A method of on-demand energy delivery to an active suspension system is disclosed. The suspension system includes an actuator body, a hydraulic pump, an electric motor, a plurality of sensors, an energy storage facility, and a controller. The method includes disposing an active suspension system in a vehicle between a wheel mount and a vehicle body, detecting a wheel event requiring control of the active suspension; and sourcing energy from the energy storage facility and delivering it to the electric motor in response to the wheel event.

Provided is an on-demand shock stiffening system. The on-demand shock stiffening system operates to immediately stiffen the shocks in response to a user activating the system. The system may include a main body with an oil flow aperture and a flow control system that operates to restrict the flow of oil between the reservoir and the shock. The on-demand shock stiffening system may be coupled between the reservoir and the bridge of the shock and operates to restrict flow of the oil in order to stiffen the shock immediately in an on-demand manner.

A regenerative shock absorber that include a housing and a piston that moves at least partially through the housing when the shock is compressed or extended from a rest position. When the piston moves, hydraulic fluid is pressurized and drives a hydraulic motor. The hydraulic motor, in turn, drives an electric generator that produced electric energy. The electric energy may be provided to a vehicle, among other things. The regenerative shock absorber may also provide ride performance that comparable to or exceeds that of conventional shock absorbers.

System and method for improving braking efficiency by increasing the magnitude of a frictional force between a tire of a vehicle wheel and a road surface. Braking efficiency may be improved by controlling the normal force applied on the wheel, with an active suspension actuator, based on the wheel's slip ratio.

Electrorheological fluid is loaded in a shock absorber 1 as hydraulic fluid 2. The shock absorber 1 controls a generated damping force by producing a potential difference in an electrode passage 19 to thus change viscosity of electrorheological fluid flowing in the electrode passage 19. A plurality of partition walls 20 is provided in the electrode passage 19 formed between an inner tube 3 and an electrode tube 18. Due to this configuration, a plurality of helical flow passages 24 is formed in the electrode passage 19. In this case, the flow passages 24 are each provided with a flow passage cross-sectional area change portion that allows the flow passage 24 to have a larger cross-sectional area on one side spaced apart from an entrance 24A1 side (an intermediate region F) at least compared to the entrance 24A1 side of the extension-side flow passage 24 (an inflow region E).

A suspension control device including an electrorheological damper, a high voltage output circuit, a connection portion, and a control unit. The electrorheological damper includes a cylinder sealingly containing electrorheological fluid, a piston, a piston rod, and a positive electrode provided in a portion through which a flow of the electrorheological fluid is generated by a slide of the piston in the cylinder, and configured to apply a voltage to the electrorheological fluid. The connection portion includes an electrode connection portion configured to connect the high voltage output circuit and the positive electrode to each other, and a ground connection portion configured to connect the cylinder and a ground to each other. A resistor member, which has a resistance value set to a load resistance value of the electrorheological fluid in a regular-use temperature range of the electrorheological damper, is provided between the electrode connection portion and the ground connection portion.

A regenerative shock absorber that include a housing and a piston that moves at least partially through the housing when the shock is compressed or extended from a rest position. When the piston moves, hydraulic fluid is pressurized and drives a hydraulic motor. The hydraulic motor, in turn, drives an electric generator that produced electric energy. The electric energy may be provided to a vehicle, among other things. The regenerative shock absorber may also provide ride performance that comparable to or exceeds that of conventional shock absorbers.

The electromagnetic suspension apparatus includes: an electromagnetic actuator provided in parallel with a spring member between a vehicle body and a wheel of a vehicle and configured to generate driving force involving vibration damping of the vehicle body; an information acquisition unit configured to acquire, through a high-pass filter, time-series information about a stroke position of the electromagnetic actuator; and an ECU configured to calculate target driving force of the electromagnetic actuator and use the calculated target driving force to execute driving force control of the electromagnetic actuator. The ECU corrects the target driving force such that when the stroke position on the basis of the high-pass-filter-processed time-series information, from which low-frequency components (steady state deviation) have been removed, is present in a neutral region including a neutral position, spring force of the spring member is made weaker than when the stroke position is present in a non-neutral region.

Provided is an on-demand shock stiffening system. The on-demand shock stiffening system operates to immediately stiffen the shocks in response to a user activating the system. The system may include a main body with an oil flow aperture and a flow control system that operates to restrict the flow of oil between the reservoir and the shock. The on-demand shock stiffening system may be coupled between the reservoir and the bridge of the shock and operates to restrict flow of the oil in order to stiffen the shock immediately in an on-demand manner.

A utility vehicle includes an electronic control unit configured to control electronically controlled suspension devices. The electronic control unit is disposed in an internal space formed between a front panel and a dash panel and is located at a higher level than a seat portion of a driver seat. In a vehicle width direction, the electronic control unit is located toward a driver seat region of the dash panel with respect to a center region of the dash panel.