Vehicle Orientation Control via Predictive Suspension Actuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicles experience shocks, vibrations, and changes in orientation due to road bumps, potholes, braking, and steering, which can lead to instability and potential tip-overs of objects inside, especially when navigating uneven road topologies.
Innovation Solution
A computer system is programmed to predict vehicle body orientations based on lateral, longitudinal, and vertical accelerations by analyzing road topology and vehicle operations, using sensors and actuators to adjust the vehicle's suspension and table orientations in real-time to minimize these effects and maintain stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the vehicle traverses uneven road topology with bumps and potholes, then the vehicle must maintain mobility and speed, but the vehicle body experiences shocks, vibrations, and orientation changes that cause instability
Solution Approach 1:
The system predicts future vehicle body orientation and accelerations based on stored road topology data before the vehicle actually encounters them. This allows the suspension system to be pre-adjusted to counteract upcoming disturbances, maintaining stability while continuing at normal speeds rather than reacting after instability occurs
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors actual vehicle accelerations and orientations, compares them against predicted values, and uses this feedback to refine suspension actuator commands in real-time. This closed-loop control ensures stability is maintained despite road irregularities while allowing the vehicle to proceed at appropriate speeds
2Ease of operation
If the vehicle performs braking and steering operations, then the vehicle can navigate and stop effectively, but the vehicle body experiences accelerations that change orientation and cause objects inside to shift or tip over
Solution Approach 1:
The system predicts orientation changes that will result from planned braking and steering maneuvers before they occur. By adjusting the table orientation in advance based on these predictions, the system compensates for the harmful effects of vehicle accelerations, preventing objects from tipping over while maintaining full braking and steering control capability
Solution Approach 2:
The table orientation adjustment system acts as a counterbalancing mechanism that opposes the harmful orientation changes caused by vehicle braking and steering. By tilting the table in the opposite direction of predicted vehicle body orientation changes, the system creates a stabilizing effect that prevents objects from shifting or tipping during dynamic vehicle operations
3Reliability
If the system adjusts suspension and table orientations in real-time to maintain stability, then object tip-overs are prevented, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
By storing road topology data in advance and predicting future vehicle orientations based on this pre-acquired information, the system avoids the need for complex real-time sensing and reaction systems. The prediction-based approach simplifies the control architecture while maintaining high reliability in preventing object tip-overs
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the vehicle's own motion data and pre-stored road topology to generate predictions and control commands autonomously. This self-contained approach eliminates the need for external complex control systems, achieving reliable stability maintenance through the vehicle's integrated computer and sensors
Data Source
AI summary
A computer is programmed to predict, based at least in part on a stored road topology for a predetermined vehicle route, a vehicle body orientation based on lateral, longitudinal, and vertical accelerations predicted for the route. The computer is programmed to, based on the predicted vehicle body orientation, adjust at least one of an orientation of the vehicle body and an orientation of an object in the vehicle as the vehicle traverses the route.