Control method and control device of vehicle suspension, vehicle and program product

Abstract

The invention discloses a vehicle suspension control method, a vehicle suspension control device, a vehicle and a computer program product. According to the control method, the starting time interval of the vehicle is monitored and compared with the preset interval threshold value to determine whether the vehicle is parked for a long time or not, and then whether soft magnetic particles in the magnetorheological fluid possibly settle or not is speculated. If the time interval is larger than the threshold value, the vehicle parking time is long, and the possibility of soft magnetic particle sedimentation is high. At the moment, by means of the lifting device, such as a connecting structure of the air suspension and the magneto-rheological damper, the vehicle can control the air suspension to execute lifting operation at the preset lifting height, so that a piston of the magneto-rheological damper is driven to move till the lifting times of the air suspension reach the target times, and magneto-rheological fluid is promoted to be evenly mixed; and the damping adjusting performance is recovered, so that the riding comfort and safety of the vehicle are guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of vehicle technology, and in particular, relates to a vehicle suspension control method, a vehicle suspension control device, a vehicle and a computer program product. Background Art

[0002] Electromagnetic suspension is a technology that improves vehicle handling and comfort by adjusting the damping force. According to the implementation form of damping adjustment, it can be divided into solenoid valve shock absorber and magnetorheological shock absorber. Both shock absorbers can adjust the damping force by changing the current. Among them, magnetorheological shock absorber has better performance than solenoid valve shock absorber due to its fast response speed.

[0003] The working principle of the magnetorheological damper is to use the characteristics of magnetorheological fluid. When the coil is energized, a magnetic field is generated, which causes the soft magnetic particles in the magnetorheological fluid to be arranged in an orderly manner according to the direction of the magnetic field. When the coil and the magnetorheological fluid move relative to each other, the attraction between the soft magnetic particles must be overcome, thereby generating a damping force.

[0004] However, vehicles using magnetic fluid shock absorbers have poor damping effect after being parked for a long time, which can easily cause riding discomfort and even bring safety risks when encountering strong impacts. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present application provides a vehicle suspension control method, a vehicle suspension control device, a vehicle and a computer program product, which can promote the uniform mixing of magnetorheological fluid and effectively restore its damping adjustment performance, thereby improving the comfort and safety of vehicle riding.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a method for controlling a vehicle suspension, wherein the vehicle includes a lifting device and a magnetorheological damper, the lifting device is used to drive the piston movement of the magnetorheological damper, and the control method includes:

[0007] When the time interval between the last start of the vehicle and this start is greater than a preset interval threshold, the lifting device is controlled to perform a lifting operation based on a preset lifting height to drive the piston in the magnetorheological shock absorber to move until the lifting times of the lifting device reach a target number.

[0008] In some embodiments, before controlling the lifting device to perform the lifting operation based on the preset lifting height, the method further includes:

[0009] Make sure all vehicle doors are closed;

[0010] When all doors are closed, a confirmation request for performing a lifting operation is sent to a designated device;

[0011] Accordingly, the lifting device is controlled to perform a lifting operation based on a preset lifting height, including:

[0012] After receiving a confirmation response returned by the designated device based on the confirmation request, the lifting device is controlled to perform a lifting operation based on a preset lifting height.

[0013] In some embodiments, before controlling the lifting device to perform the lifting operation based on the preset lifting height, the method further includes:

[0014] Determine whether the magnetorheological damper is in a powered state;

[0015] When the magnetorheological damper is powered on, cutting off the power connection of the magnetorheological damper;

[0016] Accordingly, the lifting device is controlled to perform a lifting operation based on a preset lifting height, including:

[0017] When the magnetorheological damper is in a non-energized state, the lifting device is controlled to perform a lifting operation based on a preset lifting height.

[0018] In some embodiments, different time interval ranges correspond to different lifting times, and before controlling the lifting device to perform the lifting operation based on the preset lifting height, the method further includes:

[0019] Determine a target time interval range from each time interval range according to the time interval; the target time interval is the time interval range to which the time interval belongs;

[0020] The number of lifts and drops corresponding to the target time interval range is determined as the target number of lifts and drops.

[0021] In some embodiments, the lift height is determined based on properties of a magnetorheological fluid within the magnetorheological damper.

[0022] In some embodiments, controlling the lifting device to perform a lifting operation based on a preset lifting height includes:

[0023] Initialize the current lifting times to zero, and determine the first lifting operation based on the current height of the lifting device and the preset lifting height;

[0024] During the execution of the first lifting operation, if the current height reaches the first lifting height corresponding to the first lifting operation, the current lifting times are updated;

[0025] Perform a second lifting operation opposite to the first lifting operation, and if the current height reaches the second lifting height corresponding to the second lifting operation, update the current lifting times;

[0026] The second lifting operation is updated to the first lifting operation, and the steps of performing the second lifting operation opposite to the first lifting operation and subsequent steps are returned until the current number of lifting times is equal to the target number.

[0027] In some embodiments, the preset lifting height includes a maximum height and a minimum height, and determining the first lifting operation based on the current height of the lifting device and the preset lifting height includes:

[0028] If the current height is greater than the minimum height, the first lifting operation is a descending operation; the first lifting height is the minimum height;

[0029] If the current height is equal to the minimum height, the first lifting operation is an ascending operation; the first lifting height is the maximum height.

