Integrated active suspension smart valve

• US 20140265169A1
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ClearMotion, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Levant Power Corporation
• Inventors: Giovanardi, Marco, Tucker, Clive, Wendell, Ross J., Anderson, Zackary Martin, Giarratana, John, Zuckerman, Richard Anthony, O'Shea, Colin Patrick, Gorelik, Vladimir, Sawyer, Tyson David, Leehey, Jonathan R., Schneider, Johannes, Driscoll, Robert, Neil, Patrick W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,676,244 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/5.5
• 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;

a hydraulic motor-pump disposed within 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; 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 the electric motor and hydraulic motor-pump have a combined a 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 about 0.0063 s⁻

2.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein a product of the system compliance times the reflected system inertia is greater than or equal to about 2.5×

10<sup>−

6</sup>s<sup>−

2</sup>.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein a response time of the device is between about 10 ms and 150 ms.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein a natural frequency of the device is between 2 Hz and 100 Hz.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing is a fluid filled housing.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising a pressure barrier isolating the controller from a fluid filled portion of the housing.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing is constructed and arranged to be attached to a hydraulic actuator.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the first port and the second port are constructed and arranged to be in fluid communication with an extension volume and a compression volume of the hydraulic actuator when the hydraulic actuators attached to the housing.

10. The device of claim 8, 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.

11. The device of claim 8, 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.

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

13. 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.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the hydraulic actuator is controlled to operate in all four quadrants of the force velocity domain of the hydraulic actuator.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the four quadrants of the force velocity domain include compression damping, extension damping, active extension, and active compression.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is constructed and arranged to receive 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 the hydraulic actuator in response to the signals from the at least one of the internal sensor and the external sensor.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing is constructed and arranged to connect to a sprung mass side of a suspension system.

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

19. The device of claim 1, wherein the first port and the second port are in fluid communication with at least two fluid passages.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the at least two fluid passages comprise a first tube disposed inside of a second tube.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the first port is in fluid communication with the first tube and the second port is in fluid communication with an annular area located between the first tube and the second tube.

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

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the controller is adapted to update the motor input at a frequency less than about 1 kHz.

25. The active suspension system of claim 23, wherein the electric motor and hydraulic motor-pump have a combined a 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 about 0.0063 s⁻

2.

26. The active suspension system of claim 25, wherein a product of the system compliance times the reflected system inertia is greater than or equal to about 2.5×

10<sup>−

6</sup> s<sup>−

2</sup>.

24. An active suspension system comprising:

an active suspension housing;

a hydraulic motor-pump disposed within the active suspension housing, wherein the hydraulic motor controls a flow of fluid through the active suspension housing;

an electric motor disposed within the active suspension housing and operatively coupled to the hydraulic motor; and

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

27. The active suspension system of claim 24, wherein a response time of the active suspension system is between about 10 ms and 150 ms.

28. The active suspension system of claim 24, wherein a natural frequency of the active suspension system is between 2 Hz and 100 Hz.

29. The active suspension system of claim 24, wherein the active suspension housing is a fluid filled housing.

30. The active suspension system of claim 24, further comprising a pressure barrier isolating the controller from a fluid filled portion of the active suspension housing.

31. The active suspension system of claim 24, further comprising a hydraulic actuator disposed in the active suspension housing.

32. The active suspension system of claim 31, further comprising one or more valves located between the hydraulic motor-pump and the hydraulic actuator.

33. The active suspension system of claim 31, wherein the hydraulic motor-pump controls a flow of fluid to and from the hydraulic actuator.

34. The active suspension system of claim 33, wherein controlling the motor input of the electric motor directly controls actuation of the hydraulic actuator.

35. The active suspension system of claim 24, wherein the motor input is at least one of motor position, voltage, torque, impedance, frequency, and speed.

36. The active suspension system of claim 24, 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.

37. The active suspension system of claim 36, wherein the hydraulic actuator is controlled to operate in all four quadrants of the force velocity domain of the hydraulic actuator.

38. The active suspension system of claim 36, wherein the four quadrants of the force velocity domain include compression damping, extension damping, active extension, and active compression.

39. The active suspension system of claim 24, wherein the controller is constructed and arranged to receive inputs from one or more sensors adapted to sense a wheel event and/or a body event, and wherein the controller controls the motor input in response to a sensed wheel event and/or a sensed body event.

40. The active suspension system of claim 39, wherein an update frequency of the motor input is greater than or equal to a wheel event and/or body event frequency.

41. The active suspension system of claim 40, wherein the update frequency of the motor input is greater than about 0.5 Hz.

42. The active suspension system of claim 41, wherein the update frequency of the motor input is less than about 1 kHz.

43. The active suspension system of claim 39, wherein the wheel event and/or body event frequency is between about 0.5 Hz to 20 Hz.

44. A vehicle comprising:

one or more active suspension actuators, wherein each active suspension actuator comprises;

a hydraulic actuator including an extension volume and a compression volume;

a hydraulic motor-pump in fluid communication with the extension volume and the compression volume of the hydraulic actuator to control extension and compression of the hydraulic actuator;

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

a controller electrically coupled to the electric motor, wherein the controller controls a motor input of the electric motor to control the hydraulic actuator.

