Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-27
2001-04-17
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
C701S048000, C701S091000, C280S005500, C280S005512, C280S005515, C180S041000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06219602
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The technical field of this invention is a vehicle suspension control system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
When a motor vehicle is steered into an extended turn, the vehicle body weight tends to shift toward the outside wheels, and the best handling in the turn is obtained by maximizing the contact of the outside wheels with the road surface, which contact can be affected by road surface roughness.
Many automotive vehicles have suspensions that vary damping force in response to control commands determined by a computer controller, in order to improve overall vehicle ride comfort and handling. One such system is responsive to absolute body modal velocities derived from relative body/wheel position or velocity sensors and acts through controllable dampers to provide control of sensed body motions and reduce ride harshness. This control also provides a measure of wheel control; but it is generally designed for a balanced approach between comfort and handling.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The suspension control of this invention includes a body control responsive to relative body/wheel velocity at the corners of the vehicle body to derive a demand force command for each of the dampers for vehicle body control and, as in the prior art, applies each of the derived demand force commands to its respective damper only when a comparison of the direction of the demand force command with the sensed relative velocity of the damper indicates that a force corresponding to the demand force command can be effectively exerted by the damper. But the suspension control of this invention adds to such a body control a vehicle stability control that is responsive to indicated lateral acceleration of the vehicle in a turn to determine, independently of the vehicle body control, a stability compression damping command for the suspension dampers on the side of the vehicle opposite the direction of the lateral acceleration and a stability rebound damping command for the suspension dampers on the side of the vehicle in the direction of the lateral acceleration. While the lateral acceleration is sensed, the vehicle stability control applies the stability compression damping command to the suspension dampers on the side of the vehicle opposite the direction of the lateral acceleration and the stability rebound damping command to the suspension dampers on the side of the vehicle in the direction of the lateral acceleration, without regard for the direction of demand force for any of the suspension dampers. The resulting stiffening of the suspension on the outside of the turning vehicle in compression and on the inside of the turning vehicle during rebound helps keep the tires of the vehicle firmly in contact with the road surface in spite of road surface irregularities.
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Badenoch Scott Wilson
Connair Karen Marie
Fratini, Jr. Albert Victor
Leaphart Eldon Gerrald
Schubert Raymond Kurt
Beaulieu Yonel
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Delphi Technologies Inc.
Sigler Robert M.
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