Process and arrangement for controlling a vibration damper

A method for operatively influencing the damping properties of a damping module arranged between a vehicle wheel and a vehicle body of a motor vehicle, as a function of damping requirement defining quantities including at least one of transverse acceleration, transverse jolt, longitudinal force, longitudinal force change, frequency-evaluated vehicle body acceleration and frequency-evaluated vehicle wheel acceleration, with which method the damping properties of the damping module are changed between at least three damping characteristics, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) determining instantaneous values of said damping requirement defining quantities;
• (b) converting said instantaneous values of said damping requirement defining quantities according to respective power functions into instantaneous values of damping requirement contributions, the base of a respective power function comprising the respective damping requirement defining quantity and the exponent of the respective power function defining a relative significance of the respective damping requirement defining quantity within a total damping requirement, and, when a threshold value of a respective damping requirement defining quantity is exceeded, the respective power function being changed such that for a further increase of the respective instantaneous value of the respective damping requirement defining quantity, a zero point displacement of the respective power function is performed, said zero point displacement comprising an abscissa displacement to the threshold value of the respective damping requirement defining quantity and an ordinate displacement to the respective instantaneous value of the respective damping requirement contribution according to the non-displaced respective power function;
• (c) adding said instantaneous values of said damping requirement contributions of the damping requirement defining quantities to provide said total damping requirement;
• (d) comparing said total damping requirement with a damping characteristic switching value;
• and
• (e) switching the damping module to a respective next damping characteristic, when said total damping requirement and said damping characteristic switching value are substantially equal.

A device for operatively influencing the damping properties of a damping module arranged between a vehicle wheel and a vehicle body of a motor vehicle, as a function of damping requirement defining quantities including at least one of transverse acceleration, transverse jolt, longitudinal force, longitudinal force change, frequency-evaluated vehicle body acceleration and frequency-evaluated vehicle wheel acceleration, the damping properties of the damping module being changed between at least two damping characteristics, said device comprising:

• (a) determining means for determining instantaneous values of the damping requirement defining quantities;
• (b) computing means for converting said instantaneous values of said damping requirement defining quantities according to respective power functions into instantaneous values of damping requirement contributions, said computing means having a base input for inputting a respective instantaneous value of the respective damping requirement defining quantity as a base of a respective power function, an exponent input for inputting a relative significance of the respective damping requirement defining quantity within a total damping requirement as an exponent of said respective power function, and a computer output for outputting the instantaneous value of the respective damping requirement contribution;
• (c) adding means connected to said computer output of said computing means, for adding said instantaneous values of said damping requirement contributions of the damping requirement defining quantities to provide said total damping requirement, said adding means having a summation output for outputting a value of said total damping requirement;
• (d) a comparator having a first comparator input connected to the summation output of said adding means, a second comparator input for inputting a damping characteristic switching value and a comparator output for outputting a damping characteristic control signal when said total damping requirement and said damping characteristic switching value are approximately equal;
• and
• (e) a tripping device connected to the comparator output, for initiating a change of the damping module to a respective next damping characteristic on occurrence of said damping characteristic control signal at the comparator output.

A device for operatively influencing the damping properties of a damping module arranged between a vehicle wheel and a vehicle body of a motor vehicle, as a function of damping requirement defining quantities including at least one of transverse acceleration, transverse jolt, longitudinal force, longitudinal force change, frequency-evaluated vehicle body acceleration and frequency-evaluated vehicle wheel acceleration, the damping properties of the damping module being changed between at least three damping characteristics, said device comprising:

