Integrated active suspension smart valve

• US 9,676,244 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ClearMotion, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ClearMotion, Inc.
• Inventors: Giovanardi, Marco, Leehey, Jonathan R., Schneider, Johannes, Wendell, Ross J., Anderson, Zackary Martin, Giarratana, John, Zuckerman, Richard Anthony, O'Shea, Colin Patrick, Gorelik, Vladimir, Sawyer, Tyson David, Driscoll, Robert, Neil, Patrick W., Tucker, Clive
• Primary Examiner(s): Ilan, Ruth
• Application Number:
  US14/212,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20140265169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: 60475, 60476, 280 5504, 1882663
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 15/10 and mechanical damper or dynamic damper
• 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 2202/413 Hydraulic actuator
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/11 Mounting of sensors thereon
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0511 Roll angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0521 Roll rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/60 Load
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/70 Estimating or calculating vehicle parameters or state variables
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/20 by changing the driving speed
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 13/0444 with rotary electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 11/065 with linearly sliding closure members
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/12 actuated by fluid fluid-actuated lift valves F16K1/126 ; fluid-actuated check valves F16K15/00; fluid-actuated safety valves F16K17/00

Abstract

Various embodiments related to hydraulic actuators and active suspension systems as well as their methods of use are described.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a housing including a first port and a second port and a pressure sealed barrier located in the housing disposed between a first oil filled portion of the housing and a second portion of the housing;

a hydraulic motor-pump disposed within the first portion of the housing, wherein the hydraulic motor-pump controls a flow of fluid between the first port and the second port;

an electric motor disposed within the housing and operatively coupled to the hydraulic motor-pump; and

a controller electrically coupled to the electric motor and disposed within the housing, wherein the controller controls a motor input of the electric motor.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the pressure sealed barrier allows the transmission of a magnetic flux through the pressure sealed barrier.

3. The device of claim 2, further comprising a sensor, and wherein at least a portion of the magnetic flux transmitted through the at least a portion of the pressure sealed barrier is measured by the sensor.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the electric motor is at least partially located in the first portion of the housing.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is located in the second portion of the housing.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the hydraulic motor-pump and the electric motor are located in the first portion of the housing.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the controller is located in the second portion of the housing.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the pressure sealed barrier is a bulkhead that is exposed to pressure variations of the hydraulic fluid on one side and to a lower pressure on a second side.

9. The device of claim 7, further comprising a rotary position sensor located in the second portion of the housing, wherein the electric motor is a rotary electric motor that is coupled the hydraulic motor-pump by a shaft located in the first portion of the housing, wherein the rotational position of the shaft is detected by the rotary position sensor.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the electric motor and hydraulic motor-pump have a combined reflected system inertia and a combined system compliance, and wherein a product of the system compliance times the reflected system inertia is less than or equal to 0.0063 s⁻

2.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein a product of the system compliance times the reflected system inertia is greater than or equal to 2.5×

10<sup>−

6</sup> s<sup>−

2</sup>.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein a response time of the device is between or equal to 10 ms and 150 ms.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein a natural frequency of the device is between or equal to 2 Hz and 100 Hz.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing is attached to and in hydraulic communication with a first hydraulic actuator.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the first port and the second port are in fluid communication with an extension volume and a compression volume of the hydraulic actuator when the hydraulic actuator is attached to the housing.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein controlling the motor input of the electric motor directly controls actuation of the hydraulic actuator when the hydraulic actuator is attached to the housing.

17. The device of claim 14, further comprising one or more valves located between the hydraulic motor-pump and the hydraulic actuator when the housing is attached to the hydraulic actuator.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein the motor input is at least one of motor position, voltage, torque, impedance, frequency, and speed.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller controls the motor input to the electric motor to control a hydraulic actuator in at least three of four quadrants of a force velocity domain of the hydraulic actuator.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the hydraulic actuator is controlled to operate in all four quadrants of the force velocity domain of the hydraulic actuator.

21. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller receives inputs from at least one of an internal sensor integrated with the device and an external sensor remotely located relative to the device, and wherein the controller controls operation of a hydraulic actuator in response to the signals from the at least one of the internal sensor and the external sensor.

22. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing is connected to a sprung mass side of a suspension system.

23. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing is coaxially aligned with and connected to a hydraulic actuator.

24. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to update the motor input at a frequency greater than or equal to 0.5 Hz.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein the controller is adapted to update the motor input at a frequency less than or equal to 1 kHz.

26. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one valve that partially controls a flow of hydraulic fluid between the first and second ports of the hydraulic-motor pump during at least one mode of operation.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein the at least one valve is a diverter valve that activates at a preset flow rate of hydraulic fluid leaving the damper.

28. The device of claim 26, wherein the hydraulic motor-pump and the electric motor have a combined reflected system inertia and a combined system compliance, and wherein a product of the system compliance times the reflected system inertia is less than or equal to 0.0063 s⁻

2.

29. The device of claim 28, wherein the hydraulic motor-pump and the electric motor have a combined reflected system inertia and a combined system compliance, and wherein a product of the system compliance times the reflected system inertia is greater than or equal to 2.5×

10<sup>−

6</sup> s<sup>−

2</sup>.

30. The device of claim 26, wherein a response time of the active suspension actuator is between about 10 ms and 150 ms.

31. The device of claim 26, wherein a natural frequency of the active suspension actuator is between 2 Hz and 100 Hz.

32. The device of claim 26, wherein controlling the motor input of the electric motor directly controls actuation of the hydraulic actuator.

33. The device of claim 26, wherein the motor input is at least one of motor position, voltage, torque, impedance, frequency, and speed.

34. The device of claim 26, wherein the controller receives inputs from one or more sensors adapted to sense at least one of a wheel event and a body event, and wherein the controller controls the motor input in response to at least one of a sensed wheel event and a sensed body event.

35. The device of claim 26, wherein an update frequency of the motor input is greater than or equal to at least one of a wheel event and a body event frequency.

36. The device of claim 35, wherein the update frequency of the motor input is greater than about 0.5 Hz.

37. The device of claim 36, wherein the update frequency of the motor input is less than about 1 kHz.

38. The device of claim 36, wherein at least one of the wheel event and body event frequency is between about 0.5 Hz to 20 Hz.

39. The device of claim 26, wherein the at least one valve includes:

a first valve that limits a flow of hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic-motor pump from the first volume during at least a first mode of operation; and

a second valve that limits a flow of hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic-motor pump from the second volume during at least a second mode of operation.