INSTANT DISTINGUISHING OF SUSPENSION MODE

Abstract

Method (400) comprising: Generating (404) an instruction to change a first vehicle setting to a second vehicle setting, the first vehicle setting comprising a first parameter value and the second vehicle setting comprising a second parameter value, the instruction being generated in response to a user selecting to change a driving mode to a sport mode; in response to the instruction: Applying (406) an increased change to a vehicle parameter during an initial period (306); and Reducing (408) the increased change during the initial period (306) to apply the second parameter value during a subsequent period (308); and in response to the user selecting Sport mode again: Reapply (406) the increased change to the vehicle parameter to confirm that the driving mode has changed to Sport mode.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONSThis application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 433,367, filed Dec. 16, 2022, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.INTRODUCTIONThe present disclosure aims to give a perceptible change to the user of a vehicle when an operating state of the vehicle is modified.DE 10 2008 053 004 A1 relates to a method for generating signals for influencing the movement of a vehicle body of a motor vehicle which can be controlled or regulated in its movement sequences, wherein the movement of the vehicle body is determined by sensor means, the sensor signals corresponding to the determined sensor values are fed to a damper regulator and the damper regulator supplies at least one control signal for actuating actuators by means of which the movement of the vehicle body can be influenced. An operating state characteristic curve assigns a value between 0 and 100 to each prevailing driver request. When switching from a comfort mode to a sport mode, the value is controlled from 20 to 90 and then slowly back to 80.SUMMARYProceeding from the prior art, the object of the invention is to improve the operability of motor vehicles.This object is achieved according to the invention by the method according to the main claim and by the vehicle system and computer-readable medium having the features of the dependent claims.Advantageous embodiments are the subject matter of the dependent claims.The present disclosure relates to systems and methods that provide the user with an immediately perceptible modification of vehicle modes, and more particularly to systems and methods that apply an increased change to a vehicle parameter in response to an instruction to change a first vehicle setting to a second vehicle setting. In some embodiments, a vehicle includes an option to modify suspension modes between a reduced damping option and an increased damping option (e.g., a nominal suspension setting and a sport suspension setting corresponding to a stiffer operating state for the suspension). A user may select an option or provide input to change from a first vehicle setting to the second vehicle setting (e.g., from the nominal suspension setting to the sporting suspension setting). An instruction to change the first vehicle setting to the set vehicle setting is generated. The first vehicle setting includes a first parameter value and the second vehicle setting includes a second parameter value (e.g., the first parameter value may correspond to a nominal or base current provided to a magnet in a damper for nominal suspension responses, and the second parameter value may correspond to an increased current provided to the magnet in the damper to allow the user of the vehicle to perceive a change in suspension settings). In response to the instruction, the increased change is applied to the first vehicle parameter during an initial period of time. The increased change is reduced to apply the second parameter value during a subsequent time period.In some embodiments, the instruction is generated in response to a user's decision to change a driving mode to a sports mode. For example, the sport mode may result in a modification of one or more of a steering feel setting, a suspension damper setting, a brake pedal sensitivity, and an accelerator pedal sensitivity.In some embodiments, the first and second vehicle settings include damper stiffness settings. The second vehicle setting corresponds to a higher damper stiffness than the first vehicle setting. The first and second parameter values may each correspond to a base current for an active damper. The active damper may comprise a magnetically controlled damper. Additionally or alternatively, the damper may include any components configured to modify operation in response to control signals providing different inputs to control the operational state of the damper. In some embodiments, a dynamic current is determined for the active damper. The higher of the base current and the active current is selected and supplied to the active damper.In some embodiments, the initial time period is less than 10 seconds. The increased change may be 25 to 300 percent greater than a difference between the first vehicle setting and the second vehicle setting.In some embodiments, the disclosure is directed to a vehicle system comprising a vehicle module configured to modify operation of a vehicle based on vehicle settings comprising parameters and processing circuitry communicatively coupled to the vehicle module, the processing circuitry configured to perform various embodiments of the method described herein.