Shock Absorber Damping Control for Consistent Oscillation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for adjusting the damping force of motor vehicle shock absorbers fail to account for changing vehicle mass and spring stiffness, leading to inconsistent oscillation behavior.
Innovation Solution
The damping force is determined as a function of a predefined, constantly maintained degree of damping for each modal direction, with damping constants adapted based on changing mass and spring stiffness to ensure a consistent damping behavior across lifting, pitching, and rolling modal directions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If damping force is adjusted based on fixed parameters, then the control system is simple, but the oscillation behavior becomes inconsistent when vehicle mass or spring stiffness changes
Solution Approach 1:
The damping constant is made dynamically adjustable based on real-time detection of vehicle mass and spring stiffness. The control device continuously adapts the damping constant to maintain consistent oscillation behavior, transforming the static control system into a dynamic one that responds to changing vehicle conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the damping constant parameter based on detected variations in vehicle mass and spring stiffness. By adjusting this key parameter in response to measured conditions, the system maintains consistent oscillation behavior without requiring complete redesign of the control architecture.
2Device complexity
If damping constant is kept fixed, then the adjustment mechanism is simple, but the degree of damping varies with changing vehicle mass and spring stiffness
Solution Approach 1:
The control device implements a feedback mechanism that detects vehicle mass and spring stiffness, then uses this information to adjust the damping constant. This closed-loop approach ensures that the degree of damping remains consistent despite changes in vehicle conditions, improving damping quality without excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically adjusts the damping constant based on self-detected changes in vehicle mass and spring stiffness, without requiring external intervention or complex manual calibration. The control device serves itself by using its own measurements to maintain optimal damping performance.
3Productivity
If damping forces are adapted without considering changing mass and spring stiffness, then the calculation is simple, but the oscillation behavior becomes inconsistent
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of vehicle mass and spring stiffness characteristics, then uses this pre-acquired information to calculate appropriate damping forces. This preparation step enables faster and more accurate damping force calculation while ensuring consistent oscillation behavior.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces purely mechanical damping adjustment with an electronically controlled system that uses sensors and processors to calculate and adjust damping forces. This substitution enables more precise and adaptive damping control while maintaining calculation efficiency through electronic computation.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for adjusting the damping force of shock absorbers, connected between a vehicle body and a wheel at vehicle corners of a motor vehicle, wherein at least one damping force which is referred to a center of gravity of the vehicle body and which is divided between the shock absorbers of the respective wheels of the motor vehicle is determined as a function of at least one variable which represents the movement of the vehicle body and/or a movement of the respective wheel. For at least one of the lifting, pitching and rolling modal directions, the respective damping force is determined as a function of a predefined, constantly maintained degree of damping of respective modal direction.