Control method and apparatus, active suspension system, and vehicle

Abstract

A control method and apparatus, an active suspension system, and a vehicle. The method comprises: acquiring state information of a wheel, wherein the state information comprises at least one of an acceleration, a dynamic load and a tire deformation amount of the wheel; and on the basis of the state information, determining a control signal, wherein the control signal is used for controlling actuation parameters, and the actuation parameters comprise at least one of damping, stiffness and an active force of a suspension. The method can better mitigate issues, such as vehicle-body bouncing and vibration, that are caused by a vehicle traveling on uneven roads, and further improve the riding comfort of a user.

Description

Control methods, devices, active suspension systems and vehicles Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of vehicle technology, and more specifically, to a control method, apparatus, active suspension system, and vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] With the further development of autonomous driving technology, higher demands are being placed on vehicle comfort, leading to increasing attention being paid to suspension control technology. Suspension control technology can adjust suspension damping and stiffness, especially when driving on uneven roads. Based on suspension control technology, the vehicle can maintain overall stability as much as possible on uneven roads, reducing vehicle body bumps caused by driving on uneven roads, thereby improving the user's driving comfort.

[0003] However, the current suspension control schemes are based on information such as vehicle speed and acceleration, which have a certain lag, to control the damping and stiffness of the suspension. This means that the damping and stiffness of the suspension cannot be adjusted in a timely manner according to road conditions, resulting in very limited improvement in the user's driving comfort. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a control method, device, active suspension system, and vehicle that can control the suspension in a timely and accurate manner to better overcome problems such as vehicle body bumps and vibrations caused by driving on uneven roads, thereby further improving the user's driving comfort.

[0005] In a first aspect, a control method is provided, the method comprising: acquiring wheel state information, the state information including at least one of wheel acceleration, dynamic load and tire deformation; determining a control signal based on the state information, the control signal being used to control execution parameters, the execution parameters including at least one of suspension damping, stiffness and active force.

[0006] For example, since the actuation parameters include at least one of the suspension's damping, stiffness, and active force, different actuation parameters correspond to different suspension control actions. For instance, when the actuation parameter includes damping, the suspension damping can be adjusted by sending a control signal carrying that damping information to the suspension; when the actuation parameter includes stiffness, the suspension stiffness can be adjusted by sending a control signal carrying that stiffness information to the suspension; and when the actuation parameter includes active force, the active force output by the suspension actuator can be controlled by sending a control signal carrying that active force information to the suspension.

[0007] Based on the above technical solution, since the sensor used detects the wheels, it is possible to directly collect the changes in the corresponding sensing parameters of the wheels based on road surface excitation, determine the force that the road surface excitation will apply to the vehicle body, and control at least one of the damping, stiffness and active force of the suspension in time before the road surface excitation is transmitted to the vehicle body, so as to counteract the road surface excitation force, thereby avoiding problems such as vehicle body bumps and vibrations caused by driving on uneven roads, and further improving the user's driving comfort.

[0008] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the aforementioned execution parameters also include the torque of the wheels.

[0009] It should be understood that the aforementioned control signals can be used to control the vehicle's drive motor, which applies a corresponding torque to the wheels, thereby overcoming the component of the road excitation force in the vehicle's X-direction.

[0010] Based on the above technical solution, the vehicle can counteract both the Z-axis component of the road excitation force and the X-axis component of the road excitation force, enabling the vehicle to overcome vertical bumps or vibrations caused by driving on uneven roads, as well as longitudinal jerking or jolts, thereby further improving the user's driving comfort.

[0011] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the aforementioned state information is acquired by a sensor, including at least one of a wheel-end accelerometer, a wheel load sensor, and a tire deformation sensor.

[0012] For example, the sensor used in this embodiment may include a wheel-end accelerometer, which can be mounted on the axle of the vehicle to measure the vibration and acceleration of the wheel. Alternatively, the sensor may include a wheel load sensor or a tire pressure sensor, which can be mounted near the valve stem of the wheel or inside the tire to measure the vertical load and force on the wheel; or the sensor may include a tire deformation sensor, which can be mounted near the valve stem of the wheel, inside the tire, or on the rim to directly or indirectly detect tire deformation during driving, including bending, compression, or stretching deformations.

[0013] For example, since the aforementioned state information can be acquired by a sensor, the aforementioned state information can be represented by a sensing signal, which is an electrical signal converted from the information collected by the sensor.

[0014] It should be understood that the aforementioned sensing signals can indirectly represent the road surface excitation transmitted to the wheels, and the magnitude of this road surface excitation can be used to represent the magnitude of the force exerted on the wheels by the road surface on which the vehicle is traveling. There is a correlation between the two.

[0015] Based on the above technical solution, the sensor detects the wheels, thus enabling timely response to road surface excitations transmitted to the vehicle. This helps to determine the appropriate control signal before the road surface excitation reaches the vehicle body, thereby dissipating the road surface excitation that is about to be transmitted to the vehicle body. Furthermore, the detection device is a sensor, which is relatively inexpensive, helping to reduce the cost of implementing this solution.

[0016] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the aforementioned acceleration includes a first acceleration of the wheel along a first direction and a second acceleration of the wheel along a second direction.

[0017] The first direction is the X-direction of the vehicle, and the second direction is the Z-direction of the vehicle.

[0018] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, a first component force is determined based on a first acceleration, and / or a second component force is determined based on a second acceleration; and execution parameters are determined based on the first component force and / or the second component force.

[0019] For example, the first and second accelerations mentioned above can be used to determine the current driving state of the vehicle, which can reflect the road conditions.

[0020] For example, the driving state can be determined by judging the relationship between the first acceleration and a preset first threshold, and the relationship between the second acceleration and a preset second threshold.

[0021] For example, when the first acceleration is less than a first threshold and the second acceleration is greater than a second threshold, the current driving state of the vehicle can be determined to be a hill-climbing state.

[0022] For example, when the first acceleration is greater than a first threshold and the second acceleration is less than a second threshold, the current driving state of the vehicle can be determined to be downhill.

[0023] For example, when the first acceleration is less than the third threshold and the second acceleration is greater than the first threshold, where the third threshold is much smaller than the first threshold, it can be determined that the current driving state of the vehicle is not uphill or downhill. In this driving state, only the road excitation in the Z direction can cause the vehicle body to bump or vibrate, and there is no road excitation in the X direction, or the road excitation in the X direction will not cause the vehicle body to jerk or jerk.

[0024] For example, when the second component force is 0, the execution parameters may not include the suspension damping, stiffness, and active force; when the first component force is 0, the execution parameters may not include the wheel torque; when both the first and second components force are not 0, the execution parameters may simultaneously include at least one of the suspension damping, stiffness, and active force, as well as the wheel torque; when both the first and second components force are 0, it indicates that the current road excitation will not cause vehicle body bumps, vibrations, or jerks.

[0025] For example, when the second component force is determined to be non-zero, the damping and / or stiffness of the suspension can be controlled by a control signal to at least counteract the Z-axis component of the road excitation force. When the first component force is determined to be non-zero, the torque applied to the wheels by the drive motor can be controlled to at least counteract the X-axis component of the road excitation force. When both the first and second components force are determined to be non-zero, the damping and / or stiffness of the suspension and the torque applied to the wheels by the drive motor can be controlled by a control signal to counteract the Z-axis and X-axis components of the road excitation force; alternatively, the main force of the corresponding actuator of the suspension and the torque applied to the wheels by the drive motor can be controlled by a control signal to counteract the Z-axis and X-axis components of the road excitation force.

[0026] Based on the above technical solution, the vehicle can counteract both the Z-axis component of the road excitation force and the X-axis component of the road excitation force, enabling the vehicle to overcome vertical bumps or vibrations caused by driving on uneven roads, as well as longitudinal jerking or jolts, thereby further improving the user's driving comfort.

[0027] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the aforementioned dynamic load includes a first dynamic load on the wheel, which is related to the execution parameters.