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURESThe present disclosure will be described in detail according to one or more different embodiments with reference to the following figures. The drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are merely representative or exemplary embodiments. These drawings are provided to facilitate understanding of the concepts disclosed herein, and should not be taken as limiting the breadth, scope, or applicability of these concepts. It should be noted that these drawings are not necessarily to scale for clarity and for ease of illustration. FIG. 1 is a top view of a vehicle system configured to modify operating conditions of various systems and assemblies, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure; FIG. 2A is an angled view of a spring and damper assembly coupled to a wheel and tire assembly, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure; FIG. 2B is an angled view of an integrated spring and damper assembly coupled to a wheel and tire assembly, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure; FIG. 2C is an integrated dual spring and dual damper assembly in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure; FIG. 2D is an angled view of an external reservoir spring and damper assembly coupled to a wheel and tire assembly, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure; FIG. 3 shows a series of example plots characterizing how the values of the vehicle parameters change during an initial period and a subsequent period, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure; FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method for changing a first vehicle setting to a second vehicle setting according to some embodiments of the disclosure; and FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example vehicle system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONThe present disclosure relates to systems and methods that provide the user with an immediately perceptible modification of vehicle modes, and more particularly to systems and methods that apply an increased change to a vehicle parameter in response to an instruction to change a first vehicle setting to a second vehicle setting.In the examples herein, a suspension mode discrimination is made perceptible to the user based on a modification of the current supplied to a magnet controlling a damper assembly. However, examples herein may be applied without limitation to other modules, devices, systems, and assemblies within a vehicle where the parameters may be modified to produce a user perceptible change after selecting different modes. Example systems and methods herein may also be directed to adjusting the steering feel, pedal sensitivity, and various vehicle suspension response rates to road conditions, merely as examples.The methods and / or any instructions for performing any of the embodiments discussed herein may be encoded on a computer readable medium. A computer readable medium includes any medium capable of storing data. The computer readable media may be transitory, including but not limited to the transmission of electrical or electromagnetic signals, or may be non-transitory, including but not limited to volatile and non-volatile computer memory or storage devices such as hard disks, floppy disks, USB drives, CDs, memory cards, register memories, processor caches, random access memory (RAM), etc.FIG. 1 is a top view of the vehicle system 100 configured to modify operating conditions or vehicle modes based on input, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. The vehicle system 100 may include, in whole or in part, the various assemblies and elements illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2D and 5. The vehicle system 100 may include one or more of the plots of FIG. 3 as a control signal for modifying a vehicle system.Use vehicle operating state or mode. The vehicle system 100 may be configured to perform one or more of the steps illustrated in FIG. 4.The vehicle system 100 is comprised of front vehicle corners 102A and 102B, and rear vehicle corners 104A and 104B. The front vehicle corner 102A is comprised of the front wheel / tire assembly 106A and the front spring / damper assembly 108A. The front vehicle corner 102B is comprised of the front wheel / tire assembly 106B and the front spring / damper assembly 108B. The front wheel / tire assembly 106A and the front wheel / tire assembly 106B are coupled to the front spring / damper assembly 108A and the front spring / damper assembly 108B, respectively, via one or more of a bushing, linkage, joint, or fastener. The front spring / damper assemblies 108A and 108B are configured to independently control one or more of a rate or magnitude of impact and rebound movements along a plurality of axes of movement of each of the front wheel / tire assemblies 106A and 106B. For example, a spring member (e.g., one or more of a strut or a shock absorber) of each of the front spring-damper assemblies 108A and 108B may be configured such that a vehicle suspension coupled to the front wheel / tire assemblies 106A and 106B returns to a ride height after the spring member is compressed. In another example, a damper element (e.g., one or more of a solenoid controlled damper assembly or a hydraulic damper) of each of the front spring / damper assemblies 108A and 108B may be configured to reduce the impact and rebound velocity of one or more suspension components coupled together at or about the front vehicle corners 102A and 102B. Each of the front wheel / tire assemblies 106A and 106B is coupled to the steering system 110 by one or more linkages, joints, or bushings. The steering system 110 includes a linkage for translating vehicle user steering wheel inputs into road wheel angles corresponding to the orientations of the front wheel / tire assemblies 106A and 106B. Each of the front spring / damper assemblies 108A and 108B, as well as the steering system 110, are communicatively coupled to the processing circuitry 116. Processing circuitry 116 is also communicatively coupled to one or more of brake pedal control assembly 114 and accelerator pedal control assembly 112.The rear vehicle corner 104A is comprised of the rear wheel / tire assembly 118A and the rear spring / damper assembly 120A. The rear vehicle corner 104B is comprised of the rear wheel / tire assembly 118B and the rear spring / damper assembly 120B. The rear wheel / tire assembly 118A and the rear wheel / tire assembly 118B