[0030] In a second aspect, the present application provides a control device for a vehicle suspension, wherein the vehicle comprises a lifting device and a magnetorheological damper, wherein the lifting device is used to drive the piston movement of the magnetorheological damper, and the control device comprises:

[0031] The lifting module is used to control the lifting device to perform a lifting operation based on a preset lifting height when the time interval between the last start of the vehicle and the current start is greater than a preset interval threshold, so as to drive the piston in the magnetorheological shock absorber to move until the lifting times of the lifting device reach the target times.

[0032] In a third aspect, the present application provides a vehicle comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor implements the steps of the method of the first aspect when executing the computer program.

[0033] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method of the first aspect are implemented.

[0034] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program. When the computer program is executed by one or more processors, it implements the steps of the method of the first aspect.

[0035] The first aspect of the present application has the beneficial effect compared with the prior art that the vehicle using the magnetorheological shock absorber is prone to a decrease in damping effect or even other negative effects after long-term parking. The main reason is that the soft magnetic particles of the magnetorheological fluid, the core material of the magnetorheological shock absorber, settle due to gravity during the static process, resulting in uneven distribution of liquid density, which in turn affects the damping adjustment performance. To solve this problem, the present application monitors the time interval between vehicle starts and compares it with the preset interval threshold to determine whether the vehicle is parked for a long time, and then infers whether the soft magnetic particles in the magnetorheological fluid may settle. If the time interval is greater than the threshold, it means that the vehicle has been parked for a long time, and it is believed that the possibility of soft magnetic particles settling is high. At this time, the connection structure between the lifting device and the magnetorheological shock absorber is used to control the lifting device to perform the lifting operation at a preset lifting height, thereby driving the piston movement of the magnetorheological shock absorber until the lifting number of the lifting device reaches the target number, so as to promote the uniform mixing of the magnetorheological fluid and restore its damping adjustment performance, thereby ensuring the comfort and safety of the vehicle ride.

[0036] It can be understood that the beneficial effects of the second to fifth aspects mentioned above can be found in the relevant description of the first aspect mentioned above, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0038] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the damping effect of a magnetorheological damper in the related art;

[0039] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a vehicle provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 3 is a schematic flow chart of a vehicle suspension control method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 4 is a schematic flow chart of another vehicle suspension control method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 5 It is a flow chart of a vehicle provided in an embodiment of the present application controlling an air suspension to perform a lifting operation based on a preset lifting height;

[0043] Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a vehicle suspension control device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a vehicle provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] In the following description, specific details such as specific system structures, technologies, etc. are provided for the purpose of illustration rather than limitation, so as to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present application. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that the present application may also be implemented in other embodiments without these specific details. In other cases, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, devices, circuits, and methods are omitted to prevent unnecessary details from obstructing the description of the present application.

[0046] Electromagnetic suspension is a technology that improves vehicle handling and comfort by adjusting the damping force. According to the implementation form of damping adjustment, it can be divided into solenoid valve shock absorber and magnetorheological shock absorber. Both shock absorbers can adjust the damping force by changing the current. Among them, magnetorheological shock absorber has better performance than solenoid valve shock absorber due to its fast response speed.

[0047] The working principle of the magnetorheological damper is to use the characteristics of magnetorheological fluid. When the coil is energized, a magnetic field is generated, which causes the soft magnetic particles in the magnetorheological fluid to be arranged in an orderly manner according to the direction of the magnetic field. When the coil and the magnetorheological fluid move relative to each other, the attraction between the soft magnetic particles must be overcome, thereby generating a damping force.

[0048] For example, Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the magnetorheological shock absorber generating damping is shown. Among them, the magnetorheological shock absorber is filled with magnetorheological fluid, the coil of the magnetorheological shock absorber is fixedly connected to the piston, and the piston is provided with a damping through hole. The shock absorber is filled with magnetorheological fluid. When the coil is energized, the magnetic particles in the magnetorheological fluid generate magnetic force under the action of the magnetic field, and change from disordered dispersion to orderly arrangement. When the piston rod drives the coil to move, the magnetorheological fluid passes through the damping through hole, and the piston needs to overcome the electromagnetic force between the magnetic particles and the magnetic field, thereby generating a damping effect. However, statistics show that vehicles using magnetorheological shock absorbers are prone to a decrease in damping performance after being parked for a long time, which may cause riding discomfort and even safety risks when encountering strong impacts.

[0049] To solve this problem, this applicant conducted an in-depth analysis of the root cause of the decline in damping effect and found that it was mainly because the core material of the magnetorheological shock absorber, the magnetorheological fluid, had soft magnetic particles that settled due to gravity during long-term static state, resulting in uneven liquid density distribution, thus affecting the damping adjustment performance of the shock absorber.

[0050] Based on this, the present application proposes a control method for a vehicle suspension, which effectively restores the damping adjustment performance of the magnetorheological fluid by promoting uniform mixing of the magnetorheological fluid, thereby improving the comfort and safety of the vehicle ride. The control method proposed in the present application will be described below through specific embodiments.

[0051] The vehicle control method provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the vehicle or other electronic devices, such as other electronic devices that establish a communication connection with the vehicle to control the vehicle, such as mobile phones, tablet computers, vehicle-mounted devices, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) devices, laptop computers, ultra-mobile personal computers (UMPC), netbooks, personal digital assistants (PDA), etc. The embodiments of the present application do not impose any restrictions on the specific types of electronic devices.

