US 10,093,162 B2Granted

Engine suspension system

AssigneeToyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsYusuke Sugita, Hideki Murata, Nobuya Yoshida, Hiroshi Miya

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A suspension system for an engine includes an engine mount and an electronic control unit. The engine mount has spring characteristics that are switchable between first spring characteristics and second spring characteristics. The electronic control unit is configured to switch the spring characteristics of the engine mount to the first spring characteristics when the rotational speed of the engine is lower than a predetermined rotational speed, and torque of the engine is equal to or larger than a predetermined torque. The electronic control unit is configured to switch the spring characteristics of the engine mount to the second spring characteristics when the rotational speed of the engine is lower than the predetermined rotational speed, and the torque of the engine is smaller than the predetermined torque.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A suspension system for an engine, the suspension system comprising:

an engine mount that supports the engine on a vehicle, the engine mount having spring characteristics that are switchable between first spring characteristics and second spring characteristics, the second spring characteristics providing a larger damping coefficient and a larger spring constant than the first spring characteristics when a rotational speed of the engine is lower than a predetermined rotational speed;
and
an electronic control unit configured to switch the spring characteristics of the engine mount to the first spring characteristics when the rotational speed of the engine is lower than the predetermined rotational speed, and torque of the engine is equal to or larger than a predetermined torque, the electronic control unit being configured to switch the spring characteristics of the engine mount to the second spring characteristics when the rotational speed of the engine is lower than the predetermined rotational speed, and the torque of the engine is smaller than the predetermined torque,
wherein the predetermined rotational speed is a rotational speed of the engine below which a frequency of engine vibration is within a resonance frequency region.

1 more element

A method of controlling a suspension system for an engine of a vehicle, the suspension system including an engine mount that supports the engine on the vehicle, the engine mount having spring characteristics that are switchable between first spring characteristics and second spring characteristics, the second spring characteristics providing a larger damping coefficient and a larger spring constant than the first spring characteristics when a rotational speed of the engine is lower than a predetermined rotational speed, the method comprising:

controlling the spring characteristics of the engine mount with an electronic control unit so as to
(i) switch the spring characteristics of the engine mount to the first spring characteristics when the rotational speed of the engine is lower than the predetermined rotational speed, and torque of the engine is equal to or larger than a predetermined torque, and
(ii) switch the spring characteristics of the engine mount to the second spring characteristics when the rotational speed of the engine is lower than the predetermined rotational speed, and the torque of the engine is smaller than the predetermined torque,
wherein the predetermined rotational speed is a rotational speed of the engine below which a frequency of engine vibration is within a resonance frequency region.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.