Automotive suspension control system with self-adjustment feature
AssigneeNissan Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorFukashi Sugasawa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A suspension control system includes an actuator which adjusts the damping or shock absorbing characteristics of the suspension system among a plurality of predetermined characteristics. Occurrences of actuation of the actuator are counted and the count is compared with a given value to gain a measure of secular variation of the suspension system. When the count exceeds the given value, a reference value used by the suspension control system is adjusted to compensate for secular variation of the suspension system. With this arrangement, the suspension controlling characteristics can be fitted to the condition of the suspension system even after secular variation.
Claims17
An automotive vehicle suspension control system comprising:
- a vehicular suspension system with damping characteristics variable at least between a first mode and a second mode, the latter of which provides harder damping characteristics than said first mode, in response to a control signal;
- a sensor monitoring a preselected suspension control parameter and producing a sensor signal having a value indicative of a vehicular driving condition represented by said preselected suspension control parameter;
- first means for comparing said sensor signal value with a threshold value and producing said control signal ordering said vehicular suspension system from said first mode to said second mode when said sensor signal value is greater than said threshold value;
- second means for counting occurrences of said control signal ordering said vehicular suspension system from said first mode to said second mode and producing a counter signal having a value representative of the counted value;
- and
- third means for detecting when said counter signal exceeds a first reference value and in such cases, modifying said threshold value so as to lower the sensitivity of suspension control to said sensor signal.
An automotive vehicle suspension control system comprising:
- a vehicular suspension system with damping characteristics variable at least between a first mode and a second mode, the latter of which provides harder damping characteristics than said first mode, in response to a control signal;
- a first sensor monitoring a preselected first suspension control parameter and producing a sensor signal having a value indicative of a vehicle driving condition represented by said first suspension control parameter;
- a second sensor monitoring a preselected second suspension control parameter and producing a second sensor signal having a value indicative of a vehicle driving condition represented by said second suspension control parameter;
- first means for comparing said first sensor signal value with a first threshold value and producing said control signal ordering said vehicular suspension system from said first mode to said second mode when said first sensor signal value is greater than said first threshold value;
- second means for comparing said second sensor signal value with a second threshold value and producing said control signal ordering said vehicular suspension system from said first mode to said second mode when said second sensor signal value is greater than said second threshold value;
- third means for detecting said control signal produced by said first means, counting occurrences of said control signal, and producing a first counter signal;
- fourth means for detecting said control signal produced by said second means, counting occurrences of said control signal, and producing a second counter signal;
- fifth means for comparing the sum of said first and second counter signal values with a first reference value and modifying at least one of said first and second threshold values when said sum is greater than said first reference value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.