are coupled to the rear spring / damper assembly 120A and the rear spring / damper assembly 120B, respectively, via one or more of a bushing, linkage, joint, or fastener. The rear spring / damper assemblies 120A and 120B are configured to independently control one or more of a speed or magnitude of impact and rebound movements along a plurality of axes of movement of each of the rear wheel / tire assemblies 118A and 118B. For example, a spring member (e.g., one or more of a strut or a shock absorber) of each of the rear spring / damper assemblies 120A and 120B may be configured such that a vehicle suspension coupled to the rear wheel / tire assemblies 118A and 118B returns to a ride height after the spring member is compressed. In another example, a damper element (e.g., one or more of a solenoid controlled damper assembly or a hydraulic damper) of each of the rear spring / damper assemblies 120A and 120B may be configured to reduce the impact and rebound velocity of one or more suspension components coupled together at or about the rear vehicle corners 104A and 104B.Each of the rear wheel / tire assemblies 106A and 106B is coupled to the differential assembly 122 by one or more linkages, joints, or bushings. In some embodiments, the differential assembly 122 may be connected to a second steering system for each of the rear wheel / tire assemblies 118A and 118B. The differential assembly 122 is configured to control the rotational movement of the rear wheel / tire assemblies 118A and 188B. The differential assembly 122 is not required for all vehicle assemblies. For example, certain vehicle assemblies may rely on independent actuation of a front pair and a rear pair such that each pair or wheel is controlled by a dedicated engine. Different driving or vehicle modes may result in different control levels for each engine and thus also for each wheel. In some embodiments, the differential assembly 122 may be configured to independently control the movement of the rear wheel / tire assemblies 118A and 118B. Each of the rear spring / damper assemblies 120A and 120B and the differential assembly 122 are communicatively coupled to the processing circuitry 116.Processing circuitry 116 is shown in FIG. 1 as a central vehicle processing unit. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 116 may be incorporated into one or more vehicle modules (e.g., a module corresponding to one or more of front spring / damper assemblies 108A and 108B, rear spring / damper assemblies 120A and 120B, steering system 110, accelerator pedal control assembly 112, brake pedal control assembly 114, or differential assembly 122). Processing circuitry 116 is configured to process and execute instructions corresponding to a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable instructions to monitor, control, and modify various vehicle modes or vehicle operating conditions. Processing circuitry 116 may also correspond to a vehicle communication network in which various control algorithms for various systems and devices throughout the vehicle are enabled to control the movement of the vehicle and other operating conditions. As shown in FIG. 1, the user interface 124 provides a means for a user to provide direct inputs to the processing circuitry 116. For example, a user may interact with the user interface 124 to change a driving mode (e.g., to change from the "nominal driving mode" to the "sporting driving mode"). Each of the driving modes illustrated in FIG. 1 corresponds to different control settings for one or more of the front spring / damper assemblies 108A and 108B, the steering system 110, the brake pedal control assembly 114, the accelerator pedal control assembly 112, or the rear spring / damper assemblies 120A and 120B. For example, "nominal driving mode" may be preferred in occupation traffic and corresponds to a vehicle mode with increased driver comfort while the feedback from the road decreases. The "sport driving mode" may be preferred for race track trips or longer highway trips to increase the feedback from the road while also increasing the responsiveness of the various components of the vehicle system 100. The "off-road driving mode" may be used for off-road or irregular or missing pavement roads. The "slippery road driving mode" may be used when rain, snow, or ice is prevalent on the road, and may improve driver control over each of the front vehicle corners 102A and 102B and the rear vehicle corners 104A and 104B.In one example, a change from the "nominal drive mode" to the "sport drive mode" may increase the damping rate of one or more of the front spring / damper assemblies 108A and 108B or the rear spring / damper assemblies 120A and 120B. Additionally, the sensitivity of the brake pedal control assembly 114 and the accelerator pedal control assembly 112 may be increased while the steering system 110 increases the effort of the driver to modify the road angles of the front wheel / tire assemblies 106A and 106B. In some embodiments, the differential assembly 122 may have an operating state modified to engage or disengage one or more of the front wheel / tire assemblies 106A and 106B or the rear wheel / tire assemblies 118A and 118B.The vehicle system 100 is configured to perform one or more steps of the method 400 of FIG. 4. For example, a user may provide input via the user interface 124 that results in the processing circuitry 116 generating an instruction to change a first vehicle setting to a second vehicle setting in one or more of the front spring / damper assemblies 108A and 108B or the rear spring / damper assemblies 120A and 120B. Each or all of the assemblies may have states that are modified independently or simultaneously. The instructions that effect the change in vehicle settings (e.g., by requesting a change in vehicle mode or operating state via the user interface 124) may include instructions to modify one or more parameter values. For example, one or more of the front spring / damper assemblies 108A and 