Actively controlled automotive suspension system with acceleration and angular velocity dependent anti-pitching and/or anti-rolling feature

• US 4,888,696 A
• Filed: 03/31/1988
• Issued: 12/19/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Fukushima, Naoto, Fukunaga, Yukio, Satoh, Masaharu, Hano, Sunao, Akatsu, Yohsuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US07/176,246
• Time in Patent Office: 628 Days
• Field of Search: 364/424.05, 280/6 R, 280/6 H, 280/DIG. 1, 280/689, 280/707
• US Class Current: 701/38
• 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

Abstract

An actively controlled automotive suspension system employs a factor representative of self-induced attitude change creative factor as a correction factor in attitude regulating suspension control. Suspension characteristics is controlled on the basis of rolling and/or pitching energy representing parameter. The correction factor representative of self-induced attitude change is derived on the basis of vehicular attitude change velocity for canceling the self-induced rolling and/or pitching. By canceling the self-induced rolling and/or pitching creative component from the rolling and/or pitching acceleration factor, higher rolling and/or pitching response characteristics can be provided so as to satisfactory high driving stability and riding comfort.

Claims

1. A control system for an automotive suspension system for controlling vehicular attitude comprising:

said suspension system disposed between a vehicle body and a suspension member which rotatably supports a vehicular wheel, said suspension system having a variable pressure chamber filled with a working fluid of controlled pressure;

a pressure adjusting means, associated with said variable pressure chamber, for adjusting the pressure of said working fluid in said pressure chamber;

a first sensor means sensing acceleration in vehicular attitude change to produce a first sensor means signal indicative of said attitude change acceleration;

a second sensor means sensing an attitude change creative component which is contained in said first sensor means signal, to produce a second sensor means signal indicative thereof;

a control unit receiving said first and second sensor means signals, deriving a suspension control second value on the basis of said first sensor means signal and modifying said suspension control signal value on the basis of said second sensor means signal, said control unit outputting a control signal based at least on said modified suspension control signal value to control said pressure adjusting means for adjusting suspension characteristics to suppress said vehicular attitude change.

2. A control system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said second sensor means senses the vehicular attitude change for deriving said attitude change creative component based thereon.

3. A control system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first sensor means includes means for sensing response characteristics of suspension control in response to said attitude change acceleration and said second sensor means includes means for sensing response characteristics of suspension control in response to said attitude change creative component.

4. A control system as set forth in claim 3, wherein each of said response characteristics sensing means of said first and second sensor means comprises an amplifier provided with a given gain which determines said response characteristics.

5. A control system as set forth in claim 1, which is designed to perform anti-rolling suspension control for suppressing rolling motion of the vehicle, and said first sensor means is designed to sense lateral acceleration for producing lateral acceleration indicative first sensor signal and said second sensor means is designed to sense rolling velocity for producing a rolling velocity indicative second sensor signal.

6. A control system as set forth in claim 1, which is designed to perform anti-pitching suspension control for suppressing pitching motion of the vehicle, and said first sensor means is designed to sense longitudinal acceleration for producing longitudinal acceleration indicative first sensor signal and said second sensor means is designed to sense pitching velocity for producing a pitching velocity indicative second sensor signal.

7. A control system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said pressure adjusting means comprises a pressurized fluid source connected to said variable pressure chamber and a pressure control valve incorporating an electrically operable actuator, said actuator being connected to said control unit to receive said control signal to operate said pressure control valve for adjusting the amount of working fluid to be introduced into and removed from said variable pressure chamber for adjusting damping characteristics of said suspension system.

8. A control system as set forth in claim 7, wherein said second sensor means senses the vechicular attitude change for deriving said attitude change creative component based thereon.

9. A control system as set forth in claim 7, wherein said first sensor means includes means for sensing response characteristics of suspension control in response to said attitude change acceleration and said second sensor means includes means for sensing response characteristics of suspension control in response to said attitude change creative component.

10. A control system as set forth in claim 9, wherein each of said response characteristics sensing means of said first and second sensor means comprises an amplifier provided with a given gain which determines said response characteristics.

11. A control system as set forth in claim 7, which is designed to perform anti-rolling suspension control for suppressing rolling motion of the vehicle, and said first sensor means is designed to sense lateral acceleration for producing lateral acceleration indicative first sensor signal and said second sensor means is designed to sense rolling velocity for producing a rolling velocity indicative second sensor signal.