[0052] For example, see Figure 2 , Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the local structure of a vehicle is shown, which includes a body, a lifting device and a magnetorheological shock absorber, wherein the body is connected to the piston of the magnetorheological shock absorber through the lifting device, and the lifting device is connected to the piston of the magnetorheological shock absorber. Based on this structure, the lifting device can drive the piston of the magnetorheological shock absorber to move during movement to promote uniform mixing of the magnetorheological fluid.

[0053] Exemplarily, the lifting device can be any liftable suspension configured for the vehicle, such as air suspension, spring suspension, torsion bar suspension, etc. Among them, the air suspension has higher adjustment accuracy and response speed than the traditional spring suspension, and can accurately control the lifting height according to the mixing requirements of the magnetorheological fluid. In addition, the structure of the air suspension is more suitable for integration with the electronic control system, which can realize the automatic management and real-time adjustment of the lifting times, thereby improving the operating efficiency and mixing effect. Therefore, for the sake of convenience, the subsequent lifting device is described by taking the air suspension as an example.

[0054] In order to illustrate the technical solution proposed in this application, each embodiment will be described below using a vehicle as the execution subject.

[0055] Figure 3 A schematic flow chart of a vehicle suspension control method provided by the present application is shown, and the vehicle suspension control method includes:

[0056] Step 310: When the time interval between the last start of the vehicle and this start is greater than a preset interval threshold, the vehicle controls the air suspension to perform a lifting operation based on a preset lifting height to drive the piston in the magnetorheological shock absorber to move until the number of lifts and lowerings of the air suspension reaches a target number.

[0057] Vehicles equipped with magnetorheological shock absorbers are prone to reduced damping effect or even other negative effects after long-term parking. The main reason is that the soft magnetic particles in the magnetorheological fluid, the core material of the magnetorheological shock absorber, settle due to gravity during the static process, resulting in uneven liquid density distribution, which in turn affects the damping adjustment performance.

[0058] To solve this problem, the vehicle can record and analyze relevant data to determine whether it has been parked for too long, and then determine whether the risk of magnetorheological fluid sedimentation is high, so that when the risk of sedimentation increases, appropriate control strategies can be taken to reduce the negative impact of sedimentation.

[0059] The start of a vehicle usually indicates that the user has a need for the vehicle or the vehicle is in use. Considering that the soft magnetic particles in the magnetorheological fluid are not easy to settle during the use of the vehicle, and the single use time is usually short, the approximate parking time of the vehicle can be reasonably estimated by recording the time interval between two starts (the last start and this start). Subsequently, by comparing the time interval with the preset interval threshold, the vehicle can effectively judge the sedimentation risk of the soft magnetic particles in the magnetorheological fluid, so as to trigger the corresponding control strategy accordingly, promote the uniform mixing of the magnetorheological fluid, and thus restore the damping performance of the shock absorber.

[0060] For example, it is inevitable that the time interval determined by the two start times may deviate due to the long use time of the vehicle. Since the magnetorheological fluid is in a state of continuous motion during use and is unlikely to settle, the time interval calculated by the two starts can be further corrected by the current start time of the vehicle and the calculated last use time, thereby eliminating occasional calculation errors caused by long-term use of the vehicle. This method can more accurately evaluate the actual duration of the vehicle in a stationary state, providing a more reliable basis for subsequent lifting operations and magnetorheological fluid performance maintenance.

[0061] If the time interval is greater than the preset interval threshold, it means that the vehicle has been parked for a long time, and the risk of the soft magnetic particles in the magnetorheological fluid settling under the influence of gravity is high. At this time, the vehicle can control the air suspension to perform lifting operations at a preset lifting height based on the connection structure between the air suspension and the magnetorheological damper, thereby driving the piston movement of the magnetorheological damper until the air suspension is lifted and lowered a target number of times, so as to promote the full mixing of the magnetorheological fluid, evenly distribute the soft magnetic particles inside it, and restore the density consistency of the liquid, thereby ensuring the damping adjustment performance of the magnetorheological damper, and then ensuring the comfort and safety of the vehicle.

[0062] The embodiment of the present application determines whether the vehicle is parked for a long time by monitoring the time interval of vehicle startup and comparing it with the preset interval threshold, thereby inferring whether the soft magnetic particles in the magnetorheological fluid may settle. If the time interval is greater than the threshold, it means that the vehicle has been parked for a long time, and it is considered that the possibility of soft magnetic particles settling is high. At this time, the connection structure between the air suspension and the magnetorheological damper is used to control the air suspension to perform the target number of lifting operations at a preset lifting height, thereby driving the piston movement of the magnetorheological damper, promoting the uniform mixing of the magnetorheological fluid, restoring its damping adjustment performance, and thus ensuring the comfort and safety of the vehicle.

[0063] In some embodiments, the lifting and lowering of the air suspension may cause the vehicle body to shake. To ensure the safety of the user, the vehicle may perform the following steps:

[0064] Step A1: The vehicle determines whether all doors of the vehicle are closed.

[0065] The open and closed state of the car doors can reflect the user's intention to a certain extent. For example, when the car doors are completely closed, it means that the user is ready to drive; when some or all of the car doors are closed, it means that the user is not ready yet and may need to enter or exit the vehicle. In order to avoid controlling the air suspension to rise and fall when the user needs to enter or exit the vehicle, which would reduce the user's safety, the vehicle can first determine whether the doors are all closed.

[0066] Step A2: When all vehicle doors are closed, the vehicle controls the air suspension to perform lifting operations based on a preset lifting height.

