Vehicle damping force control with roll angle and pitch angle

• US 7,747,368 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2006
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Mizuguchi, Yusuke, Tomida, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Black; Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kong; Sze-Hon
• Application Number:
  US11/915,477
• Publication Number:
  US 20090234537A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,540 Days
• Field of Search: 701/38, 701/36, 701/37, 280/5.507
• US Class Current: 701/38
• 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 17/08 Characteristics of fluid dampers adjusting fluid dampers in general F16F9/44 - F16F9/53
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0512 Pitch angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0523 Yaw rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0532 Pitch acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/102 vertical
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/104 lateral or transversal with regard to vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/204 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/252 vertical
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/41 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2500/10 Damping action or damper
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/12 Sampling or average detecting; Addition or substraction
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/124 Error signal
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/184 Semi-Active control means
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/0122 Roll rigidity ratio; Warping
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/014 Pitch; Nose dive
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/016 Yawing condition
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/24 Steering, cornering
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/912 Attitude Control; levelling control

Abstract

A damping force control apparatus with adjustable shock absorbers is disclosed. An electronic control unit calculates estimated roll angle and estimated pitch angle of a vehicle body based on detected sprung accelerations, calculates a target pitch angle from the estimated roll angle, and determines target damping force required for front-wheel-side shock absorbers such that the stimulated pitch angle coincides with the target pitch angle; calculates rear-wheel-side jack-up force exerted on the rear-wheel-side vehicle body based on detected vehicle speed detected yaw rate and detected lateral acceleration, and determines the force in the direction for overcoming the calculated jack-up force as target damping force of rear-wheel-side shock absorbers; and controls the operation of each actuator based on the rear-wheel-side and front-wheel-side target damping forces.

Claims

1. A vehicle damping force control apparatus comprising:

shock absorbers disposed between a vehicle body and each of four wheels suspended to the vehicle body by a suspension system, each of which can individually change generated damping force in accordance with a turning state of the vehicle;

a front-wheel and rear-wheel damping force calculating unit that calculates the total of the damping forces required for the front-wheel-side shock absorbers corresponding to the front wheels and the total of the damping forces required for the rear-wheel-side shock absorbers corresponding to the rear wheels as a front-wheel-side target damping force and a rear-wheel-side target damping force respectively to suppress a pitching caused on the vehicle body during the turning of the vehicle;

a damping coefficient calculating unit that calculates damping coefficients for the shock absorbers corresponding to the four wheels by using the front-wheel-side target damping force and the rear-wheel-side target damping force respectively to suppress roll exerted on the vehicle body during the turning of the vehicle;

a shock absorber control unit that controls the damping forces generated by the shock absorbers corresponding to the four wheels respectively in accordance with the calculated damping coefficients;

a roll angle detecting unit that detects a roll angle of the vehicle body during the turning of the vehicle;

a pitch angle detecting unit that detects a pitch angle of the vehicle body during the turning of the vehicle;

a target pitch angle calculating unit that calculates a target pitch angle of the vehicle body in accordance with the detected roll angle; and

a target damping force determining unit that determines the total of the damping forces required for the front-wheel-side shock absorbers and the total of the damping forces required for the rear-wheel-side shock absorbers as the front-wheel-side target damping force and the rear-wheel-side target damping force respectively to make the detected pitch angle coincide with the calculated target pitch angle.

2. The vehicle damping force control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the target damping force determining means comprises:

a corrected moment calculating unit that calculates a corrected moment necessary for the vehicle body in accordance with the difference between the calculated target pitch angle and the detected pitch angle;

a front-wheel-side damping force setting unit that sets the total of the damping forces required for the front-wheel-side shock absorbers as the front-wheel-side target damping force in accordance with the calculated corrected moment;

a rear-wheel-side jack-up force calculating unit that calculates rear-wheel-side jack-up force exerted on the vehicle body through the rear-wheel-side suspension system during the turning of the vehicle; and

a rear-wheel-side damping force setting unit that sets the force in the direction for overcoming the calculated rear-wheel-side jack-up force as the rear-wheel-side target damping force.

