Damping force control apparatus for vehicle

A damping force control apparatus for a vehicle which changes and controls damping forces of shock absorbers disposed between a vehicle body and wheels, the damping force control apparatus comprising:

• physical quantity detection means for detecting a predetermined physical quantity which changes with turning of the vehicle;
• damping-force determination means for determining damping forces of shock absorbers disposed on a turn-locus inner side and damping forces of shock absorbers disposed on a turn-locus outer side in accordance with the detected predetermined physical quantity such that the damping forces of the shock absorbers disposed on the turn-locus inner side become greater than the damping forces of the shock absorbers disposed on the turn-locus outer side;
• damping-force control means for changing and controlling the damping forces of the shock absorbers on the basis of the determined damping forces of the shock absorbers disposed on the turn-locus inner side and the determined damping forces of the shock absorbers disposed on the turn-locus outer side;
• vertical movement determination means for determining whether the vehicle body is moving in the vertical direction as a result of input of a road surface disturbance during the turning in a state in which the damping forces of the shock absorbers disposed on the turn-locus inner side and the damping forces of the shock absorbers disposed on the turn-locus outer side have been determined by the damping-force determination means;
• and
• vibration-suppressing-damping-force determination means for determining a vibration-suppressing damping force which is necessary for suppressing the vertical movement of the vehicle body determined by the vertical movement determination means and which must be generated by at least the shock absorbers disposed on the turn-locus outer side,
• wherein, when the vertical movement determination means determines that the vehicle body is moving in the vertical direction, the damping-force determination means subtracts the vibration-suppressing damping force determined by the vibration-suppressing-damping-force determination means from the determined damping forces of the shock absorbers disposed on the turn-locus inner side, and adds the vibration-suppressing damping force determined by the vibration-suppressing-damping-force determination means to the determined damping forces of the shock absorbers disposed on the turn-locus outer side to thereby determine the damping forces of the shock absorbers disposed on the turn-locus inner side and the damping forces of the shock absorbers disposed on the turn-locus outer side.