[0067] When the doors are closed, even if the vehicle body shakes, the safety of the user can be guaranteed to a certain extent. Therefore, the vehicle can control the lifting and lowering of the air suspension based on the preset lifting height in this case, so that the lifting and lowering times reach the target times, thereby improving the damping adjustment effect of the magnetorheological shock absorber while ensuring the safety of the user, and fully ensuring the comfort and safety of the vehicle.

[0068] In some embodiments, the purpose of the air suspension lifting is to mix the magnetorheological fluid, so the body shaking caused by the lifting is difficult for the user to foresee. The sudden body shaking will inevitably reduce the user's experience. Therefore, the transparency of the operation can be improved to ensure the user's experience. When the doors are closed, the vehicle can perform the following operations:

[0069] Step B1: The vehicle sends a confirmation request to the designated device to perform a lifting operation.

[0070] When the doors are closed, even if the vehicle body shakes, the user's safety can be guaranteed to a certain extent. At this time, in order to improve the transparency of the operation and allow the user to predict the shaking of the vehicle body, the vehicle can send a confirmation request to the designated device to perform the lifting operation. The request is used to obtain the authority to control the lifting and lowering operation of the air suspension, so that the lifting and lowering operation can be performed when the user knows that the air suspension is about to be raised or lowered, thereby improving the safety of vehicle control and user experience.

[0071] The designated device may include a user's mobile phone, a vehicle-mounted device or a vehicle computer, etc. The content of the confirmation request may be presented in text and / or voice form to convey to the user the information that the air suspension is about to be raised or lowered, and at the same time remind the user to pay attention to possible vehicle body shaking, so as to ensure the transparency of the operation and the safety of the user.

[0072] Step B2: After receiving a confirmation response returned by the designated device based on the confirmation request, the vehicle controls the air suspension to perform a lifting operation based on a preset lifting height.

[0073] Based on the confirmation request, the user can confirm the authorization or refuse the authorization through the designated device. Therefore, if the vehicle receives a confirmation response returned by the designated device according to the confirmation request, it means that the user has confirmed the authorization, that is, the vehicle now has the control authority to control the lifting of the air suspension to mix the magnetorheological fluid. Therefore, the vehicle can control the air suspension to perform the lifting operation according to the preset lifting height until the lifting times of the air suspension reach the target times, so as to promote the uniform mixing of the magnetorheological fluid and restore its damping adjustment performance, thereby ensuring the comfort and safety of the vehicle.

[0074] In this embodiment, the purpose of the air suspension lifting is to mix the magnetorheological fluid, so the body shaking caused by the lifting is difficult for the user to foresee. In order to improve the user experience while ensuring the user's safety, the vehicle can determine whether the user needs to enter or exit the vehicle by detecting the opening and closing status of all doors. When all doors are closed, it means that the user is unlikely to enter or exit the vehicle, and the vehicle can control the lifting of the air suspension. However, in order to improve the user experience, the vehicle can first send a confirmation request to the designated device, and then control the lifting of the air suspension with the user's authorization to ensure the transparency of the air suspension lifting control operation.

[0075] In some embodiments, the probability of using the magnetorheological damper is low at the initial start of the vehicle. Therefore, in order to ensure the mixing effect of the magnetorheological fluid, the vehicle can perform the following steps:

[0076] Step C1: The vehicle determines whether the magnetorheological damper is in a powered-on state.

[0077] Step C2: When the magnetorheological shock absorber is powered on and the vehicle cuts off the power connection of the magnetorheological shock absorber, or when the magnetorheological shock absorber is not powered on, the vehicle controls the air suspension to perform a lifting operation based on a preset lifting height.

[0078] When the magnetorheological damper is powered on, its internal damping is minimal, and this characteristic facilitates the flow and mixing of the magnetorheological fluid. To ensure that the magnetorheological fluid can be fully mixed, the vehicle can dynamically adjust the control process of the air suspension lifting by detecting the power-on state of the magnetorheological damper. Specifically, when it is detected that the magnetorheological damper is powered on, the vehicle can actively cut off its power connection to put the magnetorheological damper into an unpowered state; in the unpowered state, the vehicle can further control the lifting of the air suspension to drive the piston movement of the magnetorheological damper with the help of the up and down displacement of the air suspension to stimulate the fluidity of the magnetorheological fluid, thereby achieving a more uniform mixing effect. This method can promote the uniform mixing of the magnetorheological fluid and restore its damping adjustment performance by making full use of the characteristics of the magnetorheological damper and the controllability of the air suspension, thereby ensuring the comfort and safety of the vehicle ride.

[0079] In this embodiment, the magnetorheological damper generates the minimum damping when it is powered on, which is conducive to mixing the magnetorheological fluid. In order to fully mix the magnetorheological fluid, the vehicle can determine whether the magnetorheological damper is powered on, and actively cut off the power connection of the magnetorheological damper when the magnetorheological damper is powered on; when the magnetorheological damper is not powered on, the vehicle can control the lifting of the air suspension to mix the magnetorheological fluid and restore the damping adjustment effect of the magnetorheological damper.

