Regenerative Hydraulic Shock Absorber for Active Vehicle Attitude Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle wheel suspensions can perform energy regeneration and shock-absorber damping control but lack the capability for active vehicle attitude control, leading to increased complexity and inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
A suspension system incorporating a spring, a single-effect hydraulic actuator, a regenerative hydraulic shock-absorbing unit with a hydraulic shock-absorber and motor-pump unit, and an electronic control unit, connected via a hydraulic circuit with valve assemblies to manage fluid flow, allowing for three operating conditions: maintaining constant wheel-to-body distance, increasing, or decreasing this distance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a separate active attitude control system is added to existing suspensions, then vehicle attitude control capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the active attitude control function with the existing shock-absorber damping control function by using a common hydraulic system. The hydraulic actuator serves dual purposes: controlling shock-absorber damping characteristics and adjusting vehicle body attitude (height and inclination). This integration eliminates the need for separate control systems, thereby improving adaptability while minimizing additional complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The hydraulic actuator is designed as a multi-functional component that performs multiple tasks: it controls the shock-absorber damping force, adjusts the vehicle body height, and controls the vehicle's inclination angle. By making this single component universal, the system achieves active attitude control capability without proportionally increasing the number of components, thus resolving the contradiction between versatility and complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple independent systems are used for energy regeneration, shock-absorber control, and attitude control, then functional completeness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines three previously separate functions (energy regeneration via hydraulic motor-generator, shock-absorber damping control, and active attitude control) into a single integrated hydraulic system. The same hydraulic fluid serves all three functions: it transmits power for attitude control, provides damping force, and drives the motor-generator for energy recovery. This merging maintains functional completeness while dramatically simplifying the overall system architecture compared to using three independent systems.
3Device complexity
If a regenerative hydraulic shock-absorber is integrated with attitude control, then hardware commonality is improved, but control precision may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an electronic control unit as an intermediary that manages the competing demands of the integrated system. The controller receives inputs from multiple sensors (position sensors, acceleration sensors, steering angle sensors) and intelligently prioritizes control objectives. It can independently regulate the hydraulic actuator for attitude control while simultaneously managing the shock-absorber damping characteristics, ensuring that precision is maintained for both functions despite hardware integration.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enables the suspension to perform energy regeneration, shock-absorber damping control, and active vehicle attitude control using common mechanical, hydraulic, electrical, and electronic hardware, minimizing complexity and allowing independent height adjustment for each vehicle corner.
Implementation Method 1
a regenerative hydraulic shock-absorbing unit capable of converting part of the vibrational kinetic energy of the suspension into electric energy
Implementation Method 2
a spring interposed between the wheel and the body of the vehicle
Implementation Method 3
a single-effect hydraulic actuator arranged mechanically in series with the spring
Implementation Method 4
the hydraulic circuit comprises a valve assembly for controlling the flow of the working fluid between the hydraulic actuator, the hydraulic shock-absorber, the hydraulic machine and the reservoir
Data Source
AI summary
A suspension including a spring interposed between the body (B) of the vehicle and the wheel (W); a regenerative hydraulic shock-absorbing unit comprising a hydraulic shock-absorber arranged parallel to the spring, a motor and pump unit with a volumetric hydraulic machine and an electric machine coupled to the hydraulic machine), and an electronic control unit arranged to control the torque of the electric machine. A hydraulic actuator is arranged in series with the spring. A reservoir and a hydraulic circuit are connected to each other, the hydraulic shock-absorber, the hydraulic machine the hydraulic actuator and the reservoir. The hydraulic circuit includes a valve assembly for controlling the flow of a working fluid between the hydraulic shock-absorber, the hydraulic machine, the hydraulic actuator and the reservoir.