Air Suspension Control for Rough Road Leveling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle suspension systems with automatic leveling face issues with over-correction on rough roads and masking of incorrect installation or service conditions, leading to asymmetrical corner weights and dynamic behavior problems.
Innovation Solution
A controller determines the roughness of the ground surface and adjusts the suspension system's height parameters, including ride height and tolerance, using metrics like corner height error and twist, to reduce over-corrections and identify incorrect installation, while allowing for manual adjustments and different drive modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the automatic leveling system responds to rapid changes in wheel position on rough roads, then the vehicle maintains level positioning, but the system performs excessive levelling events causing over-correction and unnecessary actuation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic adjustment of control tolerances based on detected road roughness conditions. The controller monitors wheel position changes and adapts the threshold for triggering leveling events, widening tolerances on rough surfaces to prevent over-correction while maintaining sensitivity on smooth surfaces. This dynamic parameter adjustment resolves the contradiction between maintaining precision and avoiding harmful over-actuation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the control parameter (tolerance threshold) based on the operating condition (road roughness). By detecting rapid wheel position changes indicative of rough terrain, the controller increases the tolerance threshold, thereby reducing the frequency of leveling events. This parameter change allows the system to maintain appropriate response characteristics across varying road conditions, eliminating unnecessary actuation on rough surfaces.
2Shape
If the automatic leveling system corrects vehicle lean caused by incorrect component installation, then the vehicle appears level, but the underlying installation issue remains masked and corner weights become asymmetrical
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism that monitors corner weights and compares them against expected symmetrical values. When asymmetry is detected despite the vehicle appearing level, the system generates a diagnostic alert indicating potential installation issues. This feedback loop allows the system to maintain level appearance through active correction while simultaneously detecting and reporting underlying installation problems, thus resolving the contradiction between cosmetic leveling and reliability detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller acts as an intermediary that decouples the appearance function from the diagnostic function. It separates the leveling correction task from the installation verification task by monitoring corner weights independently and generating diagnostic information when asymmetry is detected. This intermediary role allows the system to maintain vehicle levelness while providing reliable detection of installation issues through separate diagnostic pathways.
Data Source
AI summary
Example illustrations are directed to a suspension system for a vehicle, which includes a controller configured to determine a roughness of a ground surface associated with the vehicle. The controller may be further configured to determine a height adjustment parameter for the suspension system based on the roughness determined, and to facilitate modification of the suspension system based on the determined height adjustment parameter. Example methods are provided, which may include determining, using a controller, a roughness of a ground surface associated with a vehicle, the roughness determined based on ride height. The method may also include determining, using the controller, a height adjustment parameter for a suspension system of the vehicle based on the roughness determined.