System for controlling spring coefficient of engine mount

Claim 2

An engine mount system for an automotive power plant for mounting a vehicle body, comprising: a fluid filled insulator defining therein at least two fluid chambers mutually separated from each other, and a fluid passage connected to said fluid chambers for fluid communication therebetween; valve means disposed within said fluid passage for selectively establishing and blocking fluid communication therethrough, said valve means including electrically operable means for operating said valve means between open and closed positions; first sensor means for monitoring a vehicle speed for producing a vehicle speed indicative signal; second sensor means, associated with a vehicular suspension member rotatably supporting a road wheel, for monitoring a vertical displacement between the vehicle body and the suspension member to produce a vertical acceleration indicative signal of said suspension member, in such a manner as to detect a road surface condition; a control unit for receiving said vehicle speed indicative signal and said vertical acceleration indicative signal and discriminating between a first state of a vehicle driving condition, wherein a vehicle travels at a constant speed, a second state of the vehicle driving condition, wherein the vehicle is accelerating or decelerating, and a third state of the vehicle driving condition, wherein the vehicle is stopping or substantially stopping, said control unit operating said valve means at said open position during said third state, and at said closed position during said second state, said control unit further discriminating said road surface condition on the basis of said vertical acceleration indicative signal from said second sensor means; wherein said control unit selects one of two road surface dependent vibration modes of said insulator, one being a road surface dependent first vibration mode having a resonating point at a first specific resonant frequency with respect to an operational mode of said insulator in a state wherein said valve means is in said open position, the other being a road surface dependent second vibration mode having a resonating point at a second specific resonant frequency with respect to the operational mode of said insulator in a state wherein said valve means is in said closed position, on the basis of said road surface condition; and wherein said control unit selects one of said first and second vibration modes having a resonating point far from the resonating points of the vehicle body derived on the basis of a value of said vehicle speed indicative signal and a known wheel base of the vehicle when said control unit determines that said driving condition is in said first state and said road surface condition is an irregular undulation road surface, and selects one of said first and second vibration modes having a resonating point far from the resonating points of the vehicle body derived on the basis of an interval of undulation when said control unit determines that said driving condition is in said first state and said road surface condition is a regular undulation road surface.

Claim 3

An engine mount system for an automotive power plant for mounting a vehicle body, comprising: a fluid filled insulator defining therein at least two fluid chambers mutually separated from each other, and a fluid passage connected to said fluid chambers for fluid communication therebetween; valve means disposed within said fluid passage for selectively establishing and blocking fluid communication therethrough, said valve means including electrically operable means for operating said valve means between open and closed positions; first sensor means for monitoring a vehicle speed for producing a vehicle speed indicative signal; second sensor means, associated with a vehicular suspension member rotatably supporting a road wheel, for monitoring a vertical displacement between the vehicle body and the suspension member to produce a vertical acceleration indicative signal of said suspension member, in such a manner as to detect a road surface condition; a control unit for receiving said vehicle speed indicative signal and said vertical acceleration indicative signal and discriminating between a first state of a vehicle driving condition, wherein a vehicle travels at a constant speed, a second state of the vehicle driving condition, wherein the vehicle is accelerating or decelerating, and a third state of the vehicle driving condition, wherein the vehicle is stopping or substantially stopping, said control unit operating said valve means at said open position during said third state, and at said closed position during said second state, said control unit further discriminating said road surface condition on the basis of said vertical acceleration indicative signal from said second sensor means; wherein said control unit selects one of two road surface dependent vibration modes of said insulator, one being a road surface dependent first vibration mode having a resonating point at a first specific resonant frequency with respect to an operational mode of said insulator in a state wherein said valve means is in said open position, the other being a road surface dependent second vibration mode having a resonating point at a second specific resonant frequency with respect to the operational mode of said insulator in a state wherein said valve means is in said closed position, on the basis of said road surface condition; wherein said control unit selects one of said first and second vibration modes having a resonating point far from the resonating points of the vehicle body derived on the basis of a value of said vehicle speed indicative signal and a known wheel base of the vehicle when said control unit determines that said driving condition is in said first state and said road surface condition is an irregular undulation road surface, and selects one of said first and second vibration modes having a resonating point far from the resonating points of the vehicle body derived on the basis of an interval of undulation when said control unit determines that said driving condition is in said first state and said road surface condition is a regular undulation road surface; and wherein said control unit checks said vertical acceleration indicative signal for detecting a specific natural frequency at which said vertical acceleration indicative signal becomes high to detect said regular undulation road surface.

