Methods and systems for controlling vehicle body motion and occupant experience

Abstract

Techniques for operating an active suspension system of a vehicle are described. Different types of active suspension operation in certain modes of operation of the vehicle are described. Techniques to identify different vehicle operating modes from a plurality of vehicle operating modes as well as selecting a corresponding active suspension system operating mode are described. The active suspension modes can include non-stationary and stationary active suspension modes. The techniques can include operating the active suspension mode based on the selected active suspension mode of operation.

Description

[0001] METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING VEHICLE BODY MOTION AND OCCUPANT EXPERIENCE

[0002] CROSS REFERENCE OF RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0003] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63 / 649,775, filed May 20, 2024, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0004] FIELD

[0005] Disclosed embodiments are related to methods and systems for controlling vehicle body motion and occupant experience.

[0006] BACKGROUND

[0007] In recent years, active suspension technologies have become more capable and advanced and more widely available. An active suspension system can be made up of a variety of different systems and technologies that together achieve the overall desired active functionality by controlling the vertical suspension forces that act between each vehicle body corner and the respective wheel (e.g. controllable springs, controllable damping elements, roll control actuators, full active suspension actuators). Active suspension systems can provide benefits in vehicle functionality, vehicle performance, and vehicle safety while the vehicle is traversing a road surface at greater than 0 vehicle speed (e.g. improved vehicle ride and handling performance, improved advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) functionalities, managing vehicle ride height, and precrash posturing). Some active suspension technologies can also provide vehicle functionality while the vehicle is stationary at 0 vehicle speed (e.g. to aid people with getting in and out of the vehicle, aid with vehicle loading and unloading, for stationary entertainment features such as 4D gaming and movie experiences (with 4D referring to the 3 spatial dimensions and time), providing vehicle sales demonstrations, as well as for improved vehicle troubleshooting and calibration purposes during manufacturing or service).

[0008] SUMMARY According to some embodiments, a method of operating an active suspension system of a vehicle includes obtaining vehicle status information and environmental data; identifying a stationary vehicle mode from a plurality of stationary vehicle modes based at least in part on the vehicle status information and / or the environmental data; selecting a stationary active suspension system mode of operation based at least in part on the identified stationary vehicle mode; and operating the active suspension system based at least in part on the selected stationary active suspension mode of operation.

[0009] According to some embodiments, at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores programming instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform the above method of operating the active suspension system.

[0010] According to some embodiments, a vehicle includes one or more sensors configured to sense information related to vehicle status and environmental data; an active suspension system that includes one or more actuators configured to control motion of a vehicle body and / or wheel of the vehicle; and at least one processor configured to: receive signals from the one or more sensors, and operate the active suspension system according to the above method of operating the active suspension system.

[0011] According to some embodiments, the above method of operating an active suspension system of a vehicle may include at least one selected from: a) allowing certain types of stationary actuation functions in the presence of certain risk factors (e.g., allowing quasistatic stationary actuation functions while a person is detected near the vehicle); b) preventing certain types of stationary actuation functions in the presence of certain factors (e.g., preventing dynamic stationary actuation functions while a person is detected near the vehicle); c) ensuring that no active suspension functions are available based on certain conditions (e.g., towing or transport); d) disabling power to some components of the active suspension under special conditions (e.g., disabling power to such suspension components that are powered by high voltage while tire change or similar situation is detected); e) enabling non-stationary actuation functions under certain conditions while the vehicle is not moving forwards or backwards (e.g., in order to ensure optimal non-stationary performance can be achieved); f) using other vehicle information (e.g., vehicle drive status, vehicle gear status, vehicle park brake state / status, vehicle conventional brake status, driver brake command inputs, vehicle occupant present status) in addition to whether or not the vehicle is moving forwards / backwards for determining if the vehicle should be considered stationary / non- stationary for the purpose of availability of active suspension functions; g) using user / occupant / bystander warnings (e.g., specific requirements put onto the actuation profile itself for haptic and visual indication that the actuation sequence is currently still active, audible warning sounds / messages to warn about an active actuation sequence, visual warning messages / images / symbols) while the stationary actuation sequence is active (and / or start before and end after the actual stationary actuation sequence starts / ends); h) using safety mechanisms to limit the actuation authority of such stationary actuation functions that are permitted while humans are near the vehicle / getting in and out of the vehicle; and / or i) allowing certain authorized entities / individuals (e.g., associated with manufacturing, service, dealership) to overwrite some of such safety mechanisms / limitations / criteria via various authorization methods (e.g., passcode, fingerprint scan, voice activation, etc.) based on authorization criteria (e.g., proper training, safe usage environments).

[0012] It should be appreciated that the foregoing concepts, and additional concepts discussed below, may be arranged in any suitable combination, as the present disclosure is not limited in this respect. Further, other advantages and novel features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of various nonlimiting embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying figures.

[0013] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0014] The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in the various figures may be represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. In the drawings:

[0015] Fig. l is a schematic representation of a vehicle according to one embodiment;

[0016] Fig. 2 is a block diagram of a control system for a vehicle;

[0017] Fig. 3 is a schematic representation of stored operating modes of an active suspension system;

[0018] Fig. 4A is a flowchart of a method for controlling operation of an active suspension system; and

[0019] Fig. 4B is a flowchart of a method for controlling operation of an active suspension system.

[0020] DETAILED DESCRIPTION Vehicle active suspension systems may damp and / or induce a number of different motions of a vehicle body for a variety of reasons including both instances when a vehicle is stationary and when a vehicle is traveling across a road surface. However, the Inventors have recognized that certain types of motions of a vehicle induced by an active suspension system may be undesirable in different situations. For example, active suspension systems typically control motions of the wheels relative to the vehicle body as the vehicle traverses the road surface. This may include performing functions such as displacing the wheels up or down when traveling over a pothole. However, the Inventors have recognized that when a vehicle is stopped and objects are in close proximity to the vehicle, such as people, vehicles, buildings, and / or animals, certain movements by the active suspension system may be undesirable.

[0021] In view of the above, the Inventors have recognized that it may be desirable for management of the active suspension system to be performed in different ways during different vehicle modes of operation. As an example, an active suspension system of a vehicle may be operated in a non-stationary-mode when traveling over a road surface and may operate in one or more stationary modes when the vehicle is stationary (e.g., parked, temporarily stopped during driving, or parked and about to drive). When operating in a stationary mode, the active suspension system may be controlled differently either based on a magnitude and / or type of motion that is permitted as compared to when operating in a non- stationary mode (e.g., during driving). Further, depending on the type of stationary state of the vehicle (e.g., parked, temporarily stopped during driving, or parked and about to drive), it may be desirable to provide different types of permissible active suspension operations (e.g., operating modes). However, it can be challenging to identify which type of stationary state a vehicle is operating in to permit the selection of different types of stationary operating modes of the active suspension system (e.g., temporarily stopped during driving versus parked).

[0022] To permit the selection of appropriate stationary operating modes of a vehicle, the inventors have recognized that various types of environmental data related to the environment around a vehicle and / or vehicle status information may be used to identify the different types of stationary vehicle modes that a vehicle may be operated in. For example, in some embodiments, a vehicle may be determined to be stationary or non-stationary using one or more appropriate sensed and / or commanded vehicle status information, such as a velocity of the overall vehicle and / or a component of the vehicle being less than a threshold velocity. The combination of environmental data and / or vehicle status information may then be used to determine what type of stationary mode the vehicle is in. For instance, as elaborated on further below, different combinations of environmental and / or vehicle status information may be correlated with the occurrence of different stationary operating modes of a vehicle. This may permit one or more controllers of the vehicle to correspondingly select a corresponding stationary active suspension system mode of operation for the identified stationary vehicle mode for controlling operation of the active suspension system.

[0023] In some embodiments, a vehicle mode of operation may include an intention of the vehicle during the identified vehicle mode of operation. As used herein, “vehicle intention” refers to overall vehicle behaviors that are enabled based on any specific combination of vehicle state and mode conditions. This may include, but is not limited to, a park state where the vehicle is parked and is intended to remain stationary and drive states where vehicle movement is permitted in forward and / or reverse directions even if the vehicle is currently stationary. Thus, if the vehicle is in a “park” drive state, then the vehicle intention can be considered “parked.” Whereas, if the vehicle drive state is “drive,” the vehicle intention could be considered “drive” even if the vehicle speed is 0 (e.g., the vehicle is fully stopped and / or not currently moving forwards or backwards).