[0028] For example, in the actual operation of the aforementioned wheel load sensor, the collected wheel load can be the total load of the wheel, which refers to the sum of the wheel's static load and its current dynamic load. Based on this, the static load of the wheel can be pre-acquired and stored before the vehicle is driven. When it is necessary to determine the current dynamic load of the wheel, the difference between the total load currently collected by the wheel load sensor and the previously stored static load can be calculated to determine the current dynamic load of the wheel.

[0029] For example, the relationship between the dynamic load of the wheel and the aforementioned execution parameters can be presented in the form of a relational table, such as a first relational table, which can be determined by one or more methods, such as experience, theoretical derivation, experimentation, or simulation. Alternatively, a first model can be determined by modeling the relationship between the dynamic load of the wheel and the execution parameters. For example, the aforementioned execution parameters can be obtained by inputting the aforementioned first dynamic load into a pre-established first model.

[0030] The relationship between the dynamic load of the wheel and the execution parameters can be the relationship between the dynamic load of the wheel and at least one of the multiple parameters that can be included in the execution parameters.

[0031] Based on the above technical solutions, road surface excitation transmitted to the vehicle body can be offset, enabling the vehicle to overcome vertical bumps or vibrations caused by driving on uneven roads, thereby improving the user's driving comfort.

[0032] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the aforementioned tire deformation includes a first tire deformation related to a first dynamic load on the wheel, which is related to the execution parameters.

[0033] For example, the tire deformation mentioned above may include the direction of tire deformation and the magnitude of tire deformation.

[0034] For example, tire deformation can also include the location where the tire deforms, which allows for a more accurate derivation of the magnitude and direction of the road surface excitation force.

[0035] For example, the relationship between tire deformation and wheel dynamic load can also be presented in the form of a relational table, such as a second relational table, which can be determined through one or more methods such as experience, theoretical derivation, experimentation, or simulation. Alternatively, a second model can be determined by modeling the relationship between tire deformation and wheel dynamic load. For example, the first dynamic load can be obtained by inputting the aforementioned first deformation into a pre-established second model.

[0036] Similarly, as mentioned in the previous embodiments, the relationship between the dynamic load of the wheel and the execution parameters can be recorded in the first relationship table. Therefore, after determining the first dynamic load, the corresponding execution parameters can be determined by looking up the table. Alternatively, the relationship between the dynamic load of the wheel and the execution parameters can be represented by the first model. By inputting the first dynamic load into the first model, the corresponding execution parameters can be obtained.

[0037] For example, the first and second relationship tables mentioned above can be integrated to establish a third relationship table, which records the correspondence between tire deformation variables and execution parameters. Alternatively, the first and second models mentioned above can be integrated to establish a third model, which represents the correspondence between tire deformation variables and execution parameters. Therefore, by inputting the first deformation variables into the third model, the corresponding execution parameters can be directly obtained.

[0038] Based on the above technical solutions, road surface excitation transmitted to the vehicle body can be offset, enabling the vehicle to overcome vertical bumps or vibrations caused by driving on uneven roads, thereby improving the user's driving comfort.

[0039] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the aforementioned state information is represented by a sensing signal, and the sensing signal is filtered to remove the signal portion whose frequency is outside the preset frequency range.

[0040] Among them, the signal part located outside the preset frequency range can be signal interference inside the sensor, or it can be interference signal superimposed on the sensor signal when the vehicle drive motor is driving or braking.

[0041] Based on the above technical solution, interference signals can be filtered out from the sensing signals, thereby helping to improve the accuracy of the acquired state information.

[0042] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the control signal includes a first control signal and / or a second control signal, wherein the first control signal is sent to the suspension to indicate at least one of damping, stiffness, and active force, and / or the second control signal is sent to the drive motor to indicate the torque of the wheel.

[0043] For example, after the suspension receives the first control signal, it can control the damping and / or stiffness of the suspension, and / or control the main power output by the suspension controller; after the drive motor receives the second control signal, it can control the torque applied to the wheels by the drive motor.

[0044] For example, the second control signal described above can be used to indicate a target torque, and after receiving the second control signal, the drive motor can adjust the currently output torque to the target torque. Alternatively, the second control signal described above can be used to indicate a torque adjustment amount, and after receiving the second control signal, the drive motor can adjust the currently output torque according to the torque adjustment amount.

[0045] For example, since the road surface excitation force may be a Z-direction force or an X-direction force, and may also include both X-direction and Z-direction components, the Z-direction force or component generated by the road surface excitation can be counteracted by reducing the damping and / or stiffness of the suspension, or by controlling the suspension actuators to apply a Z-direction force to the vehicle body. Similarly, the X-direction force or component generated by the road surface excitation can be counteracted by controlling the vehicle's drive motor to apply an X-direction force to the vehicle body (achieved by outputting corresponding torque to the wheels).

[0046] Based on the above technical solution, the suspension and drive motor can be controlled by the control signal determined by the state information to counteract the components of the road excitation force in the Z and X directions. This enables the vehicle to overcome vertical bumps or vibrations caused by driving on uneven roads, as well as longitudinal jerks or reverse impulses, thereby further improving the user's driving comfort.

[0047] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, road surface feature information is determined based on the state information, which is used to indicate the road surface unevenness; and the damping and / or stiffness of the suspension is determined based on the road surface feature information.

[0048] For example, any of the parameters included in the above status information may have a corresponding correlation with road surface unevenness. For example, the greater the wheel acceleration, the more severe the road surface unevenness; the greater the wheel dynamic load, the more severe the road surface unevenness; the greater the tire deformation, the more severe the road surface unevenness.

[0049] For example, road surface roughness can be characterized by the International Roughness Index (IRI), root mean square roughness, or roughness standard deviation.

[0050] For example, the correlation between wheel acceleration, wheel dynamic load, tire deformation, and road surface roughness can be established through one or more methods such as experience, theoretical derivation, experimentation, or simulation. Alternatively, the relationship between wheel acceleration, wheel dynamic load, tire deformation, and road surface roughness can be modeled, and the road surface roughness can be obtained by inputting the aforementioned wheel acceleration, wheel dynamic load, or tire deformation into a pre-established model.

[0051] Similarly, the relationship between road surface characteristic information (which may be relevant parameters of road surface roughness) and suspension damping and / or stiffness can be established through one or more methods such as experience, theoretical derivation, experimentation, or simulation. Alternatively, the relationship between road surface characteristic information and suspension damping and / or stiffness can be modeled, and the suspension damping and / or stiffness can be obtained by inputting the aforementioned road surface characteristic information into a pre-established model.

[0052] Based on the above technical solution, the damping and / or stiffness of the suspension can also be determined according to the road surface feature information determined by the state information. By reducing the damping and / or stiffness of the suspension, the road excitation transmitted to the vehicle body through the wheels can be dissipated. Since the state information consists of wheel-related sensing parameters, this solution can also promptly avoid problems such as vehicle body bumps and vibrations caused by driving on uneven roads, thereby further improving the user's driving comfort.

[0053] In a second aspect, a control device is provided, comprising: an acquisition unit for acquiring state information of a wheel, the state information including at least one of wheel acceleration, dynamic load, and tire deformation;

[0054] The control unit is used to determine the control signal based on the status information. The control signal is used to control the execution parameters, which include at least one of the suspension damping, stiffness, and active force.

[0055] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the execution parameters also include the torque of the wheels.

[0056] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the aforementioned acquisition unit is a sensor, which includes at least one of a wheel-end accelerometer, a wheel load sensor, and a tire deformation sensor, and the aforementioned control unit is a controller.

[0057] For example, the controller mentioned above may include at least one of an engine control unit (ECU), a vehicle control unit (VCU), a motor control unit (MCU), and a hybrid control unit (HCU).

[0058] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the aforementioned acceleration includes a first acceleration of the wheel along a first direction and a second acceleration of the wheel along a second direction.

[0059] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the control unit is further configured to: determine a first component force based on a first acceleration, and / or determine a second component force based on a second acceleration; and determine execution parameters based on the first component force and / or the second component force.

[0060] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the aforementioned dynamic load includes a first dynamic load on the wheel, which is related to the execution parameters.

[0061] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the aforementioned tire deformation includes a first tire deformation that is related to a first dynamic load on the wheel, which is related to the execution parameters.