• (a) determining means for determining instantaneous values of the damping requirement defining quantities;
• (b) computing means for converting said instantaneous values of said damping requirement defining quantities according to respective power functions into instantaneous values of damping requirement contributions, said computing means having a base input for inputting a respective instantaneous value of the respective damping requirement defining quantity as a base of a respective power function, an exponent input for inputting a relative significance of the respective damping requirement defining quantity within a total damping requirement as an exponent of said respective power function, and a computer output for outputting the instantaneous value of the respective damping requirement contribution, said determining means being allocated a threshold comparator which loads an additional input device of the computing means when a threshold value of a respective damping requirement defining quantity is exceeded, in order to change the respective power function such that for a further increase of said respective damping requirement defining quantity, a zero point displacement of the respective power function is performed, said zero point displacement comprising an abscissa displacement to the threshold value of the respective damping requirement defining quantity and an ordinate displacement to the respective instantaneous value of the respective damping requirement contribution according to the non-displaced respective power function;
• (c) adding means connected to said computer output of said computing means, for adding said instantaneous values of said damping requirement contributions of the damping requirement defining quantities to provide said total damping requirement, said adding means having a summation output for outputting a value of said total damping requirement;
• (d) a comparator having a first comparator input connected to the summation output of said adding means, a second comparator input for inputting a damping characteristic switching value and a comparator output for outputting a damping characteristic control signal when said total damping requirement and said damping characteristic switching value are approximately equal;
• and
• (e) a tripping device connected to the comparator output, for initiating a change of the damping module to a respective next damping characteristic on occurrence of said damping characteristic control signal at the comparator output.

A method for changing the damping properties of at least one damping module arranged between a vehicle wheel and a vehicle body of a motor vehicle, said damping properties being changed between at least a harder damping characteristic and a softer damping characteristic in one of a harder-to-softer transfer direction and a softer-to-harder transfer direction by varying a fluid flow resistance for a damping fluid flowing through said damping module, said method comprising:

• detecting the value of at least one operating state quantity signalling a damping requirement of said damping module;
• monitoring the occurrence of first and second threshold values of the operating state quantity, the presence of said first threshold value being necessary for a change in one of said harder-to-softer transfer direction and said softer-to-harder transfer direction and the presence of said second threshold value being necessary for a change in other one of said harder-to-softer transfer direction and said softer-to-harder transfer direction;
• upon the occurrence of said first threshold value causing a change in said one of said harder-to-softer transfer direction and said softer-to-harder transfer direction, and measuring a first time interval during which the operating state quantity signals a damping requirement which is one of greater and smaller than the damping requirement corresponding to said first threshold value;
• upon the occurrence of said second threshold value, running a second time interval determined as a predetermined function of said first time interval;
• and
• permitting a change in said other one of said harder-to-softer transfer direction and said softer-to-harder transfer direction only after said second time interval has elapsed.

A device for changing the damping properties of at least one damping module arranged between a vehicle wheel and a vehicle body of a motor vehicle, said damping properties being changed between at least a harder damping characteristic and a softer damping characteristic in one of a harder-to-softer transfer direction and a softer-to-harder transfer direction by varying a fluid flow resistance for a damping fluid flowing through said damping module, said device comprising:

• at least one operating-state-quantity sensor for detecting the value of at least one operating state quantity signalling a damping requirement of said damping module;
• at least one threshold value comparator connected to said at least one operating-state-quantity sensor for monitoring the occurrence of first and second threshold values of the operating state quantity, the presence of said first threshold value being necessary for a change in one of said harder-to-softer transfer direction and said softer-to-harder transfer direction and the presence of said second threshold value being necessary for a change in other one of said harder-to-softer transfer direction and said softer-to-harder transfer direction;
• time measuring means connected to said at least one threshold value comparator and measuring, upon a change in said one of said harder-to-softer transfer direction and said softer-to-harder transfer direction, a first time interval during which the operating state quantity signals a damping requirement which is one of greater and smaller than the damping requirement corresponding to said first threshold value;
• and
• timer means connected to said time measuring means and being adjustable to a second time interval determined as a predetermined function of said first time interval measured by said time measuring means, for running, upon the occurrence of said second threshold value, said second time interval and permitting a change in said other one of said harder-to-softer transfer direction and said softer-to-harder transfer direction only after said second time interval has elapsed.