Vehicle chassis control system

A method for controlling a motor vehicle suspension system, comprising the steps of:

• (a) obtaining from a set of sensors, mounted on the vehicle to sense vertical motion between a set of vehicle wheels and a vehicle body suspended therefrom, a set of relative velocity signals between the set of vehicle wheels and a set of points on the suspended vehicle body;
• (b) determining from the set of relative velocity signals a set of estimated absolute body modal velocity signals for the suspended vehicle body;
• (c) deriving all actuator control signal from the set of estimated absolute body modal velocity signals;
• and
• (d) applying the actuator control signal to a variable force actuator coupled between one of the set of vehicle wheels and a corresponding one of the set of points on the vehicle body.

A vehicle comprising, in combination:

• a vehicle body suspended independently by suspension apparatus from each of four vehicle wheels;
• a set of sensors on the vehicle responsive to vertical movement between each of the vehicle wheels and an adjacent point on the vehicle body to generate output signals;
• electrical signal processing apparatus responsive to the signal outputs of the set of sensors to generate a set of relative velocity signals between selected ones of the wheels and the adjacent points on the vehicle body;
• a microcomputer controller coupled to the relative position sensors, the microcomputer controller comprising means responsive to the set of relative velocity signals to determine a set of estimated absolute body modal velocity signals and for determining therefrom an output actuator control signal;
• and
• an actuator responsive to the output actuator control signal to control a chassis system of the vehicle.

A vehicle comprising, in combination:

• a vehicle body suspended independently by suspension apparatus from right front, left front, right rear and left rear vehicle wheels;
• a set of sensors responsive to vertical movement between each of the vehicle wheels and an adjacent point on the vehicle body to generate output signals;
• electrical signal processing apparatus responsive to the signal outputs of the set of sensors to generate a set of right front, left front, right rear and left rear relative velocity signals between selected ones of the wheels and the adjacent points on the vehicle body;
• a microcomputer controller coupled to the relative position sensors, the microcomputer controller comprising (a) means for deriving from the set of relative velocity signals a set of relative body heave, roll and pitch velocity signals, the relative body roll velocity signal being derived from only one of (1) the difference between the right front and left front relative velocity signals and (2) the difference between the right rear and left rear relative velocity signals, (b) means for deriving from the relative body heave, roll and pitch velocity signals a set of estimated absolute body heave, roll and pitch velocity signals, and (c) means for deriving from the estimated absolute body heave, roll and pitch velocity signals an output actuator control signal;
• and
• an actuator coupling one of the vehicle wheels and the vehicle body, the actuator being responsive to the output actuator control signal to control relative motion between the one of the vehicle wheels and the vehicle body.