[0062] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the aforementioned state information is represented by a sensing signal, and the aforementioned device further includes: a processing unit, used to filter the sensing signal and filter out the signal portion whose signal frequency is outside a preset frequency range.

[0063] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the control signal includes a first control signal and / or a second control signal, and the device further includes: a transmitting unit for transmitting a first control signal to the suspension, the first control signal indicating at least one of damping, stiffness, and active force, and / or transmitting a second control signal to the drive motor, the second control signal indicating the torque of the wheel.

[0064] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the aforementioned control unit is further configured to: determine road surface feature information based on state information, wherein the road surface feature information is used to indicate road surface unevenness; and determine the damping and / or stiffness of the suspension based on the road surface feature information.

[0065] Thirdly, a control device is provided, comprising a memory and a processor, the memory for storing a computer program and the processor for executing the computer program in the memory, such that the control device can implement the method in any of the possible implementations of the first aspect described above.

[0066] Fourthly, an active suspension system is provided, which includes a plurality of actuators and a control device that may be present in either the second or third aspect described above.

[0067] Fifthly, a vehicle is provided that includes a control device possible in either the second or third aspect described above, or includes the active suspension system described in the fourth aspect described above.

[0068] The term "vehicle" in this application is used in a broad sense and can refer to means of transportation (such as commercial vehicles, passenger cars, motorcycles, flying cars, trains, etc.), industrial vehicles (such as forklifts, trailers, tractors, etc.), engineering vehicles (such as excavators, bulldozers, cranes, etc.), agricultural equipment (such as lawnmowers, harvesters, etc.), amusement equipment, toy vehicles, etc. The embodiments of this application do not specifically limit the type of vehicle.

[0069] In a sixth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising: computer program code, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0070] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, the computer-readable medium storing a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0071] Eighthly, a chip is provided, the chip including circuitry for performing the method in any of the possible implementations of the first aspect described above. Attached Figure Description

[0072] Figure 1 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle 100 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0073] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of an active suspension system 200 proposed in an embodiment of this application;

[0074] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a control method 300 proposed in an embodiment of this application;

[0075] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method 400 for determining execution parameters according to an embodiment of this application;

[0076] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a scenario where the wheels are climbing a slope;

[0077] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of another scenario where the wheels are climbing a slope;

[0078] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a scenario where the wheels are in a downhill position;

[0079] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of another scenario where the wheels are in a downhill position;

[0080] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between road surface excitation and wheel dynamic load;

[0081] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating another control method 1000 proposed in an embodiment of this application;

[0082] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a control device 1100 according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0083] It should be noted that, in the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " means "or". For example, A / B can mean A or B. The "and / or" in this article is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone.

[0084] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. Furthermore, in the description of the embodiments of this application, "multiple" refers to two or more, and "at least one" and "one or more" refer to one, two, or more than two. The singular expressions "a," "an," "the," "the," "the," and "this" are intended to also include expressions such as "one or more," unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise.

[0085] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" as described in this specification mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0086] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0087] Figure 1 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle 100 provided in an embodiment of this application. The vehicle 100 may include a sensing system 110, a computing platform 120, a display device 130, and an active suspension system 140. The sensing system 110 may include one or more sensors for sensing information about the environment surrounding the vehicle 100. For example, the sensing system 110 may include a positioning system, which may be a Global Positioning System (GPS), a BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, or another positioning system. The sensing system 110 may also include one or more of the following: an inertial measurement unit (IMU), lidar, millimeter-wave radar, ultrasonic radar, and a camera device.

[0088] Some or all of the functions of vehicle 100 can be controlled by computing platform 120. Computing platform 120 may include one or more processors, such as processors 121 to 12n (n being a positive integer). A processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction read and execute capabilities, such as a central processing unit (CPU), microprocessor, graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a type of microprocessor), or digital signal processor (DSP). In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationships of hardware circuits. These logical relationships are fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor may be a hardware circuit implemented using an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). In reconfigurable hardware circuits, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and configuring the hardware circuit can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement some or all of the functions of the aforementioned units. Furthermore, the processor can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a neural network processing unit (NPU), tensor processing unit (TPU), deep learning processing unit (DPU), etc. In addition, the computing platform 120 may also include a memory for storing instructions. Some or all of the processors 121 to 12n can call and execute the instructions in the memory to achieve the corresponding functions.

[0089] The in-cabin display devices 130 are mainly divided into two categories: the first is the in-vehicle display screen; the second is the projection display screen, such as the head-up display (HUD). An in-vehicle display screen is a physical display screen and an important component of the in-vehicle infotainment system. Multiple displays can be installed in the cabin, such as the digital instrument cluster display, the central control screen, the display screen in front of the front passenger (also known as the passenger in the forward area), the display screen in front of the left rear passenger, the display screen in front of the right rear passenger, and even the car window can be used as a display screen. A head-up display, also known as a head-up display system, is mainly used to display driving information such as speed and navigation on a display device in front of the driver (such as the windshield). This reduces the driver's eye-shifting time, avoids pupil changes caused by eye-shifting, and improves driving safety and comfort. Examples of HUDs include combiner-HUD (C-HUD) systems, windshield-HUD (W-HUD) systems, and augmented reality HUD (AR-HUD) systems. It should be understood that HUDs can also evolve into other types of systems as technology progresses, and this application does not limit them.

[0090] The active suspension system 140 may include a controller, suspension, and actuators. The active suspension system 140 detects vehicle vibrations, including vehicle posture, speed, and road conditions, using sensors (which may belong to the aforementioned sensing system 110). The controller (i.e., control unit) then analyzes and calculates the optimal control strategy. Finally, actuators (such as servo motors or hydraulic cylinders) adjust the suspension posture in real time to improve user ride comfort. The controller of the active suspension system 140 may also be a chassis controller.

[0091] With the further development of autonomous driving technology, higher demands are being placed on vehicle comfort. When a vehicle travels on uneven roads, the uneven surface generates resistance and impact disturbances on the wheels, causing unexpected wheel displacement. This phenomenon is called road excitation. Road excitation is transmitted to the vehicle body, causing vibration and bumps. Severe vibration and bumps reduce ride comfort and may even lead to motion sickness or discomfort for passengers. Furthermore, road excitation also causes vibrations in the chassis and body, generating noise and further reducing user comfort.

[0092] In response, the industry has proposed a suspension control technology to counteract road surface excitation transmitted to the vehicle body. The solution is as follows: sensors installed on the vehicle collect motion data such as vehicle speed and acceleration, reflecting the vehicle's current driving state and the impact of road surface excitation. Then, based on the vehicle's dynamics model, vehicle speed, and acceleration, the damping and stiffness of the suspension are determined, placing the suspension in an appropriate structural state to counteract road surface excitation transmitted to the vehicle body, maintaining overall vehicle stability as much as possible, and improving user ride comfort.

[0093] However, the vehicle speed and acceleration information obtained from sensors has a certain lag. This is because sensors need time to respond to and measure changes in the vehicle's motion state, which can cause the control system to miss the optimal suspension control timing by the time it receives the information. Furthermore, traditional control algorithms are typically based on fixed mathematical models and control strategies, whose control parameters and logic are determined during the design and implementation phases. However, in actual driving, road conditions are complex and varied, and correspondingly, road surface excitations are also complex and varied. Fixed mathematical models and control strategies cannot adapt to these complex and varied road conditions.

[0094] Moreover, after the road surface excitation is transmitted to the vehicle body, it will not only exert a vertical force (i.e., the Z-direction of the vehicle) on the vehicle body, but may also exert a longitudinal force (i.e., the X-direction of the vehicle) on the vehicle body. At present, the solution based on suspension control technology is difficult to avoid the problem of the vehicle jerking or lurching forward in the longitudinal direction due to road surface excitation.

[0095] In summary, the suspension control technologies proposed in the industry at present cannot adjust the suspension in a timely manner according to road conditions, nor can they adapt to complex and ever-changing road conditions to flexibly control the forces on the vehicle body in multiple directions (at least including the Z and X directions), thus making it difficult to further improve the user's driving comfort.