108B or the rear spring / damper assemblies 120A and 120B may have a modified operating state based on the amount of current provided to each respective assembly. A base current amount supplied to the assemblies during the "nominal drive mode" may be about 0.4 amps per vehicle corner, while the base current amount supplied during the "sport drive mode" may be about 0.6 amps. Depending on the damping required for each vehicle corner (e.g., due to driving conditions), up to 1.6 amps may be supplied to each vehicle corner to improve drivability for the user, depending on the dampers actually installed (e.g., some dampers may require more than 1.6 amps or may be capable of handling more than 1.6 amps), as well as the actual road feedback experienced by the vehicle system 100 (e.g., more current may be supplied for the response to bump events than for driving over a ground threshold). FIG. 3 provides detailed examples of how parameters (e.g., current) may be modified in response to a change in vehicle mode based on user input. The change in parameters results in different settings of damper stiffness, which are illustrated in the diagrams of FIG. 3.In some embodiments, the increased change may not be immediately or sufficiently experienced by the user of the vehicle system 100. As a result, the user may provide repeated input indicating a second selection of the same driving mode (e.g., by providing subsequent input to the user interface 124 that selects a driving mode to which the vehicle system 100 has already changed). For example, the user may be started in the "nominal driving mode" and selected the "sport driving mode", resulting in the increased change being applied to one or more components of the vehicle system 100. The user may expect a certain amount of feedback from the vehicle system 100, and may not feel the expected amount of feedback due to one or more of driving conditions, currently executing maneuvers, or various road feedbacks of the vehicle 100. To confirm that the vehicle system 100 has changed to the "sport driving mode", the user may reselect the "sport driving mode" option via the user interface 124. Although this selection does not result in a change in a driving mode and instead serves as a confirmation to the user that the vehicle system 100 has changed to a new current driving mode, the increased change is re-applied to give the user a second chance to perceive the feedback that the vehicle is in the "sport driving mode.". The increased change may be scaled based on a new base value or a previous base level of the parameters. The increased change may be applied in response to any number of selections of a driving mode, whether it requires a change in the driving mode or just an acknowledgement that the vehicle system 100 is in a current driving mode.FIG. 2A illustrates a spring / damper assembly 200A in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The spring / damper assembly 200A may include, in whole or in part, the various assemblies and elements illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2B-2D, and 5. In the spring / damper assembly 200A, the operating conditions may be modified based on a control signal corresponding to one or more of the plots of FIG. 3 in response to an instruction to modify a vehicle operating state or mode. The spring / damper assembly 200A may be configured to perform one or more of the steps illustrated in FIG. 4 in response to instructions received from the processing circuitry (e.g., the processing circuitry 116 of FIG. 1 ). The spring / damper assembly 200A may be used in whole or in part as an element of one or more of the front spring / damper assemblies 108A and 108B or the rear spring / damper assemblies 120A and 120B of FIG. 1.The spring / damper assembly 200A is comprised of the coil spring 202 and the damper 204. Both the coil spring 202 and the damper 204 are coupled to the wheel / tire assembly 206. The coil spring 202 is configured to return the wheel / tire assembly 206 to a nominal ride height after one or more impact or rebound events. The damper 204 is configured to reduce the rate at which the wheel / tire assembly accelerates along one or more axles in response to a shock event or a rebound event. As shown in FIG. 2A, the coil spring 202 and the damper 204 are separately disposed along the linkage 208. One or more of the coil spring 202 and the damper 204 may include modifiable parameters that are controlled based on instructions generated by the processing circuitry 116 of FIG. 1 (e.g., one or more of the provided current strengths, spring rates, or damping rates in one or more of the coil spring 202 and the damper 204 may be modified in response to an instruction to change a vehicle mode).FIG. 2B illustrates a spring / damper assembly 200B in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The spring / damper assembly 200B may include, in whole or in part, the various assemblies and elements shown in FIGS. 1, 2A, 2C, 2D, and 5. In the spring / damper assembly 200B, the operating conditions may be modified based on a control signal corresponding to one or more of the plots of FIG. 3 in response to an instruction to modify a vehicle operating state or mode. The spring / damper assembly 200A may be configured to perform one or more of the steps illustrated in FIG. 4 in response to instructions received from the processing circuitry (e.g., the processing circuitry 116 of FIG. 1 ). The spring / damper assembly 200B may be used in whole or in part as an element of one or more of the front spring / damper assemblies 108A and 108B or the rear spring / damper assemblies 120A and 120B of FIG. 1.The spring / damper assembly 200B is comprised of the concentric coil spring 210 and the damper 212. Both the concentric coil spring 210 and the damper 212 are coupled to the wheel / tire assembly 206 at the suspension joint 214. The concentric coil spring 210 is configured to return the wheel / tire assembly to a nominal ride height after one or