12. A control system as set forth in claim 7, which is designed to perform anti-pitching suspension control for suppressing pitching motion of the vehicle, and said first sensor means is designed to sense longitudinal acceleration for producing longitudinal acceleration indicative first sensor signal and said second sensor means is designed to sense pitching velocity for producing a pitching velocity indicative second sensor signal.

13. A control system for an automotive suspension system for controlling vehicular attitude comprising:

said suspension system disposed between a vehicle body and a suspension member which rotatably supports a vehicular wheel, said suspension system having a variable pressure chamber filled with a working fluid of controlled pressure;

a pressure adjusting means, associated with said variable pressure chamber, for adjusting the pressure of said working fluid in said pressure chamber;

a first sensor means sensing acceleration in vehicular rolling to produce a first sensor means signal indicative of said rolling acceleration;

a second sensor means sensing a rolling creative component which is contained in said first sensor means signal, to produce a second sensor means signal indicative thereof;

a control unit receiving said first and second sensor means signals, deriving a suspension control signal value on the basis of said first sensor means signal and modifying said suspension control signal value on the basis of said second sensor means signal, said control unit outputting a control signal based at least on said modified suspension control signal value to control said pressure adjusting means for adjusting suspension characteristics to suppress said vehicular rolling.

14. A control system as set forth in claim 13, wherein said second sensor means senses the vehicular rolling for deriving said rolling creative component based thereon.

15. A control system as set forth in claim 13, wherein said first sensor means includes means for sensing response characteristics of suspension control in controlling response to said rolling acceleration and said second sensor means includes means for sensing response characteristics of suspension control in response to said rolling creative component.

16. A control system as set forth in claim 15, wherein each of said response characteristics sensing means of said first and second sensor means comprises an amplifier provided with a given gain which determines said response characteristics.

17. A control system as set forth in claim 15, wherein said pressure adjusting means comprises a pressurized fluid source connected to said variable pressure chamber and a pressure control valve incorporating an electrically operable actuator, said actuator being connected to said control unit to receive said control signal to operate said pressure control valve for adjusting amount of working fluid to be introduced into and removed from said variable pressure chamber for adjusting damping characteristics of said suspension system.

18. A control system for an automotive suspension system for controlling vehicular attitude comprising:

said suspension system disposed between a vehicular body and a suspension member which rotatably supports a vehicular wheel, said suspension system having a variable pressure chamber filled with a working fluid of controlled pressure;

a pressure adjusting means, associated with said variable pressure chamber, for adjusting the pressure of said working fluid in said pressure chamber;

a first sensor means sensing acceleration in vehicular pitching to produce a first sensor means signal indicative of said pitching acceleration;

a second sensor means sensing a pitching creative component which is contained in said first sensor means signal, to produce a second sensor means signal indicative thereof;

a control unit receiving said first and second sensor means signals, deriving a suspension control signal value on the basis of said first sensor means signal and modifying said suspension control signal value on the basis of said second sensor means signal, said control unit outputting a control signal based at least on said modified suspension control signal value to control said pressure adjusting means for adjusting suspension characteristics to suppress said vehicular pitching.

19. A control system as set forth in claim 18, wherein said second sensor means senses the vehicular pitching for deriving said pitching creative component based thereon.

20. A control system as set forth in claim 18, wherein said first sensor means includes means for sensing response characteristics of suspension control in response to said pitching acceleration and said second sensor means includes means for sensing response characteristics of suspension control in response to said pitching creative component.

21. A control system as set forth in claim 20, wherein each of said response characteristics sensing means of said first and second sensor means comprises an amplifier provided with a given gain which determines said response characteristics.

22. A control system as set forth in claim 18, which is designed to perform anti-pitching suspension control for suppressing pitching motion of the vehicle, and said first sensor means is designed to sense lateral acceleration for producing lateral acceleration indicative first sensor signal and said second sensor means is designed to sense the vehicular pitching for producing a pitching indicative second sensor signal.

23. A control system as set forth in claim 21, wherein said pressure adjusting means comprises a pressurized fluid source connected to said variable pressure chamber and a pressure control valve incorporating an electrically operable actuator, said actuator being connected to said control unit to receive said control signal to operate said pressure control valve for adjusting amount of working fluid to be introduced into and removed from said variable pressure chamber for adjusting damping characteristics of said suspension system.