Suspension control for a human-powered two-wheeled vehicle and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10189534-B2
Application number	US-201615158044-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 18, 2016
Priority date	Jun 26, 2012
Publication date	Jan 29, 2019
Grant date	Jan 29, 2019

Abstract

A chassis controller and method for controlling the damping of a human-powered two-wheeled vehicle having a controllable shock absorber and a control device and a memory device. A sensor device acquires measurement data sets relating to a relative movement of two connecting units of the shock absorber with respect to one another. A filter device pre-processes the measurement data sets. Multiple data sets are stored in the memory device. A data set, derived from a measurement data set acquired with the sensor device during the relative movement of the connecting units is stored and an analysis device analyzes a stored data set. A filter parameter set is determined based on the analysis, and a control data set is derived with the filter parameter set. The control device controls the shock absorber with the control data set.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A chassis controller for an at least partially human-powered two-wheeled vehicle, comprising:
a control device and at least one memory device connected to said control device;
at least one controllable shock absorber having two connecting units disposed to move relative to one another;
at least one sensor device for acquiring measurement data sets relating to a relative movement of said connecting units with respect to one another;
a filter device connected to said at least one sensor device and configured for pre-processing the measurement data sets;
wherein at least one data set, derived from a measurement data set acquired with said sensor device during the relative movement of said connecting units is stored in said memory device;
an analysis device connected to said memory device and configured to analyze at least one stored data set and to determine a filter parameter set based on an analysis result and to derive a control data set from the measurement data set with a filter parameter set; and
wherein said control device controls said shock absorber with the control data set.

2. The chassis controller according to claim 1 , wherein a multiplicity of filter parameter sets are stored in said memory device, and wherein a filter parameter set can be selected as a function of the at least one stored data set.

3. The chassis controller according to claim 1 , wherein said analysis device comprises a comparator device configured to compare at least one stored data set with comparison data and to select, based on a comparison result, a filter parameter set stored in said memory device, and wherein said comparator device derives a control data set from the measurement data set.

4. The chassis controller according to claim 1 , wherein said memory device is configured to store a multiplicity of data sets.

5. The chassis controller according to claim 1 , wherein said control device is configured to derive a speed signal for a relative movement of said connecting units from a sensor signal.

6. The chassis controller according to claim 1 , wherein said control device is configured:
to select a filter parameter set with stronger filtering in a case of speed signals and acceleration signals which are low in absolute value; and
to select a filter parameter set with less filtering in a case of speed signals or acceleration signals which are relatively high in absolute value.

7. The chassis controller according to claim 1 , wherein said control device is configured to derive an acceleration signal from a sensor signal.

8. The chassis controller according to claim 1 , wherein said sensor device is configured to acquire a travel signal.

9. The chassis controller according to claim 1 , wherein said sensor device is configured to acquire the travel signal with a resolution of better than 100 μm.

10. The chassis controller according to claim 1 , wherein said sensor device is configured for acquiring the sensor signal with a measuring frequency of at least 1 kHz.

11. The chassis controller according to claim 1 , comprising a damper device connected to one of said two connecting units and having a first damper chamber, at least one second damper chamber, and at least one damping valve, wherein said first and second damper chambers communicate with one another via said at least one damping valve.

12. The chassis controller according to claim 11 , which comprises a magnetic field-generating device disposed to generate and control a magnetic field in at least one damping duct of said damping valve, and a magneto-rheological medium contained in said at least one damping duct.

13. A method for controlling a part of a chassis of an at least partially human-powered two-wheeled vehicle, the vehicle having at least one control device and at least one memory device and having at least one controllable shock absorber formed with two connecting units that can move relative to one another, the method comprising:
acquiring measurement data sets relating to a relative movement of the connecting units with respect to one another and pre-processing the measurement data sets with a filter device;
storing a data set derived from an acquired measurement data set in a memory device;
analyzing a stored data set and determining a filter parameter set as a function of an analysis result;
deriving a control data set from the measurement data set with a filter parameter set; and
controlling the shock absorber with the control data set.

14. The method according to claim 13 , which comprises deriving signals selected from the group consisting of speed signals and acceleration signals from the measurement data set.

15. The method according to claim 13 , which comprises filtering a measurement data set more strongly if an absolute value of the values of the measurement data set is relatively lower than when the absolute value of the values of the measurement data set is relatively higher.

16. The method according to claim 15 , which comprises more strongly filtering in a case of low speed signals than in a case of high-speed signals, and more strongly filtering in a case of relatively low acceleration signals than in a case of relatively high acceleration signals.

17. The method according to claim 13 , which comprises storing a plurality of successively acquired data sets.

18. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the control data set is determined by smoothing a plurality of data sets.

19. The method according to claim 18 , which comprises adjusting an intensity of the smoothing in dependence on the stored data set.

20. The method according to claim 13 , which comprises acquiring the measurement data sets with a sensor device at a measuring frequency of higher than 1 kHz or determining control data sets with the control device at a given control frequency of higher than 1 kHz and actuating the shock absorber with the control device at least temporarily with at least the given control frequency.

21. The method according to claim 20 , wherein one or both of the measuring frequency and the control frequency are greater than 5 kHz.

22. The method according to claim 20 , which comprises acquiring travel signals with the sensor device at a resolution of less than 100 μm or less than 50 μm.

23. The method according to claim 22 , wherein the measuring frequency and the control frequency are at least temporarily higher than 8 kHz and the resolution of the travel signals is at least temporarily less than 5 μm.

24. The method according to claim 20 , which comprises setting the measuring frequency to less than 50 kHz or less than 20 kHz.

Assignees

• Dt Swiss Inc
• Dt Swiss Inc

Inventors

• Walthert Martin
• Wendel Valentin
• Elsensohn Gernot
• Poesel Juergen
• Mayer Markus
• Battlogg Stefan

Classifications

• F16F9/46

  allowing control from a distance {, i.e. location of means for control input being remote from site of valves, e.g. on damper external wall (attachment of valve units to cylinders F16F9/325)} · CPC title

• F16F9/512

  Means responsive to load action, {i.e. static load} on the damper or {dynamic} fluid pressure {changes} in the damper, {e.g. due to changes in velocity (F16F9/504, F16F9/516 take precedence; non-automatic damper adjustment from a distance using servo control, the servo pressure being created by the flow of damping fluid F16F9/465; self-pumping fluid springs in vehicle suspensions B60G17/044)} · CPC title

• F16F9/537

  specially adapted valves therefor · CPC title

• B62K25/30

  pivoted on pedal crank shelf (B62K25/32 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16F9/535

  Magnetorheological [MR] fluid dampers (springs comprising magnetorheological [MR] elastomers F16F1/361) · CPC title