[0024] As used herein, the terms stationary vehicle, stationary vehicle mode, and other similar terms refer to a vehicle that is not moving forward or backward and is not turning but may be undergoing heave, roll, and / or pitch motions induced by one or more forces applied on the vehicle body by one or more actuators (e.g., active roll actuators, active suspension actuators, or air-springs) and / or by externally applied forces. Some vehicle information that can be useful in determining whether or not a vehicle should be considered “stationary” includes: road slope, weather conditions, vehicle speed, wheel speed, vehicle drive status, vehicle gear status, vehicle park brake state / status, vehicle conventional brake status, driver brake command inputs, vehicle occupancy status, combinations of the foregoing, and / or other appropriate vehicle status information. In one non-limiting example, a stationary vehicle mode may be determined based on: a) the vehicle is not detected to currently move, roll, drive forwards, drive backwards, and / or is sensed and / or commanded to move relative to a road surface by a measurable amount (e.g., the magnitude of a vehicle and / or vehicle component speed does not exceed a detection threshold such as 5km / hr); b) vehicle gear status is none of the following: drive, gears 1-8, reverse, and shift-in-progress; and c) vehicle park brake is engaged. In another non-limiting example, a vehicle may be considered “stationary” when the vehicle is secured from driving or rolling away in a passive way even while positioned on uneven and / or slanted ground (e.g., does not require any additional active driver actions like keeping a foot on the brake pedal). Of course, other indications of a stationary vehicle operating mode may also be used. Thus, it should be understood that a stationary vehicle mode may be identified using a number of different vehicle status information.

[0025] As used herein, the terms non- stationary vehicle, non- stationary vehicle mode, or other similar terms correspond to when a vehicle is traversing. Some vehicle information that can be useful in determining whether or not a vehicle should be considered “non-stationary” includes: vehicle speed, wheel speed, vehicle drive status, vehicle gear status, vehicle park brake state / status, vehicle conventional brake status, driver brake command inputs, vehicle occupancy status, combinations of the foregoing, and / or other appropriate vehicle status information. As an example, a vehicle operating mode might be considered non-stationary if any of the following conditions are met: a) the vehicle is detected to move, roll, drive forwards, drive backwards, and / or is sensed and / or commanded to move relative to the road surface by a measurable amount (e.g., the magnitude of a sensed and / or commanded vehicle speed exceeds a detection threshold such as 5km / hr); b) vehicle gear status is any of: drive, gears 1-8, reverse, and shift-in-progress; and c) vehicle park brake is not engaged. Of course, other indications of a non-stationary vehicle operating mode may also be used. Thus, it should be understood that a non-stationary vehicle mode may be identified using a number of different vehicle status information.

[0026] In some embodiments, an active suspension system refers to any functional grouping of components of the vehicle including any sensors, processors, and / or actuators that help in fulfilling or functionally contributing to the intended functioning of any vehicle leveling functions and features that are in part or fully implemented or delivered by the active suspension system. In some embodiments, this includes any actuators in the vehicle that are intended to control or modify the relative vertical motions between each vehicle body corner and the respective wheel where the actuators are capable of both resisting motions and actively inducing or supporting such motions. Active suspensions may include not only such actuators but also any sensors and / or controllers that control inputs they receive, as well as any controls software and electronic control units (ECUs) that are involved in deriving such controls inputs and any signal processing software and ECUs that are involved with deriving such sensing inputs, as well as any related sensing and data communication elements.

[0027] Turning now to the figures, certain exemplary embodiments are described further below to provide an overall understanding of the principles of the structure, function, manufacture, and use of the systems and methods disclosed herein. However, the systems, methods, and examples described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting exemplary embodiments and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to only the depicted embodiments. Instead, the features illustrated or described in connection with the various embodiments may be combined with features of other embodiments either individually and / or in various combinations. Such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0028] Fig. 1 depicts an embodiment of a vehicle 2 including a first suspension system 4 that may be used with the various methods and vehicle systems described herein. Vehicle 2 may include standard vehicle components such as motors, transmissions, various controls, and / or other typical vehicle components. In the figure, the various dampers and / or actuators of the suspension system 4 are disposed between the associated wheel 6 or wheel assembly and vehicle body 12 of the vehicle 2. Further, each damper and / or actuator of the suspension system 4 may be configured to control the relative movement of at least a portion of the vehicle body 12 and the associated wheel 6 independently. Additionally, in some embodiments, the actuators and / or dampers of the suspension system 4 may be used with various types of springs 18 such as, for example, coil springs and / or air springs disposed between the associated portions of a vehicle in parallel or in series with respect to the actuators.

[0029] One or more occupants may be seated in a second portion 14, such as seat within a cabin, of the vehicle 2. However, embodiments in which the second portion 14 of the vehicle corresponds to, for example, a cab, a loading compartment, or any other appropriate portion of a vehicle are also contemplated as the disclosure is not so limited. The first suspension system may be used to mitigate motion of the vehicle body within one or more frequency ranges to at least partially mitigate disturbances input to the wheels during driving from being transmitted to the vehicle body 12.

[0030] While a vehicle including one suspension system 4 has been depicted above, embodiments in which a different number of suspension systems and / or a different number of portions of the vehicle 2 associated with those suspension systems are also contemplated. For example, in one embodiment, a vehicle 2 may simply include a primary suspension system located between the vehicle body 12 and the wheels 6. Alternatively, in yet another embodiment, a vehicle 2 may include a primary suspension system located between the vehicle body 12 and the wheels 14 or wheel assemblies as well as a plurality of secondary suspension systems associated with separate portions of the vehicle 2 (e.g., an active seat suspension system).

[0031] It should be understood that the active suspension systems depicted in the figures, and described throughout this application, may include any number of different types of actuators. Examples of such actuators may include electro-hydraulic, electromagnetic and electromechanical actuators. Electro-hydraulic actuators typically use a hydraulic pump, driven by an electric motor, to apply a desired force on an actuator piston. Other active suspension systems may include electro-magnetic active suspension actuators that typically include linear electric motors and / or electromechanical actuators that typically utilize a ball-screw mechanism. Thus, it should be understood that the disclosed active suspension systems may correspond to any appropriate type of active suspension system that may be operated to apply both damping forces to resist motion of a vehicle body and active forces to induce motion of a vehicle body.

[0032] The vehicle 2 depicted in Fig. 1 may also include one or more sensors 20 for detecting various parameters. For example, the one or more sensors 20 may be configured to sense information related to vehicle status and / or environmental data from the environment surrounding the vehicle 2. The one or more sensors may be configured to output corresponding signals to one or more controllers 22 of the vehicle 2 which may include one or more processors and corresponding non-transitory computer readable memory that includes processor executable instructions that when executed perform any of the methods disclosed herein. Depending on the specific embodiment, the one or more sensors 20 may be any appropriate type of sensors including, for example, a forward looking sensor such as a visual and / or infrared camera or detector used to monitor objects and markings located in front of the vehicle such as lane markings, approaching vehicles and objects, and / or obstructions. While any appropriate type of look-ahead sensor may be used to sense information from a direction in front of the vehicle, other appropriate sensors may include, but are not limited to, optical cameras, infrared cameras, laser range finders, radar, LIDAR, or any other appropriate sensor. Sensors may also be configured to sense objects proximate to the vehicle in other directions as well. This may include the use of similar sensors as the look-ahead sensors noted above as well as, in some embodiments, capacitive sensors or proximity sensors. Sensors may also be mounted inside of a vehicle to monitor the movement and / or physical parameters of one or more occupants located within the vehicle. In one such embodiment, the one or more sensors located within the vehicle may include, but are not limited to, a camera, one or more accelerometers, inertia monitoring units, gyroscopes, and / or any other appropriate sensor. The one or more sensors may also be configured to obtain information related to the operating states of one or more vehicle components such as the transmission, gas system, and / or brake system. The one or more sensors may additionally or alternatively be configured to sense information relating to the door being in an open or closed state.

[0033] In addition to the various sensors 20, the vehicle may also include one or more occupant inputs 10, such as a button, a dial, touchpad, steering wheel, brake pedal, acceleration pedal, combinations of the foregoing, and / or other appropriate input configured to receive a command or other input from the driver or other occupant of the vehicle. The one or more inputs 10 may be used by an occupant 24 to input information and / or commands to the one or more controllers 22 of the vehicle and / or the suspension system 4. For example, the occupant may use the input to provide steering commands, acceleration commands, braking commands, indications of motion sickness, confirming there are no objects 26 disposed adjacent to the vehicle, and / or any other desired type of input for use in operation of the vehicle 2.

[0034] As noted above, and as shown in Fig. 1 and described elsewhere herein, an object 26 may be located in proximity to the vehicle 2 in some operating conditions. Again, in some embodiments, the one or more sensors 20 may be configured to sense the presence, and in some instance, a location of the object 26 relative to the vehicle 2. While a cross section of the example object is shown below vehicle 2, the object may be in other locations relative to the vehicle (e.g., to the side, front, or other location relative to the vehicle).

[0035] It should be understood that the systems and features described in relation to the above noted vehicle may be used with any of the other systems and methods described herein either individually or in combination as the disclosure is not so limited.

