Distributed active suspension control system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9694639-B2
Application number	US-201414242705-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 1, 2014
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Jul 4, 2017
Grant date	Jul 4, 2017

Abstract

A distributed active suspension control system is provided. The control system is based on a distributed, processor-based controller that is coupled to an electronic suspension actuator. The controller processes sensor data at the distributed node, making processing decisions for the wheel actuator it is associated with. Concurrently, multiple distributed controllers on a common network communicate such that vehicle-level control (such as roll mitigation) may be achieved. Local processing at the distributed controller has the advantage of reducing latency and response time to localized sensing and events, while also reducing the processing load and cost requirements of a central node. The topology of the distributed active suspension controller contained herein has been designed to respond to fault modes with fault-safe mechanisms that prevent node-level failure from propagating to system-level fault. Systems, algorithms, and methods for accomplishing this distributed and fault-safe processing are disclosed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A distributed suspension control system, comprising:
at least a first and a second active suspension actuator associated with a first wheel and a second wheel of a vehicle respectively;
a first and a second actuator controller associated with the first and the second active suspension actuator respectively;
a communication network that exchanges vehicle control and/or sensing information among at least the first and the second actuator controllers;
at least one sensor associated with the first actuator controller to provide at least one of vehicle chassis motion information and vehicle wheel motion information to the first actuator controller, wherein the first actuator controller processes information provided by the at least one sensor to execute a wheel-specific suspension protocol to control the first vehicle wheel, and wherein the first actuator controller also processes information received over the communication network from at least the second actuator controller to execute a vehicle-wide suspension protocol to at least partially control vehicle motion; and
wherein a magnitude of actuator inertia of the first actuator attached to the first wheel is used by the first controller as a control parameter to control a motion of the first wheel.

2. The distributed suspension control system of claim 1 , wherein the first actuator controller also processes information received over the communication network from a central vehicle dynamics controller.

3. The distributed suspension control system of claim 2 , wherein a portion of the communication network is constructed to exchange information between the first actuator controller and the second actuator controller without passing through a central controller associated with both the first actuator controller and the second actuator controller.

4. The distributed suspension control system of claim 1 , wherein each active suspension actuator is interposed between the vehicle chassis and a vehicle wheel.

5. The distributed suspension control system of claim 1 , wherein the wheel-specific suspension protocol includes wheel suspension actions that reduce vertical motion of the vehicle chassis during at least one control mode, while maintaining wheel contact with the road surface.

6. The distributed suspension control system of claim 1 , wherein the wheel-specific suspension protocol includes wheel suspension actions that dampen wheel movement while mitigating an impact of road surface based wheel movements on the vehicle.

7. The distributed suspension control system of claim 1 , wherein the wheel-specific suspension protocol includes a wheel control algorithm and an algorithm for vehicle chassis/body control.

8. The distributed suspension control system of claim 1 , wherein at least two controllers run substantially similar control algorithms.

9. The distributed suspension control system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle-wide suspension protocol is used to control at least one of vehicle roll, pitch, and vertical acceleration.

10. The distributed suspension control system of claim 1 , wherein at least the first active suspension actuator includes an electric motor for controlling suspension activity of the first wheel.

11. The distributed suspension control system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle chassis comprises one of a car body, a truck chassis, and a truck cabin.

12. The distributed suspension control system of claim 1 wherein control of vehicle motion is control of the vehicle chassis.

13. A distributed active suspension system, comprising:
a plurality of active suspension system actuators disposed throughout a vehicle so that an active suspension system actuator is attached to each vehicle wheel, wherein each actuator comprises an electric motor operatively coupled to a hydraulic pump that is in hydraulic communication with a housing that includes a piston;
an actuator controller associated with each active suspension system actuator, wherein each actuator controller provides commands to the associated electric motor to operate the hydraulic pump to assist the motion of the piston;
a communication network that exchanges information among two or more actuator controllers, wherein a portion of the communication network is constructed to exchange information between a first actuator controller and a second actuator controller without passing through a central controller associated with both the first actuator controller and the second actuator controller; and
at least one sensor that provides at least one of vehicle chassis motion information and vehicle wheel motion information to at least one actuator controller, wherein each actuator controller executes wheel-specific suspension protocols and/or vehicle-wide suspension protocols to at least partially and/or cooperatively control vehicle motion.

14. The distributed active suspension system of claim 13 , wherein wheel-specific suspension protocols perform groundhook control of at least one of the plurality of active suspension system actuators attached to at least one wheel.

15. The distributed active valve system of claim 13 , wherein wheel-specific suspension protocols are used to control the at least one of the plurality of active suspension system actuators attached to at least one wheel at wheel frequencies.

16. The distributed active suspension system of claim 13 , wherein vehicle-wide suspension protocols perform at least one of skyhook control, active roll control, and pitch control.

17. The distributed active suspension system of claim 13 , wherein vehicle-wide suspension protocols control at least one actuator at body frequencies.

18. The distributed active valve system of claim 13 , wherein at least some information exchanged between the first actuator controller and the second actuator controller passes through the portion of the communication network.

19. The distributed active valve system of claim 13 , wherein control of vehicle motion is control of the vehicle chassis.

20. A distributed active suspension system, comprising:
a plurality of active suspension system actuators, wherein each active suspension actuator is associated with a vehicle wheel, wherein each actuator is operated in one of an active mode and a regeneration mode;
a plurality of active suspension actuator controllers, wherein each active suspension actuator is associated with a separate controller of the plurality of controllers;
a vehicle communication network electrically connecting the plurality of actuator controllers;
a centralized energy storage facility associated with the plurality of active suspension system actuators; and
a plurality of localized energy storage facilities each of which associated with at least one of the plurality of active suspension system actuators, wherein in a first mode of operation, energy is supplied to a first localized energy storage facility that is associated with a first actuator, and in at least a second mode of operation, when energy from the centralized energy storage facility to the first actuator is disrupted, the first actuator operates by consuming at least some energy from the first localized energy storage facility.

21. The distributed active suspension system of claim 20 , wherein the localized energy storage facility is at least one capacitor operatively coupled to the controller.

22. The distributed active suspension system of claim 20 , further comprising a hydraulic pump, wherein the controller comprises a motor

Assignees

• Levant Power Corp
• Clearmotion Inc

Inventors

• Near William G
• Gorelik Vladimir
• Leehey Jonathan R
• Giovanardi Marco
• Cole Matthew D

Classifications

• F16F9/06

  using both gas and liquid {(F16F9/486 take precedence; self-pumping fluid springs B60G17/044)} · CPC title

• B60G13/14

  having dampers accumulating utilisable energy, e.g. compressing air {(fluid springs with an accumulator B60G11/30)} · CPC title

• B60G17/08

  Characteristics of fluid dampers (adjusting fluid dampers in general F16F9/44 - F16F9/53) · CPC title

• B60G17/015

  the regulating means comprising electric or electronic elements ({B60G17/002}, B60G17/005 take precedence) · CPC title

• H02K29/10

  using light effect devices · CPC title