A relative velocity between a sprung mass and an unsprung mass of a vehicle is calculated by differentiating a stroke amount of an electromagnetic damper with respect to time. The relative velocity is compared with a predetermined value that is set in advance, and a determination is made whether or not the relative velocity is the predetermined value or higher. In a case where the relative velocity is lower than the predetermined value (relative velocity<predetermined value), a normal filter is selected, and a gain G of only an unsprung resonance frequency range is increased. On the other hand, in a case where the relative velocity is the predetermined value or higher (relative velocity≧predetermined value), a delay inhibition filter is selected, and a gain of a high frequency range is increased compared to the normal filter.

Provided is an electric suspension device including an electromagnetic actuator that is provided between a body and wheel of a vehicle and generates damping force for damping vibration of the body. It includes: an information acquisition unit that acquires information on the vehicle's sprung speed, pitch rate, and roll rate; a bounce target value computation unit that computes a bounce target value for controlling the vehicle's bounce orientation based on the sprung speed; a pitch target value computation unit that computes a pitch target value for controlling the vehicle's pitch orientation based on the pitch rate; a roll target value computation unit that computes a roll target value for controlling the vehicle's roll orientation based on the roll rate; and a driving control unit that controls driving of the actuator with a control target load which is based on a sum of the bounce, pitch, and roll target values.

A damping control device for a vehicle includes a control force generating device configured to generate vertical control force between a vehicle body of the vehicle and at least one wheel suspended from the vehicle body by a suspension, and an electronic control unit configured to reduce, by controlling the control force generating device to change the control force, vibration of the vehicle body that is caused by vertical vibration occurring in the wheel in response to vertical road surface displacements while the vehicle is traveling, the vertical vibration being transmitted to the vibration of the vehicle body via the suspension.

A damping control device includes a control force generating device and a controller. The controller is configured to acquire road surface displacement related values related to a plurality of road surface displacements in a predetermined sampling zone, acquire an amplitude index indicating a magnitude of an amplitude of the sampled values, determine an operation delay period of the control force generating device based on the magnitude of the amplitude indicated by the amplitude index, calculate target control force for reducing vibration of a vehicle body based on the road surface displacement related values at a predicted passing position where a wheel is predicted to pass after an elapse of the operation delay period from a current time, and transmit, to the control force generating device, a control command for causing the control force generating device to regulate the control force to agree with the target control force.

A damping control apparatus has a control unit that controls an active actuator that generates a control force to damp a sprung, and a storage device for storing a unsprung displacement acquired based on a vertical motion state quantity of a vehicle when the vehicle travels, and the control unit determines a predicted wheel passage position where a wheel is predicted to pass, calculates a time derivative value of an unsprung displacement at the predicted wheel passage position acquired by a preview sensor, calculates a target control force based on a sum of a first control component proportional to the time derivative value and a second control component proportional to an unsprung displacement at the predicted wheel passage position acquired from the storage device, and controls a control force generating device so that a control force when the wheel passes the predicted wheel passage position becomes the target control force.

Active suspension actuator systems including an actuator with a compression volume and an extension volume are described. In some embodiments, the system includes one or more flow control devices in fluid communication with the compression volume and/or the extension volume of the actuator. In some instances, a flow control device may include a pressure balanced blow-off valve (PBOV). In some embodiments, the system includes a high capacity bidirectional base valve. In some embodiments, two or more flow control devices cooperate to, for example, damp low amplitude oscillations in the extension and/or compression volumes, and to allow the build-up of pump generated differential pressures while discharging rapid road induced differential pressure spikes between the extension and compression volumes.

An electrically powered suspension system includes: an electromagnetic actuator provided between a vehicle body and a wheel of a vehicle and configured to generate a damping force for damping vibration of the vehicle body; a wheel speed sensor that detects a wheel speed of the wheel; a wheel speed variation amount calculation part that calculates a wheel speed variation amount on the basis of wheel speed detection values detected by the wheel speed sensor; a 3D gyro sensor that detects sprung state amounts including a sprung pitching action of the vehicle; and a wheel speed variation amount correction part that estimates a variation component in the wheel speed variation amount on the basis of a sprung pitch amount and corrects the wheel speed variation amount so as to reduce the estimated variation component.

Provided a suspension control apparatus including a vehicle behavior detection unit (acceleration sensors), an electrorheological damper provided between a vehicle body (1) and each wheel (2), and a controller configured to execute control so that a damping force of each electrorheological damper is adjusted based on a detection result obtained by the vehicle behavior detection unit. The controller includes a target voltage value setting unit (damping force command calculation unit) configured to obtain a target voltage value to be applied to an electrode tube based on the detection result obtained by the vehicle behavior detection unit, a temperature estimation unit configured to detect or estimate temperature of ERF, and a target voltage value correction unit (output limiting unit) configured to change the target voltage value so that a piston speed (V) is adjusted based on a value obtained by the temperature estimation unit.

A control device applies a target control force to a variable damping force damper in a suspension mechanism based on a damping coefficient of the variable damping force damper to eliminate unsprung tramp sensations and feelings of hardness when the stroke speed decreases in a conventional skyhook control. The control device includes a state estimation unit for calculating the sprung mass speed of the sprung mass based on a value detected by several of a plurality of sensors, an application control unit for calculating and outputting a damping coefficient of the variable damping force damper based on the calculated sprung mass speed, and a target control amount management unit for determining the target control force based on the damping coefficient output by the application control unit.

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.