[0036] Fig. 2 illustrates a block diagram of one embodiment of a control system for a vehicle that is equipped with an active vehicle suspension system 116 (e.g., first suspension system 4 shown in Fig. 1) and / or one or more vehicle subsystems 114 (e.g. throttle, braking system, steering system, and / or any other appropriate system). In the depicted embodiment, the control system may include a vehicle controller 106 (e.g., one or more controller 22 as shown in Fig. 1) which may be a single integrated unit and / or distributed controllers including one or more processors and associated non-transitory processor readable memory that implement an active suspension controller 112 and a vehicle sub-systems controller 110 for controlling those functions (e.g. active suspension control, a throttling of the engine, braking, steering, etc.) of the vehicle. On the other hand, one or more of the sub-controllers may be housed separately from the vehicle controller. It should be understood that the vehicle controller 106 may be configured to operate an active suspension system according to the techniques described herein.

[0037] In some embodiments, the vehicle controller 106 may include a vehicle intention module 108 that is in communication with the sub-system controller 110 and the active suspension controller 112. The vehicle intention unit may receive the inputs to the vehicle controller to identify an intention of the vehicle (e.g., the various stationary vs non-stationary operating modes of the vehicle), as described further in relation to Fig. 4B. In some embodiments, the sub-system controller 110 may control one or more vehicle sub-systems 114 based at least in part on the identified vehicle intention from the vehicle intention module 108. Similarly, the active suspension system controller 112 may control the active suspension 116 based at least in part on the identified vehicle intention from the vehicle intention module 108. In some embodiments, the vehicle intention module 108 and the sub-system controller 110 may be implemented as a single combined module.

[0038] The vehicle controller may receive sensor information, including signals, from one or more sensors (e.g., sensor 20 shown in Fig. 1) through a sensor interface 100. The vehicle controller 106 may also receive signals and / or other inputs from one or more vehicle occupants from one or more occupant inputs (e.g., inputs 10 shown in Fig. 1) via a user interface 104. In some embodiments, the user interface may be a visual display and / or audio output configured to provide visual and / or audio information to the use in addition to receiving inputs from the one or more occupants of the vehicle. The vehicle controller 106 may also be in electrical communication with a communication interface 102 configured to transmit and / or obtain information from an onboard database, other vehicles, and / or a central database. Again, any of the inputs and / or signals provided by the above interfaces may be used by the vehicle controller 106 and / or any sub-controller to determine and implement appropriate control strategies for the various sub-systems and active suspension of the vehicle.

[0039] Data that may be received by a vehicle controller 106 from various vehicle sensors and inputs may include, for example, signals from an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a load sensor, a laser or radar based range finder, an optical camera, an infrared camera, an ignition state of the vehicle, capacitive sensors or other types of touch detection sensors (e.g., sensors configured to detect if a person is touching some part of the vehicle exterior), a combination of any of the above, and / or any other appropriate sensor and / or command. User input may be in a variety of forms including, but not limited to, an indication of passenger discomfort, confirmation of no objects present around a vehicle, an indication that a particular drive mode is desired (i.e. a sport mode versus an enhanced comfort mode), data received from vehicle occupant input, acceleration commands, steering commands, braking commands, a selected transmission and / or gear state (e.g., park or neutral versus a drive or reverse gear), a selected drive status indicating whether the vehicle is in a park state or a drive state such as when a selected transmission and / or gear state is not available or not applicable to the particular vehicle, a selected park brake status (e.g., engaged or an equivalent status), and / or other appropriate types of user input.

[0040] Information from one or more of these sensors and / or other inputs and interfaces may be fed into a pattern detection algorithm that resides in the vehicle controller 106 and / or one of the sub-controllers and modules (e.g., vehicle intention module 108, sub-system controller 110, active suspension controller 112, or other appropriate sub-controller). This pattern detection may be used to identify any desired event patterns and / or operating states of the vehicle that may be associated with particular stationary and non-stationary operating states of the vehicle as elaborated on further below. Thus, the active suspension systems 116 described herein may be operated according to different modes based on the identified stationary and non-stationary operating modes of the vehicle. In some embodiments, the availability of active suspension functions is managed in a multi-staged approach considering high-level conceptual modes. For example, in some embodiments, management of the active suspension functionality and readiness may include maximizing the availability of relevant active suspension functions while the vehicle is at stationary (e.g., at zero measurable vehicle speed) and being ready to apply non-stationary active suspension functions as the vehicle speed is increased to speeds greater than zero. Some considerations that may be considered include, but are not limited to: possible impacts and / or other interferences that might result from unexpected sudden vehicle suspension motions (e.g., interferences with adjacent objects, animals and humans, occupants entering / exiting the vehicle, open door states, etc.); the presence of high voltage within the vehicle suspension environment (e.g., due to a damaged live high voltage wire or component); and / or any other appropriate type of consideration for operation of the active suspension system 116. Fig. 3 is a schematic representation of stored active suspension modes 302-312 stored in non-transitory computer readable storage medium 300. As described herein, in some embodiments, a mode of actuation for an active suspension system of a vehicle can be selected based on an operating mode of the vehicle (e.g., an intention) such as different stationary and non- stationary operating modes of the vehicle. Thus, a desired mode of active suspension operation may be selected based at least in part on which mode of operation the vehicle is in and may be selected from a plurality of different active suspension system operating modes 302-312. In order to determine which mode of operation the vehicle is in and, which active suspension mode to control the active suspension system according to, the processes shown in and described in relation to Figs. 4A and / or 4B can be performed. The vehicle may be controlled according to the mode of actuation selected from the illustrated plurality of stored active suspension operating modes 302-312.

[0041] As noted above, a vehicle may be operated in various stationary modes and non- stationary modes. As an example, when a vehicle is moving on a highway, the vehicle is in a non- stationary mode of operation. Thus, a corresponding operating mode stored in the illustrated storage medium 300 may include both activated actuation functions, modified actuation functions, and / or disabled actuations functions for control of the active suspension system in the desired vehicle operating mode. Several non-limiting examples of vehicle operating modes and corresponding potential active suspension operation modes are detailed further below.

[0042] In some embodiments, stationary actuation functions of the active suspension that may be available in a stationary mode refer to any actuation functions or features of the active suspension that are intended for use with a vehicle while it is considered fully stationary and unlikely to suddenly drive away. In some embodiments, most of such stationary actuation functions are not intended to be used while the vehicle is driving, including any short stops (e.g. at stop signs, traffic lights, railroad crossings, or while picking up passengers). Some exceptions might include functions that are specifically designed for both stationary and non- stationary use (e.g., ride height changes and precrash posturing). Any such functions may be included in both stationary and non-stationary operating modes. Of course, different stationary active suspension actuation functions that may be used to control an active suspension system during a stationary state may also be used as the disclosure is not so limited. In some embodiments, non- stationary actuation functions of the active suspension system may refer to any actuation functions or features of the active suspension system that are intended for vehicles while the vehicle is operating during an active drive cycle. This includes both the parts of the drive cycle when vehicle speed is greater than 0 (i.e., non- stationary), as well as any parts of the drive cycle where the vehicle is considered temporarily stopped (i.e., temporarily stationary) and might at any moment suddenly continue its journey (e.g. at stop signs, traffic lights, railroad crossings, or while picking up passengers).

[0043] To provide a desired performance of a vehicle in some embodiments, different actuation functions of the active suspension systems may be available in different operating modes of the active suspension system. For example, a non-stationary active suspension system mode of operation may include any desirable active suspension functions while the vehicle is driving across a road surface (e.g., damping of road inputs to the vehicle body using the active suspension system, reducing vehicle body motions (especially in the vertical, roll and pitch degrees of freedom of the vehicle body), damping of vertical wheel motions to reduce variability of contact forces between each of the vehicle’s tires and the ground, controlling static vehicle body positions and angles (especially in the vertical, roll and pitch degrees of freedom of the vehicle body), controlling vehicle roll stiffness distribution, reducing motion sickness) or may include any desirable active suspension functions while the vehicle is ready to start driving across a road surface (e.g., when not currently driving across a road surface).

[0044] Correspondingly, active suspension functions implemented in the different stationary vehicle modes may include: any desirable active suspension functions while vehicle speed is zero or otherwise below a detection threshold (e.g., stationary entertainment functions (such as 4D movie experiences, 4D gaming, car dancing to music), ingress / egress support (e.g., lowering / raising part of the vehicle to help people enter / exit the vehicle), loading / unloading support (e.g., lowering / raising part of the vehicle to help people load / unload the vehicle), and / or changing vehicle ride height).

[0045] Further, in some examples, active suspension functions implemented in the different stationary vehicle modes may include: any desirable active suspension functions at zero and very low vehicle speed (e.g., below a vehicle speed threshold) that are intended to support the vehicle body and / or traction control functions during aggressive acceleration scenarios (e.g., damping of road inputs to the vehicle body using the active suspension system, reducing vehicle body motions (especially in the vertical, roll and pitch degrees of freedom of the vehicle body), damping of vertical wheel motions to reduce variability of contact forces between each of the vehicle’s tires and the ground, controlling static vehicle body positions and angles (especially in the vertical, roll and pitch degrees of freedom of the vehicle body), controlling vehicle roll stiffness distribution, reducing motion sickness).