[0096] In view of this, embodiments of this application propose a control method, device, active suspension system, and vehicle to control the attitude of the suspension in a timely and accurate manner, so as to better overcome the problems of vehicle body bumps and vibrations caused by driving on uneven roads, and further improve the user's driving comfort.

[0097] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of an active suspension system 200 proposed in an embodiment of this application.

[0098] Referring to Figure 2, the active suspension system includes multiple actuators 210. Each actuator 210 can be a kind of active force generator, and each actuator 210 is connected between a wheel and the body. Each actuator can actively generate an action force (also called active force) to act on the body, so as to realize the body's attitude transformation such as lifting, pulling down, tilting and pitching.

[0099] In some possible embodiments, the active suspension may include a continuously damped controlled shock absorber, an active stabilizer bar, and suspension actuators.

[0100] The aforementioned actuators 210 can perform corresponding control based on the mutual cooperation of multiple functional units of the active suspension system.

[0101] Referring to Figure 2, the active suspension system may include:

[0102] Sensor 201 is used to collect wheel-related sensing information and generate corresponding sensing signals (which may be electrical signals) to characterize road surface excitation.

[0103] The detection unit 203 is used to analyze the sensor signals and extract physical parameters (such as longitudinal acceleration, vertical acceleration, dynamic load, etc.) related to the real-time state of the wheel in order to detect road excitation, determine whether the road surface on which the current vehicle is traveling is a speed bump, pothole, or bulge, etc., and can also determine the real-time slope and smoothness of the road surface.

[0104] The storage unit 205 is used to store the corresponding application program and parameters, which are used to determine the force (referred to as road excitation force) generated based on the analysis results of the sensing signals of the detection unit 203.

[0105] The control unit 207 is used to run the application program in the storage unit 205 to determine the main force and / or suspension parameters (e.g., damping, stiffness) that need to be applied to the vehicle body, and to generate corresponding control signals and send them to the corresponding actuators 210.

[0106] In some possible embodiments, the actuator 210 described above may include one or more actuators of the active suspension system 200.

[0107] In some possible embodiments, the actuator 210 described above may also include a vehicle drive motor.

[0108] In some possible embodiments, the actuator 210 described above may also be the suspension itself, to adjust the damping and / or stiffness of the suspension according to the control signal.

[0109] In some possible embodiments, the functions of the detection unit 203, storage unit 205 and control unit 207 described above can be integrated into the suspension controller.

[0110] The actuator 210 is used to output the corresponding active force or adjust the suspension parameters according to the control signal, thereby counteracting the force transmitted to the vehicle body based on the road excitation.

[0111] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a control method 300 proposed in an embodiment of this application.

[0112] Based on this control method 300, control of the vehicle's suspension can be achieved. Since the vehicle's suspension can be an active suspension, this control method 300 is applicable to the vehicle's active suspension system 200. The active suspension mentioned in this application refers to a suspension capable of providing active force.

[0113] Referring to Figure 3, the control method 300 may include the following steps:

[0114] S310: Obtain wheel state information, which includes at least one of wheel acceleration, dynamic load, and tire deformation.

[0115] In some possible embodiments, the above-mentioned state information can be obtained by sensors, since the sensors applied in this embodiment can be used to collect at least one of wheel acceleration, dynamic load, and tire deformation.

[0116] For example, the sensor used in this embodiment may include a wheel-end accelerometer, which can be mounted on the axle of the vehicle to measure the vibration and acceleration of the wheel. Alternatively, the sensor may include a wheel load sensor or a tire pressure sensor, which can be mounted near the valve stem of the wheel or inside the tire to measure the vertical load and force on the wheel; or the sensor may include a tire deformation sensor, which can be mounted near the valve stem of the wheel, inside the tire, or on the rim to directly or indirectly detect tire deformation during driving, including bending, compression, or stretching deformation. Since the sensor detects the wheel, it can respond promptly to road excitations transmitted to the vehicle, helping to determine the corresponding control signal in time before the road excitation is transmitted to the vehicle body, so as to dissipate the road excitation that is about to be transmitted to the vehicle body.

[0117] The installation location of any of the above sensors is only an example. The specific installation location of the sensors can be adapted to different vehicle models, design requirements, and measurement parameters.

[0118] In some possible embodiments, since the aforementioned state information can be acquired by a sensor, the aforementioned state information can be represented by a sensing signal, which is an electrical signal converted from the information collected by the sensor.

[0119] In some possible embodiments, the aforementioned sensing signal can indirectly represent the road surface excitation transmitted to the wheels. The magnitude of this road surface excitation can be used to represent the magnitude of the force exerted on the wheels by the road surface on which the vehicle is traveling, and there is a correlation between the two. If this force is not processed accordingly, it will be transmitted to the vehicle body through the wheels, causing vehicle body swaying or bumping.

[0120] It should be noted that the various forces involved in the embodiments of this application are vectors, including magnitude and direction.

[0121] Furthermore, after the road surface excitation is transmitted to the wheels, it will not be immediately transmitted to the vehicle body, so as to cause the vehicle body to vibrate or bump. During the process of the road surface excitation being transmitted to the vehicle body, the following operations can continue to be performed. Thus, it can be seen that the control method 300 can intervene in the suspension control of the vehicle before the vehicle body vibrates or bumps based on the road surface excitation.

[0122] S320: Based on the status information, determine the control signal, which is used to control the execution parameters, including at least one of the suspension damping, stiffness, and active force.

[0123] In some possible embodiments, since the actuation parameters include at least one of suspension damping, stiffness, and active force, different actuation parameters correspond to different suspension control actions. For example, when the actuation parameter includes damping, the suspension damping can be adjusted by sending a control signal carrying the damping information to the suspension; when the actuation parameter includes stiffness, the suspension stiffness can be adjusted by sending a control signal carrying the stiffness information to the suspension; when the actuation parameter includes active force, the active force output by the suspension actuator can be controlled by sending a control signal carrying the active force information to the suspension. All of the above operations can be used to counteract road surface excitation transmitted to the vehicle body.

[0124] In some possible embodiments, when the control signal is used to control the main force, the control signal can be obtained by inverting, delaying, filtering and scaling the sensing signal used to represent state information.

[0125] Among these, reversal is to ensure that the direction of the main force represented by the control signal is opposite to the direction of the road excitation force represented by the sensing signal; delay is to ensure that the main force represented by the control signal and the road excitation force can act on the vehicle body simultaneously; filtering is to filter out interference signals and some sensing signals with values ​​less than a certain threshold (the road excitation indicated by these sensing signals will not cause bumps or vibrations to the vehicle body); scaling is to convert different types of parameters (such as acceleration, dynamic load, or deformation) represented by the sensing signal into forces so that the control signal can be directly used to represent the magnitude of the force.

[0126] When a vehicle travels on roads with varying degrees of smoothness, the state information determined by the sensor signals collected by the sensors will also adapt to the different degrees of smoothness of the road (i.e., different road surface characteristics). Based on the different state information, different control signals can be determined accordingly. Therefore, the control method 300 is applicable to different road surface characteristics and can determine the corresponding control signals for different road surface characteristics.

[0127] Based on the above technical solution, since the sensor used detects the wheels, it is possible to directly collect the changes in the corresponding sensing parameters of the wheels based on road surface excitation, determine the force that the road surface excitation will apply to the vehicle body, and control at least one of the damping, stiffness and active force of the suspension in time before the road surface excitation is transmitted to the vehicle body, so as to counteract the road surface excitation force, thereby avoiding problems such as vehicle body bumps and vibrations caused by driving on uneven roads, and further improving the user's driving comfort.

[0128] In some possible embodiments, the aforementioned execution parameters may further include the torque of the wheels. Based on this, the aforementioned control signal can be used to control the vehicle's drive motor, which applies a corresponding torque to the wheels, thereby overcoming the component of the road excitation force in the vehicle's X-direction.

[0129] Based on the above technical solution, the vehicle can counteract both the Z-axis component of the road excitation force and the X-axis component of the road excitation force, enabling the vehicle to overcome vertical bumps or vibrations caused by driving on uneven roads, as well as longitudinal jerking or jolts, thereby further improving the user's driving comfort.

