Methods and apparatus to use front load estimates for body control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12420607-B2
Application number	US-202418440721-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 13, 2024
Priority date	Sep 29, 2021
Publication date	Sep 23, 2025
Grant date	Sep 23, 2025

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture are disclosed to use front load estimates for body control are disclosed herein. An example vehicle includes a front axle, a suspension system including a suspension element, and a processor to execute instructions to generate, based on a load on the front axle and a velocity of the vehicle, a body control adjustment, determine a modified body control output based on the body control adjustment and an unmodified body control output, and apply the modified body control output to the suspension element of the vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium including instructions which, when executed, cause a processor to:
generate, based on a load on a front axle of a vehicle and a velocity of the vehicle, a body control adjustment;
determine a modified body control output based on the body control adjustment and an unmodified body control output; and
apply the modified body control output to a suspension element of the vehicle.

2. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the velocity of the vehicle includes a sprung mass velocity of the vehicle in at least one of a heave direction, a pitch direction, or a roll direction.

3. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the load is a first load, the body control adjustment is a first body control adjustment, and the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to generate, based on a second load on a rear axle of the vehicle and the velocity, a second body control adjustment.

4. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 3 , wherein the instructions cause the processor to determine the modified body control output based on the second body control adjustment.

5. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to generate the body control adjustment via a look-up table.

6. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 5 , wherein the look-up table includes a non-linear relationship between the load on the front axle and the body control adjustment.

7. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 5 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to populate the look-up table based on a tuning preference input via a user interface of the vehicle.

8. A vehicle, comprising:
a front axle;
a suspension system including a suspension element; and
a processor to execute instructions to:
generate, based on a load on the front axle and a velocity of the vehicle, a body control adjustment;
determine a modified body control output based on the body control adjustment and an unmodified body control output; and
apply the modified body control output to the suspension element of the vehicle.

9. The vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the velocity of the vehicle includes a sprung mass velocity of the vehicle in at least one of a heave direction, a pitch direction, or a roll direction.

10. The vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the load is a first load, the body control adjustment is a first body control adjustment, and the processor executes the instructions to determine, based on a second load on a rear axle of the vehicle and the velocity, a second body control adjustment.

11. The vehicle of claim 10 , wherein the processor executes the instructions to determine the modified body control output based on the second body control adjustment.

12. The vehicle of claim 8 , the processor executes the instructions further to generate the body control adjustment via a look-up table.

13. The vehicle of claim 12 , wherein the look-up table includes a non-linear relationship between the load on the front axle and the body control adjustment.

14. The vehicle of claim 12 , the processor executes the instructions further to populate the look-up table based on a tuning preference input via a user interface of the vehicle.

15. An apparatus comprising:
a suspension element; and
a suspension controller to:
generate, based on a load on a front axle of a vehicle and a velocity of the vehicle, a body control adjustment;
determine a modified body control output based on the body control adjustment and an unmodified body control output; and
apply the modified body control output to the suspension element of the vehicle.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the velocity of the vehicle includes a sprung mass velocity of the vehicle in at least one of a heave direction, a pitch direction, or a roll direction.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the load is a first load, the body control adjustment is a first body control adjustment, and the suspension controller is further to determine, based on a second load on a rear axle of the vehicle and the velocity, a second body control adjustment.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the suspension controller is further to determine the modified body control output based on the second body control adjustment.

19. The apparatus of claim 15 , the suspension controller is further to generate the body control adjustment via a look-up table.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 , the suspension controller is further to populate the look-up table based on a tuning preference input via a user interface of the vehicle.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Russell David Michael
• Mcgee Charles Gavin
• Bulat Ben
• Grohnke Daniel Lee
• Butler Darrell Erick

Classifications

• B60G17/01933

  Velocity, e.g. relative velocity-displacement sensors · CPC title

• B60G2400/202

  Piston speed; Relative velocity between vehicle body and wheel · CPC title

• B60G2400/60

  Load · CPC title

• B60G17/018 Primary

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