[0046] Further, in some examples, active suspension functions implemented in the different stationary vehicle modes may include: any desirable functions that may be intended for use in both stationary and non- stationary operating modes (e.g., changing vehicle ride height and / or changing vehicle posture including: changing the posture of the vehicle when parked or precrash posturing, including changing the positioning of the vehicle body to reduce the risk of and severity of injury in the event of a crash by raising and / or lowering specific parts of the vehicle body, when the vehicle is moving at highway speeds) and / or any desirable functions at other conditions including the vehicle being securely parked (e.g., vehicle is in park and / or the park brake is engaged), and / or any other desired functionality that may be desirable to implement in the various different operating modes. The availability of these and / or other functionalities of the active suspension system may be based at least in part on the intended vehicle operation which again may be determined based on the state of the vehicle, the vehicle surroundings, the environment, and / or inputs from one or more occupants of the vehicle. Several different exemplary types of active suspension system modes of operation are detailed further below.

[0047] In some embodiments, a first type of actuation functions that may be enabled during various stationary operating modes of an active suspension system may be a dynamic operating mode of the active suspension system that may include actuation functions that apply active forces to the vehicle body and wheels to induce motion in the vehicle body and / or wheels. In such an operating mode, a subset of actuation functions of the active suspension system may be enabled to permit the active suspension system to control movement of any one of the vehicle corners and / or wheels. In some embodiments, the noted dynamic actuation functions that may be implemented during one or more stationary vehicle states may operate the active suspension system to induce vehicle body corner and / or vehicle wheel motions with magnitudes greater than a threshold magnitude in one or more frequency ranges which may be associated with different natural response frequency ranges of the vehicle (vehicle body frequency, wheel hop frequency, etc.). For example, a motion magnitude threshold may be between or equal to about 10 mm and 30 mm as measured between the body corner and the ground surface that the vehicle is positioned on or between the wheel center and the ground surface that the respective wheel is positioned on. Nonlimiting examples of actuation functions that may be included in a dynamic operating mode of an active suspension system may include, but are not limited to, 4D entertainment functions (e.g., 4D movie experiences, 4D gaming, car dance motion corresponding to music), and / or other rapid movements of the vehicle and / or wheels in response to operation of the active suspension system.

[0048] A second type of actuation functions that may be enabled during various stationary operating modes of an active suspension mode may include quasi-static functions of the active suspension system. Such a quasi-static operating mode may include a subset of actuation functions of the active suspension system that may be separate from the dynamic actuation functions of the active suspensions. Thus, in some embodiments, there is no overlap between quasi-static and dynamic actuation functions. For example, all actuation functions of the active suspension system that are active while the vehicle is considered “stationary” that are not considered “dynamic” functions may be considered “quasi-static” functions. Thus, in some embodiments, a complete set of all possible actuation functions of the active suspension system that may be enabled while the vehicle is considered “stationary” may include the dynamic and quasi-static actuation functions. Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, a quasi-static operating mode of an active suspension system may refer to a subset of actuation functions that have lower magnitudes than the above noted threshold magnitudes associated with dynamic operating modes of the active suspension system in one or more frequency ranges. Non-limiting examples of actuation functions that may be included in a quasi-static operating mode of an active suspension system may include, but are not limited to: vehicle kneeling and / or raising for occupant ingress and / or egress; vehicle kneeling and / or raising for loading and / or unloading of a load from the vehicle; ride height transitions, and / or other rapid movements of the vehicle and / or wheels in response to operation of the active suspension system.

[0049] In some embodiments, the various actuation functions of an active suspension system may be functions of the active suspension that are automatically controlled without any driver or occupant input. However, user-requested actuation functions may be functions of the active suspension that are controlled based at least in part on driver, or other occupant, input. In some embodiments, dynamic actuation functions are such functions of the active suspension during a stationary vehicle state where the vehicle body and / or wheels may suddenly and dynamically move as a result of the dynamic actuation functions being implemented (e.g., 4D entertainment as well as other larger and / or rapid movement of the vehicle and / or wheels in response to operation of the active suspension system). In contrast, quasi-static actuation functions may be functions of the active suspension where the vehicle body and wheels may move more gradually and predictably as compared to the dynamic functions. For example, quasi-static operating modes of an active suspension system might avoid inducing sudden vehicle body and / or wheel motions during various activities (e.g., ingress / egress). In some embodiments, moving gradually can include avoiding any sudden and unexpected motions such as a wheel suddenly starting to bounce as might occur when applying suspension forces to the body including actuations at frequencies near body frequencies as opposed to frequencies near wheel hop frequencies.

[0050] In some embodiments, limited authority actuation functions are functions of the active suspension that use a relatively small amount of maximum available force from the active suspension system, thereby avoiding any large (e.g., 20 mm or more) vehicle body and wheel motions (e.g., haptic feedback for lane departure detection). As an example, a force command from a maximum available force may include limiting force authority (e.g., a permissible force command) to be less than 300 N, 400 N, 500 N, or other appropriate fraction of the maximum available force of the active suspension system. Full-authority actuation functions may be functions of the active suspension that may make use of the full actuation capabilities of the actuation mechanisms of the active suspension. In addition to the above, the permitted force authority in such an active suspension system operating mode may be different in different frequency ranges corresponding to the different natural frequencies of the vehicle (e.g., vehicle body frequency, wheel hop frequency, etc.). The above noted forces may be measured between the body comer and the ground surface that the vehicle is positioned on or between the wheel center and the ground surface that the respective wheel is positioned on.

[0051] Referring to Fig. 3, in the depicted embodiment, there may be six active suspension mode options including Mode 1 302, Mode 2 304, Mode 3 306, Mode 4, 308, Mode 5 310, and Mode 6 312. However, there may be two modes, three modes, four modes, five modes, or any other appropriate number of active suspension system operating modes to select from. Each mode may correspond to a set of instructions, a subset of functions, and / or modules for implementing a desired active suspension system mode of operation during associated type of vehicle operating mode which may include both non- stationary as well as various stationary operating modes of the vehicle. The active suspension system operating modes may be stored in storage 300 which may be a non-transitory computer readable memory. The mode configurations may be stored using local storage, local data sets, and / or a vehicle database and, optionally, may be stored on a remote database.

[0052] As an example, Mode 1 may be a mode of operation for an active suspension system where interference with the surrounding environment due to motions induced by the active suspension is unlikely. For example, Mode 1 might be implemented to control an active suspension system during a stationary parked vehicle operating state where contact and / or other interactions with the surrounding environment are unlikely. Thus, Mode 1 may enable all stationary actuation functions of the active suspension system. In some embodiments, this may enable both dynamic and quasi-static actuation functions of the active suspension. As an example, the actuation functions may include 4D entertainment actuation functions.

[0053] In some embodiments, Mode 1 is the only mode where dynamic actuation functions of the active suspension are permitted during a stationary vehicle operation mode (possible exceptions to this rule are high-priority stationary actuation functions like pre-crash posturing and authorized overwrites by trained personnel such as at dealerships, and during vehicle manufacturing / service). In some embodiments, the authorized overwrites can include the mode being overwritten via an authorization method, such as by using a passcode, fingerprint scan, or voice activation.

[0054] In some embodiments, since Mode 1 allows dynamic stationary actuation functions, this mode may be accessible when the vehicle is in a parked stationary state of the vehicle. Such a vehicle operating mode may be identified based on vehicle states and / or environmental data including, but not limited to: the vehicle speed being zero and / or less than a detectable vehicle speed threshold; an engaged parking brake; the vehicle drive state / gear (e.g., none of drive, gears 1-8, reverse, shift-in-progress); the vehicle not being towed; the vehicle not being on a transporter; the vehicle is not being fueled as detected by an open fuel cover; the vehicle is not set up for a possible tire change (e.g., the suspension position measurements for all four suspension comers are in the range that is expected for normal vehicle operation; and / or the vehicle detects that one or several suspension comers behave in unnatural ways, which could be a sign of the suspension being locked in place or mechanically restricted); the vehicle is not set up in a way to allow people to work on the vehicle (e.g., there is not a large void / space below the vehicle that would allow a person to be below the vehicle); there are not any features or objects in the vehicle’s immediate surrounding within a threshold distance that might create any obvious pinch points once the vehicle body starts dynamically moving (e.g., low ceiling, raised floor features, directly adjacent objects such as other parked cars, walls, shelves, or trees); the vehicle’s doors are all closed; no objects, including a person, are directly next to or under the vehicle; and / or the vehicle is located on a relatively level, even, medium-to-high coefficient of friction surface. In some embodiments, some of the above noted conditions used to identify a stationary vehicle state for implementing Mode 1 may not be used and / or different vehicle status information and / or other environmental data may be used as the disclosure is not so limited.

