Methods and systems are provided for controlling a suspension system of a vehicle. In one embodiment, the method includes: receiving, by a processor, sensor data indicative of conditions of a roadway in a path of the vehicle; determining, by a processor, a continuous road profile based on the sensor data; and selectively controlling, by a processor, at least one suspension element of the vehicle based on the continuous road profile.

A method for improving the safety and comfort of a vehicle driving over a railroad track, cattle guard, or the like. The method may include receiving, by a computer system, one or more inputs corresponding to one or more forward looking sensors. The computer system may also receive data characterizing a motion of the vehicle. The computer system may estimate, based on the one or more inputs and the data, a motion of a vehicle with respect to a railroad track, cattle guard, or the like extending across a road ahead of the vehicle. Accordingly, the computer system may change a suspension setting, steering setting, or the like of the vehicle to more safely or comfortably drive over the railroad track, cattle guard, or the like.

A traveling support device includes: a comparing unit that compares a detection result based on an output value output from a sensor for detecting a state of a vehicle with a reference value stored in advance; and a controller that, when comparison by the comparing unit determines that the detection result is equal to or more than the reference value, switches a first control mode to a second control mode different from the first control mode with respect to at least one of a display control capable of switching display of information on the vehicle, a vehicle height control capable of switching a vehicle height with a vehicle height adjustment device of the vehicle, and a vehicle speed control capable of switching a speed limit value with a vehicle control device of the vehicle.

A method and system for adjusting the height of a vehicle's air suspension through a software application or physical buttons or dials is provided. The system includes a ride height sensor that is configured to detect and measure the height of a vehicle. Further, the system includes an electronic module in communication with the ride height sensor and a ride height control module of the vehicle, wherein the ride height sensor or the electronic module being adapted to alter voltage/current or encoder data sent to the ride height control module. Further, the system includes means for electronically programming the ride height sensor or the electronic module, wherein the programming is performed using physical buttons or dials on the sensor or by connecting the electronic module to a user's electronic device via Bluetooth or other wireless or wired technology.

A system is configured to control aerodynamics of a vehicle. The vehicle includes a vehicle body having a front end facing an ambient airflow when the vehicle is in motion relative to a road surface. The system includes an adjustable aerodynamic-aid element mounted to the vehicle body. The system also includes a mechanism configured to vary a position of the adjustable aerodynamic-aid element relative to the vehicle body and thereby control movement of the airflow. The system additionally includes a sensor configured to detect a height of the vehicle body relative to a predetermined reference frame and a controller configured to receive a signal from the sensor indicative of the detected vehicle body height. The controller is also configured to determine a ride-height of the vehicle using the detected vehicle body height and to regulate the mechanism in response to the determined ride-height to control aerodynamics of the vehicle.

A vehicle suspension includes a shock absorber whose damping coefficient is variable. A control device includes: a road surface input sensor that generates a first signal corresponding to a vertical movement of each wheel; a sprung mass behavior sensor that generates a second signal corresponding to a vertical movement of a vehicle body at a position of each wheel; and a control unit that controls the damping coefficient. The control unit performs: a normal control that sets the damping coefficient to a hard-side value with regard to a wheel where the second signal indicates occurrence of a sprung mass behavior exceeding a standard; and a rear wheel softening control that sets the damping coefficient regarding a rear wheel to a soft-side value lower than the hard-side value, when determining, based on the first signal, that a rear-wheel-rising-time-point when the rear wheel reaches a rising point on a road surface comes.

A method of optimizing a suspension system to avoid pitch resonance may include determining pitch characteristics of a vehicle for a terrain profile and speed range via a model associated with the vehicle, decoupling front and rear axles by removing pitch inertia from the model, and determining optimized damping for a main damper of a position sensitive damper over a linear range of wheel travel in a bounce control zone based on the pitch characteristics. The method may further include recoupling the front and rear axles by adding the pitch inertia back into the model, and selecting a secondary damper associated with a compression zone or a secondary damper associated with a rebound zone as a selected damper for adjustment based on which of the front and rear axles is limiting. The method may also include performing a damping adjustment to the selected damper and cyclically repeating selecting the secondary damper and performing the damping adjustment until pitch resonance is suppressed.

A system is configured to control aerodynamics of a vehicle. The vehicle includes a vehicle body having a front end facing an ambient airflow when the vehicle is in motion relative to a road surface. The system includes an adjustable aerodynamic-aid element mounted to the vehicle body. The system also includes a mechanism configured to vary a position of the adjustable aerodynamic-aid element relative to the vehicle body and thereby control movement of the airflow. The system additionally includes a sensor configured to detect a height of the vehicle body relative to a predetermined reference frame and a controller configured to receive a signal from the sensor indicative of the detected vehicle body height. The controller is also configured to determine a ride-height of the vehicle using the detected vehicle body height and to regulate the mechanism in response to the determined ride-height to control aerodynamics of the vehicle.

A preview road surface detector capable of discontinuing predictive control is provided, which suppresses the energy consumption required to determine whether predictive control should be discontinued. The preview road surface detector includes: a distance sensor provided on a vehicle body member, the distance sensor detecting a value related to a distance between the vehicle body member and a measurement point on a road surface ahead of a vehicle, the measurement point corresponding to at least part of a road surface contact portion of a wheel; and a distance calculator that calculates a road surface distance as the distance from the vehicle body member to the measurement point, based on a detection value detected by the distance sensor, in which the distance sensor is deactivated under a predetermined condition.

The disclosure relates to an advanced system for enhancing active suspension in vehicles through predictive road profiling. The system employs a novel combination of sensors and algorithms to accurately predict road irregularities before the vehicle encounters them. This predictive capability allows for real-time adjustments to the suspension system, optimizing vehicle handling, comfort, and safety. The system includes a look-ahead sensor mechanism that measures the road profile at a distance ahead of the vehicle and computes the anticipated road conditions using a sophisticated algorithm that accounts for vehicle dynamics such as speed, pitch, and heave. The processed data is then used to adjust the suspension settings preemptively, mitigating the impact of road irregularities and improving the overall driving experience. This technology addresses the limitations of current active suspension systems by enhancing their predictive accuracy and operational efficiency.