[0130] In some possible embodiments, the control signal includes a first control signal and / or a second control signal, and the method 300 may further include the following operations:

[0131] S330: Send a first control signal to the suspension, the first control signal indicating at least one of damping, stiffness and active force, and / or send a second control signal to the drive motor, the second control signal indicating the torque of the wheel.

[0132] Accordingly, after the suspension receives the first control signal, it can control the damping and / or stiffness of the suspension, and / or control the main power output by the suspension controller; after the drive motor receives the second control signal, it can control the torque applied to the wheels by the drive motor.

[0133] In some possible embodiments, since the vehicle is usually in motion during the execution of the above method 300, and the vehicle's drive motor is already outputting corresponding torque to the wheels, adjustments can be made based on the current output torque of the drive motor after receiving the above second control signal.

[0134] For example, the second control signal described above can be used to indicate a target torque, and after receiving the second control signal, the drive motor can adjust the currently output torque to the target torque. Alternatively, the second control signal described above can be used to indicate a torque adjustment amount, and after receiving the second control signal, the drive motor can adjust the currently output torque according to the torque adjustment amount.

[0135] In some possible embodiments, since the road excitation force may be a Z-direction force, an X-direction force, or may include both X-direction and Z-direction components, the Z-direction force or component generated by the road excitation can be counteracted by reducing the damping and / or stiffness of the suspension, or by controlling the suspension actuators to apply a Z-direction force to the vehicle body. Similarly, the X-direction force or component generated by the road excitation can be counteracted by controlling the vehicle's drive motor to apply an X-direction force to the vehicle body (achieved by outputting corresponding torque to the wheels).

[0136] Therefore, the control method 300 proposed in this application embodiment can counteract both the Z-direction force generated by road surface excitation and the X-direction force generated by road surface excitation. This not only helps to avoid vibration or bumps in the Z-direction of the vehicle, but also effectively avoids the problem of the vehicle jerking or lurching forward in the X-direction.

[0137] In some possible embodiments, the aforementioned sensors can be used to collect sensing data from the first wheel of the vehicle to determine state information for the first wheel. Accordingly, in S330, taking the actuator controlling the suspension as an example, it is assumed that the first wheel is associated with the first actuator of the suspension, wherein the first actuator and the first wheel can be connected through components such as suspension links and control arms. The first actuator is responsible for connecting the wheel to the vehicle body and allowing the first wheel to move along the Z direction within a certain range. When the aforementioned state information control signal is used to control the main power of the suspension, the aforementioned control signal can be used to control the aforementioned first actuator.

[0138] In some possible embodiments, for a four-wheeled vehicle, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the suspension actuators and the wheels, that is, the suspension actuators also include four, which are connected to the four wheels one-to-one.

[0139] In some possible embodiments, for vehicles with more than four wheels, such as six-wheeled vehicles or eight-wheeled vehicles, the number of suspension actuators may be less than the number of wheels in the vehicle, for example, including four actuators, in which case the four actuators can be connected one-to-one with the four wheels in the vehicle.

[0140] In some possible embodiments, the above-mentioned state information may also correspond to multiple wheels, and the correspondingly determined control signals may also be used to control the actuators corresponding to the multiple wheels respectively.

[0141] Based on the above technical solution, the suspension and drive motor can be controlled by the control signal determined by the state information to counteract the components of the road excitation force in the Z and X directions. This enables the vehicle to overcome vertical bumps or vibrations caused by driving on uneven roads, as well as longitudinal jerking or jerkiness, thereby further improving the user's driving comfort.

[0142] In some possible embodiments, since the above-mentioned state information can be represented by a sensing signal, and the sensing signal may include some interference signals, after the sensing signal is acquired, the sensing signal can be filtered to filter out the signal part whose signal frequency is outside the preset frequency range.

[0143] Among them, the signal part located outside the preset frequency range can be signal interference inside the sensor, or it can be interference signal superimposed on the sensor signal when the vehicle drive motor is driving or braking.

[0144] Based on the above technical solution, interference signals can be filtered out from the sensing signals, thereby helping to improve the accuracy of the acquired state information.

[0145] As can be seen from the foregoing embodiments, the aforementioned sensors can be wheel-end accelerometers, wheel load sensors, or tire deformation sensors. The following describes the methods for determining the active force signal based on these three types of sensors.

[0146] In some possible embodiments, when the sensor measures wheel-end acceleration, the state information may include acceleration, which includes a first acceleration of the wheel along a first direction and a second acceleration of the wheel along a second direction. The first direction is the X-direction of the vehicle, and the second direction is the Z-direction of the vehicle.

[0147] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method 400 for determining execution parameters according to an embodiment of this application.

[0148] Referring to Figure 4, the above method 400 may include the following steps:

[0149] S410: Determine the first component force based on the first acceleration, and / or determine the second component force based on the second acceleration.

[0150] In some possible embodiments, the first and second accelerations described above can be used to determine the current driving state of the vehicle, which can reflect the road conditions.

[0151] In some possible embodiments, the driving state can be determined by judging the relationship between the first acceleration and a preset first threshold, and the relationship between the second acceleration and a preset second threshold.

[0152] For example, when the first acceleration is less than a first threshold and the second acceleration is greater than a second threshold, the current driving state of the vehicle can be determined to be a hill-climbing state.

[0153] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a scenario where a wheel is climbing a slope. Referring to Figure 5, the vehicle's driving state at this time can be that the wheel is driving over a road bump, where the bump can be a stone on the road, a raised structure formed by road deformation, or a speed bump, etc., and the wheel has not yet driven over the highest point of the bump.

[0154] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of another scenario where the wheel is in a climbing state. Referring to Figure 6, when the wheel is in a climbing state, the vehicle's driving state can also be that the wheel is driving over a pothole in the road surface, and the wheel has already passed the lowest point of the pothole.

[0155] Referring to Figure 5 or Figure 6, when the wheel is climbing, there is a resistance force based on the road surface excitation in the X direction (i.e., the first component force mentioned above), and there is a lifting force based on the road surface excitation in the Z direction (i.e., the second component force mentioned above). The resultant force of the first component force and the second component force is the road surface excitation force.

[0156] For example, when the first acceleration is greater than a first threshold and the second acceleration is less than a second threshold, the current driving state of the vehicle can be determined to be downhill.

[0157] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a scenario where the wheel is in a downhill position. Referring to Figure 7, the vehicle's driving state can also be such that the wheel is driving over a road bump, but the wheel has already passed the highest point of the bump, as shown in Figure 7, so that the wheel is in a downhill position.

[0158] For example, Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of another scenario where the wheel is in a downhill position. Referring to Figure 8, when the wheel is in a downhill position, the vehicle's driving state can also be such that the wheel is driving over a pothole in the road surface, and the wheel has not yet passed the lowest point of the pothole.

[0159] Referring to Figure 7 or Figure 8, when the wheel is going downhill, the wheel has a thrust force in the X direction based on the road surface excitation (i.e., the first component force mentioned above), and the wheel has a pull force in the Z direction based on the road surface excitation (i.e., the second component force mentioned above). The resultant force of the first component force and the second component force is the road surface excitation force.

[0160] For example, when the first acceleration is less than the third threshold and the second acceleration is greater than the first threshold, where the third threshold is much smaller than the first threshold, it can be determined that the current driving state of the vehicle is not uphill or downhill. In this driving state, only the road excitation in the Z direction can cause the vehicle body to bump or vibrate, and there is no road excitation in the X direction, or the road excitation in the X direction will not cause the vehicle body to jerk or jerk.

[0161] During vehicle operation, the wheel X-axis acceleration collected by sensors is affected not only by road surface excitation but also by the magnitude of the driving force output by the vehicle's drive motor. The driving force directly impacts the accuracy of the determined first component force. Therefore, determining the first component force requires considering the relationship between the first acceleration and a first threshold value to determine the direction of the first component force generated by road surface excitation. Similarly, the wheel Z-axis acceleration collected by sensors is affected not only by road surface excitation but also by the vehicle's gravity and the magnitude of the Z-axis component of the driving force output by the drive motor. Therefore, determining the second component force requires considering the relationship between the second acceleration and a second threshold value to determine the direction of the second component force generated by road surface excitation. In other words, the current driving state of the vehicle (e.g., climbing, descending) can be determined based on the relationships between the first and second accelerations and the first and second threshold values, thus aiding in the determination of the first and second component forces.

