Patent EP0166313A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0166313A2
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EP
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Supspension control system for automotive vehicle suspension suppressing bouncing
Assignee: Nissan Motor Co Ltd
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Filing: 1985-06-13
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2005-06-13
Abstract
Abstract A suspension control system is able to precisely adapt damping characteristics to the road condition, even when the vehicle passes over bump,manhole, hole and so forth. The suspension control system includes a road sensor which produces a road condition indicative signal. A controller is adapted to recognize bump, manhole, hole and so forth which causes temporary bounding and rebounding motion for the vehicle, on the basis of the road condition indicative signal from the road sensor. The controller produces a control signal to harden damping characteristics of suspension when bump, manhole, hole and so forth is detected with a given delay time. The delay time for changing damping characteristics is different at the front and rear suspension from each other so that each of the front and rear suspension can be stiffened at a good timing.
Inventors
- 👤 Fukashi Sugasawa
- 👤 Junsuke Kuroki
- 👤 Yohsuke Akatsu
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 03:59
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60G; B60G17/00; B60G17/06; B60G17/08; B60G17/015; B60G17/016; B60G17/0165; B60G21/00; B60G21/02; B60G21/04; B60G21/05; G; G01; G01S; G01S15/00; G01S15/88; B60G2202/00; B60G2202/10; B60G2202/13; B60G2202/135; B60G2202/15; B60G2202/154; B60G2202/20; B60G2202/24; B60G2204/00; B60G2204/80; B60G2204/82; B60G2400/00; B60G2400/20; B60G2400/204; B60G2400/40; B60G2400/41; B60G2400/80; B60G2400/84; B60G2400/841; B60G2401/00; B60G2401/17; B60G2401/176; B60G2500/00; B60G2500/10; B60G2500/102; B60G2600/00; B60G2600/02; B60G2600/18; B60G2600/184; B60G2600/22; B60G2600/26; B60G2800/00; B60G2800/01; B60G2800/012; B60G2800/22
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
203 words
A suspension control system for a vehicle comprising: front and rear suspension systems (10) having damping characteristics variable between at least a first mode where relatively low damping characteristics is obtained and a second mode where relatively high damping characteristics is obtained, a road sensor (200) monitoring road surface condition and producing a road condition indicative signal (Sr), and a controller (100) deriving operation mode of said front and rear suspensions on the basis of said road condition indicative signal to produce a control signal (SFc, SRc) for controlling the front and rear suspensions, characterized in that the operation modes of said front and rear suspension systems are variable independently of each other and in that said controller (100) is responsive to said road condition indicative signal (Sr) having a value greater than a predetermined threshold value to output said control signal (SFc) for controlling said front suspension to said second mode with a given first delay time and output said control signal (SRc) for controlling said rear suspension to said second mode with a given second delay time, which first and second delay times are determined depending upon dimensional relationship of said road sensor (200), said front suspension and said rear suspension.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
203 words
A suspension control system for a vehicle comprising: front and rear suspension systems (10) having damping characteristics variable between at least a first mode where relatively low damping characteristics is obtained and a second mode where relatively high damping characteristics is obtained, a road sensor (200) monitoring road surface condition and producing a road condition indicative signal (Sr), and a controller (100) deriving operation mode of said front and rear suspensions on the basis of said road condition indicative signal to produce a control signal (SFc, SRc) for controlling the front and rear suspensions, characterized in that the operation modes of said front and rear suspension systems are variable independently of each other and in that said controller (100) is responsive to said road condition indicative signal (Sr) having a value greater than a predetermined threshold value to output said control signal (SFc) for controlling said front suspension to said second mode with a given first delay time and output said control signal (SRc) for controlling said rear suspension to said second mode with a given second delay time, which first and second delay times are determined depending upon dimensional relationship of said road sensor (200), said front suspension and said rear suspension.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
52 words
The suspension control system as set forth in claim 1, characterized by a vehicle speed sensor (201) for producing a vehicle speed indicative signal (Sv), said controller (100) being responsive to said vehicle speed indicative signal for varying said first and second delay time depending on said vehicle speed indicative signal value.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
The suspension control system as set forth in claim 2, characterized in that said controller (100) varies said predetermined threshold depending upon the vehicle speed indicative signal value.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
49 words
The suspension control system as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that said controller (100) detects bounding of the vehicle due to passing over a bump on the road for controlling said front and rear suspensions (10) to said second mode with said first and second delay times.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
51 words
The suspension control system as set forth in claim 4, characterized in that said road sensor (200) is provided adjacent the front end of said vehicle, and said first delay time is shorter than said second delay time at a length corresponding to the distance between the front and rear suspensions.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
