US5101355A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Control apparatus for controlling the support unit of a vehicle
Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corp
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Filing: 1990-05-29
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Granted: 1992-03-31
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Expires: 2010-05-29
Abstract
Abstract A control apparatus which detects vertical and/or lateral vibrations of a vehicle body and controls, on the basis of amplitude and frequency of vibration, a characteristic of a support unit for supporting the vehicle body, such as, a damping force and a spring force of suspension or torsion quantity of a stabilizer. The control apparatus, when the detected vibration is high frequency vibration, obtains the frequency of vibration by a measured value of one cycle period, and, when the detected vibration is low frequency vibration, obtains the frequency of vibration by a measured value of a half cycle period.
Inventors
- 👤 Shunichi Wada
- 👤 Yoshihiro Tsuda
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 04:23
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60G; B60G17/00; B60G17/015; B60G17/018; B60G2400/00; B60G2400/10; B60G2400/102; B60G2400/104; B60G2400/20; B60G2400/204; B60G2400/206; B60G2400/40; B60G2400/41; B60G2400/412; B60G2400/60; B60G2400/90; B60G2400/91; B60G2500/00; B60G2500/10; B60G2500/20; B60G2500/22; B60G2600/00; B60G2600/04; B60G2600/18
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
187 words
A control apparatus of a support unit for supporting a vehicle body which controls characteristics thereof, comprising: detecting means for detecting vibrations of said vehicle body and outputting an acceleration signal indicative of said vibrations; change-over means responsive to a control signal for setting at least one of said characteristics, of said support unit into one of a plurality of degrees; and control means for measuring a half cycle period and a one cycle period of said acceleration signal detected by said detecting means, obtaining a frequency of said acceleration signal from at least one of said measured values, and controlling said change-over means on the basis of said obtained frequency and an amplitude of said acceleration signal, wherein said control means, when said measured half cycle period is longer than a predetermined time, obtains said frequency of said acceleration signal from said measured value of said half cycle period and, when said measured half cycle period is not longer than said predetermined time, successively measures a next half cycle period, thereby obtaining said frequency of said acceleration signal from said measured value of one cycle period.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
187 words
A control apparatus of a support unit for supporting a vehicle body which controls characteristics thereof, comprising: detecting means for detecting vibrations of said vehicle body and outputting an acceleration signal indicative of said vibrations; change-over means responsive to a control signal for setting at least one of said characteristics, of said support unit into one of a plurality of degrees; and control means for measuring a half cycle period and a one cycle period of said acceleration signal detected by said detecting means, obtaining a frequency of said acceleration signal from at least one of said measured values, and controlling said change-over means on the basis of said obtained frequency and an amplitude of said acceleration signal, wherein said control means, when said measured half cycle period is longer than a predetermined time, obtains said frequency of said acceleration signal from said measured value of said half cycle period and, when said measured half cycle period is not longer than said predetermined time, successively measures a next half cycle period, thereby obtaining said frequency of said acceleration signal from said measured value of one cycle period.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
60 words
A control apparatus of a support unit according to claim 1, wherein said control means starts measurement for said half cycle period and one cycle period from a point of time when said amplitude of said acceleration signal detected by said detecting means becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined level in one direction from a predetermined reference point.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
47 words
A control apparatus of a support unit according to claim 2, wherein said control means finishes said measurement for a half cycle period when said amplitude of said acceleration signal becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined level in a direction opposite to said one direction.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
69 words
A control apparatus of a support unit according to claim 2, wherein said control means finishes said measurement for one cycle period when said amplitude of said acceleration signal becomes equal to or greater than said predetermined level in the same direction as said one direction after said amplitude of said acceleration signal becomes equal to or greater than said predetermined level in said direction opposite to one direction.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
62 words
A control apparatus of a support unit according to claim 1, wherein said control means judges whether the frequency of vibration is obtained by the measured value of a half cycle period or the frequency of vibration is obtained by the measured value for one cycle period on the basis of said amplitude of said acceleration signal detected by said detecting means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
90 words
A control apparatus of a support unit according to claim 5, wherein said control means starts measurement for a one cycle period from a point of time when said amplitude of said acceleration signal becomes equal to or greater than a first predetermined level in one direction from a predetermined reference point, and starts measurement for a half cycle period from a point of time when said amplitude of said acceleration signal becomes equal to or greater than a second predetermined level in one direction from said predetermined reference point.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
A control apparatus of a support unit according to claim 6, wherein said second predetermined level exceeds said first predetermined level.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
81 words
A control apparatus of a support unit according to claim 7, wherein said control means finishes said measurement for said one cycle period when said amplitude of said acceleration signal becomes equal to or greater than said first predetermined level in the same direction as said one direction after said amplitude of said acceleration signal becomes equal to or greater than said first predetermined level in said direction opposite to said one direction, thereby obtaining said frequency by said measured value.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
56 words
A control apparatus of a support unit according to claim 7, wherein said control means finishes said measurement for a half cycle period when said amplitude of said acceleration signal becomes equal to or greater than said second predetermined level in said direction opposite to said one direction, thereby obtaining, said frequency by said measured value.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
22 words
A control apparatus of a support unit according to claim 1, wherein said detecting means detects vertical vibrations of said vehicle body.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
22 words
A control apparatus of a support unit according to claim 1, wherein said detecting means detects lateral vibrations of said vehicle body.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
26 words
A control apparatus of a support unit according to claim 1, wherein said detecting means has an acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration of said vehicle body.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
34 words
A control apparatus of a support unit according to claim 1, wherein said support unit is a suspension and said characteristic includes at least a damping force and a spring constant of said suspension.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
30 words
A control apparatus of a support unit according to claim 1, wherein said support unit is a stabilizer and said characteristic include at least a torsion quantity of said stabilizer.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
44 words
A control apparatus of a support unit according to claim 1, wherein said support unit is a suspension and a stabilizer and said characteristics include at least a damping force and a spring constant of said suspension and a torsion quantity of said stabilizer.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1995-03-31 | 1995-09-30 | 1996-03-31 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1999-03-31 | 1999-09-30 | 2000-03-31 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2003-03-31 | 2003-09-30 | 2004-03-31 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |