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Publication Number
US-9434229-B2
Publication Date
2016-09-06
Expiration Date
Abstract
A suspension control system for a vehicle having a wheel (52) mounted to the vehicle via a suspension device mounted to a mounting point on the vehicle with an electric motor being arranged to apply to the wheel a torque for driving the wheel, the suspension control system comprising a controller arranged to modulate a torque applied to the wheel by the electric motor based on the relative longitudinal movement of the wheel with respect to the mounting point on the vehicle.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to a suspension control system for a vehicle with a vehicle body, a wheel, and a suspension device. The wheel is mounted to the suspension device, the suspension device is mounted to the vehicle body at a mounting point, and an electric motor applies torque to the wheel for driving the wheel. A controller modulates the torque applied to the wheel by the electric motor to dampen longitudinal movement of the wheel relative to the mounting point.
The controller performs the damping based on relative longitudinal or vertical movement of the wheel with respect to the mounting point on the vehicle body. The active torque is varied so that the system provides a soft initial response to disturbances followed by increased damping to suppress subsequent oscillations. Relative wheel motion versus the wheel mounting point or body is used to determine the torque modulation.
The described implementation includes a Sky-Hook-type control algorithm in which the torque is computed based on relative velocities of sprung and unsprung motion and the wheel rolling radius. Sensor-based determination of the relative motion is used, and the controller modulates torque accordingly. The document also describes multi-motor integration for multiple wheels, with torque modulation performed for each wheel relative to its respective mounting point.
Claims Coverage
Two independent claims are provided: a suspension control system claim and a vehicle claim. Each independent claim defines the same core concept of controller-based torque modulation from an in-wheel electric motor to damp longitudinal movement relative to a mounting point, using relative longitudinal or vertical wheel movement; the vehicle claim additionally ties the concept to a vehicle having the suspension control system.
Dampen longitudinal movement by modulated motor torque based on relative wheel movement
A controller modulates a torque applied to the wheel by the electric motor to dampen longitudinal movement of the wheel relative to the mounting point on the vehicle body based on a relative longitudinal or vertical movement of the wheel with respect to the mounting point on the vehicle body.
Vehicle with suspension control system applying motor torque for damping
A vehicle comprising a suspension control system in which an electric motor applies to the wheel a torque for driving the wheel, and a controller modulates the torque applied to dampen longitudinal movement of the wheel relative to the mounting point based on a relative longitudinal or vertical movement of the wheel with respect to the mounting point.
The independent claim coverage centers on damping longitudinal movement relative to the vehicle-body mounting point by modulating motor torque with a controller based on relative longitudinal or vertical movement. Additional refinements specify alternative motion metrics, a threshold condition on a rate of change of longitudinal acceleration, a damping-coefficient-based control expression using sprung and unsprung mass velocities and wheel rolling radius, sensor determination of relative longitudinal movement, an in-wheel electric motor arrangement, and multiple wheels with respective electric motors and torque modulation for each wheel.
Stated Advantages
Provides soft initial response to disturbances followed by increased damping to suppress subsequent oscillations.
Maintains soft initial shock behavior while achieving performance equivalence to a higher-passive damping, as stated in the provided summary content.
Documented Applications
Vehicle suspension control using in-wheel electric motors to damp relative longitudinal and optionally vertical wheel movement to manage disturbances such as pot-hole impacts.
Multi-wheel vehicle application where torque modulation is applied for multiple wheels based on each wheel’s relative longitudinal movement.
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