[0080] In some embodiments, the interval threshold is used as a baseline to measure whether the vehicle is placed for a long time. Once the time interval exceeds the threshold, it can be determined that the vehicle has been placed for a long time. Although both are long-term placement, the time interval just exceeding the threshold and far exceeding the threshold can directly reflect the difference in the degree of sedimentation of the magnetorheological fluid. The former has light particle sedimentation and has little effect on the damping adjustment effect; the latter has serious sedimentation and has a great impact on the damping adjustment effect. Therefore, for different situations where the time interval just exceeds the threshold and far exceeds the threshold, different time interval ranges can be divided, and the corresponding time interval ranges and corresponding lifting times can be set. The sedimentation degree of the magnetorheological fluid changes with the time interval. Short-term placement only requires a small amount of lifting operations to remix, while long-term placement requires more lifting times to destroy the stable sedimentation layer. By dividing different time interval ranges and setting the corresponding lifting times, the sedimentation risk level can be accurately matched, which can not only effectively restore the performance of the magnetorheological fluid, but also optimize the operating efficiency and reduce the additional lifting burden of the air suspension.

[0081] Accordingly, the vehicle can determine the target number of times the air suspension is raised and lowered according to the following steps:

[0082] Step D1: The vehicle determines a target time interval range from various time interval ranges according to the time interval.

[0083] Step D2: The vehicle determines the number of lifts and drops corresponding to the target time interval range as the target number of lifts and drops.

[0084] The vehicle detects and calculates the time interval, matches it with the preset time interval range, determines the time interval range to which the current time interval belongs, and determines it as the target time interval range. Based on the target time interval range and the relationship between the time interval range and the number of sedimentation times, the vehicle can determine the number of lifting and lowering operations corresponding to the target time interval range, that is, the target number. The target number ensures that the frequency of the vehicle's lifting and lowering operations on the air suspension matches the sedimentation risk of the magnetorheological fluid, which helps to quickly restore the rheological properties of the magnetorheological fluid according to the degree of sedimentation.

[0085] Exemplarily, the vehicle may be set with multiple interval thresholds, such as D00, D01, D02, D03, etc., and multiple time interval ranges may be formed by two adjacent thresholds, such as (D00, D01], (D01-D02] and (D02-D03], and the corresponding lifting times are T01, T02 and T03 respectively; when D01<D<D02, it indicates that the time interval D belongs to the time interval range of (D01-D02], and the lifting time T02 corresponding to (D01-D02] may be set as the target time of D.

[0086] In this embodiment, the vehicle can accurately match the target number of air suspension lifting and lowering based on the relationship between the time interval range and the number of lifting and lowering times and the current settling degree of the magnetorheological fluid to quickly restore the rheological properties of the magnetorheological fluid. Unlike the fixed number of lifting and lowering times, for vehicles with a low degree of settling of the magnetorheological fluid, this method can avoid unnecessary mechanical wear on the magnetorheological shock absorber and the air suspension due to excessive operations, which not only ensures the stability of the damping adjustment performance of the magnetorheological shock absorber, but also prolongs the service life of the magnetorheological shock absorber and the air suspension, thereby reducing the maintenance cost of the damping adjustment performance.

[0087] In some embodiments, the lifting height will affect the stroke of the piston in the magnetorheological damper, and the size of the stroke is related to the properties of the magnetorheological fluid, such as the redispersibility, viscosity, particle density and distribution of the magnetorheological fluid. In order to achieve the target number of lifting times of the air suspension and promote uniform mixing of the magnetorheological fluid, the lifting height can be determined according to the properties of the magnetorheological fluid.

[0088] For example, the redispersibility of the magnetorheological fluid directly determines the ease with which the soft magnetic particles can be remixed after settling. The worse the redispersibility, the more difficult it is to mix the particles. To enhance the fluid disturbance effect, the lifting height should be set larger. The better the redispersibility, the easier it is to redistribute the particles. The lifting height can be appropriately set smaller to improve efficiency and save energy.

[0089] For example, viscosity directly affects the fluidity of the liquid and the difficulty of particle mixing. The higher the viscosity of the magnetorheological fluid, the greater the flow resistance, the more difficult the particle mixing, and the lifting height should be set larger to enhance the impact of the piston; while the lower the viscosity, the better the fluidity, the easier the particles are to redistribute, and the lifting height can be set smaller.

[0090] For example, the particle density determines its settling speed and mixing difficulty. The higher the particle density, the faster the settling speed, the stronger the fluid disturbance required for mixing, and the lifting height should be set larger; the lower the particle density, the slower the settling, the smaller the disturbance required for mixing, and the lifting height can be set smaller.

[0091] For example, when the redispersibility of the magnetorheological fluid is poor, the particle density is high, and the viscosity is large, these characteristics can be comprehensively considered and the lifting height can be set larger to enhance the impact force of the piston movement and the liquid disturbance range to ensure that the particles are fully mixed; conversely, if the magnetorheological fluid has good redispersibility, low particle density and moderate viscosity, the lifting height can be appropriately reduced to reduce energy consumption and equipment wear while meeting the mixing requirements.

[0092] For example, different characteristics may not have the same impact on the lifting height, so the vehicle can also be set comprehensively by weight: for the redispersibility, viscosity, and particle density of the magnetorheological fluid, first assign a weight value to each characteristic, and the weight can be adjusted according to its importance to the mixing effect. Redispersibility may have a higher weight because it directly affects the ease of remixing of particles; viscosity and particle density are weighted separately according to the actual application scenario. Finally, the optimal value of the lifting height is calculated by combining various characteristics and their weights, while achieving precise control and taking into account mixing efficiency and energy consumption.

