A method for controlling vehicle motion is described. The method includes accessing a set of control signals including a measured vehicle speed value associated with a movement of a vehicle. A control signal associated with user-induced input is also accessed. The method compares the measured vehicle speed value with a predetermined vehicle speed threshold value to achieve a speed value threshold approach status, and then compares the set of values to achieve a user-induced input threshold value approach status. The method monitors a state of a valve within the vehicle suspension damper, and determines a control mode for the vehicle suspension damper. The method also regulates damping forces within the vehicle suspension damper.

A damping force control apparatus controlling a damping force control value for a damper whose damping force is set by the damping force control value includes: a relative velocity estimation device estimating a relative velocity of a vehicle wheel with respect to a vehicle body; and a damping force calculation device determining the damping force control value to control vibration of the vehicle body based on control input variables of the vehicle body and an estimated relative velocity, wherein the relative velocity estimation device includes an estimated damping force calculation section, a delay correction section, and a relative velocity calculation section, and the delay correction section corrects the estimated damping force and varies delay correction terms to reduce divergence between an actual measured relative velocity and the estimated relative velocity in different damping coefficients of the damper.

A device and a method of estimating damper force and damper velocity in an active suspension system. First and second pressure sensors sense pressures of a rebound chamber and a compression chamber of a damper in the active suspension system. A controller calculates damper force using the pressures and effective hydraulic pressure areas of the rebound chamber and the compression chamber and calculating damper velocity using pressure-fluid rate characteristics of first to third valve sets and the pressures of the rebound chamber and the compression chamber such that a sum of fluid rates is zero in a node connected between any one of the first to third valve sets and the rebound chamber or the compression chamber, the first to third valve sets being connected between the rebound chamber and an accumulator, between the rebound chamber and the compression chamber, or between the compression chamber and the accumulator.

A regenerative shock absorber that includes 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.

Aspects relate to systems and methods for pre-emptively managing suspension loads. A control system (100, 200) is configured to receive a driving surface signal (165) indicative of a property of a driving surface ahead of the vehicle (600). The control system is further configured to determine, in dependence on the received driving surface signal and on a current vehicle operational state, an attribute parameter. The attribute parameter, when provided to an actuator (318a, 318b . . . 318z) of the suspension system, causes the actuator to act to control a suspension force acting on the suspension system due to a movement of the vehicle along the driving surface to be below a predetermined suspension force value. The control system is further configured to output an actuator control signal (155) to the actuator of the suspension system to control the actuator in dependence on the determined attribute parameter.

A control system configured to control a damping force of an actuator of an active suspension system of a vehicle in response to an external disturbance of a wheel with which the actuator is associated, includes one or more controllers and configured to: receive a sensed displacement parameter indicative of suspension displacement associated with the wheel; determine whether a condition is satisfied, wherein satisfaction of the condition requires the sensed displacement parameter to indicate a transition from a suspension displacing phase associated with the external disturbance to a suspension restoring phase associated with the external disturbance, and wherein satisfaction of the condition depends on an amount of suspension displacement indicated by the sensed displacement parameter; and output a signal to control the damping force to be greater, during the suspension restoring phase associated with the external disturbance, than if the condition is not satisfied, in dependence on satisfaction of the condition.

The present invention provides a control device that controls a suspension mechanism of a straddle type vehicle, comprising: a wheel speed sensor configured to detect a wheel speed of the straddle type vehicle; an estimation unit configured to estimate a stroke speed of the suspension mechanism, based on a change in the wheel speed detected by the wheel speed sensor; and a correction unit configured to correct the stroke speed estimated by the estimation unit, in accordance with a circumferential length of a grounding part of a tire changed by turning of the straddle type vehicle.

A vehicle control device includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire detection information in a current traveling state and position information indicating a current position of a vehicle, a transmission unit configured to transmit traveling information in which the detection information and the position information are associated with each other to an external management device, a reception unit configured to receive changed specification information of the vehicle transmitted when the management device determines that specifications of the vehicle need to be changed, and a control unit configured to change the specifications of the vehicle corresponding to the specification information and reflect the changed specifications in traveling control. The specification information includes specifications changed based on comparison between first traveling information that is current traveling information of the vehicle and second traveling information obtained when the vehicle has previously traveled at a same position.

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.

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 enemy 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.