Two-Wheeled Suspension Damping Control for Stability and Comfort

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing suspension systems face challenges in maintaining riding comfort while ensuring steering stability, particularly on varying road surfaces, as they struggle to effectively control damping forces to prevent rotational movements that affect both comfort and stability.

Innovation Solution

A control device that adjusts damping forces in the damping device by using a reference unit, correction unit, and target setting unit to manage angular velocities and velocities in the up-down direction, thereby controlling the damping force to suppress rotational movements and maintain stability and comfort.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If damping force is increased to suppress rotational movement and improve steering stability, then steering stability is improved, but riding comfort deteriorates due to excessive suppression of rotational movements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesteering stabilityVSAvoidriding comfort
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The damping force is made dynamically adjustable based on detected rotational movement characteristics. The control device varies the damping force in real-time according to the magnitude and direction of rotational movement, allowing optimal suppression when needed while maintaining comfort during normal operation. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by adapting the system behavior to actual operating conditions rather than using fixed high damping.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The control device changes the damping force parameter based on detected rotational movement parameters (angular velocity, direction). By monitoring these parameters and adjusting the damping force accordingly, the system achieves steering stability when rotational movement exceeds thresholds while maintaining comfortable riding conditions during normal operation, thus resolving the contradiction between stability and comfort.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Object-affected harmful factors

If damping force is decreased to improve riding comfort, then riding comfort is improved, but steering stability deteriorates due to insufficient suppression of rotational movements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveriding comfortVSAvoidsteering stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts damping force based on real-time detection of rotational movement. During normal riding conditions with minimal rotational movement, the damping force is kept lower to maintain comfort. When rotational movement increases and threatens steering stability, the damping force is automatically increased to provide necessary suppression, thus resolving the contradiction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The control device uses feedback from rotational movement detection to adjust damping force. The detection unit continuously monitors rotational movement characteristics and feeds this information to the control device, which then adjusts the damping force accordingly. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures comfort during normal operation while maintaining stability when rotational movement becomes excessive.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Stability of the object's composition

If damping force is increased to suppress rotational movement in all directions, then posture stability is improved, but handling performance deteriorates due to reduced responsiveness to driver input

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveposture stabilityVSAvoidhandling performance
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The control device applies different damping force levels to different rotational movement scenarios. It distinguishes between rotational movements that threaten stability (requiring strong suppression) and those resulting from driver steering input (requiring minimal interference). By applying localized quality control based on movement characteristics, the system maintains posture stability while preserving handling responsiveness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The damping force parameter is changed based on the specific characteristics of rotational movement detected. When the rotation direction and magnitude indicate instability, the damping force is increased. When the rotation corresponds to normal steering operations, the damping force remains lower to maintain handling performance. This selective parameter adjustment resolves the contradiction between stability and ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP3901020B1Control device, suspension system
Publication Date: 2024.08.28 ASTEMO LTD
  • EP3901020B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3901020B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3901020B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A control device 100 according to the present invention uses the angular velocity of rotational movement, in a forward-backward direction, of an unsprung weight of a two-wheeled vehicle, said velocity being generated by the vertical directional velocity of a front wheel and the vertical directional velocity of a rear wheel being different, so as to control the damping force of a damping device that dampens force generated between a vehicle body of the two-wheeled vehicle and the front wheel and/or the rear wheel.