The suspension control system as set forth in claim 5, characterized in that said first delay time corresponds to the distance between said road sensor (200) and said front suspension.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
48 words
The suspension control system as set forth in claim 6, characterized by a vehicle speed sensor (201) producing a vehicle speed indicative signal (Sv), said controller (100) varying said first and second delay times at a rate derived on the basis of said vehicle speed indicative signal value.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
48 words
The suspension control system as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 7,characterized in that each of said front and rear suspensions (10) comprises a hydraulic shock absorber (12) the damping characteristics of which are variable at least between said first mode and said second mode.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
112 words
The suspension control system as set forth in claim 8, characterized in that said hydraulic shock absorber (12) defines upper and lower-fluid chambers (26, 28) filled with a working fluid, the respective volumes of said fluid chambers being variable according to a piston stroke, said shock absorber being provided with a flow control valve (50) the valve position of which is variable between a first mode position for restricting flow rate of working fluid from one of said upper and lower fluid chambers to the other through a flow path (56) at a minimum rate, and a second mode position for allowing fluid flow through said flow path at a maximum rate.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
38 words
The suspension control system as set forth in claim 9, characterized in that said flow control valve is further adapted to vary damping characteristics in one of said first and second mode positions according to piston stroke direction.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
44 words
The suspension control system as set forth in claim 10, characterized in that said flow control valve allows smaller rate of fluid flow through a flow path during the piston expansion stroke than that during the piston compression stroke for providing harder damping characteristics.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
46 words
The suspension control system as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that each of said front and rear suspensions (10) comprises a stabilizer (530) the stiffness of which is variable at least between said first mode and said second mode.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
49 words
The suspension control system as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that each of said front and rear suspensions (10) comprises a pneumatic spring means (600) the pneumatic pressure of which is variable at least between said first mode and said second mode.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
69 words
The suspension control system as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that said road sensor (200) comprises an ultra-sonic sensor transmitting an ultra-sonic wave signal to the road surface and receiving the ultra-sonic wave signal reflected by the road surface, to monitor the interval between transmitting the wave signal and receiving the reflected signal for deriving vehicle level relative to the road surface.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
95 words
The suspension control system as set forth in claim 14, characterized in that said controller (100) receives said road condition indicative signal (Sr) produced by said ultra-sonic sensor (200) and indicative of the vehicle level, monitors variation of said road condition indicative signal value to judge roughness of the road surface, and compares variation magnitude of said road condition indicative signal value with said threshold value for operating said front and rear suspensions (10) into said first mode with said first and second delay time when said variation magnitude is greater than said threshold value.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
149 words
A method for controlling damping characteristics of front and rear vehicular suspension systems (10), each of which have damping characteristics variable at least between a first harder suspension mode and a second softer suspension mode according to a preselected suspension control parameter, comprising the steps of: monitoring road surface condition and producing a road surface indicative signal (Sr); detecting irregularity of the road surface at a magnitude greater than a predetermined criteria; controlling damping characteristics of said front suspension system to said first mode with a given first delay time from a time at which the irregularity of the road surface of the greater magnitude than said criteria is detected; and controlling damping characteristics of said rear suspension system to said first mode with a given second delay time from a time at which the irregularity of the road surface of the greater magnitude than said criteria is detected.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
149 words
A method for controlling damping characteristics of front and rear vehicular suspension systems (10), each of which have damping characteristics variable at least between a first harder suspension mode and a second softer suspension mode according to a preselected suspension control parameter, comprising the steps of: monitoring road surface condition and producing a road surface indicative signal (Sr); detecting irregularity of the road surface at a magnitude greater than a predetermined criteria; controlling damping characteristics of said front suspension system to said first mode with a given first delay time from a time at which the irregularity of the road surface of the greater magnitude than said criteria is detected; and controlling damping characteristics of said rear suspension system to said first mode with a given second delay time from a time at which the irregularity of the road surface of the greater magnitude than said criteria is detected.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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