Electrically powered active suspension for a vehicle
AssigneeFord Motor Company
InventorsRoy I. Davis, Prabhakar B. Patil
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electrically powered suspension for a vehicle including a roadwheel and tire assembly, an electrically powered suspension unit having one end attached to the roadwheel and tire assembly and the other end attached to the chasis of the vehicle, with the suspension unit including an electric motor for positioning the roadwheel with respect to the chasis, and a controller for operating the electric motor so as to control the vertical movement of the wheel and tire assembly with respect to the vehicle's chassis. The electric motor may include either a linear or rotating electric motor, acting either alone or in parallel with a static load carrying device such as a fluid or coil spring.
Claims40
An electrically powered active suspension for a vehicle having a chassis, comprising:
- a roadwheel and tire assembly;
- an electrically powered suspension unit operative to produce a force between said roadwheel and tire assembly and said chassis in response to external force inputs acting on said roadwheel and tire assembly and said chassis, said unit having one end attached to said roadwheel and tire assembly and the other end attached to the chassis of said vehicle, with said suspension unit comprising an electric motor;
- and
- control means for operating said electric motor to control said suspension unit to respond in real time to said external force inputs while said vehicle is in motion.
An electrically powered active suspension for a vehicle having a chassis, comprising:
- a roadwheel and tire assembly;
- a suspension unit comprising first and second load bearing means interposed between said roadwheel and tire assembly and the chassis of said vehicle, with said first means being electrically powered and operative to produce a controllable force between said roadwheel and tire assembly and said chassis in response to external force inputs acting on said roadwheel and tire assembly and said chassis;
- and
- control means for operating said load bearing means to control said suspension unit to respond in real time to said external force inputs while said vehicle is in motion.
An electrically powered active suspension for a vehicle having a chassis, comprising:
- a roadwheel and tire assembly;
- a suspension unit comprising first and second load bearing means interposed between said roadwheel and tire assembly and the chassis of said vehicle, with said first means being electrically powered and operative to produce a controllable force between said roadwheel and tire assembly and said chassis in response to external force inputs acting on said roadwheel and tire assembly and said chassis;
- and
- control means for operating said first load bearing means to control said suspension unit to respond in real time to said external force inputs while said vehicle is in motion.
An electrically powered active suspension for a vehicle comprising:
- a roadwheel and tire assembly;
- a suspension unit comprising first and second load bearing means interposed between said roadwheel and tire assembly and the chassis of said vehicle, with said first means being electrically powered;
- control means for operating said load bearing means to control vertical movement of said wheel and tire assembly with respect to said chassis;
- and
- a source of electrical energy connected with said control means and with said first load bearing means so that said energy source will both supply energy to said first load bearing means and absorb energy therefrom.
An electrically powered active suspension for a vehicle, comprising:
- a roadwheel and tire assembly;
- a suspension unit comprising first and second load bearing means interposed between said roadwheel and tire assembly and the chassis of said vehicle, said first load bearing means being electrically powered;
- and
- control means for operating said first load bearing means to control vertical movement of said wheel and tire assembly with respect to said chassis, said control means comprising:
- height sensing means for determining the ride height of said vehicle corresponding to the vertical distance separating said roadwheel and said chassis and for generating a height signal corresponding to such ride height;
- load sensing means for sensing the load carrying forces generated by each of said load bearing means and for generating signals corresponding to such forces;
- and
- load apportionment means, responsive to said load and height sensing means, for determining the relatively variant components of said loads and for adjusting the fraction of the total load which is carried by each of said load bearing means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.