[0055] In some embodiments, in addition to dynamic stationary actuation functions of the active suspension, Mode 1 may also enable quasi-static actuation functions of the active suspension system during a parked stationary operating mode of the vehicle. In some embodiments, the main difference between dynamic and quasi-static stationary actuation functions may be that while dynamic stationary actuation functions may be visually noticeable via rapid induced vehicle body motions, quasi-static stationary actuation functions may correspond to vehicle movements that may be lower in velocity and / or magnitude as compared to dynamic actuation functions of the active suspension system. The velocity of the quasi-static stationary actuation functions of the active suspension system may be sufficiently slow to permit a person adjacent to the vehicle to react to movement of the vehicle. Such actuation may be based in part on the velocity, frequency content, and / or maximum motion magnitude (e.g., avoiding actuation that results in vehicle body or wheel motions between 0.6 and 20 Hz of magnitude greater than 20 mm at the wheel).

[0056] In some embodiments, if the one or more expected criteria associated with implementing Mode 1 (e.g., the noted vehicle status information and / or environmental data is not present and / or cannot be determined (e.g., insufficient / inconclusive sensing information available), then Mode 1 might not be permitted, and dynamic stationary actuation functions may not be available. Instead, the active suspension may enter a lower functional stationary operating mode such as Modes 2, 3, 4, or a non-stationary mode such as 5 or 6 as elaborated on further below.

[0057] Mode 2 is another exemplary embodiment of a stationary mode for operation of an active suspension system during which only a portion of the total actuation functions may be enabled. For example, the available actuation functions may include quasi-static actuation functions. In one such embodiment, this may include active suspension system actuation functions related to occupant ingress and / or egress from the vehicle, loading and / or unloading of a load from the vehicle, ride height transitions, and / or other appropriate quasi-static actuation functions. In some embodiments, Mode 2, allows only quasi-static stationary actuation functions of the active suspension and does not allow dynamic stationary actuation functionalities from the active suspension. In some embodiments, this Mode 2 may be implemented by one or more controllers of the vehicle when corresponding vehicle status information and / or environmental data are identified which may correspond to a stationary vehicle operating state in which possible interferences between the vehicle and the surrounding environment may be more likely but it is still desirable to enable certain movements of the vehicle. For example, this mode may be implemented when an appropriate subset of conditions used to implement Mode 1 are present including, for example: the vehicle speed is 0 and / or is less than a threshold vehicle speed with the parking brake engaged (e.g., threshold vehicle speed in a forward or reverse direction); the vehicle is not in a vehicle drive gear; the vehicle is not being towed; the vehicle is not on a transporter; the vehicle is not being fueled; the vehicle is not set up for a possible tire change; the vehicle is not set up in a way to allow people to work on the vehicle; and / or there are not any obvious pinch points between the vehicle and any of the vehicle’s surroundings. In some embodiments, in contrast to Mode 1, Mode 2 may be enabled when: the vehicle’s parking brake is either engaged or disengaged; the vehicle’s doors are open or closed during the quasi-static actuation as long as this does not result in likely pinch points between the opened door and surrounding objects; there are objects, animals, and / or persons adjacent to the vehicle; and / or an occupant is entering and / or exiting the vehicle; the vehicle is being loaded and / or unloaded; and / or other appropriate situations during which the quasi static actuation functions are allowed to remain active. In some embodiments, in Mode 2, it may be possible for the vehicle to be positioned on relatively more slanted, more uneven, and / or lower coefficient of friction surfaces than for Mode 1 as long as the slanting is not too steep (e.g., steeper than a predetermined threshold) and there is sufficient traction between the tires and the wheel. In some embodiments, some of the above noted conditions used to identify a stationary vehicle state for implementing Mode 2 may not be used and / or different vehicle status information and / or other environmental data may be used as the disclosure is not so limited.

[0058] In some instances when a vehicle is stationary, it may be desirable to avoid inducing movements in the vehicle body and / or wheels, but it may be desirable to still have the vehicle ready to be controlled in response to future demands. For example, when a vehicle is temporarily stopped during driving and the driver’s intent is to continue driving, it may be desirable to maintain the active suspension system in an appropriate operating mode to permit appropriate operation of the active suspension system when the vehicle driving continues. In some such embodiments, Mode 3 may be a mode of active suspension in which no stationary functions of the active suspension forces are available (i.e., both dynamic and quasi-static stationary functions of the active suspension system are disabled). However, the active suspension system may still be in an on state and be ready to transition to a mode in which active forces can be applied. In some embodiments, controlling the active suspension system under this mode of operation may include causing the active suspension system to enter a transition state where the active suspension system is not operated to apply active forces to the vehicle body and / or wheels, but the active suspension system may still be powered and may be prepared to perform non- stationary actuation functions.

[0059] In some embodiments, in Mode 3, the active suspension may not be permitted to deliver stationary actuation functions (e.g., both dynamic and quasi-static stationary actuation functions) while in this mode. In some embodiments, the conditions for this mode may be similar to Mode 2: the vehicle is not on a transporter, the vehicle is not set up for a possible tire change, and / or the vehicle is not set up in a way to allow people to work on the vehicle. In some embodiments, some of these conditions for Mode 3 may not be used, depending on the safety concept for the vehicle relating to safety considerations between modes 3 and 4. In some embodiments, the main differences between Modes 2 and 3 may be that Mode 3 is likely more appropriate than Mode 2 while the vehicle is being fueled and / or if there may be likely pinch points between the vehicle and any of the vehicle’s surroundings (including possible pinch points that might be created by opening any of the vehicle’s doors), and / or if the vehicle is positioned on a certain terrain / surf ace.

[0060] In some embodiments, Mode 4 may be an active suspension system operating mode in which no active suspension forces are available and all actuation elements of the active suspension system are turned off and unpowered. In some embodiments, Mode 4 is for when the vehicle is turned off, the vehicle is being towed, the vehicle is on a transporter, when the vehicle is set up for a possible tire change, the vehicle is set up in a way to allow people to work on the vehicle, and / or other vehicle operating states in which interference between the vehicle and the surrounding environment, objects, and / or people is either likely and / or unacceptable. In some embodiments, one or more actuators of the active suspension may be turned off or otherwise disconnected from power to prevent an unintended operation of the active suspension system. In some embodiments, this may be desirable when some of the suspension components of the active suspension are directly powered by high voltage, in which case the high voltage to such suspension components may be disconnected entirely while in Mode 4.

[0061] In some embodiments, Mode 5 may be a mode in which only non- stationary actuation functions of the active suspension system are available while the vehicle speed is zero or below a threshold, such as less than 5 km / hr. The threshold, in some examples, may be less than 10 km / hr, less than 20 km / hr, or less than 30 km / hr. In some embodiments, a vehicle system may not be able to detect a speed below a particular threshold, such as below 5 km / hr, so the system may use the threshold value to make a determination regarding whether the vehicle can be considered stationary or non- stationary. However, continued driving of the vehicle in either a forward and / or reverse direction is likely to occur based on the identified vehicle mode of operation. Thus, it may be desirable to disable stationary modes of operation of the active suspension system and to enable non- stationary modes of operation of the active vehicle suspension system in such an operating mode to facilitate continued driving of the vehicle.

[0062] In some embodiments, Mode 5 may be a mode used for active suspension functions while the vehicle speed is 0 and / or less than a detectable threshold speed. In some embodiments, this mode is intended to provide a desired non- stationary vehicle performance during temporary stops of the vehicle. In some embodiments, when such conditions are satisfied, one or more or all stationary actuation functions may be disabled and one or more, or all non-stationary actuation functions (e.g., vehicle body motion mitigation and / or other non- stationary active suspension functionalities), may be enabled. In some embodiments, one such vehicle use case scenario is in which this Mode 5 addresses sudden high acceleration from 0 vehicle speed (e.g., after stopping at a stop sign, at a red light, at a rail crossing, or after waiting to pick up a passenger). In some embodiments, in such a use case, it may be desirable to start delivering significant forces for non-stationary active suspension functions (e.g., pitch control) while the vehicle is still at zero vehicle speed or near zero speed. In some embodiments, one possible criteria for entering such a Mode 5 may be: the vehicle’s drive state or gear status is, for example, any of: Drive / Gears 1-8 / Reverse / Shift-in-Progress. In some embodiments, additionally, the following other conditions may be used to determine a vehicle mode of operation correlated with Mode 5. This may include, but is not limited to: the vehicle is not being towed, the vehicle is not on a transporter, the vehicle is not being fueled, the vehicle is not set up for a possible tire change, the vehicle is not set up in a way to allow people to work on the vehicle, and / or the vehicle is not stopped on severe off-road terrain. As an example, severe terrain could include large terrain features that could result in the vehicle sliding or tipping over. Severe terrain could also include features that result in one or more wheels becoming unloaded. As an example, severe terrain could include a tire change setup or an inclined surface. In an example of an inclined surface, a grade greater than a 30% grade may be considered a severe terrain feature.

[0063] In some embodiments, Mode 6 may be a mode in which only stationary actuation functions of the active suspension system are available while vehicle speed is greater than zero and greater than a non-zero threshold, such as 5 km / hr. The threshold, in some examples, may be less than 10 km / hr, less than 20 km / hr, or less than 30 km / hr.

