US5144559A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
System for controlling active suspensions of a vehicle
Assignee: Subaru Corp
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Filing: 1990-06-18
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Granted: 1992-09-01
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Expires: 2010-06-18
Abstract
Abstract In a system for controlling active suspensions of a motor vehicle, having fluid suspensions for the respective wheels, a lateral acceleration sensor, control valves for the respective suspensions, and a controller for adjusting the control valves to charge and discharge a fluid into and out of the fluid suspensions so as to control the vehicle attitude, a shut-off valve is provided between each control valve and each fluid suspension. The shut-off valve is normally open to enable the control of the vehicle attitude in an active state. When the detected lateral acceleration of the vehicle during a turn exceeds a set reference lateral acceleration, an active-passive changeover circuit delivers a shut-off signal to each shut-off valve thereby to close the shut-off valve, whereby all the fluid suspensions are sealed so that the suspension system becomes a passive state. This enables the elimination of the excessive peformance of the active suspension system and makes the suspension units smaller and less costly, reducing energy consumption.
Inventors
- 👤 Katsuyoshi Kamimura
- 👤 Atsushi Mine
- 👤 Yutaka Hiwatashi
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 09:53
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60G; B60G17/00; B60G17/015; B60G17/016; B60G17/005; B60G2202/00; B60G2202/10; B60G2202/15; B60G2202/154; B60G2202/40; B60G2202/41; B60G2202/413; B60G2204/00; B60G2204/80; B60G2400/00; B60G2400/10; B60G2400/102; B60G2400/104; B60G2400/106; B60G2400/20; B60G2400/204; B60G2400/25; B60G2400/252; B60G2400/50; B60G2400/51; B60G2500/00; B60G2500/10; B60G2600/00; B60G2600/02; B60G2600/14; B60G2600/18; B60G2600/182; B60G2600/184; B60G2800/00; B60G2800/01; B60G2800/012; B60G2800/014; B60G2800/24; B60G2800/90; B60G2800/91; B60G2800/912
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
149 words
A system for controlling active suspensions of a vehicle, having fluid suspensions provided for respective wheels, means for charging and discharging a fluid into and out of the respective fluid suspensions to extend and contract the suspensions independently, a lateral Gsensor provided in the vehicle for detecting lateral acceleration of the vehicle, and a controller responsive to an acceleration signal from the G-sensor for adjusting said charging and discharging means so as to control the amount of the fluid to be charged and discharged to maintain the vehicle attitude in a desired state, said system comprising: means for setting a reference lateral acceleration; changeover means for producing a closing signal when the detected lateral acceleration exceeds the reference lateral acceleration; and shut-off means responsive to the closing signal for sealing the fluid in the fluid suspensions to change the fluid suspensions from an active state to a passive state.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
149 words
A system for controlling active suspensions of a vehicle, having fluid suspensions provided for respective wheels, means for charging and discharging a fluid into and out of the respective fluid suspensions to extend and contract the suspensions independently, a lateral Gsensor provided in the vehicle for detecting lateral acceleration of the vehicle, and a controller responsive to an acceleration signal from the G-sensor for adjusting said charging and discharging means so as to control the amount of the fluid to be charged and discharged to maintain the vehicle attitude in a desired state, said system comprising: means for setting a reference lateral acceleration; changeover means for producing a closing signal when the detected lateral acceleration exceeds the reference lateral acceleration; and shut-off means responsive to the closing signal for sealing the fluid in the fluid suspensions to change the fluid suspensions from an active state to a passive state.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
37 words
The system according to claim 1, wherein said shut-off means are shut-off valves installed in passages connecting said charging and discharging means to said fluid suspensions, respectively, to take a normal open position and a closed position.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
41 words
The system according to claim 1, wherein said changeover means includes a hysteresis circuit provided to change a value of the reference lateral acceleration with a hysteresis when a shut-off valve in said shut-off mans is returned to the normal position.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
The system according to claim 1, further comprising hysteresis means for hysteresis-processing the detected lateral acceleration.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The system according to claim 4, further comprising dead-zone means for processing the hysteresis-processed lateral acceleration with a dead-zone.
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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) | 1995-09-01 | 1996-03-02 | 1996-09-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1999-09-01 | 2000-03-02 | 2000-09-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2003-09-01 | 2004-03-02 | 2004-09-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |