Adjustable Vehicle Suspension for Ground Clearance and Load Leveling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional vehicle suspension systems are inefficient in adapting to different activities and environmental conditions, as they often damage the vehicle when height adjustments exceed typical operating ranges, and struggle with uneven terrain or obstructions, leading to potential damage from striking objects.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable suspension system that dynamically manages individual suspension settings based on user input and sensor data, allowing for various modes such as dump, ramp, nominal, and level modes, using controllable components like bellows or struts to adjust vehicle height and angle, preventing damage by optimizing ground clearance and breakover angles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional vehicle suspension systems perform height adjustments beyond typical operating ranges, then the vehicle can adapt to different activities and environments, but the vehicle may suffer damage from excessive adjustment ranges
Solution Approach 1:
The suspension system employs dynamically adjustable bellows or struts that can change their extension length in real-time based on detected environmental conditions and user-selected modes. This dynamic adjustment allows the vehicle to adapt height and angle for different activities (loading, off-road, camping) while maintaining control within safe operational limits to prevent damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes physical parameters of the suspension components (extension length, angle) based on predetermined modes and sensor feedback. By adjusting these parameters within defined ranges for each mode, the vehicle achieves versatility across different environments while preventing excessive adjustments that could cause damage.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the vehicle suspension is adjusted for uneven terrain or obstructions, then the vehicle can navigate difficult terrain, but the vehicle may strike objects and suffer damage
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary height and angle adjustments based on detected terrain conditions and selected mode before the vehicle encounters obstructions. Sensors detect potential hazards ahead, and the suspension proactively adjusts to optimal clearance settings, allowing the vehicle to navigate uneven terrain while preventing strikes on obstructions through advance positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The suspension system uses sensor feedback from terrain detection to continuously monitor vehicle position and adjust bellows or strut extension accordingly. This closed-loop control ensures the vehicle maintains appropriate ground clearance and breakover angles when navigating difficult terrain, preventing contact with obstructions while maximizing terrain adaptability.
3Ease of operation
If the suspension system uses predetermined modes with maximum and minimum extensions, then the vehicle operation is simplified, but the system complexity increases due to multiple controllable portions
Solution Approach 1:
The suspension system is divided into multiple independently controllable portions (bellows or struts at different vehicle locations). Each portion can be adjusted individually based on its local requirements and the selected operational mode, allowing complex terrain adaptation while maintaining simple user interaction through predefined mode selections.
Solution Approach 2:
The suspension system implements multiple controllable portions that all respond to a unified control system with predetermined modes. This multi-functional design allows a single control interface to manage diverse suspension adjustment scenarios (loading, off-road, camping, transport), simplifying operation despite the underlying complexity of multiple adjustable components.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for dynamically managing individual suspension settings for a vehicle based on a determined suspension mode is provided. Based on the user input and obtained sensor input, the system can then determine a suspension mode for a plurality of individually controllable components by specifying values or commands for each controllable component. A first mode may correspond to a lowering of the plurality of controllable. A second mode may correspond to lowering two controllable components corresponding to the rear wheels of the vehicle and raising two controllable components corresponding to front wheels of the vehicle. A third mode may correspond to a lowering of the plurality of controllable components to effectively drop the height of the vehicle to a threshold point. The system may further implement various validation processes that can validate the determined suspension mode and make further adjustment to individual controllable portions based on load or ground measurements.