[0064] In some embodiments, Mode 6 is used once the vehicle speed is greater than 0, such as when the same non- stationary active functions of the active suspension as during Mode 5 can be available. In some embodiments, modes 3 or 4 may be preferrable over Mode 6 if conditions such as vehicle towing / transport or vehicle fueling are detected while vehicle speed is greater than 0. In some embodiments, particular non-stationary active suspension functions may be more appropriate when certain conditions are satisfied. For example, if severe terrain is detected or certain possible interactions between the active suspension and other vehicle systems require the active suspension to enter other dedicated modes (e.g., stability control systems, braking systems, ADAS), then active suspension may derate its authority (including maximum force and / or response time or bandwidth) and / or may switch from a force-control-based full active performance mode to a damping-control-based semiactive performance mode, a tuned passive damping / stiffness performance mode or an inactive minimum passive damping mode. In some embodiments, the active suspension may also switch from a centralized control mode (master controller requests specific behaviors from each actuation mechanism of the active suspension) to a localized control mode (each actuation mechanism of the active suspension provides performance based on its own sensing information and decision making only).

[0065] In some embodiments, there can be some quasi-static active suspension functions that can be considered as both stationary and non-stationary functions of the active suspension and could therefore be available in Modes 1, 2, and 5 (e.g., ride height transition). In some embodiments, there can also be some dynamic functions of the active suspension that could be considered high-priority and could therefore be expected to be available in all possible Modes 1, 2, 3, and 5, with Mode 4 being the only case where it would not be possible to make such functions available (e.g., pre-crash posturing). In some embodiments, there could be some functions of the active suspension that can only be available when given special authorization (e.g., dealership demo functions, manufacturing / service actuation functions). In some embodiments and depending on the specific active suspension functions (e.g., dynamic stationary, quasi-static stationary, high-priority, non-stationary), active suspension capabilities (e.g., peak force and response time), and active suspension vehicle integration (e.g., high voltage elements within the suspension), for one or several of the above listed high-level Modes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 may not apply. For example, if there are no high voltage active suspension elements in the suspension, then Mode 4 might not be desirable as it could unnecessarily reduce the availability of the active suspension by adding unnecessary delays to transition from Mode 4 to another mode 1, 2, 3, or 5 where the active suspension is ready to deliver active functions. As another example, if the active suspension does not have any dynamic stationary actuation functions or capabilities, then Mode 1 might not apply in such a case. In some embodiments, if an active suspension does not have any stationary active functions or capabilities, then both Modes 1 and 2 would likely not apply in such a case.

[0066] In some embodiments, the way in which an active suspension system operating mode is implemented may vary. As an example, a wait time can be implemented in some instances in which the active suspension system must pause prior to enabling and disabling one or more actuation functions when changing between different active suspension system operating modes.

[0067] In some embodiments, selecting modes for an active suspension such as to mitigate possible hazardous scenarios by ensuring that all desired functions of the active suspension system can be delivered in a predictable and safe manner can be accomplished, in some embodiments, using a multitude of different vehicle state and environmental information. The information can be used to determine which high-level mode is most appropriate at any given point in time. In some embodiments, such vehicle state and environmental information may be acquired via a variety of sensors and / or other inputs (e.g., a vehicle speed sensor and / or controller, a parking brake sensor, a transmission controller, a camera, a lidar, a radar, a capacitive sensor, a position sensor, an accelerometer, an inertial monitoring unit, a gyroscope, a magnetometer, tilt sensors, a low coefficient of friction detector (e.g., measuring ambient temperature, detecting water, detecting tire slip conditions that may include mismatch between the wheel speed and vehicle speed or between one wheel’s speed and another wheel’s speed, detecting tire wear), tire pressure monitor, a gas tank door state switch, door sensors, capacitive sensors or other types of touch detection sensors (e.g., sensors configured to detect if a person is touching some part of the vehicle exterior), user input interfaces, and / or any other appropriate type of sensor and / or input capable of providing vehicle status information and / or environmental data in order to decide on the most appropriate high-level mode of the active suspension.

[0068] Fig. 4A is a flowchart of one exemplary embodiment of a method of operating an active suspension system of a vehicle. The method may be performed by at least one controller of the vehicle. At step 402, vehicle status data and / or environmental data may be obtained. Vehicle status data and vehicle environmental information may be obtained using sensors and / or human-machine interactions through one or more user interfaces. In some embodiments, the vehicle status data includes vehicle component statuses such as an open or closed status of a door, occupant(s) in seats, vehicle drive gear status, parking brake status, and / or other appropriate vehicle statuses noted previously above. These statuses may be determined in any appropriate manner. For example, in the example of monitoring whether an individual is in a seat, the status can be obtained by monitoring deflection of suspension components to indicate occupancy or using a scale or weight sensor. Vehicle status data may also include time durations associated with a particular parameter and / or determined vehicle state. For instance, a length of time a vehicle is in a stopped position may be considered along with other appropriate information.

[0069] In some embodiments, the vehicle status data may include a combination of vehicle state and supplementary information in addition to an indication of vehicle speed. This vehicle status data may include, but is not limited to, vehicle drive status (e.g., “drive” or “park” for an electric vehicle), vehicle gear status, vehicle parking brake state, vehicle conventional brake status (e.g., a brake that is not a parking brake), tire change status, driver brake command inputs, vehicle occupant present status, vehicle charging detected, gas tank door status, vehicle fueling detected, elevated impingement risk with vehicle environment detected, vehicle door open detected, slanted ground detected, uneven ground detected, offroad terrain detected, non-standard surface coefficient of friction detected, tire change status, and / or other appropriate types of vehicle status that may either be sensed and / or commanded by one or more associated controllers. In some embodiments, vehicle status data may also include information related to human-machine interactions, which can be included in obtaining the desired data. As an example, user input may be obtained from an appropriate user interface. Any combination of the following data can be obtained and / or verified by human-machine interactions: vehicle towing status, vehicle transport status, tire change status, vehicle inspection setup, possibly inappropriate vehicle setup detected, object near vehicle detected, person touching vehicle exterior detected, and any other related or similar factors.

[0070] In some embodiments, a similar approach can be taken to determine when stationary or non- stationary safety mechanisms of the active suspension should be enabled in order to prevent possible stationary or non- stationary hazards related to failures of elements of the active suspension. In some embodiments, such an approach to managing safety mechanisms of active suspension systems may have benefits related to the fault tolerant time intervals and Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL) ratings of safety mechanisms as it is possible for Stationary and Non- Stationary Safety Goals to have different ASIL ratings and fault tolerant time intervals. An industry standard may be used to define the safety terms. As an example, ISO26262 defines considerations for fault tolerant time intervals. In some embodiments, fault tolerant time intervals refer to a minimum time from when a fault occurs to a hazardous result occurring if safety mechanisms are not used. As an example, a brake system failure may not cause a hazardous result until the vehicle’s brakes are used. In some embodiments, such an approach can be further expanded to not only transition between stationary and non- stationary safety mechanisms of the active suspension but also to transition between other vehicle-state-based safety mechanisms such as low vehicle speed and medium-to-high vehicle speed (or similarly based on other vehicle state indicators such as lateral acceleration, longitudinal acceleration, vehicle steering, or vehicle braking), with possible benefits in terms of ASIL ratings and fault detection times at lower vehicle speeds as opposed to higher vehicle speeds.

[0071] To obtain the input, sensors and user inputs may be used. As an example, one or more sensors 20 and user inputs 10 as shown in and described in relation to Fig. 1 can be used. The sensors and user inputs can correspond to any of the sensors and inputs disclosed herein. Vehicle status may be monitored continuously, periodically, or may be monitored following an act such as an active suspension request. Monitoring the vehicle status can include monitoring a changing status, such as an occupant getting in a vehicle or an occupant getting out of a vehicle.

[0072] At step 404, the obtained vehicle status data and / or environmental data may be optionally processed. Step 404 may include signal processing techniques. Signal processing may include deriving sensing inputs, such as in relation to sensor 20 shown in Fig. 1. The signal processing may also include determining one or more vehicle statuses based at least in part on the obtained data.

[0073] At step 406, a vehicle mode of operation may be identified. As described herein, each mode of active suspension may be selected based at least in part on which mode of operation the vehicle is in. This may include distinguishing between non-transitory and transitory operating modes of the vehicle. Further, in instances in which the vehicle is stationary, the operating mode of the vehicle may be identified from a plurality of stationary vehicle modes based at least in part on the vehicle status information and / or environmental data, in some embodiments. A mode of operation may include a vehicle intention related to the likely operation of the vehicle in the currently identified vehicle operating mode. A vehicle intention may be identified based at least in part on one or more, and in some instances a combination of, vehicle status information. Thus, identifying a stationary vehicle mode may include determining a vehicle intention.

