and a satisfactory riding comfort. Because the target electrical current calculating section corrects the target electrical current of the actuator based on a damper speed obtained by differentiating a damper displacement, even when a large input is applied to the damper due to an unevenness of the road surface, a proper posture control is performed.

Claims

1. A suspension control system comprising:

a suspension, which suspends a wheel on a vehicle body;

an actuator, which changes a damping force of a damper of the suspension;

an acceleration sensor, which detects at least one of a lateral acceleration and a longitudinal acceleration of a vehicle;

acceleration derivative value calculating means, which differentiates the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor to calculate an acceleration derivative value;

target electrical current calculating means, which calculates, based on the acceleration derivative value, a target electrical current to be supplied to the actuator;

a damper displacement sensor, which detects a damper displacement; and

damper speed calculating means, which calculates a damper speed based on the damper displacement detected by the damper displacement sensor,

wherein the target electrical current calculating means corrects the target electrical current based on the damper speed.

2. A suspension control system comprising:

a suspension, which suspends a wheel on a vehicle body;

an actuator, which changes a damping force of a damper of the suspension;

an acceleration sensor, which detects at least one of a lateral acceleration and a longitudinal acceleration of a vehicle;

acceleration derivative value calculating means, which differentiates the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor to calculate an acceleration derivative value;

target load calculating means, which calculates, based on the acceleration derivative value, a target load to be generated by the actuator;

target electrical current calculating means, which calculates, based on the target load, a target electrical current to be supplied to the actuator; and

a load sensor disposed between the damper and the vehicle body to detect an actual load input from the damper to the vehicle body,

wherein the target electrical current calculating means sets the target electrical current to be supplied to the actuator so that the actual load detected by the load sensor is identical to the target load.

3. A suspension control system comprising:

a suspension, which suspends a wheel on a vehicle body;

an actuator, which changes a damping force of a damper of the suspension;

a posture control portion, which calculates a parameter for controlling a posture of a vehicle including at least one of a roll and a pitch;

a riding comfort control portion, which calculates a parameter for suppressing a vibration transmitted from a road surface to control riding comfort of the vehicle; and

a high select portion, which outputs a larger one of the parameter calculated by the posture control portion and the parameter calculated by the riding comfort control portion to control the damping force of the damper.

5. The suspension control system according to claim 3, wherein the posture control portion is a roll posture control section which calculates, based on at least a lateral acceleration derivative value, the parameter for controlling the posture of the vehicle, and wherein the riding comfort control portion is a sky hook riding comfort control section which calculates, based on at least an above-spring vertical speed, the parameter for controlling the riding comfort of the vehicle.

7. The suspension control system according to claim 3, wherein the posture control portion is a pitch posture control section which calculates, based on at least a longitudinal acceleration derivative value, the parameter for controlling the posture of the vehicle, and wherein the riding comfort control portion is a sky hook riding comfort control section which calculates, based on at least an above-spring vertical speed, the parameter for controlling the riding comfort of the vehicle.

4. A suspension control system comprising:

a suspension, which suspends a wheel on a vehicle body;

an actuator, which changes a damping force of a damper of the suspension;

a posture control portion, which calculates a parameter for controlling a posture of a vehicle including at least one of a roll and a pitch;

a riding comfort control portion, which calculates a parameter for suppressing a vibration transmitted from a road surface to control riding comfort of the vehicle; and

an addition portion, which adds together the parameter calculated by the posture control portion and the parameter calculated by the riding comfort control portion to control the damping force of the damper.

6. The suspension control system according to claim 4, wherein the posture control portion is a roll posture control section which calculates, based on at least a lateral acceleration derivative value, the parameter for controlling the posture of the vehicle, and wherein the riding comfort control portion is a sky hook riding comfort control section which calculates, based on at least an above-spring vertical speed, the parameter for controlling the riding comfort of the vehicle.

8. The suspension control system according to claim 4, wherein the posture control portion is a pitch posture control section which calculates, based on at least a longitudinal acceleration derivative value, the parameter for controlling the posture of the vehicle, and wherein the riding comfort control portion is a sky hook riding comfort control section which calculates, based on at least an above-spring vertical speed, the parameter for controlling the riding comfort of the vehicle.

9. The suspension control system according to claim 4, wherein the addition portion applies weights to the two parameters according to the vehicle speed before addition.

10. The suspension control system according to claim 4, wherein the addition portion applies the same weight to the two parameters before addition.