Vehicle Suspension Actuator Frequency Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle suspension systems may inadvertently suppress attention-elicitating vibrations caused by road features like rumble strips and bumps, reducing the operator's awareness of these features.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle suspension system with an actuator between the sprung and unsprung members, equipped with an information acquiring unit and control unit that detects road and vehicle conditions, causing the sprung member to vibrate at specific frequencies or patterns to alert the operator to attention-elicitating features or loading conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the actuator extensively controls the vertical vibration of the sprung member to improve suspension performance, then the suspension performance is improved, but the vibrations caused by rumble strips and bumps cannot elicit the vehicle operator's attention as intended
Solution Approach 1:
The control of actuator output is segmented into different frequency bands: suppression control for frequencies below a first threshold (improving suspension), passing control for frequencies between the first and second thresholds (preserving attention-eliciting vibrations), and amplification control for frequencies above the second threshold (enhancing warning effects). This segmentation allows simultaneous achievement of suspension performance and operator awareness.
Solution Approach 2:
Different control strategies are applied to different frequency components of the actuator output. Instead of uniform suppression, the system applies selective suppression only to frequencies that do not contribute to operator awareness (below first threshold), while allowing or amplifying frequencies that do (between or above thresholds). This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between suppression and awareness.
2Ease of operation
If the actuator suppresses all vibrations to improve ride comfort, then ride comfort is improved, but the vehicle operator cannot detect road surface features through vibration feedback
Solution Approach 1:
The control system dynamically adjusts the actuator output based on real-time vibration frequency analysis. The control unit continuously monitors the vibration frequency and dynamically switches between suppression control, passing control, and amplification control modes. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to maintain ride comfort while preserving or enhancing road surface information transmission to the operator.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes mechanical vibration principles by analyzing vibration frequency characteristics to distinguish between comfort-related vibrations (low frequency) and information-carrying vibrations (higher frequency). The control unit exploits vibration frequency as a discriminating factor to selectively suppress or preserve different vibration components, thereby resolving the contradiction between comfort and information transmission.
3Loss of information
If the control unit amplifies actuator output to enhance warning effects, then the warning effect is enhanced, but the suspension performance may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The control strategy segments the frequency spectrum into three distinct zones with different control approaches: suppression zone (below first threshold) for maintaining suspension performance, passing zone (between thresholds) for preserving natural feedback, and amplification zone (above second threshold) for enhancing warnings. This segmentation ensures that amplification is applied only where it enhances warnings without compromising suspension performance in the lower frequency range.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit changes the output parameter (amplitude) of the actuator based on the input parameter (vibration frequency). By establishing a frequency-amplitude relationship where amplification is applied selectively to high-frequency components, the system enhances warning effects while maintaining suspension performance through controlled parameter changes rather than uniform amplification.
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
Effectively conveys attention-elicitating information to the vehicle operator without compromising suspension performance, allowing for detection of road features and loading conditions through controlled vibrations.
Implementation Method 1
the actuator causes the sprung member to vibrate so that the vehicle operator is enabled to detect the existence of the warning condition from the vibration of the sprung member
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle suspension system (3) is provided that allows attention eliciting information such as rumble strips, bumps and road markers to be conveyed to the vehicle operator substantially without detracting from the performance of the vehicle suspension system. A control unit (10) determines if a prescribed warning condition exists according to vehicle information and/or road surface information acquired by an information acquiring unit, and performs a warning control including an extending and retracting movement of the actuator interposed between an sprung member (8) and an unsprung member (9) of the vehicle at a prescribed frequency when the warning condition is determined.