Pitching-suppressive control system and method for an automotive vehicle suspension

Claim 2

A damper control system for an automotive vehicle suspension comprising: first means (14;200), interposed between a sprung mass and an unsprung mass of the vehicle, for producing a damping force resisting relative displacement of said sprung mass and unsprung mass, characterized by a braking condition detector (102,104,114) for producing a binary braking state indicative signal, each pulse of which continues as long as a vehicle brake is applied; an actuator (46;442,444) associated with said first means and operative at either of a first and a second position, said actuator operating said first means to change the damping characteristics to produce a higher damping force in said first position, and said actuator operating said first means to change the damping characteristics to produce a lower damping force in said second position; and a controller (100) associated with said actuator and said braking condition detector to operate said actuator at said first position in response to each of the leading and trailing edges of the pulses of said braking state indicative signal.

Claim 3

The damper control system as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that said controller (100) holds said actuator (46;442,444) in said first position for a first given period of time in response to the leading edge of said braking state indicative signal and for a second given period of time in response to trailing edge of said braking state indicative signal.

Claim 4

The damper control system as set forth in claim 2, characterized in that said first means comprises a shock absorber (14;200) including a piston (24; 214) including a damping characteristics control valve (50,52;430) which is associated with said actuator (46; 442,444) to be actuated to a third position while said actuator is in its first position and to a fourth position while the actuator is in its second position.

Claim 5

The damper control system as set forth in claim 2, characterized in that said first means is a suspension strut assembly (12) including second means (300) for defining a variable pressure pneumatic chamber, the volume of said pneumatic chamber being reduced when the actuator (442,444) is in its first position and being increased when the actuator is in its second position.

Claim 6

The damper control system as set forth in claim 2, characterized in that said controller (100) comprises a microprocessor executing a first control program in response to the leading edge of the braking state indicative signal for increasing the damping force of said first means for said first period of time, a second control program in response to the trailing edge of said braking state indicative signal to increase the damping force of the first means for said second period of time, and a third control program for decreasing the damping force of said first means, said third control program being executed after expiration of either of said first and second periods of time.

Claim 7

The damper control system as set forth in claim 2, characterized in that said controller (100) includes a first signal generator responsive to said leading edge of said braking state indicative signal to produce a first signal which orders asaid actuator (46; 442,444) to said first position and holds the actuator in said first position for said first period of time, and a second signal generator responsive to said trailing edge of said braking state indicative signal to produce a second signal which orders said actuator to said first position and holds said actuator in said first position for said second period of time.

Claim 8

A damper control system for an automotive vehicle

Claim 9

A damper control system for an automotive vehicle

Claim 10

suspension comprising: first means (14;200), interposed between a sprung mass and an unsprung mass of the vehicle, for producing a damping force resisting relative displacement of said sprung mass and said unsprung mass, characterized by a braking condition detector (102,104,114) for producing a binary braking state indicative signal, each pulse of which continues as long as a vehicle brake is applied; an actuator (46;442,444) associated with said first means and operative among various operational positions for varying the damping characteristics to produce the corresponding damping force, said actuator operating said first means to one of a plurality of operational modes in which respectively different damping force is produced in response to the shock in accordance with the corresponding one of damping characteristics, and said actuator being held at a first position for maintaining said first means to first operational mode to produce relatively low damping force in normal state; and a controller (100) associated with said actuator and said braking condition detector to operate said actuator (46;442,444) to operate said first means to a second operational mode in which relatively large damping force is produced in response to leading edge of said braking state indicative signal and to a third operational mode to produce a damping force greater than that produced in said first operational mode and smaller than that produced in said second operational mode.

Claim 11

suspension comprising: first means (14;200), interposed between a sprung mass and an unsprung mass of the vehicle, for producing a damping force resisting relative displacement of said sprung mass and said unsprung mass, characterized by a braking condition detector (102,104,114) for producing a binary braking state indicative signal, each pulse of which continues as long as a vehicle brake is applied; an actuator (46;442,444) associated with said first means and operative among various operational positions for varying the damping characteristics to produce the corresponding damping force, said actuator operating said first means to one of a plurality of operational modes in which respectively different damping force is produced in response to the shock in accordance with the corresponding one of damping characteristics, and said actuator being held at a first position for maintaining said first means to first operational mode to produce relatively low damping force in normal state; and a controller (100) associated with said actuator and said braking condition detector to operate said actuator (46;442,444) to operate said first means to a second operational mode in which relatively large damping force is produced in response to leading edge of said braking state indicative signal and to a third operational mode to produce a damping force greater than that produced in said first operational mode and smaller than that produced in said second operational mode.

Claim 12

The damper control system as set forth in claim 7, characterized in that said controller (100) holds said actuator (46;442,444) at a second position corresponding to said second operational mode of said first means for a first given period of time, and at a third position corresponding to said third operational mode of said first means for a second given period of time.

Claim 13

The damper control system as set forth in claim 8, characterized in that said controller (100) comprises a microcomputer executing a first control program in response to the leading edge of said braking state indicative signal for operating said actuator to said second position, a second control program in response to the trailing edge of said braking state indicative signal for operating said actuator to said third position, and a third control program for operating said actuator to said first position when the corresponding one of said first and second given period expires.

Claim 14

The damper control system as set forth in claim 9, characterized in that said first means (14; 200) comprises a hydraulic shock absorber defining a first and second fluid chambers which are variable of the volumes thereof according to displacement of a piston (24;214), said shock absorber defining a fluid passage for fluid communication between said first and second fluid chambers, a valve member being provided in said fluid passage for varying the path area of said fluid passage and associated with said actuator to change valve position corresponding to the position of said actuator.