Claim 4

An engine mount system for an automotive power plant for mounting a vehicle body, comprising: a fluid filled insulator defining therein at least two fluid chambers mutually separated from each other, and a fluid passage connected to said fluid chambers for fluid communication therebetween; valve means disposed within said fluid passage for selectively establishing and blocking fluid communication therethrough, said valve means including electrically operable means for operating said valve means between open and closed positions; first sensor means for monitoring a vehicle speed for producing a vehicle speed indicative signal; second sensor means, associated with a vehicular suspension member rotatably supporting a road wheel, for monitoring a vertical displacement between the vehicle body and the suspension member to produce a vertical acceleration indicative signal of said suspension member, in such a manner as to detect a road surface condition; a control unit for receiving said vehicle speed indicative signal and said vertical acceleration indicative signal and discriminating between a first state of a vehicle driving condition, wherein a vehicle travels at a constant speed, a second state of the vehicle driving condition, wherein the vehicle is accelerating or decelerating, and a third state of the vehicle driving condition, wherein the vehicle is stopping or substantially stopping, said control unit operating said valve means at said open position during said third state, and at said closed position during said second state, said control unit further discriminating said road surface condition on the basis of said vertical acceleration indicative signal from said second sensor means; wherein said control unit selects one of two road surface dependent vibration modes of said insulator, one being a road surface dependent first vibration mode having a resonating point at a first specific resonant frequency with respect to an operational mode of said insulator in a state wherein said valve means is in said open position, the other being a road surface dependent second vibration mode having a resonating point at a second specific resonant frequency with respect to the operational mode of said insulator in a state wherein said valve means is in said closed position, on the basis of said road surface condition; wherein said control unit selects one of said first and second vibration modes having a resonating point far from the resonating points of the vehicle body derived on the basis of a value of said vehicle speed indicative signal and a known wheel base of the vehicle when said control unit determines that said driving condition is in said first state and said road surface condition is an irregular undulation road surface, and selects one of said first and second vibration modes having a resonating point far from the resonating points of the vehicle body derived on the basis of an interval of undulation when said control unit determines that said driving condition is in said first state and said road surface condition is a regular undulation road surface; and wherein said control unit checks said vertical acceleration indicative signal for detecting a specific natural frequency at which said vertical acceleration indicative signal becomes high to detect said regular undulation road surface.

Claim 5

An engine mount system for an automotive power plant for mounting a vehicle body, comprising: a fluid filled insulator defining therein at least two fluid chambers mutually separated from each other, and a fluid passage connected to said fluid chambers for fluid communication therebetween; valve means disposed within said fluid passage for selectively establishing and blocking fluid communication therethrough, said valve means including electrically operable means for operating said valve means between open and closed positions; first sensor means for monitoring a vehicle speed for producing a vehicle speed indicative signal; second sensor means for monitoring a road surface condition to produce a road surface condition indictive signal; a control unit for receiving said vehicle speed indicative signal and said road surface condition indicative signal and discriminating a vehicle driving condition between a first state wherein a vehicle travels at a constant speed, a second state wherein the vehicle is accelerating or decelerating and a third state wherein the vehicle is stopping or substantially stopping; said control unit discriminating said road surface condition between an irregular undulation road surface and a regular undulation road surface on the basis of said road surface condition; wherein said control unit selects one of two road surface dependent vibration modes of said insulator, one being a road surface dependent first vibration mode having a resonating point at a first specific resonant frequency with respect to an operational mode of said insulator in a state wherein said valve means is in said open position, the other being a road surface dependent second vibration mode having a resonating point at a second specific resonant frequency with respect to the operational mode of said insulator in a state wherein said valve means is in said closed position, on the basis of said road surface conditions; and wherein said control unit selects one of said first and second vibration modes having a resonating point far from the resonating points of the vehicle body derived on the basis of a value of said vehicle speed indicative signal and a known wheel base of the vehicle when said control unit determines that said driving condition is in said first state and said road surface condition is an irregular undulation road surface, and selects one of said first and second vibration modes having a resonating point far from the resonating points of the vehicle body derived on the basis of an interval of undulations when said control unit determines that said driving condition is in said first state and said road surface condition is a regular undulation road surface.

Claim 6

An engine mount system for an automotive power plant for mounting a vehicle body, comprising: a fluid filled insulator defining therein at least two fluid chambers mutually separated from each other, and a fluid passage connected to said fluid chambers for fluid communication therebetween; valve means disposed within said fluid passage for selectively establishing and blocking fluid communication therethrough, said valve means including electrically operable means for operating said valve means between open and closed positions; first sensor means for monitoring a vehicle speed for producing a vehicle speed indicative signal; second sensor means for monitoring a road surface condition to produce a road surface condition indictive signal; a control unit for receiving said vehicle speed indicative signal and said road surface condition indicative signal and discriminating a vehicle driving condition between a first state wherein a vehicle travels at a constant speed, a second state wherein the vehicle is accelerating or decelerating and a third state wherein the vehicle is stopping or substantially stopping; said control unit discriminating said road surface condition between an irregular undulation road surface and a regular undulation road surface on the basis of said road surface condition; wherein said control unit selects one of two road surface dependent vibration modes of said insulator, one being a road surface dependent first vibration mode having a resonating point at a first specific resonant frequency with respect to an operational mode of said insulator in a state wherein said valve means is in said open position, the other being a road surface dependent second vibration mode having a resonating point at a second specific resonant frequency with respect to the operational mode of said insulator in a state wherein said valve means is in said closed position, on the basis of said road surface conditions; and wherein said control unit selects one of said first and second vibration modes having a resonating point far from the resonating points of the vehicle body derived on the basis of a value of said vehicle speed indicative signal and a known wheel base of the vehicle when said control unit determines that said driving condition is in said first state and said road surface condition is an irregular undulation road surface, and selects one of said first and second vibration modes having a resonating point far from the resonating points of the vehicle body derived on the basis of an interval of undulations when said control unit determines that said driving condition is in said first state and said road surface condition is a regular undulation road surface.