US 5,696,677 A · Vehicle chassis control

Abstract

A vehicle chassis system control according to the steps of: determining relative velocity between a corner of a vehicle body and a vehicle wheel responsive to a sensor signal from one of: (i) a relative position sensor mounted between the vehicle body corner and the vehicle wheel and (ii) a wheel rotational velocity sensor mounted to the wheel; estimating, responsive to the sensor signal, a body acceleration signal indicative of a vertical acceleration of the corner of the vehicle body; estimating, responsive to the sensor signal, a wheel acceleration signal indicative of a vertical acceleration of the vehicle wheel; estimating a dynamic normal force between the wheel and a road surface responsive to the estimated body and wheel accelerations; and providing the estimated normal dynamic force to a chassis system controller, wherein a chassis system actuator is controlled by a control command determined responsive to the estimated dynamic normal force.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A vehicle chassis system control comprising the steps of:

determining relative velocity between a corner of a vehicle body and a vehicle wheel responsive to a sensor signal from one of:
(i) a relative position sensor mounted between the vehicle body corner and the vehicle wheel and (ii) a wheel rotational velocity sensor mounted to the vehicle wheel;
estimating, responsive to the relative velocity, a body acceleration signal indicative of a vertical acceleration of the corner of the vehicle body;
estimating, responsive to the relative velocity, a wheel acceleration signal indicative of a vertical acceleration of the vehicle wheel;
estimating a dynamic normal force between the wheel and a road surface responsive to the estimated body and wheel accelerations;
and providing the estimated dynamic normal force to a chassis system controller, wherein a chassis system actuator is controlled by a control command determined responsive to the estimated dynamic normal force.

3 more elements

A vehicle chassis system control apparatus comprising:

a sensor providing a sensor signal indicative of suspension relative velocity;
a chassis system actuator controllable in response to a control command;
a microprocessor based controller receiving the sensor signal and, responsive thereto, developing the control command, wherein the microprocessor based controller includes,
(a) a body frequency estimation filter, responsive to the sensor signal indicative of suspension relative velocity, providing an estimated body corner absolute vertical acceleration signal output;
(b) a wheel frequency estimation filter, responsive to the sensor signal, providing an estimated wheel absolute vertical acceleration signal output;
and
(c) a dynamic normal force estimator responsive to the estimated wheel and body corner absolute vertical accelerations providing an estimated dynamic normal force signal output, wherein
the control command is responsive to the estimated dynamic normal force signal.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Vehicle chassis control

Life of this patent

Vehicle chassis control

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16