more impact or rebound events. The damper 210 is configured to reduce the rate at which the wheel / tire assembly 206 accelerates along one or more axles in response to a shock event or a rebound event. As shown in FIG. 2B, the coil spring 202 and the damper 204 are coupled to the wheel / tire assembly 206 at a converging connection shared with the lower control arm 216. The converging connection may be a portion of a knuckle or other suspension portion configured to connect various aspects of a vehicle assembly to the wheel / tire assembly 206. One or more of the concentric coil spring 210 and the damper 212 may include modifiable parameters that are controlled based on instructions generated by the processing circuitry 116 of FIG. 1 (e.g., one or more of the provided amperages, spring rates, or damping rates in one or more of the concentric coil spring 210 and the damper 212 may be modified in response to an instruction to change a vehicle mode).FIG. 2C illustrates a dual spring / dual damper assembly 200C in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. The dual spring / damper assembly 200C may include, in whole or in part, the various assemblies and elements shown in FIGS. 1, 2A, 2B, 2D, and 5. In the dual spring / damper assembly 200C, operating conditions may be modified based on a control signal corresponding to one or more of the plots of FIG. 3 in response to an instruction to modify a vehicle operating state or mode. The dual spring / damper assembly 200C may be configured to execute one or more of the steps illustrated in FIG. 4 in response to instructions received from the processing circuitry (e.g., the processing circuitry 116 of FIG. 1 ). The dual spring / damper assembly 200C may be used in whole or in part as a member of one or more of the front spring / damper assemblies 108A and 108B or the rear spring / damper assemblies 120A and 120B of FIG. 1.The dual spring / damper assembly 200C is comprised of a pair of concentric coil springs 218A and 218B arranged to cooperate with the dampers 220A and 220B, respectively. The dual spring / damper assembly 200C may be coupled to the wheel / tire assembly 206 via a knuckle or other suspension portion configured to connect various aspects of a vehicle assembly to the wheel / tire assembly 206 at the coupling joint 222. Both concentric coil springs 218A and 281B are configured to return the wheel / tire assembly to a nominal ride height after one or more impact or rebound events by providing a stabilizing restoring force along different axes depending on an installation position in a vehicle corner. For example, one of the coil springs 218A and 281B may stabilize movement along a horizontal axis while the other may stabilize movement along a vertical axis. Dampers 220A and 200B are configured to reduce the rate at which a wheel / tire assembly coupled to coupling joint 222 accelerates along one or more axles in response to a shock event or a rebound event. One or more of the concentric coil springs 218A and 218B or the dampers 220A and 220B may have modifiable parameters that are controlled based on instructions generated by the processing circuitry 116 of FIG. 1 (e.g., one or more of the provided current strengths, spring rates, or damping rates in one or more of the concentric coil springs 218A and 218B or the dampers 220A and 220B may be modified in response to an instruction to change a vehicle mode).FIG. 2D illustrates the external reservoir spring / damper assembly 200D, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. The external reservoir spring / damper assembly 200D may include, in whole or in part, the various assemblies and elements illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2A-2C, and 5. In the external reservoir spring / damper assembly 200D, the operating conditions may be modified based on a control signal corresponding to one or more of the plots of FIG. 3 in response to an instruction to modify a vehicle operating state or mode. The external reservoir spring / damper assembly 200D may be configured to execute one or more of the steps illustrated in FIG. 4 in response to instructions received from the processing circuitry (e.g., the processing circuitry 116 of FIG. 1 ). The external reservoir spring / damper assembly 200D may be used in whole or in part as a member of one or more of the front spring / damper assemblies 108A and 108B or the rear spring / damper assemblies 120A and 120B of FIG. 1.The external reservoir spring / damper assembly 200D is comprised of the concentric coil spring 224 and the external reservoir damper 226. The external reservoir spring / damper assembly 200D is coupled to the wheel / tire assembly 206 via the knuckle 228. In some embodiments, another suspension portion or element is configured to connect various aspects of a vehicle assembly to the wheel / tire assembly 206. The concentric coil spring 224 is configured to return the wheel / tire assembly to a nominal ride height after one or more impact or rebound events by providing a stabilizing restoring force along different axes depending on an installation orientation in a vehicle corner. The external reservoir damper 226 is configured to reduce the rate at which the wheel / tire assembly 206 accelerates along one or more axles in response to a shock event or a rebound event. One or more of the concentric coil spring 224 or the external reservoir damper 226 may have modifiable parameters that are controlled based on instructions generated by the processing circuitry 116 of FIG. 1 (e.g., one or more of the provided amperages, spring rates, or damping rates in one or more of the concentric coil spring 224 or the external reservoir damper 226 may be modified in response to an instruction to change a vehicle mode).FIG. 3 illustrates the diagram 300 characterizing how one or more vehicle parameter values change during the initial period 306 and the subsequent period 308, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. The initial period 