Active Chassis Control for Vehicle Cornering Comfort

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing motor vehicle cornering systems often result in uncomfortable lateral accelerations for occupants and require manual countersteering, as active rolling during cornering affects cornering behavior unfavorably, necessitating a solution to enhance driving comfort and maintain natural steering behavior.

Innovation Solution

A method and device that determine the lateral acceleration of a motor vehicle, adjust the active chassis to achieve a desired lateral inclination, and intervene in the steering system to compensate for yaw movements caused by active rolling, thereby reducing unpleasant lateral accelerations and maintaining unchanged steering behavior during cornering.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If actuators adjust vertical wheel position to achieve active rolling, then lateral accelerations are reduced, but the axles operate at unfavorable operating points

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelateral acceleration comfortVSAvoidaxle operating point
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically changes the operating parameters of the suspension actuators by adjusting the vertical wheel positions to achieve desired active roll angles. The control device calculates appropriate actuator commands that achieve the target roll angle while considering the relationship between roll angle and lateral acceleration, thereby optimizing the operating point of the axles during cornering maneuvers

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Manufacturing precision

If manual countersteering is required to compensate for active rolling effects, then cornering accuracy is maintained, but driver workload increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecornering accuracyVSAvoiddriver workload
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The steering actuator system performs self-service by automatically generating and applying the countersteering moments needed to compensate for active rolling effects. The control device continuously monitors the active roll angle and calculates the required compensating steering input, which the actuator then applies without driver intervention, thereby maintaining cornering accuracy while eliminating the need for manual countersteering

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP2487056B1Method and device for influencing the cornering behaviour of a vehicle as well as vehicle
Publication Date: 2016.09.14 AUDI AG
  • EP2487056B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2487056B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP2487056B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

The method involves determining the lateral acceleration of the motor vehicle (10) and defining the target lateral inclination of the motor vehicle in dependence on the determined lateral acceleration. An actuator of an active undercarriage device of the motor vehicle is adjusted. An independent claim is also included for a device for influencing the cornering ability of a motor vehicle.