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US 6,816,764 B2Granted
Suspension coordinator subsystem and method
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsErik Coelingh, Jonas Ekmark
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vehicle control system (10) including a vehicle motion control subsystem (12) that has an input receiving an intended driving demand (14) and a plurality of coordinator subsystems (16) for coordinating actuators of the vehicle. The vehicle motion control subsystem (12) communicates with the coordinator subsystems (16) to determine whether a single coordinator subsystem (16) can carry out the intended driving demand (14). The vehicle motion control subsystem (12) will distribute demand signals among one or more of the coordinator subsystems (16) to allow the vehicle to implement the intended driving demand (14).
Claims20
A method of controlling a suspension of a vehicle with a suspension coordinator subsystem comprising:
- inputting a suspension behavior modification demand signal into the suspension coordinator subsystem, the suspension behavior modification demand signal requesting a suspension behavior modification;
- determining first capabilities of a first actuator control subsystem;
- outputting a first capability signal from the first actuator control subsystem to the suspension coordinator subsystem, the first capability signal communicating the first capabilities of the first actuator control subsystem;
- calculating a first partial suspension behavior modification demand signal and at least one second partial suspension behavior modification demand signal;
- and
- outputting the first partial suspension behavior modification demand signal from the suspension coordinator subsystem to the first actuator control subsystem and the at least one second partial suspension behavior modification demand signal to at least one second actuator control subsystem;
- wherein both the first partial suspension behavior modification demand signal and the at least one second partial suspension behavior modification demand signal are calculated according to the first capabilities of the first actuator control subsystem;
- and
- wherein the first partial suspension behavior modification demand signal and the at least one second partial suspension behavior modification demand signal provide directions for the first actuator control subsystem and the at least one second actuator control subsystem, respectively, to perform the suspension behavior modification of the suspension behavior modification demand signal.
6 more elements
A method of controlling a suspension of a vehicle comprising:
- providing a suspension coordinator subsystem configured to modify the suspension of the vehicle and at least one accompanying coordinator controller configured to modify other components of the vehicle that affect vehicle motion;
- outputting an output signal from at least one accompanying coordinator controller;
- calculating a demand signal;
- inputting the demand signal into the suspension coordinator subsystem;
- and
- modifying the suspension of the vehicle according to the demand signal;
- wherein the demand signal is calculated in response to the output signal from the at least one accompanying coordinator controller.
4 more elements
A suspension control system for controlling a suspension of a vehicle comprising:
- a suspension coordinator subsystem including at least one subsystem input for receiving a suspension behavior modification demand signal and a subsystem output, the suspension behavior modification demand signal requesting a suspension behavior modification;
- a first actuator control subsystem including a first actuator input and a first actuator output;
- and
- at least one second actuator control subsystem including a second actuator input;
- wherein the first actuator control subsystem determines its first capabilities and outputs a first capability signal out of the first actuator output to the at least one subsystem input of the suspension coordinator subsystem, the first capability signal communicating the first capabilities of the first actuator control subsystem;
- wherein the suspension coordinator subsystem calculates a first partial suspension behavior modification demand signal and at least one second partial suspension behavior modification demand signal;
- wherein the suspension coordinator subsystem outputs, through the subsystem output, the first partial suspension behavior modification demand signal into the first actuator input of the first actuator control subsystem and the at least one second partial suspension behavior modification demand signal into the second actuator input of the at least one second actuator control subsystem;
- wherein both the first partial suspension behavior modification demand signal and the at least one second partial suspension behavior modification demand signal are calculated according to the first capabilities of the first actuator control subsystem;
- and
- wherein the first partial suspension behavior modification demand signal and the at least one second partial suspension behavior modification demand signal provide directions for the first actuator control subsystem and the at least one second actuator control subsystem, respectively, to perform the suspension behavior modification of the suspension behavior modification demand signal.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.