306 and the subsequent period 308 together form the control period 310 in which instructions are provided to modify one or more parameters of one or more modules that control various vehicle subsystems (e.g., dampers in a suspension assembly). The initial time period 306 of the diagram 300 may be modified to include one or more control profiles corresponding to one or more of the initial profiles 306A- 306C depending on how a control algorithm is applied to the systems and methods of the present disclosure. The subsequent time period 308 of the diagram 300 may be modified to include one or more control profiles corresponding to one or more of the final profiles 308A or 308B depending on how a control algorithm is applied to the systems and methods of the present disclosure. The diagram 300 corresponds to a control signal profile used to fully or partially affect the various assemblies and elements illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2A-2D, and 5. The diagram 300 may represent a control signal generated in response to execution of one or more of the steps illustrated in FIG. 4 (e.g., as executed by the processing circuitry 116 of FIG. 1 ).Diagram 300 illustrates a step function for modifying an amount of current drawn from or provided over time with one or more modules, systems, devices, or vehicle corners shown in one or more of FIGS. 1, 2A-2D, and 5. The axis 302 corresponds to a parameter value modified in response to an instruction to change a vehicle setting. For example, a first vehicle setting may correspond to a first parameter value, while a second vehicle setting may correspond to an increased change in the first parameter value, resulting in a second parameter value (e.g., current drawn by a damper assembly or current provided to a damper assembly). Axis 304 corresponds to a temporal change in the parameter, such that the control signal generated to apply the increased change to the parameter occurs during the initial period 306. As shown in diagram 300, the parameter change profile 312 (e.g., as a time representation of a control signal applied to change a parameter value in response to an instruction to change from a first vehicle setting to a second vehicle setting) is represented by a step function. In some embodiments, the parameter change profile 312 may be created using one or more of a step function, a linear function, an exponential function, a logarithmic function, a trigonometric function, or a root function.The parameter change profile 312 is characterized by the initial time period 306, the control time period 310, and the subsequent time period 308. The initial period 306 corresponds to a period in which an increased change is made in the vehicle parameter of the axle 302 (e.g., a change that is 25% to 300% greater than a difference between the parameter value corresponding to the first vehicle setting and the parameter value corresponding to the second vehicle setting). The increased change may be made using one or more initial profiles 306A- 306C. The initial profile 306A corresponds to a linear function. The initial profile 306B corresponds to one or more of an exponential function or a portion of a trigonometric function. The initial profile 306C corresponds to one or more of a logarithmic function or a root function. The subsequent time period 308 corresponds to a time period during which an increased change applied to the parameter is decreased during the initial time period 306. The subsequent time period 308 begins with the completion of the control time period 310. The control period 310 may be up to 10 seconds, and in some embodiments, may be more than 10 seconds, depending on how long it takes to provide a perception change to a user of the vehicle. The decreased increased change in the parameter may be applied using one or more end profiles 308A or 308B. The final profile 308A corresponds to a linear decrease in parameter size. The final profile 308B corresponds to one or more of a logarithmic decay, a decay of a portion of a trigonometric function, or the decay of a root function. The subsequent time period 308 may also be characterized by a down function, as shown in the diagram 300. In some embodiments, the parameter corresponds to a dynamic current for an active damper. The dynamic stream corresponds to an amount of stream that varies in response to road feedback and often changes to improve the overall ride experience of the vehicle user when driving a road with different conditions. Depending on the selected vehicle mode, dynamic current can increase a base current and lead to an increased active current.In some embodiments, a damper may have a base operating current for base operating conditions during certain driving modes, and the damper may also receive increased current from an active damping aspect of a suspension system. For example, the base operating current in the "nominal drive mode" was indicated to be 0.4 amperes. An active damping system in a suspension may provide more than 0.4 amperes (e.g., 0.6 amperes) to a particular damper depending on a driving event that the vehicle is traversing. The driving event may include passing multiple shot holes or hard turning, which may cause the active damping system to increase the damping rate of the damper at an increased rate. As a result, the increased change would then be applied to the active damping current level instead of the base current level to ensure that the driver can perceive a change in driving mode.FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the method 400 for changing from a first vehicle setting to a second vehicle setting, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. The method 400 may be performed by one or more elements of the vehicle system 100 of FIG. 1, or the various assemblies and elements illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2D and 5. Method 400 may result in a control signal being generated for the various elements of FIGS. 1-2D and 5 based