Vehicle Damping Control Using Previewed Unsprung Displacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing damping control systems for vehicles using preview damping control based on road surface displacement have lower damping performance compared to those using unsprung condition amounts, due to potential deviations in road surface displacement data from sensing data, leading to inadequate damping of the sprung portion.
Innovation Solution
A damping control system that acquires an unsprung condition amount at a predicted passing position using preview reference data, which includes actual displacement conditions of the unsprung portion, and generates a target control force to improve damping performance by reducing deviations and resonance-related vibrations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If preview damping control is performed using road surface displacement data, then the system can operate with simpler sensing requirements, but the damping performance is lower due to potential deviations in the road surface displacement data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary conversion process where camera-based road surface displacement measurements are transformed into unsprung portion displacement data through a predetermined conversion relationship. This intermediary step allows the system to use optical sensing (simpler requirements) while achieving the accuracy of direct unsprung displacement measurement, thereby resolving the contradiction between sensing simplicity and measurement precision.
2Device complexity
If the system uses camera sensors to acquire road surface displacement, then the device complexity is reduced, but the measurement accuracy deteriorates due to deviations from actual unsprung condition
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces direct mechanical displacement sensors on the unsprung portion with camera-based optical sensing. The camera captures road surface displacement visually, and through image processing and predetermined conversion, this optical data is transformed into accurate unsprung displacement information. This substitution reduces device complexity while maintaining measurement precision through the conversion mechanism.
3Reliability
If the system processes and stores preview reference data for future positions, then the damping control can be proactive and improve performance, but the data processing and storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by acquiring, processing, and storing road surface profile data at future positions before the vehicle reaches them. This preview reference data is stored in advance and retrieved during damping control operations, enabling proactive damping adjustments. The data is prepared beforehand in a compressed reference format, balancing the need for advance preparation with storage efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A damping control device is configured to acquire, as a preview condition amount, an unsprung condition amount at a predicted passing position where a wheel of a vehicle is predicted to pass, based on preview reference data being sets of data in which unsprung condition amounts and pieces of positional information of the wheel are linked to each other. The unsprung condition amounts indicate a displacement condition of an unsprung portion displaced in a vertical direction due to a displacement of a road surface acquired when the vehicle has traveled on the road surface. The damping control device is configured to execute, at a timing when the wheel passes through the predicted passing position, preview damping control to cause control force to agree with a target control force.