[0162] The embodiments of this application do not limit the geometric parameters of the protrusions and pits. For example, the protrusion can be a large mound of dirt or a speed bump, or a pebble on the road surface, and the same applies to the pit.

[0163] S420: Determine the execution parameters based on the first component force and / or the second component force.

[0164] For example, when the second component force is 0, the execution parameters may not include the suspension damping, stiffness, and active force; when the first component force is 0, the execution parameters may not include the wheel torque; when both the first and second components force are not 0, the execution parameters may simultaneously include at least one of the suspension damping, stiffness, and active force, as well as the wheel torque; when both the first and second components force are 0, it indicates that the current road excitation will not cause vehicle body bumps, vibrations, or jerks, so it is not currently necessary to control the suspension and the vehicle's drive motor based on the control method 300 proposed in this application embodiment.

[0165] When the second component force is determined to be non-zero, the damping and / or stiffness of the suspension can be controlled by a control signal to at least counteract the Z-axis component of the road excitation force.

[0166] When the first component force is determined to be non-zero, the torque applied to the wheels by the drive motor can be controlled to at least counteract the X-axis component of the road excitation force.

[0167] When it is determined that neither the first component force nor the second component force is zero, the damping and / or stiffness of the suspension can be controlled by the control signal, as well as the torque applied to the wheel by the drive motor, to counteract the X-axis and Z-axis components of the road excitation force; or, the main power of the corresponding actuator of the suspension can be controlled by the control signal, as well as the torque applied to the wheel by the drive motor, to counteract the X-axis and Z-axis components of the road excitation force.

[0168] In some possible embodiments, when the sensor is a wheel load sensor, the state information may include a dynamic load, which may include a first dynamic load on the wheel, and this first dynamic load is related to the execution parameters. The wheel load sensor may include components such as embedded flexible piezoelectric cables, piezoelectric films, and strain gauges.

[0169] Wheel load refers to the vertical force exerted on the wheel by the vehicle's own weight, the weight of passengers and cargo, and objects on the road surface that the wheel passes over, whether the vehicle is stationary or in motion. Depending on the vehicle's state, wheel load can be divided into static load and dynamic load. Static load refers to the load borne by the wheel when the vehicle is stationary; while dynamic load refers to the additional load generated when the vehicle is in motion due to changes in its state of motion (such as the wheel passing over objects on the road surface).

[0170] In some possible embodiments, during the actual operation of the aforementioned wheel load sensor, the collected wheel load can be the total load of the wheel, which refers to the sum of the wheel's static load and its current dynamic load. Based on this, the static load of the wheel can be pre-acquired and stored before the vehicle travels. When it is necessary to determine the current dynamic load of the wheel, the difference between the total load currently collected by the wheel load sensor and the previously stored static load can be calculated to determine the current dynamic load of the wheel.

[0171] For example, as a wheel rolls over a road bump, the contact force and dynamic behavior between the wheel and the road surface change, thus affecting the wheel's dynamic load. When the wheel first contacts the bump, the presence of the bump causes a sudden resistance, resulting in a momentary increase in the wheel's dynamic load. As the wheel continues to roll and press against the bump until it reaches its highest point, the dynamic load gradually increases, reaching a peak. As the wheel rolls past the highest point of the bump and begins to roll downwards, the dynamic load gradually decreases. Once the wheel has completely rolled over the bump and returned to a flat surface, the dynamic load gradually returns to its initial static load level.

[0172] For example, as a wheel rolls over a pothole, the contact force and dynamic behavior between the wheel and the road surface change, thus affecting the wheel's dynamic load. When the wheel begins to contact the edge of the pothole, the dynamic load drops momentarily due to the pothole's presence; as the wheel continues rolling and reaches the bottom (lowest point) of the pothole, the dynamic load begins to rise; as the wheel begins to leave the pothole, it experiences resistance, and the dynamic load continues to increase; as the wheel completely rolls over the pothole and returns to a flat surface, the dynamic load gradually returns to its initial static load level.

[0173] Therefore, it can be seen that the dynamic load of the wheel can change accordingly in response to different road surface excitations, that is, there is a certain correlation between the dynamic load of the wheel and the road surface excitation.

[0174] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between road surface excitation and wheel dynamic load.

[0175] The dynamic load of a wheel is the remaining load after deducting the static load from the current total load of the wheel. The change in this dynamic load can be used to characterize the magnitude of the road excitation transmitted to the wheel, and the relationship between the two can be seen in Figure 9. Based on this, it can be seen that the aforementioned first dynamic load is related to the road excitation force. Through the road excitation force, the execution parameters for the suspension and / or drive motor used to counteract the road excitation force can be determined. Therefore, the first dynamic load is related to the execution parameters. After determining the execution parameters, the control signal with the corresponding signal waveform can be determined.

[0176] In some possible embodiments, the relationship between the dynamic load of the wheel and the aforementioned execution parameters can be presented in the form of a relational table, such as a first relational table, which can be determined by one or more methods such as experience, theoretical derivation, experimentation, or simulation. Alternatively, a first model can be determined by modeling the relationship between the dynamic load of the wheel and the execution parameters. For example, the aforementioned execution parameters can be obtained by inputting the aforementioned first dynamic load into a pre-established first model.

[0177] The relationship between the dynamic load of the wheel and the execution parameters can be the relationship between the dynamic load of the wheel and at least one of the multiple parameters that can be included in the execution parameters.

[0178] In some possible embodiments, the aforementioned sensing signal may include a dynamic load signal, for example, a first dynamic load corresponding to the first wheel. Furthermore, the aforementioned sensing signal may include multiple dynamic load signals, for example, a first dynamic load corresponding to the first wheel, a second dynamic load corresponding to the second wheel, a third dynamic load corresponding to the third wheel, and a fourth dynamic load corresponding to the fourth wheel. Based on the relationship between the dynamic loads of the wheels and the execution parameters, the execution parameters corresponding to each of the aforementioned dynamic loads can be determined to generate the corresponding control signal.

[0179] In some possible embodiments, when the control signal is used to indicate the main force of the suspension, referring to Figure 9, the control signal has a waveform opposite to that of the road excitation signal used to represent road excitation. After the two signals cancel each other out, the cancellation result is a straight signal waveform or a signal waveform that is approximately straight. This signal is used to represent the resultant force of the main force and the road excitation force, and to indicate whether the vehicle body experiences bumps, vibrations or jerks. Since the signal is presented as a straight line or approximately straight line, the vehicle body will not experience obvious bumps, vibrations or jerks.

[0180] In some possible embodiments, when the sensor is a tire deformation sensor, the state information may include tire deformation, which may include a first deformation of the tire, which is related to a first dynamic load on the wheel. As can be seen from the foregoing embodiments, the first dynamic load is also related to the execution parameters.

[0181] In some possible embodiments, the tire deformation may include the direction of tire deformation and the magnitude of tire deformation.

[0182] In some possible embodiments, tire deformation may also include the location where the tire deforms, thereby enabling a more accurate derivation of the magnitude and direction of the road excitation force.

[0183] For example, when a wheel runs over a road bump, the wheel deforms, becoming concave. This deformation reduces the contact area between the wheel and the road surface, increasing the contact pressure and consequently increasing the dynamic load on the wheel. The greater the deformation, the greater the increase in dynamic load. Similarly, when the wheel runs over a depression, it deforms, becoming convex. This deformation also reduces the contact area between the wheel and the road surface, increasing the contact pressure and consequently increasing the dynamic load on the wheel. In this case, it's necessary to consider the direction of the wheel deformation to determine whether the wheel is running over a road bump or a depression, thus determining the direction of the road surface excitation force.

[0184] For details on the correspondence between dynamic load and road surface excitation, please refer to the aforementioned embodiments.

[0185] In some possible embodiments, the relationship between tire deformation and wheel dynamic load can also be presented in the form of a relational table, such as a second relational table, which can be determined by one or more methods such as experience, theoretical derivation, experimentation, or simulation. Alternatively, a second model can be determined by modeling the relationship between tire deformation and wheel dynamic load. For example, the first dynamic load can be obtained by inputting the aforementioned first deformation into a pre-established second model.