on one or more of the plots shown in FIG. 3 in response to an instruction to modify a vehicle operating state or mode. The method 400 may be performed in whole or in part by the processing circuitry 116 of FIG. 1.At 402, user input is monitored. If no user input is received to change a desired vehicle mode (NO at 402), a subsequent user input is checked to change a vehicle mode. If user input is received to change a desired vehicle mode (YES at 402), an instruction is generated 404 to change a first vehicle setting to a second vehicle setting, the first vehicle setting including a first parameter value and the second vehicle setting including a second parameter value. For example, one or more of a driving mode change, a suspension mode change, a steering mode change, a brake pedal mode change, an accelerator pedal mode change, or a powertrain mode change may be input. This input may be received via the user interface 124 of FIG. 1 (e.g., to change the "nominal drive mode" to "sport drive mode", which may affect the parameter values for one or more of a suspension component, a steering component, a brake pedal component, an accelerator pedal component, or a powertrain component). Starting from a previous example where the vehicle mode has been changed from "nominal drive mode" to "sport drive mode", each respective mode may have different current parameter values provided to one or more damper assemblies disposed in one or more vehicle corners (e.g., vehicle corners 102A-D of FIG. 1 ). At 406, an increased change is applied in response to the instruction to change the first vehicle parameter during an initial period of time (e.g., as described with reference to the various plots of FIG. 3 ). The increased change may correspond to, for example, a magnitude that is 25% to 300% greater than a difference in parameter between the first vehicle setting and the second vehicle setting. For example, in the "nominal drive mode", a base value of 0.4 amps may be provided to one or more dampers in a vehicle system, while in the "sport drive mode", a base value of 0.6 amps may be provided to one or more dampers in the vehicle system. The difference between the two parameter values is 0.2 amperes. Thus, between 0.65 amps (e.g., 0.4 amps + 0.2 amps difference + 25% more than the 0.2 amps difference) and 1.2 amps (0.4 amps + 0.2 amps difference + 300% more than the 0.2 amps difference) may be applied to the initial sport driving mode parameter value of 0.9 amps for the initial period of time (e.g., as defined by the initial period of time of FIG. 3 ). After the initial period has elapsed (e.g., after up to 10 seconds), the increased change is reduced at 408 to apply the second parameter value during a subsequent period. The parameter may be any parameter that can be used to generate a perceptible change to a user of a vehicle when the modes of operation of any or all of the modes of operation associated with the user's vehicle change.FIG. 5 illustrates a vehicle system 500 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The vehicle system 500 may include, in whole or in part, the various assemblies and elements illustrated in FIGS. 1-2D and 5. The vehicle system 500 may utilize one or more of the plots of FIG. 3 as a control signal to modify a vehicle operating state or a vehicle mode. The vehicle system 500 may be configured to perform one or more of the steps illustrated in FIG. 4.The vehicle system 500 is comprised of the vehicle body 502. Disposed within the vehicle body 502 are the processing circuitry 504, the user interface 506, and the vehicle modules 504. The user interface 506 may include one or more of the options illustrated in the user interface 124 of FIG. 1. The user interface 506 may correspond to any input interface disposed within the vehicle body 502 or communicatively coupled to the vehicle body 502 (e.g., a user device or mobile device) that allows a user to input vehicle mode change requests or instructions to the processing circuitry 504. Processing circuitry 504 corresponds to processing circuitry 116 of FIG. 1 and may be incorporated into vehicle body 502 at one or more locations. Processing circuitry 504 interacts with vehicle module 504. The vehicle module 504 corresponds to one or more of the front spring / damper assembly 108A, the front spring / damper assembly 108B, the steering system 110, the brake pedal control assembly 114, the accelerator pedal control assembly 112, the rear spring / damper assembly 120A, the rear spring / damper assembly 120B, or the differential assembly 122. For example, the vehicle module 504 may be configured to control parameters of one or more of the damper 508, the brake pedal assembly 514, the spring 510, the throttle assembly 516, or the steering system 512. The steering system 512 is coupled to the linkage assembly 518. The linkage assembly 518 provides articulated connections between various components or elements of the vehicle system 500. The linkage assembly 518 is comprised of one or more of joints 510, bearings 522, and bushings 524. Additionally, the linkage assembly 518 includes one or more connections with the damper 508 and the spring 510.The systems and methods discussed above are intended to be illustrative and not limiting. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the operations of the methods discussed herein may be omitted, modified, combined, and / or rearranged and any additional operations may be performed without departing from the scope of the disclosure. More generally, the foregoing disclosure is intended to be exemplary and not limiting. Accordingly, the limits of the claimed invention(s) should be taken from the claims and are not limited by the present disclosure. Further, it should be noted that the features and limitations described in any embodiment may be applied to any other embodiment herein, and flowcharts or examples related to an embodiment may be combined with any other embodiment as appropriate, executed in different order, or executed in parallel. Moreover, the systems and methods described herein may be performed in real-time. It should also be appreciated that the systems and / or methods described above may be applied to or used in accordance with other systems and / or methods.Although reference is made to "conventions" or examples in some sections of this disclosure, such reference is merely intended to provide the context of the present disclosure and does not represent an understanding of what forms the prior art.The following paragraphs particularly describe various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Claims