[0093] In this embodiment, the vehicle determines the lifting height of the air suspension through the characteristics of the magnetorheological fluid, which can ensure that the piston has a sufficient stroke under the drive of the air suspension, thereby effectively mixing the magnetorheological fluid. The specific method for determining the lifting height can be based on a single characteristic of the magnetorheological fluid (such as redispersibility, viscosity, particle density, etc.), or it can be determined by comprehensively considering multiple characteristics of the magnetorheological fluid. The specific method is not limited in this embodiment and can be adjusted according to actual needs. In short, by accurately adjusting the lifting height, the vehicle can make full use of the movement amplitude of the air suspension and make the piston play its full role, thereby ensuring that the magnetorheological fluid is evenly mixed and optimizing the performance of the magnetorheological shock absorber.

[0094] In some embodiments, the vehicle can control the lifting of the air suspension based on a predetermined lifting height and target number to fully mix the magnetorheological fluid, while ensuring the safety of the user and the user's advance notice:

[0095] Step E1: Initialize the current lifting times of the vehicle to zero, and determine the first lifting operation based on the current height of the air suspension and the preset lifting height.

[0096] Step E2: During the first lifting operation, if the current height reaches the first lifting height corresponding to the first lifting operation, the vehicle updates the current number of lifts.

[0097] Step E3: the vehicle performs a second lifting operation opposite to the first lifting operation. If the current height reaches the second lifting height corresponding to the second lifting operation, the current lifting times are updated.

[0098] Step E4: The vehicle updates the second lifting operation to the first lifting operation, and returns to execute steps E3 and E4 until the current number of lifting times is equal to the target number.

[0099] After the vehicle is started, the current lifting times are set to zero, and the first lifting operation to be performed is determined based on the current height of the air suspension and the preset lifting height. The first lifting operation may include a lifting operation and a lowering operation.

[0100] During the lifting process, when the current height reaches the first lifting height corresponding to the first lifting operation, the vehicle updates the number of lifts. Subsequently, the vehicle performs a second lifting operation in the opposite direction of the first lifting operation, and when it reaches the second lifting height of the second lifting operation, the number of lifts is updated again. Then, the vehicle updates the second lifting operation as the new first lifting operation, and repeats the process until the accumulated number of lifts reaches the target number of lifts, thereby completing the mixed operation.

[0101] In some embodiments, when the preset lifting height includes a maximum height and a minimum height, the vehicle will determine the direction of the first lifting operation according to the current height. If the current height is higher than the minimum height, the first lifting operation is a descending operation, and the goal is to descend to the minimum height, that is, the corresponding first lifting height is the minimum height; if the current height is equal to the minimum height, the first lifting operation is an ascending operation, and the goal is to reach the maximum height, that is, the corresponding first lifting height is the maximum height.

[0102] In some embodiments, see Figure 4 , Figure 4 A schematic flow chart of another vehicle suspension control method is shown, in which the vehicle will perform the following steps:

[0103] Step 410: Obtain the last start time and the current start time of the vehicle.

[0104] Step 420: Calculate the time interval D based on the next startup time and the current startup time.

[0105] Step 430: Determine whether D is greater than or equal to the interval threshold D00.

[0106] Step 440: When D is greater than or equal to the interval threshold D00, determine a target time interval range corresponding to D from a preset time interval range.

[0107] If D is greater than or equal to the interval threshold D00, it means that the vehicle has been left unused for a long time and the risk of the magnetorheological fluid settling is high. In this case, it is necessary to mix the magnetorheological fluid. The target time interval range corresponding to D can be determined first, so as to determine the target number of D based on step 450, in preparation for controlling the lifting and lowering of the air suspension.

[0108] If D is less than the interval threshold D00, it means that the vehicle is placed for a short time, the risk of magnetorheological fluid sedimentation is low, there is no need to mix the magnetorheological fluid, and the process can be ended.

[0109] Step 450: Determine the number of lifts and drops corresponding to the target time interval as the target number of D.

[0110] Step 460: Determine whether all doors of the vehicle are closed.

[0111] If the doors are all closed, it means that the user has no need to enter or exit the vehicle, and the magnetorheological fluid can be mixed while ensuring the safety of the user. However, if some or all of the doors are not closed, the process can return to continuous monitoring until all doors are closed and then execute step 470.

[0112] Step 470: Send a confirmation request to the vehicle computer to perform a lifting operation on the air suspension.

[0113] In order to ensure the user experience, the raising and lowering operations of the air suspension require the user's permission. Therefore, the vehicle can send a confirmation request to the vehicle computer to perform the raising and lowering operations of the air suspension.

[0114] Step 480: Determine whether a confirmation response returned by the vehicle computer based on the confirmation request is received.

[0115] If the user is based on a confirmation request, the user can confirm the authorization or reject the authorization through the vehicle computer. Therefore, if the vehicle receives a confirmation response returned by the vehicle computer according to the confirmation request, it means that the user has confirmed the authorization, and the vehicle can execute step 490. If the vehicle receives a rejection response from the vehicle computer according to the confirmation request, it means that the user rejects the authorization, and the process can be ended.

[0116] Step 490: Control the air suspension to perform a lifting operation based on a preset lifting height to drive the piston in the magnetorheological shock absorber to move until the number of lifting times of the air suspension reaches a target number.

[0117] On the premise of ensuring user safety and user authorization, the vehicle can control the rise and fall of the air suspension according to the pre-set preset height until the air suspension is raised and lowered to the target number of times, so that the piston can move fully, promote uniform mixing of the magnetorheological fluid, and restore its damping adjustment performance, thereby ensuring the comfort and safety of the vehicle.