[0186] Similarly, as mentioned in the previous embodiments, the relationship between the dynamic load of the wheel and the execution parameters can be recorded in the first relationship table. Therefore, after determining the first dynamic load, the corresponding execution parameters can be determined by looking up the table. Alternatively, the relationship between the dynamic load of the wheel and the execution parameters can be represented by the first model. By inputting the first dynamic load into the first model, the corresponding execution parameters can be obtained.

[0187] In some possible embodiments, the first and second relationship tables described above can be integrated to establish a third relationship table, which records the correspondence between tire deformation variables and execution parameters. Alternatively, the first and second models described above can be integrated to establish a third model, which represents the correspondence between tire deformation variables and execution parameters. Therefore, by inputting the first deformation variables into the third model, the corresponding execution parameters can be directly obtained.

[0188] In some possible embodiments, the aforementioned sensing signal may include a deformation signal, for example, a first deformation corresponding to the first wheel. Furthermore, the aforementioned sensing signal may include multiple deformation signals, for example, a first deformation corresponding to the first wheel, a second deformation corresponding to the second wheel, a third deformation corresponding to the third wheel, and a fourth deformation corresponding to the fourth wheel. Based on the relationship between the wheel deformation and the road surface excitation force, the road surface excitation force corresponding to each of the aforementioned deformation variables can be determined to generate the corresponding execution parameters.

[0189] In summary, after acquiring the sensing signal, in addition to filtering, phase shifting, and inverting the sensing signal, it is also necessary to scale the sensing signal to convert the physical quantity indicated by the sensing signal. For example, the dynamic load can be converted into at least one of the execution parameters, or the deformation can be converted into at least one of the execution parameters, or the acceleration can be converted into at least one of the execution parameters.

[0190] Based on the above technical solutions, several approaches to determine execution parameters based on sensor signals are proposed, thereby determining the corresponding control signals. The principle of determining execution parameters is relatively simple, with low computational complexity, low implementation difficulty and cost, and strong flexibility.

[0191] In some possible embodiments, the aforementioned sensors may include one or more of the wheel-end accelerometer, wheel load sensor, and tire deformation sensor. When the sensors include multiple sensors as shown in the example above, the user can determine the sensors involved in the control method 300 through settings. Alternatively, multiple sensors can operate simultaneously, and control signal determination operations can be performed separately for the data collected by the multiple sensors. The obtained multiple control signals can be cross-checked or subjected to signal processing such as weighted averaging, thereby helping to further improve the effect of counteracting road surface excitation forces.

[0192] In some possible embodiments, considering that the sensing information collected by wheel load sensors or tire deformation sensors cannot directly reflect the X-axis component of road excitation, the aforementioned sensing signal can simultaneously include a first sub-sensing signal and a second sub-sensing signal. The first sub-sensing signal indicates the dynamic load or deformation of the wheel, and the second sub-sensing signal indicates the X-axis acceleration of the wheel. Based on the first and second sub-sensing signals, the Z-axis and X-axis components of the road excitation can be determined respectively, such as the aforementioned first and second component forces, thereby enabling a more accurate determination of the control signal. The control signal can also include a first control signal and a second control signal. The first control signal can be determined based on the first sub-sensing signal and indicates at least one of the suspension's damping, stiffness, and active force. The second control signal can be determined based on the second sub-sensing signal and indicates the torque applied to the wheel by the drive motor, so that the braking force or driving force output by the drive motor acts on the vehicle body.

[0193] In some possible embodiments, when the deformation of the wheel includes the direction of the wheel deformation, the magnitude of the wheel deformation, and the position where the wheel deformation occurs, the longitudinal and vertical components of the road surface excitation can also be derived, thereby determining the magnitude and direction of the road surface excitation force, and then determining the corresponding control signal.

[0194] Based on the above technical solution, both the Z-axis component and the X-axis component of the road surface excitation can be offset, so as to better overcome the problems of vehicle body bumps, vibrations, jerks and jolts caused by driving on uneven roads, and further improve the user's driving comfort.

[0195] In some possible embodiments, the aforementioned state information is information collected in real time at a certain moment. Accordingly, for the state information at that moment, the corresponding control signal can be determined in real time to control the suspension and / or drive motor in real time.

[0196] In some possible embodiments, considering that the damping and / or stiffness parameters of the suspension are adjusted, the frequency of adjusting the damping and / or stiffness needs to be less than or equal to a frequency threshold. When this frequency threshold is less than the frequency at which the sensor continuously collects state information, the suspension can be controlled in the following manner.

[0197] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating another control method 1000 proposed in an embodiment of this application.

[0198] Referring to Figure 10, the method 1000 may include the following operations:

[0199] S1010: Based on the status information, determine the road surface feature information, which is used to indicate the road surface unevenness.

[0200] In some possible embodiments, any of the parameters included in the above-mentioned state information have a corresponding correlation with road surface unevenness. For example, the greater the wheel acceleration, the more severe the road surface unevenness; the greater the wheel dynamic load, the more severe the road surface unevenness; the greater the tire deformation, the more severe the road surface unevenness.

[0201] In some possible implementations, road surface roughness can be characterized by IRI, root mean square roughness, or roughness standard deviation.

[0202] In some possible embodiments, the correlation between wheel acceleration, wheel dynamic load, or tire deformation and road surface roughness can be established through one or more methods such as experience, theoretical derivation, experimentation, or simulation. Alternatively, the relationship between wheel acceleration, wheel dynamic load, or tire deformation and road surface roughness can be modeled, and the road surface roughness can be obtained by inputting the aforementioned wheel acceleration, wheel dynamic load, or tire deformation into a pre-established model.

[0203] S1020: Determine the damping and / or stiffness of the suspension based on road surface characteristics.

[0204] In some possible embodiments, similarly, the correlation between road surface feature information (which may be relevant index parameters of road surface roughness) and suspension damping and / or stiffness can be established through one or more methods such as experience, theoretical derivation, experimentation, or simulation. Alternatively, the relationship between road surface feature information and suspension damping and / or stiffness can be modeled, and the suspension damping and / or stiffness can be obtained by inputting the aforementioned road surface feature information into a pre-established model.

[0205] Based on the above technical solution, the damping and / or stiffness of the suspension can also be determined according to the road surface feature information determined by the state information. By reducing the damping and / or stiffness of the suspension, the road excitation transmitted to the vehicle body through the wheels can be dissipated. Since the state information consists of wheel-related sensing parameters, this solution can also promptly avoid problems such as vehicle body bumps and vibrations caused by driving on uneven roads, thereby further improving the user's driving comfort.

[0206] Furthermore, embodiments of this application also provide an apparatus for implementing any of the above methods. For example, a control device is provided, which includes a unit (or means) for implementing any of the above control methods.

[0207] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a control device 1100 according to an embodiment of this application.

[0208] Referring to Figure 11, the control device 1100 includes:

[0209] The acquisition unit 1110 is used to acquire the state information of the wheel, which includes at least one of the wheel's acceleration, dynamic load, and tire deformation.

[0210] The control unit 1120 is used to determine a control signal based on the status information. The control signal is used to control the execution parameters, which include at least one of the suspension damping, stiffness, and active force.

[0211] In some possible embodiments, the aforementioned execution parameters also include the torque of the wheels.

[0212] In some possible embodiments, the acquisition unit 1110 may be a sensor, that is, the status information may be acquired by a sensor, which may include at least one of a wheel-end accelerometer, a wheel load sensor and a tire deformation sensor, and the control unit 1120 may be a controller.

[0213] In some possible embodiments, the control unit 1120 described above may include at least one of an ECU, VCU, MCU, and HCU.

[0214] In some possible embodiments, when the sensor includes wheel-end acceleration timing, the acceleration in the aforementioned state information may include a first acceleration of the wheel along a first direction and a second acceleration of the wheel along a second direction.

[0215] The first direction is the X-direction of the vehicle, and the second direction is the Z-direction of the vehicle.