[0074] At step 408, an active suspension system is controlled. The active suspension system may include first suspension system 4 as shown in Fig. 1. The active suspension system can be controlled in different ways, such as in different modes, and can be based at least in part on the identified vehicle mode of operation. As an example, if a sensor indicates that there are no occupants, certain functions and / or features, such as 4D entertainment, may not be available for active suspension controlling. In order to control the active suspension system, the method may include selecting an active suspension system mode of operation based at least in part on the identified vehicle mode. In some embodiments, the active suspension mode may be a stationary active suspension mode of operation. As elaborated on further below with regards to Fig. 4B, operating the active suspension system may be based at least in part on the selected active suspension mode of operation, such as a selected stationary active suspension mode of operation. Operating the active suspension system may include controlling the active suspension system such as at step 408.

[0075] Step 408 may include step 408a in which an active suspension result is generated. The generated active suspension result may correspond to commanding operation of the active suspension system based on a currently enabled mode of operation of the active system. Step 408 may include step 408b in which a selected mode of operation of the active suspension system is changed from a currently selected mode of operation. For example, in some embodiments, if conditions for a current operating mode of the active suspension system are initially met but during operation, for example, the vehicle status and / or environmental conditions change such that the vehicle is not the same vehicle operating state anymore, then any dynamic and / or stationary (e.g., dynamic and quasi-static) may be terminated (e.g., if one of the vehicle doors suddenly opens during dynamic actuation). The operating mode may then be changed to the appropriate active suspension system operating mode that corresponds to the identified vehicle mode of operation.

[0076] Fig. 4B is a flowchart of a method for controlling operation based on different stationary and non- stationary vehicle states. The method may be performed by at least one controller of the vehicle. At step 410, vehicle status data and / or environmental data may be obtained. Step 410 may include steps described in relation to Fig. 4A step 402.

[0077] At step 412, the obtained vehicle status data and / or environmental data may optionally be processed. Step 412 may include steps described in relation to Fig. 4A step 404.

[0078] At step 414, a vehicle intention may be determined based at least in part on the vehicle status data and / or the environmental data. As described herein, vehicle intention may be an aspect of a vehicle mode of operation. Therefore, in some embodiments, determining the vehicle intention may include determining the vehicle mode of operation. Determining the vehicle intention can include detecting road slope, weather conditions, vehicle speed, wheel speed, vehicle drive status, vehicle gear status, vehicle park brake status, vehicle conventional brake status, driver brake command inputs, vehicle occupant present status, combinations of the above and / or any other appropriate vehicle status and / or environmental data as described previously. In some instances, determining the vehicle intention may include determining whether the vehicle intention corresponds to a stationary or non- stationary vehicle operating mode at 414a and 414b. For example, vehicle speeds equal to zero and / or less than a vehicle speed threshold may be used to differentiate between stationary and non- stationary vehicle operating states. In some embodiments, the detection threshold is 5 km / hr. The threshold, in some examples, may be less than 10 km / hr, less than 20 km / hr, or less than 30 km / hr.

[0079] In some embodiments in which a stationary vehicle intention, which may also correspond to a vehicle operating mode at is determined at step 414a, the type of stationary vehicle intention may also be determined. For example, a stationary vehicle operating mode may be selected from a plurality of stationary vehicle operating modes based at least in part on the obtained vehicle status data and / or the environmental data.

[0080] In embodiments in which step 414a is performed, step 416a may be performed in which stationary actuation functions are accessed. Accessing the stationary actuation functions may correspond to accessing a mode (e.g., modes 302-312 as described in relation to Fig. 3) that is correlated with the identified vehicle intention or other vehicle operating mode. Accessing the functions may include accessing a set of instructions corresponding to the desired actuation functions associated with the identified stationary vehicle intention (e.g., stationary vehicle operating mode). Step 416a may be an aspect of controlling the active suspension system. In some embodiments, this may include accessing stationary actuation functions associated with at least a first and / or second stationary active suspension modes of operation. These first and second stationary active suspension modes of operation may include dynamic and quasi-static stationary actuation functions respectively and that are implemented in different combinations in the different stationary vehicle operating modes as described herein, respectively. For example, in response to identifying the stationary vehicle mode, a corresponding stationary active suspension system operating mode may be selected from a plurality of other stationary active suspension system operating modes and accessed or otherwise enabled to permit use of the desired active suspension system functions.

[0081] In embodiments in which step 416a is performed, step 418a may be performed in which at least one function of the accessed stationary actuation functions is activated. Activating the actuation function may include controlling the active suspension system based at least in part on the enabled stationary active suspension system functions. For example, after accessing the stationary actuation functions, a dynamic and / or quasi-static subset of the stationary actuation functions may be activated depending on the specific stationary vehicle operating mode that is identified from a plurality of separate stationary vehicle operating modes. The dynamic stationary actuation functions can include actuation functions that are configured to induce motion of a vehicle wheel and / or motion of a vehicle body corner in one or more desired frequency ranges with a magnitude greater than a motion magnitude threshold. The quasi-static stationary actuation functions may include actuation functions that are configured to induce motion of a vehicle wheel and / or motion of a vehicle body corner with magnitudes less than the motion magnitude threshold.

[0082] In embodiments in which step 414b is performed in which a vehicle operating mode may be identified as non-stationary, step 416b may be performed in which one or more, and in some instances all, non-stationary actuation functions are accessed. Accessing the non- stationary actuation functions may correspond to accessing an active suspension operating mode corresponding to the identified non-stationary operating mode of the vehicle. Accessing the corresponding active suspension system functions may include accessing a set of instructions corresponding to the actuation functions. As an example, the non-stationary actuation function may include ride height transitioning which is implemented by an actuator of the active suspension system. For example, if a vehicle is traveling around a circle, the body of the vehicle may be lowered such that the center of gravity of the vehicle is lower, and if an obstacle is in the path of the vehicle, the body of the vehicle may be raised. Additionally, the active suspension system may be controlled to mitigate the transfer of road inputs and other disturbances to the vehicle body in some such embodiments.

[0083] In embodiments in which step 416b is performed, step 418b may be performed in which at least one function of the non-stationary actuation functions is activated. Activating the actuation function may include controlling a component of the active suspension system. The active suspension system may be controlled with at least one non-stationary actuation function of the non-stationary actuation functions.

[0084] Activating at least one function (e.g., either stationary or non-stationary) may include limiting actuation functions of the active suspension system. In some embodiments, activating the at least one actuation function of the active suspension system includes limiting actuation functions of the active suspension system to only a subset of the stationary actuation functions (e.g., enabling non-stationary functions while disabling dynamic and quasi-static stationary functions of the active suspension system).

[0085] In some embodiments, activating at least one function (e.g., either stationary or non- stationary) may be based at least in part on a determined confidence level in the identified intention or determined vehicle mode of operation. The confidence level may refer to a confidence on a type of stationary state the vehicle is in. The confidence level may correspond to any appropriate scale. Additionally, in some embodiments, certain functions may be activated based on a confidence being above or below one or more confidence thresholds. For example, if a vehicle is stopped at a red light, a confidence level can be obtained to determine whether to activate certain functions. The confidence can build up over time. The confidence can be based in part on user input such as based on a request to a user for a vehicle status. The confidence can be based on user input such as a driver command for a vehicle to move to allow egress, and in some embodiments, the confidence level increases based on a user request to perform an action over time without additional competing and / or contradictory commands. Thus, the confidence level may be based in part on vehicle status data such as that obtained in step 410. If either step 418a or step 418b are performed, step 420 may be performed in which an active suspension is operated based at least in part on the one or more activated functions of the selected active suspension system operating mode. In a case in which step 418a is performed, the active suspension operation may be controlled based at least in part on one or more stationary actuation functions. In a case in which step 418b is performed, the active suspension may be controlled based at least in part on one or more activated non-stationary actuation functions.

[0086] In some embodiments, the active suspension result includes a motion profile. Alternatively or additionally, the active suspension result may include a force profile. As an example, there may be an open-loop playback of stationary force profiles apart from a resulting motion that such a profile could induce.

[0087] As described herein, safety mechanisms of active suspension systems may be managed while applying different actuation functions. Thus, different safety mechanisms can be applied as part of operating an active suspension system. In some embodiments, different safety mechanisms can be applied to dynamic stationary actuation functions and quasi-static stationary actuation functions; vehicle-requested stationary actuation functions and user- requested stationary actuation functions; and limited authority non-stationary actuation functions and full authority non-stationary actuation functions.

[0088] In some embodiments, step 420 may include issuing indications that an active suspension system is active and operating to perform one or more activated actuation functions. The indication may include an audible warning sound, as an example. In some embodiments, an actuation function may start within a limited time period (e.g., within less than 2 seconds, less than 5 seconds, or less than 10 seconds) accompanied by a clearly noticeable visual, haptic, and / or audio cue for vehicle occupants and bystanders and may be configured to accommodate individuals with hearing or visual impairments. In some embodiments, the warning is provided prior to activating at least one function of the first subset or the second subset of the stationary actuation functions.

[0089] After step 420 is performed, the method may repeat as shown by the arrow in Fig. 4B. The steps of the methods of Figs. 4A and 4B may be repeated continuous, periodically, when various status changes are sensed, and / or at any other desired timing interval.

