Adaptive Active Suspension Road Preview Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional active suspension systems in vehicles are not timely or effective in responding to abnormal road conditions due to the need for direct interaction with the road feature, leading to potential damage and decreased ride comfort, and there is a need for predictive control to mitigate these issues.
Innovation Solution
A method that uses a vehicle control system with sensors and an estimator to predict and classify road abnormalities ahead, allowing for real-time adjustment of suspension characteristics such as stiffness and damping before contact, using data from sensors like radar, lidar, and cameras to generate a model of the road surface and control the suspension system accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional active suspension systems wait for wheel contact with road features to activate, then the system response is delayed, but the system complexity and energy consumption are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of road abnormalities using sensors (cameras, lidar, radar) before the vehicle wheels contact the abnormal features. The controller predicts the type and severity of upcoming road conditions and pre-adjusts suspension parameters (stiffness, damping) to prepare for the anticipated impact, enabling proactive rather than reactive suspension control
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces sensors (cameras, lidar, radar) as intermediary devices that detect road conditions ahead of the vehicle. These sensors act as mediators between the road environment and the suspension control system, providing advance information about upcoming abnormalities without requiring direct wheel contact
2Reliability
If the suspension system operates actuatable elements continuously to mitigate all road irregularities, then ride comfort is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial action by selectively adjusting suspension parameters only when specific road abnormalities are detected and predicted. The controller classifies abnormalities by type and severity, activating actuatable elements only to the extent needed for the specific condition, rather than continuous operation. This enables energy-efficient selective intervention
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes suspension parameters (stiffness, damping coefficients) based on predicted road conditions. The controller selects appropriate parameter settings from predefined ranges or calculates optimal values based on abnormality severity, enabling adaptive adjustment that matches actual road conditions rather than maintaining fixed or continuously varied parameters
3Object-affected harmful factors
If higher ground clearance is provided to reduce susceptibility to road damage, then vehicle protection is improved, but fuel consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides preliminary protection by detecting and predicting road abnormalities ahead of time and pre-adjusting suspension parameters to prepare the vehicle for upcoming impacts. This proactive approach protects the vehicle from damage without requiring permanently elevated ground clearance, enabling lower ground clearance design that improves fuel efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
A method for controlling an active suspension is disclosed. The method includes steps of determining a dimension of a road abnormality ahead of the vehicle; comparing the dimension with a vehicle dimension; responsive to the comparison, classifying the abnormality as one type of a plurality of predetermined types; responsive to a dimension of the abnormality, further classifying the abnormality as having a severity of one type of a plurality of predetermined types; and controlling the suspension responsive to the abnormality type and severity type.