[0216] In some possible embodiments, the control unit 1120 is further configured to: determine a first component force based on a first acceleration, and / or determine a second component force based on a second acceleration; and determine execution parameters based on the first component force and / or the second component force.

[0217] In some possible embodiments, when the sensor includes a wheel load sensor, the dynamic load in the above-mentioned state information may include a first dynamic load of the wheel, which is related to the execution parameters.

[0218] In some possible embodiments, when the sensor includes a tire deformation sensor, the tire deformation in the aforementioned state information may include a first deformation of the tire, which is related to a first dynamic load on the wheel, which is related to the execution parameters.

[0219] In some possible embodiments, the above-mentioned state information is represented by a sensing signal. Based on this, the control device 1100 further includes a processing unit 1130, which is used to filter the sensing signal and filter out the signal part whose signal frequency is outside the preset frequency range.

[0220] In some possible embodiments, the control signal may include a first control signal and / or a second control signal. The control device 1100 further includes a sending unit 1140 for sending a first control signal to the suspension, the first control signal indicating at least one of damping, stiffness, and driving force, and / or sending a second control signal to the drive motor, the second control signal indicating the torque of the wheel.

[0221] In some possible embodiments, the control unit 1120 is further configured to: determine road surface feature information based on state information, the road surface feature information being used to indicate road surface unevenness; and determine the damping and / or stiffness of the suspension based on the road surface feature information.

[0222] It should be understood that the division of units in the above device is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be physically separated. Furthermore, the units in the device can be implemented by a processor calling software; for example, the device includes a processor connected to memory, which stores instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in memory to implement any of the above methods or to implement the functions of each unit in the device. The processor can be, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a CPU or microprocessor, and the memory can be internal or external to the device. Alternatively, the units in the device can be implemented as hardware circuits. The functions of some or all units can be implemented through the design of the hardware circuits, which can be understood as one or more processors. For example, in one implementation, the hardware circuit is an ASIC, and the functions of some or all units are implemented through the design of the logical relationships between the components within the circuit. In another implementation, the hardware circuit can be implemented using a PLD, such as an FPGA, which can include a large number of logic gates. The connection relationships between the logic gates are configured through configuration files, thereby implementing the functions of some or all units. All units of the above devices can be implemented entirely through processor calling software, or entirely through hardware circuits, or partially through processor calling software with the remaining parts implemented through hardware circuits.

[0223] In this application embodiment, a processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction reading and execution capabilities, such as a CPU, microprocessor, GPU, or DSP. In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationships of hardware circuits. These logical relationships are fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor may be a hardware circuit implemented as an ASIC or PLD, such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and configuring the hardware circuit can be understood as the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units. Furthermore, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as an NPU, TPU, or DPU.

[0224] As can be seen, each unit in the above device can be one or more processors (or processing circuits) configured to implement the above methods, such as: CPU, GPU, NPU, TPU, DPU, microprocessor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or a combination of at least two of these processor forms.

[0225] Furthermore, the units in the above devices can be integrated in whole or in part, or they can be implemented independently. In one implementation, these units are integrated together as a System-on-a-Chip (SoC). The SoC may include at least one processor for implementing any of the above methods or implementing the functions of the units in the device. The at least one processor may be of different types, such as CPU and FPGA, CPU and AI processor, CPU and GPU, etc.

[0226] This application also provides a control device, which includes a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store instructions, and the processor executes the instructions stored in the memory to cause the device to perform the methods or steps performed in the above embodiments.

[0227] Optionally, the control device is located in the vehicle, and the processor can be one or more of the processors 121-12n shown in FIG1.

[0228] This application also provides an active suspension system, which includes multiple actuators and any of the control devices proposed in this application.

[0229] This application also provides a vehicle that may include any of the control devices or active suspension systems proposed in this application.

[0230] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer program code that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods described in the above embodiments.

[0231] This application also provides a computer-readable medium storing program code that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods described in the above embodiments.

[0232] This application also provides a chip that includes circuitry for performing the methods described in the above embodiments.

[0233] In implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software. The method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or by a combination of hardware and software modules within the processor. The software modules can reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, power-on erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method. To avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are omitted here.

[0234] It should be understood that in the embodiments of this application, the memory may include read-only memory and random access memory, and provides instructions and data to the processor.

[0235] It should also be understood that, in the various embodiments of this application, the order of the above-mentioned processes does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0236] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0237] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0238] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0239] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0240] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0241] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0242] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be covered. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A control method, characterized in that, The method includes: Obtain wheel state information, which includes at least one of wheel acceleration, dynamic load, and tire deformation. Based on the state information, a control signal is determined. The control signal is used to control the execution parameters, which include at least one of the suspension damping, stiffness, and active force.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The execution parameters also include the torque of the wheel.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The status information is acquired through sensors, including at least one of a wheel-end accelerometer, a wheel load sensor, and a tire deformation sensor.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The acceleration includes a first acceleration of the wheel along a first direction and a second acceleration of the wheel along a second direction.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: A first component force is determined based on the first acceleration, and / or a second component force is determined based on the second acceleration; The execution parameters are determined based on the first component force and / or the second component force.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The dynamic load includes a first dynamic load on the wheel, which is related to the execution parameters.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The tire deformation includes a first deformation of the tire, which is related to a first dynamic load on the wheel, and the first dynamic load is related to the execution parameters.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The state information is represented by a sensing signal, and the method further includes: The sensing signal is filtered to remove the portion of the signal whose frequency is outside a preset frequency range.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The control signal includes a first control signal and / or a second control signal, and the method further includes: Send a first control signal to the suspension, the first control signal indicating at least one of the damping, the stiffness, and the active force, and / or send a second control signal to the drive motor, the second control signal indicating the torque of the wheel.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: Based on the state information, road surface feature information is determined, which is used to indicate the road surface unevenness; Based on the road surface feature information, the damping and / or stiffness of the suspension are determined.

11. A control device, characterized in that, The device includes: An acquisition unit is used to acquire the state information of the wheel, the state information including at least one of the wheel's acceleration, dynamic load, and tire deformation. The control unit is configured to determine a control signal based on the state information. The control signal is used to control the execution parameters, which include at least one of the suspension damping, stiffness, and active force.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that, The execution parameters also include the torque of the wheel.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The acquisition unit is a sensor, which includes at least one of a wheel-end accelerometer, a wheel load sensor, and a tire deformation sensor. The control unit is a controller.

14. The apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that, The acceleration includes a first acceleration of the wheel along a first direction and a second acceleration of the wheel along a second direction.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that, The control unit is also used for: A first component force is determined based on the first acceleration, and / or a second component force is determined based on the second acceleration; The execution parameters are determined based on the first component force and / or the second component force.

16. The apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that, The dynamic load includes a first dynamic load on the wheel, which is related to the execution parameters.

17. The apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that, The tire deformation includes a first deformation of the tire, which is related to a first dynamic load on the wheel, and the first dynamic load is related to the execution parameters.

18. The apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 15, characterized in that, The status information is represented by a sensing signal, and the device further includes: The processing unit is used to filter the sensing signal, filtering out the signal portion whose frequency is outside a preset frequency range.

19. The apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 18, characterized in that, The control signal includes a first control signal and / or a second control signal, and the device further includes: A transmitting unit is configured to transmit a first control signal to the suspension, the first control signal indicating at least one of the damping, the stiffness, and the active force, and / or to transmit a second control signal to the drive motor, the second control signal indicating the torque of the wheel.

20. The apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 18, characterized in that, The control unit is also used for: Based on the state information, road surface feature information is determined, which is used to indicate the road surface unevenness; Based on the road surface feature information, the damping and / or stiffness of the suspension are determined.

21. A control device, characterized in that, include: Memory, used to store computer programs; A processor for executing a computer program stored in the memory to cause the apparatus to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10.

22. An active suspension system, characterized in that, The active suspension system includes a plurality of actuators and means as described in any one of claims 11 to 21.

23. A vehicle, characterized in that, Includes the apparatus as described in any one of claims 11 to 21, or includes the system as described in claim 22.

24. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, It stores instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10.

25. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes computer program code that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10.

26. A chip, characterized in that, The chip includes circuitry for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10.

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