[0118] In some embodiments, see Figure 5 , Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a process of controlling the air suspension of a vehicle to perform lifting operations based on a preset lifting height is shown.

[0119] The vehicle first initializes the current lift times T = 0 and the target times T i , maximum height H max , and the minimum height H min Next, the current height H of the air suspension is determined to be equal to H min , determine the direction of the first lifting operation. If H = H min , the vehicle controls the air suspension to perform the rising operation, and when the height reaches H max , add 1 to the current number of ascents and descents T, and determine again whether the current height H is equal to H min To determine the next lifting operation. If the first lifting operation is lifting, the air suspension will operate in a cycle of "lift-lower-lift-lower..."

[0120] On the contrary, if H>H min The vehicle controls the air suspension to perform the descending operation until the height drops to H min , and updates the current lifting times. Subsequently, the vehicle alternately performs lifting operations in the opposite direction of the previous operation, that is, a cycle of "down-up-down-up..."

[0121] Regardless of the cycle mode, the current number of lifts T reaches the target number T. i Through the control method, the lifting and lowering movement of the air suspension can drive the piston of the magnetorheological shock absorber to fully mix the magnetorheological fluid, thereby improving the performance of the magnetorheological shock absorber while ensuring the stability and efficiency of the operation.

[0122] It should be understood that the size of the serial numbers of the steps in the above embodiments does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0123] The vehicle suspension control method corresponding to the above embodiment, Figure 6 A structural block diagram of a vehicle suspension control device 6 provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown. For ease of explanation, only the parts related to the embodiment of the present application are shown.

[0124] Reference Figure 6 , the vehicle suspension control device 6 comprises:

[0125] The lifting module 61 is used to control the lifting device to perform a lifting operation based on a preset lifting height when the time interval between the last start of the vehicle and the current start is greater than a preset interval threshold, so as to drive the piston in the magnetorheological shock absorber to move until the lifting times of the lifting device reach the target times.

[0126] Optionally, the control device 6 may include:

[0127] A first determination module is used to determine whether the vehicle doors are all closed before controlling the lifting device to perform a lifting operation based on a preset lifting height; if the vehicle doors are all closed, send a confirmation request for performing the lifting operation to a designated device;

[0128] Accordingly, after receiving the confirmation response returned by the designated device based on the confirmation request, the execution of the lifting module 61 is triggered.

[0129] Optionally, the control device 6 may include:

[0130] A second determination module is used to determine whether the magnetorheological damper is in a powered-on state before controlling the lifting device to perform a lifting operation based on a preset lifting height; if the magnetorheological damper is in a powered-on state, cut off the power connection of the magnetorheological damper;

[0131] Accordingly, when the magnetorheological damper is in a non-powered state, the execution of the lifting module 61 is triggered.

[0132] Optionally, different time interval ranges correspond to different lifting times, and the control device 6 may include:

[0133] A third determining module is used to determine a target time interval range from each time interval range according to the time interval before controlling the lifting device to perform a lifting operation based on a preset lifting height; the target time interval is the time interval range to which the time interval belongs;

[0134] The number of lifts and drops corresponding to the target time interval range is determined as the target number of lifts and drops.

[0135] Optionally, the lifting height is determined based on the properties of magnetorheological fluid in the magnetorheological damper.

[0136] Optionally, the lifting module 61 includes:

[0137] An initialization unit, used to initialize the current lifting times to zero, and determine the first lifting operation based on the current height of the lifting device and the preset lifting height;

[0138] A first lifting unit is used to update the current lifting times if the current height reaches the first lifting height corresponding to the first lifting operation during the execution of the first lifting operation;

[0139] A second lifting unit is used to perform a second lifting operation opposite to the first lifting operation, and if the current height reaches a second lifting height corresponding to the second lifting operation, the current lifting times are updated;

[0140] The loop unit is used to update the second lifting operation to the first lifting operation and trigger the execution of the second lifting unit until the current number of lifting times is equal to the target number.

[0141] Optionally, the preset lifting height includes a maximum height and a minimum height; and the initialization unit is specifically used for:

[0142] If the current height is greater than the minimum height, the first lifting operation is a descending operation; the first lifting height is the minimum height;

[0143] If the current height is equal to the minimum height, the first lifting operation is an ascending operation; the first lifting height is the maximum height.

[0144] It should be noted that the information interaction and execution process between the above-mentioned devices / units are based on the same concept as the method embodiment of the present application. Their specific functions and technical effects can be found in the method embodiment part and will not be repeated here.

[0145] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the physical structure of a vehicle provided in one embodiment of the present application. Figure 7 As shown, the vehicle 7 of this embodiment includes: at least one processor 70 ( Figure 7 Only one processor is shown in the figure), a memory 71, and a computer program 72 stored in the memory 71 and executable on at least one processor 70. When the processor 70 executes the computer program 72, the steps of any of the above-mentioned vehicle suspension control method embodiments are implemented, such as Figure 3 Step 310 is shown.

[0146] The processor 70 may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0147] In some embodiments, the memory 71 may be an internal storage unit of the vehicle 7, such as a hard disk or memory of the vehicle 7. In other embodiments, the memory 71 may also be an external storage device of the vehicle 7, such as a plug-in hard disk, a smart media card (SMC), a secure digital (SD) card, a flash card, etc., equipped on the vehicle 7.

[0148] Furthermore, the memory 71 may also include both an internal storage unit and an external storage device of the vehicle 7. The memory 71 is used to store operating devices, applications, boot loaders, data, and other programs, such as program codes of computer programs, etc. The memory 71 may also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or is to be output.