A method (400) comprising: generating (404) an instruction to change a first vehicle setting to a second vehicle setting, wherein the first vehicle setting comprises a first parameter value and the second vehicle setting comprises a second parameter value, wherein the instruction is generated in response to a user selecting to change a driving mode to a sport mode; in response to the instruction: applying (406) an increased change to a vehicle parameter during an initial time period (306); and reducing (408) the increased change during the initial time period (306) to apply the second parameter value during a subsequent time period (308); and in response to the user reselecting the sport mode: reapplying (406) the increased change to the vehicle parameter to confirm that the driving mode has changed to the sport mode.The method (400) of claim 1, wherein: the first and second vehicle settings comprise damper stiffness settings; and the second vehicle setting corresponds to a higher damper stiffness than the first vehicle setting.The method of claim 2, wherein the first and second parameter values each correspond to a base current for an active damper.The method of claim 3, wherein the active damper comprises a magnetically controlled damper.The method of claim 3, further comprising: determining a dynamic current for the active damper; and selecting the higher of the base current and the active current to apply to the active damper.The method (400) of claim 1, wherein the initial time period is less than 10 seconds.The method of claim 1, wherein the increased change is 25 to 300 percent greater than a difference between the first vehicle setting and the second vehicle setting.The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second vehicle settings comprise one of steering stiffness settings, brake pedal sensitivity, accelerator pedal sensitivity, or differential assembly response.A vehicle system (100) comprising: a vehicle module (504) configured to modify operation of a vehicle based on vehicle settings; and processing circuitry (116; 502) communicatively coupled to the vehicle module, the processing circuitry configured to: generate an instruction to change a first vehicle setting to a second vehicle setting, wherein the first vehicle setting comprises a first parameter value and the second vehicle setting comprises a second parameter value, wherein the instruction is generated responsive to a user's decision to change a driving mode to a sport mode; responsive to the instruction: apply an increased change to a vehicle parameter during an initial period (306); and reduce the increased change during the initial period (306) to apply the second parameter value during a subsequent period (308); and in response to the user reselecting the sport mode: reapplying (406) the increased change to the vehicle parameter to confirm that the driving mode has changed to the sport mode.The vehicle system (100) of claim 9, wherein: the first and second vehicle settings comprise damper stiffness settings; and the second vehicle setting corresponds to a higher damper stiffness than the first vehicle setting.The vehicle system (100) of claim 10, further comprising: an active damper, wherein the first and second parameter values each correspond to a base current for the active damper (202, 204).The vehicle system (100) of claim 11, wherein the active damper (202, 204) comprises a solenoid controlled damper.The vehicle system (100) of claim 11, wherein: the processing circuitry (116; 502) is further configured to: determine a dynamic current for the active damper (202, 204); and select the higher of the base current and the active current, respectively, to supply to the active damper (202, 204).The vehicle system of claim 9, wherein the initial time period (3069 is less than 10 seconds.The vehicle system of claim 9, wherein the increased change is 25 to 300 percent greater than a difference between the first vehicle setting and the second vehicle setting.The vehicle system of claim 9, wherein the first and second vehicle settings comprise one of steering stiffness settings, brake pedal sensitivity, accelerator pedal sensitivity, or differential assembly response.A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising non-transitory computer readable instructions that, when processed using processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to: generate an instruction to change a first vehicle setting to a second vehicle setting, wherein the first vehicle setting comprises a first parameter value and the second vehicle setting comprises a second parameter value, wherein the instruction is generated in response to a user's decision to change a driving mode to a sport mode; in response to the instruction: apply an increased change to a vehicle parameter during an initial period; and reduce the increased change during the initial period to apply the second parameter value during a subsequent period; and in response to the user reselecting the sport mode: reapplying (406) the increased change to the vehicle parameter to confirm that the driving mode has changed to the sport mode.The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the increased change is 25 to 300 percent greater than a difference between the first vehicle setting and the second vehicle setting.

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