3. The vehicle damping force control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the target pitch angle calculating unit calculates the target pitch angle such that posture of the vehicle body becomes forward tilting or horizontal during the turning.

4. The vehicle damping force control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the target damping force determining unit determines the total damping forces based on vehicle speed, yaw rate, and lateral acceleration of the vehicle body and steering angle of a steering handle.

5. The vehicle damping force control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the target pitch angle calculating unit calculates the target pitch angle that increases with the increase in the detected roll angle and that is unambiguously determined by the detected roll angle.

6. The vehicle damping force control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the rear-wheel-side jack-up force calculating unit calculates the rear-wheel-side jack-up force based on vehicle speed, yaw rate, and lateral acceleration of the vehicle body.

7. The vehicle damping force control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the target pitch angle calculating unit calculates the target pitch angle such that posture of the vehicle body becomes forward tilting or horizontal during the turning.

8. The vehicle damping force control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the target pitch angle calculating unit calculates the target pitch angle that increases with the increase in the detected roll angle and that is unambiguously determined by the detected roll angle.

9. The vehicle damping force control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the front-wheel and rear-wheel damping force calculating unit comprises:

a front-wheel-side jack-up force calculating unit that calculates front-wheel-side jack-up force applied to the vehicle body through the front-wheel-side suspension system during the turning of the vehicle;

a rear-wheel-side jack-up force calculating unit that calculates rear-wheel-side jack-up force applied to the vehicle body through the rear-wheel-side suspension system during the turning of the vehicle;

a front-wheel-side damping force setting unit that sets the total of the damping forces required for the front-wheel-side shock absorbers as the front-wheel-side target damping force;

a front-wheel-side vehicle body input calculating unit that calculates the input total applied to the front-wheel-side vehicle body by adding the calculated front-wheel-side jack-up force to the set total of the damping forces required for the front-wheel-side shock absorbers;

a rear-wheel-side vehicle body input calculating unit that calculates the input total applied to the rear-wheel-side vehicle body so as to overcome a pitching moment about the center of gravity of the vehicle due to the calculated input total applied to the front-wheel-side vehicle body; and

a rear-wheel-side target damping force setting unit that sets the total of the damping forces required for the rear-wheel-side shock absorbers as the rear-wheel-side target damping force by subtracting the calculated rear-wheel-side jack-up force from the calculated input total applied to the rear-wheel-side vehicle body.

10. The vehicle damping force control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the front-wheel and rear-wheel damping force calculating unit comprises:

a front-wheel-side jack-up force calculating unit that calculates front-wheel-side jack-up force applied to the vehicle body through the front-wheel-side suspension system during the turning of the vehicle;

a rear-wheel-side jack-up force calculating unit that calculates rear-wheel-side jack-up force applied to the vehicle body through the rear-wheel-side suspension system during the turning of the vehicle;

a rear-wheel-side damping force setting unit that sets the total of the damping forces required for the rear-wheel-side shock absorbers as the front-wheel-side target damping force;

a rear-wheel-side vehicle body input calculating that calculates the input total applied to the rear-wheel-side vehicle body by adding the calculated rear-wheel-side jack-up force to the set total of the damping forces required for the rear-wheel-side shock absorbers;

a front-wheel-side vehicle body input calculating unit that calculates the input total applied to the front-wheel-side vehicle body so as to overcome a pitching moment about the center of gravity of the vehicle due to the calculated input total applied to the rear-wheel-side vehicle body; and

a front-wheel-side target damping force setting unit that sets the total of the damping forces required for the front-wheel-side shock absorbers as the front-wheel-side target damping force by subtracting the calculated front-wheel-side jack-up force from the calculated input total applied to the front-wheel-side vehicle body.

11. The vehicle damping force control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the target pitch angle calculating unit refers to a target pitch angle table when calculating the target pitch angle of the vehicle body in accordance with the detected roll angle.

12. The vehicle damping force control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the target pitch angle table includes a non-linear relationship between the target pitch angle and the detected roll angle.

13. The vehicle damping force control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the target pitch angle table includes a linear relationship between the target pitch angle and the detected roll angle.