[0149] The technicians in the relevant field can clearly understand that for the convenience and simplicity of description, only the division of the above-mentioned functional units and modules is used as an example for illustration. In practical applications, the above-mentioned function allocation can be completed by different functional units and modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the above-mentioned device can be divided into different functional units or modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. The functional units and modules in the embodiment can be integrated in a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units. In addition, the specific names of the functional units and modules are only for the convenience of distinguishing each other, and are not used to limit the scope of protection of this application. The specific working process of the units and modules in the above-mentioned system can refer to the corresponding process in the aforementioned method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0150] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps in the above-mentioned method embodiments can be implemented.

[0151] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product. When the computer program product is run on a vehicle, the vehicle can implement the steps in the above-mentioned method embodiments when the computer program product is executed.

[0152] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the present application implements all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiment method, which can be completed by instructing the relevant hardware through a computer program. The above-mentioned computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and the computer program can implement the steps of the above-mentioned various method embodiments when executed by the processor. Among them, the above-mentioned computer program includes computer program code, and the above-mentioned computer program code can be in source code form, object code form, executable file or some intermediate form. The above-mentioned computer-readable medium may at least include: any entity or device that can carry the computer program code to the camera / electronic device, recording medium, computer memory, read-only memory (ROM, Read-Only Memory), random access memory (RAM, Random Access Memory), electrical carrier signal, telecommunication signal and software distribution medium. For example, a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a disk or an optical disk.

[0153] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own emphasis. For parts that are not described or recorded in detail in a certain embodiment, reference can be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0154] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0155] In the embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices / network equipment and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device / network equipment embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the above modules or units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0156] The units described above as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0157] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. These modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and should all be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a vehicle suspension, characterized in that: The vehicle includes a lifting device and a magnetorheological damper, wherein the lifting device is used to drive the piston movement of the magnetorheological damper, and the control method includes: When the time interval between the last start of the vehicle and this start is greater than a preset interval threshold, the lifting device is controlled to perform a lifting operation based on a preset lifting height to drive the piston in the magnetorheological shock absorber to move until the lifting times of the lifting device reach a target time.

2. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Before controlling the lifting device to perform the lifting operation based on the preset lifting height, the method further includes: determining whether all doors of the vehicle are closed; When the vehicle doors are all closed, sending a confirmation request for performing a lifting operation to a designated device; Accordingly, the step of controlling the lifting device to perform a lifting operation based on a preset lifting height includes: After receiving a confirmation response returned by the designated device based on the confirmation request, the lifting device is controlled to perform a lifting operation based on the preset lifting height.

3. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Before controlling the lifting device to perform the lifting operation based on the preset lifting height, the method further includes: determining whether the magnetorheological damper is in a powered state; When the magnetorheological damper is in a powered-on state, cutting off the power connection of the magnetorheological damper; Accordingly, the step of controlling the lifting device to perform a lifting operation based on a preset lifting height includes: When the magnetorheological damper is in a non-powered state, the lifting device is controlled to perform a lifting operation based on the preset lifting height.

4. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Different time interval ranges correspond to different lifting times. Before controlling the lifting device to perform the lifting operation based on the preset lifting height, the method further includes: Determine a target time interval range from each of the time interval ranges according to the time interval; the target time interval is the time interval range to which the time interval belongs; The number of lifts and drops corresponding to the target time interval range is determined as the target number of lifts and drops.

5. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lifting height is determined based on the property of the magnetorheological fluid in the magnetorheological damper.

6. The control method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The step of controlling the lifting device to perform a lifting operation based on a preset lifting height to drive the piston in the magnetorheological shock absorber to move until the lifting times of the lifting device reaches a target number of times includes: Initializing the current lifting times to zero, and determining the first lifting operation based on the current height of the lifting device and the preset lifting height; During the execution of the first lifting operation, if the current height reaches the first lifting height corresponding to the first lifting operation, updating the current lifting times; Performing a secondary lifting operation opposite to the first lifting operation, and if the current height reaches a second lifting height corresponding to the secondary lifting operation, updating the current number of lifts; The secondary lifting operation is updated to the first lifting operation, and the step of performing the secondary lifting operation opposite to the first lifting operation and subsequent steps thereof are returned to execute until the current number of lifting times is equal to the target number of times.

7. The control method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The preset lifting height includes a maximum height and a minimum height, and the determining of the first lifting operation based on the current height of the lifting device and the preset lifting height includes: If the current height is greater than the minimum height, the first lifting operation is a descending operation; the first lifting height is the minimum height; If the current height is equal to the minimum height, the first lifting operation is an ascending operation; and the first lifting height is the maximum height.

8. A vehicle suspension control device, characterized in that: The vehicle comprises a lifting device and a magnetorheological damper, wherein the lifting device is used to drive the piston movement of the magnetorheological damper, and the control device comprises: The lifting module is used to control the lifting device to perform a lifting operation based on a preset lifting height when the time interval between the last start of the vehicle and the current start is greater than a preset interval threshold, so as to drive the piston in the magnetorheological shock absorber to move until the lifting times of the lifting device reach a target number.

9. A vehicle comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, characterized in that: When the processor executes the computer program, the method for controlling the vehicle suspension according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is implemented.

10. A computer program product, wherein the computer program product stores a computer program, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the vehicle suspension control method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is implemented.

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