45. The vehicle of claim 44, wherein the controllers of the one or more active suspension actuators are in electrical communication with each other.

46. The vehicle of claim 45, wherein the controllers of the one or more active suspension actuators are wirelessly connected to each other.

47. The vehicle of claim 45, wherein the controllers of the one or more active suspension actuators are connected to each other by at least one of a vehicle gateway circuit and a controller area network.

48. The vehicle of claim 44, wherein the controllers of the one or more active suspension actuators are connected to a central vehicle dynamics control.

49. The vehicle of claim 44, wherein the controllers of the one or more active suspension actuators are constructed and arranged to perform distributed processing for control of the one or more of active suspension actuators.

50. The vehicle of claim 44, wherein each of the one or more active suspension actuators has a reflected system inertia and a system compliance, and wherein a product of the system compliance times the reflected system inertia is less than or equal to about 0.0063 s⁻

2.

51. The vehicle of claim 44, wherein a product of the system compliance times the reflected system inertia is greater than or equal to about 2.5×

10<sup>−

6</sup> s<sup>−

2</sup>.

52. The vehicle of claim 44, wherein a response time of each of the one or more active suspension actuators is between about 10 ms and 150 ms.

53. The vehicle of claim 44, wherein a natural frequency of each of the one or more active suspension actuators is between about 2 Hz and 100 Hz.

54. The vehicle of claim 44, wherein controlling the motor input of the individual electric motors directly controls actuation of the individual hydraulic actuators of the one or more active suspension actuators.

55. The vehicle of claim 44, wherein the motor input is at least one of motor position, voltage, torque, impedance, frequency, and speed.

56. The vehicle of claim 44, wherein the individual controllers the motor inputs to individual the electric motor to control the individual hydraulic actuators in at least three of four quadrants of a force velocity domain of the individual hydraulic actuators.

57. The vehicle of claim 56, wherein the hydraulic actuator is controlled to operate in all four quadrants of the force velocity domain of the hydraulic actuator.

58. The vehicle of claim 56, wherein the four quadrants of the force velocity domain include compression damping, extension damping, active extension, and active compression.

59. The vehicle of claim 44, wherein each controller is constructed and arranged to receive inputs from one or more sensors adapted to sense a wheel event and/or a body event, and wherein each controller controls the motor input of the associated hydraulic motor-pump in response to a sensed wheel event and/or a sensed body event.

60. The vehicle of claim 59, wherein an update frequency of the motor input by each controller is greater than or equal to a wheel event and/or body event frequency.

61. The vehicle of claim 60, wherein the update frequency of the motor input by each controller is greater than about 0.5 Hz.

62. The vehicle of claim 61, wherein the update frequency of the motor input by each controller is less than about 1 kHz.

63. The vehicle of claim 62, wherein the wheel event and/or body event frequency is between about 0.5 Hz to 20 Hz.

64. The vehicle of claim 44, further comprising one or more valves located between the hydraulic motor-pump and the hydraulic actuator of each active suspension actuator.

65. A device comprising:

a housing;

a pressure-sealed barrier located in the housing disposed between a first portion of the housing and a second portion of the housing, wherein the first portion is constructed and arranged to be filled with a fluid subjected to a variable pressure relative to the second portion;

an electrical feed-through passing from the first portion of the housing to the second portion of the housing through the pressure-sealed barrier;

a compliant connection electrically connected to the electrical feed-through;

a controller electrically connected to the complaint connection, and wherein the controller is disposed on or within the housing.

66. The device of claim 65, further comprising an electric motor disposed in the first portion of the housing.

67. The device of claim 66, wherein the electrical feedthrough is electrically connected to the electric motor.

68. The device of claim 66, further comprising a hydraulic motor-pump coupled to the electric motor.

69. The device of claim 68, further comprising a hydraulic actuator in fluid communication with the hydraulic motor-pump in the first portion of the housing.

70. The device of claim 69, further comprising one or more valves located between the hydraulic motor-pump and the hydraulic actuator.

71. The device of claim 69, wherein the hydraulic actuator is disposed in the first portion of the housing.

72. The device of claim 69, wherein the hydraulic actuator is in fluid communication with the hydraulic motor-pump via a first port and a second port.

73. The device of claim 72, wherein the first port and the second port are in fluid communication with at least two fluid passages.

74. The device of claim 73, wherein the at least two fluid passages comprise a first tube disposed inside of a second tube.

75. The device of claim 74, wherein the first port is in fluid communication with the first tube and the second port is in fluid communication with an annular area located between the first tube and the second tube.

76. The device of claim 65, wherein the first port is located adjacent to second port on the housing.

77. The device of claim 65, wherein the housing is constructed and arranged to be connected to the hydraulic actuator.

78. The device of claim 65, wherein the first portion of the housing is filled with a fluid.

79. The device of claim 65, wherein the controller is disposed in the second portion of the housing.