[0090] It should be understood that while a specific combination and order of steps has been shown in relation to the figures, the steps may each be performed in any appropriate order, some steps may be omitted, and / or additional steps may be performed with the disclosed methods as the disclosure is not so limited.

[0091] The above-described embodiments of the technology described herein can be implemented in any of numerous ways. For example, the embodiments may be implemented using hardware, software or a combination thereof. When implemented in software, the software code can be executed on any suitable processor or collection of processors, whether provided in a single computing device or distributed among multiple computing devices. Such processors may be implemented as integrated circuits, with one or more processors in an integrated circuit component, including commercially available integrated circuit components known in the art by names such as CPU chips, GPU chips, microprocessor, microcontroller, or co-processor. Alternatively, a processor may be implemented in custom circuitry, such as an ASIC, or semicustom circuitry resulting from configuring a programmable logic device. As yet a further alternative, a processor may be a portion of a larger circuit or semiconductor device, whether commercially available, semi-custom or custom. As a specific example, some commercially available microprocessors have multiple cores such that one or a subset of those cores may constitute a processor. Though, a processor may be implemented using circuitry in any suitable format.

[0092] Further, it should be appreciated that a computing device may be embodied in any of a number of forms, such as a rack-mounted computer, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, or a tablet computer. Additionally, a computing device may be embedded in a device not generally regarded as a computing device but with suitable processing capabilities, including a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a smart phone or any other suitable portable or fixed electronic device.

[0093] Also, a computing device may have one or more input and output devices. These devices can be used, among other things, to present a user interface. Examples of output devices that can be used to provide a user interface include printers or display screens for visual presentation of output and speakers or other sound generating devices for audible presentation of output. Examples of input devices that can be used for a user interface include keyboards, and pointing devices, such as mice, touch pads, and digitizing tablets. As another example, a computing device may receive input information through speech recognition or in other audible format.

[0094] Such computing devices may be interconnected by one or more networks in any suitable form, including as a local area network or a wide area network, such as an enterprise network or the Internet. Such networks may be based on any suitable technology and may operate according to any suitable protocol and may include wireless networks, wired networks or fiber optic networks.

[0095] Also, the various methods or processes outlined herein may be coded as software that is executable on one or more processors that employ any one of a variety of operating systems or platforms. Additionally, such software may be written using any of a number of suitable programming languages and / or programming or scripting tools, and also may be compiled as executable machine language code or intermediate code that is executed on a framework or virtual machine.

[0096] In this respect, the disclosed embodiments may be embodied as a computer readable storage medium (or multiple computer readable media) (e.g., a computer memory, one or more floppy discs, compact discs (CD), optical discs, digital video disks (DVD), magnetic tapes, flash memories, circuit configurations in Field Programmable Gate Arrays or other semiconductor devices, or other tangible computer storage medium) storing programming instructions and / or encoded with one or more programs that, when executed on one or more computers or other processors, perform methods that implement the various embodiments of the techniques discussed above and / or cause the processors to perform the methods described herein. As is apparent from the foregoing examples, a computer readable storage medium may retain information for a sufficient time to provide computer-executable instructions in a non-transitory form. Such a computer readable storage medium or media can be transportable, such that the program or programs stored thereon can be loaded onto one or more different computers or other processors to implement various aspects of the present techniques as discussed above. As used herein, the term “computer-readable storage medium” encompasses only a non-transitory computer-readable medium that can be considered to be a manufacture (i.e., article of manufacture) or a machine. Alternatively or additionally, some embodiments may be embodied as a computer readable medium other than a computer-readable storage medium, such as a propagating signal.

[0097] The terms “program”, “software”, “code”, or similar term are used herein in a generic sense to refer to any type of computer code or set of computer-executable instructions that can be employed to program a computing device or other processor to implement various aspects of the present techniques as discussed above. Additionally, it should be appreciated that according to one aspect of this embodiment, one or more computer programs that when executed perform methods of the present techniques need not reside on a single computer or processor, but may be distributed in a modular fashion amongst a number of different computers or processors to implement various aspects of the present techniques.

[0098] Computer-executable instructions may be in many forms, such as program modules, executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Typically the functionality of the program modules may be combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments.

[0099] Also, data structures may be stored in computer-readable media in any suitable form. For simplicity of illustration, data structures may be shown to have fields that are related through location in the data structure. Such relationships may likewise be achieved by assigning storage for the fields with locations in a computer-readable medium that conveys relationship between the fields. However, any suitable mechanism may be used to establish a relationship between information in fields of a data structure, including through the use of pointers, tags or other mechanisms that establish relationship between data elements.

[0100] Various aspects of the present disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or in a variety of arrangements not specifically discussed in the embodiments described in the foregoing and is therefore not limited in its application to the details and arrangement of components set forth in the foregoing description or illustrated in the drawings. For example, aspects described in one embodiment may be combined in any manner with aspects described in other embodiments.

[0101] Also, the embodiments described herein may be embodied as a method, of which examples have been provided. The acts performed as part of the method may be ordered in any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed in which acts are performed in an order different than illustrated, which may include performing some acts simultaneously, even though shown as sequential acts in illustrative embodiments.

[0102] Further, some actions are described as taken by a “user.” It should be appreciated that a “user” need not be a single individual, and that in some embodiments, actions attributable to a “user” may be performed by a team of individuals and / or an individual in combination with computer-assisted tools or other mechanisms.

[0103] While the present teachings have been described in conjunction with various embodiments and examples, it is not intended that the present teachings be limited to such embodiments or examples. On the contrary, the present teachings encompass various alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art.

[0104] Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method of operating an active suspension system of a vehicle, the method comprising: obtaining vehicle status information and environmental data; identifying a stationary vehicle mode from a plurality of stationary vehicle modes based at least in part on the vehicle status information and / or the environmental data; selecting a stationary active suspension system mode of operation based at least in part on the identified stationary vehicle mode; and operating the active suspension system based at least in part on the selected stationary active suspension mode of operation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein operating the active suspension system includes operating the active suspension system using a subset of functions of the active suspension system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein operating the active suspension system comprises: using a first stationary active suspension mode of operation in response to identifying the stationary vehicle mode as a first stationary vehicle mode, and / or using a second stationary active suspension mode of operation in response to identifying the stationary vehicle mode as a second stationary vehicle mode.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein operating the active suspension system comprises at least one selected from: limiting at least one actuation function of the active suspension system, disabling the active suspension system, and causing the active suspension system to enter a transition state.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein identifying the stationary vehicle mode is based at least in part on detecting at least one selected from road slope, weather conditions, vehicle speed, wheel speed, vehicle drive status, vehicle gear status, vehicle park brake status, vehicle conventional brake status, driver brake command inputs, and / or vehicle occupant present status.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein detecting the vehicle speed comprises detecting that a magnitude of the vehicle speed is less than or equal to a threshold vehicle speed in a forward or reverse direction.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the threshold vehicle speed is 5 km / hr.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein: identifying the stationary vehicle mode includes determining a vehicle intention; and in response to determining the vehicle intention is a first stationary vehicle mode: accessing and activating at least one stationary actuation function of the active suspension system included in a first subset and / or a second subset of a plurality of stationary actuation functions, wherein the first subset and the second subset of the plurality of stationary actuation functions are different.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first subset comprises dynamic stationary actuation functions and the second subset comprises quasi-static stationary actuation functions.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the dynamic stationary actuation functions comprise actuation functions that are configured to induce motion of a vehicle wheel and / or motion of a vehicle body corner with magnitudes greater than a motion threshold magnitude.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the quasi-static stationary actuation functions comprise actuation functions that are configured to induce motion of a vehicle wheel and / or motion of a vehicle body comer with magnitudes less than a motion threshold magnitude.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein accessing and activating the at least one stationary actuation function includes limiting actuation functions of the active suspension system to only one subset of the plurality of stationary actuation functions.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein accessing and activating the at least one stationary actuation function includes accessing and activating both the first subset and the second subset of the plurality of stationary actuation functions.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein activating the at least one stationary actuation function is based at least in part on a determined confidence level in the stationary vehicle mode.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising: prior to activating the at least one stationary actuation function of the first subset and / or the second subset of the plurality of stationary actuation functions, providing a warning.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising: identifying the vehicle is non- stationary: accessing one or more non- stationary actuation functions of the active suspension system, and controlling the active suspension system with at least one non-stationary actuation function of the one or more non-stationary actuation functions.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the stationary active suspension system modes of operation include dynamic and quasi-static operating modes of the active suspension system.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle status information includes vehicle state and human-machine interactions of the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle status information and the environmental data are acquired using sensors and / or human-machine interactions.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing the vehicle status information and the environmental data.

21. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing programming instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1-20.

22. A vehicle comprising: one or more sensors configured to sense information related to vehicle status and environmental data; an active suspension system that includes one or more actuators configured to control motion of a vehicle body and / or wheel of the vehicle; and at least one processor configured to: receive signals from the one or more sensors, and operate the active suspension system according to the method of any of claims 1-20.

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