Modular electronic damping control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10933710-B2
Application number	US-201816144918-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 27, 2018
Priority date	Sep 29, 2017
Publication date	Mar 2, 2021
Grant date	Mar 2, 2021

Abstract

A modular electronic damping control system is described and includes a damping component located at a vehicle suspension location. The modular electronic damping control system also includes a control system configured to control the damping component, and determine the type of damping component present. Also, the control system is configured to automatically tune a vehicle's suspension based on the type of damping component present, and automatically monitor the damping component and determine when a change has been made to the damping component so that the control system can then automatically re-tune the vehicle's suspension based on the change to the damping component.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A modular electronic damping control system comprising:
at least one damping component located at a vehicle suspension location; and
a control system configured to control said at least one damping component located at said vehicle suspension location, said control system configured to determine a type of at least one damping component, said control system configured to automatically tune a vehicle suspension for a vehicle based on a determined type of said at least one damping component, and wherein said control system is further configured to automatically monitor said at least one damping component and determine when a change has been made to said at least one damping component, and said control system configured to automatically re-tune said vehicle suspension based on said change to said at least one damping component.

2. The modular electronic damping control system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a graphical user interface (GUI) for presenting damping configuration and operation information in a user interactive format.

3. The modular electronic damping control system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a human machine interface (HMI) configured to present vehicle suspension setting information in a user interactive format on a display, said HMI comprising:
a touch input capability configured to receive an input from a user via a user interaction with said HMI.

4. The modular electronic damping control system of claim 3 , wherein said vehicle suspension setting information comprises:
a plurality of vehicle suspension mode configurations; and
an identification of which of said vehicle suspension mode configurations is currently active on said vehicle.

5. The modular electronic damping control system of claim 4 , wherein said plurality of vehicle suspension mode configurations is user-selectable.

6. The modular electronic damping control system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a human machine interface (HMI) configured to present damping configuration information in a user interactive format on a display, said HMI comprising:
a touch input capability to receive an input from a user via a user interaction with said HMI.

7. The modular electronic damping control system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a human machine interface (HMI) configured to present rebound configuration information and vehicle suspension setting information in a user interactive format on a display, said HMI comprising a touch input capability to receive an input from a user via a user interaction with said HMI.

8. The modular electronic damping control system of claim 1 , wherein said control system is configured to automatically adjust said at least one damping component based on external conditions selected from the group consisting of: weather, terrain, and ground type.

9. The modular electronic damping control system of claim 1 , wherein said control system is configured to automatically adjust said at least one damping component based on one or more sensor inputs received from the group consisting of: an inertial gyroscope, an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a steering wheel turning sensor, a single-spectrum camera, and a multi-spectrum camera.

10. The modular electronic damping control system of claim 1 , wherein said at least one damping component is selected from the group consisting of: an in-line damper, a piggyback damper, a compression adjust only damper, a rebound adjust only damper, an independent compression and rebound adjust damper, and a dependent compression and rebound adjust single-valve damper.

11. The modular electronic damping control system of claim 1 , wherein said at least one damping component comprises:
a remotely-adjustable valve.

12. The modular electronic damping control system of claim 11 , wherein said remotely-adjustable valve includes a component selected from the group consisting of: a stepper motor, a fast acting solenoid, a flow control solenoid, and a pressure control solenoid.

Assignees

• Fox Factory Inc

Inventors

• Tong Ivan

Classifications

• B60G17/018 Primary

  characterised by the use of a specific signal treatment or control method · CPC title

• B60G2600/704

  Electronic tags containing data, e.g. identification number of a component; Gain values for the control of the unit, etc. · CPC title

• B60G2600/21

  Self-controlled or adjusted · CPC title

• B60G2300/27

  Racing vehicles, e.g. F1 · CPC title

• B60G2206/011

  Modular constructions · CPC title