Method for adjusting a damping force, and damping system for a motor vehicle

A method for adjusting a damping force of a damping system for a motor vehicle, wherein the damping system includes a working cylinder at least partially filled with hydraulic fluid, a working piston arranged and axially movable within the working cylinder with a piston rod, wherein the working piston divides the working cylinder into a first working chamber and a second working chamber, and a pressure adjustment arrangement for adjusting pressure in the first and second working chambers, wherein the pressure adjustment arrangement contains a pump, a hydraulic accumulator, a first valve and a second valve, each of which is connected to the first and second working chambers by hydraulic lines, wherein valve positions of the valves are adjustable, the method comprising:

• controlling/regulating the valve positions of the valves and/or volumetric flow rate and/or speed of the pump depending on a predetermined force setpoint acting on the piston rod;
• determining a force actually acting on the piston rod;
• determining a force deviation between the force setpoint and the force actually acting on the piston rod;
• controlling/regulating the valve positions of the valves and/or the volumetric flow rate and/or the speed of the pump depending on the determined force deviation;
• and
• specifying or determining by a sensor the valve positions and/or voltage and/or current applied to the valves and from this determining the force actually acting on the piston rod.

A damping system for a motor vehicle, comprising:

• a working cylinder at least partially filled with hydraulic fluid;
• a working piston arranged and axially movable within the working cylinder with a piston rod, wherein the working piston divides the working cylinder into a first working chamber and a second working chamber;
• and
• a pressure adjustment arrangement for adjusting the pressure in the first and second working chambers;
• wherein the pressure adjustment arrangement contains a pump, a hydraulic accumulator, a first valve and a second valve, each of which is connected to the first and second working chambers by hydraulic lines;
• wherein the valves are designed in such a way that the valve position can be adjusted;
• wherein the damping system has a control/regulation device which is connected to the pump and the valves and is designed in such a way that it controls/regulates the valve position of the valves and/or the volumetric flow rate and/or the speed of the pump depending on a predetermined force setpoint acting on the piston rod;
• wherein the control/regulation device is designed to determine the force actually acting on the piston rod and wherein the control/regulation device is designed to determine a force deviation between the force setpoint and the force actually acting on the piston rod and to control/regulate the valve position of the valves and/or the volumetric flow rate and/or the speed of the pump depending on the determined force deviation, wherein the pressure adjustment arrangement contains at least one sensor for determining or a controller for specifying the valve position and/or the voltage and/or current applied to the valves and wherein the sensor or the controller is connected to the control/regulation device and this is designed to determine the force actually acting on the piston rod from the data transmitted by the sensor or the controller.