Automotive suspension control system utilizing variable damping force shock absorber
AssigneeUnisia Jecs Corporation
InventorsKatsuya Iwasaki, Hiroshi Hoya, Makoto Kimura
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Abstract
A suspension control system for an automotive vehicle is provided. This suspension control system comprises front and rear variable damping force shock absorbers and a control unit which controls the shock absorbers to assume damping force characteristics in a range between preselected higher and lower damping coefficients. The control unit controls the front and rear shock absorbers in a manner wherein the damping force characteristics of the front shock absorber in an extension stroke and of the rear shock absorber in a compression stroke are modified to the higher damping coefficients respectively when vehicle speed is substantially zero.
Claims13
A suspension control system for an automotive vehicle comprising:
- a front shock absorber disposed between a vehicle body and a suspension member rotatably supporting a front wheel, said front shock absorber being controllable to assume damping force characteristics in a range between preselected higher and lower damping coefficients over extension and compression strokes;
- a rear shock absorber disposed between the vehicle body and a suspension member rotatably supporting a rear wheel, said rear shock absorber being controllable to assume damping force characteristics in the range between the preselected higher and lower damping coefficients over extension and compression strokes;
- vehicle speed sensor means for detecting vehicle speed and providing a signal indicative thereof;
- and
- control means responsive to the signal from said vehicle speed sensor means to provide control signals for controlling said front and rear shock absorbers in a manner wherein the damping force characteristics of said front shock absorber in the extension stroke and of said rear shock absorber in the compression stroke are modified to and maintained at the higher damping coefficients respective whenever the vehicle speed is substantially zero.
A suspension control system for an automotive vehicle comprising:
- shock absorbers disposed between a vehicle body and a suspension member rotatably supporting a wheel respectively, each shock absorber being controllable to assume damping force characteristics in a range between preselected higher and lower damping coefficients over extension and compression strokes;
- vehicle speed sensor means for detecting vehicle speed and providing a signal indicative thereof;
- vertical speed determining means for determining vertical speed of the vehicle body and providing a signal indicative thereof;
- and
- control means responsive to the signals from said vehicle speed sensor means and said vertical speed determining means to provide control signals for controlling said shock absorbers in a manner wherein the damping force characteristics of said shock absorbers are maintained at a preselected high damping coefficient within the range between the preselected higher and lower damping coefficients when the vehicle speed is substantially zero and the vertical speed is below a preselected threshold value for a preselected period of time.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.