Provided is an electromagnetic suspension apparatus capable of achieving both of vibration isolation performance and road holding performance. The electromagnetic suspension apparatus includes an electromagnetic actuator, an information acquisition unit that acquires information on a stroke speed of the electromagnetic actuator and a state quantity of the vehicle, a plurality of filters in which individual gain characteristics are respectively set, a filter setting unit that selectively sets a filter having a gain characteristic suitable for the state quantity of the vehicle from among the plurality of filters, a filter processing unit that performs a filtering process on a stroke speed signal using the filter set by the filter setting unit, and a drive control unit that controls driving of the electromagnetic actuator based on relationship information between the stroke speed after the filtering process and a damping force corresponding to the stroke speed.

A damper system for a vehicle is provided that includes a pressurized gas damper, electromagnetic actuator, and pressurized gas spring. The pressurized gas damper includes first and second working chambers that are fluidly connected by a flow control orifice. The electromagnetic actuator includes a stator assembly with a stator cavity and a magnetic rotor that is slidingly received in the stator cavity. The magnetic rotor is fixed to a damper tube that houses the second working chamber. The stator cavity and an end of the damper tube cooperate to define the first working chamber. The pressurized gas spring includes a bellows chamber that extends annularly about the damper tube. The damper tube includes an opening between the second working chamber and the bellows chamber.

A damper system for a vehicle is provided that includes an outer tube, a piston rod, and a piston assembly that is mounted to the piston rod and separates the outer tube into first and second working chambers. A valve assembly, mounted to the piston assembly, controls fluid flow between the first and second working chambers. A magnetic rotor is fixed to and extends annularly about the outer tube. A stator assembly is coupled to the piston rod by a spherical bearing assembly. The stator assembly includes a plurality of coils that apply an active damping force to the piston rod when energized. The coils can also generate electricity from axial movements of the piston rod relative to the outer tube. One or more glide bearings are disposed radially between the coils and the magnetic rotor in a sliding fit to stabilize the stator assembly.

In a stabilizer device, a stabilizer bar having both ends connected to right and left wheel holding portions is supported at a pair of right and left supported portions of the stabilizer bar by a vehicle body via a pair of cylinders that can be extended and retracted based on vertical movement of wheels. The stabilizer device includes two communication passages, each of which allows one of two liquid chambers of one of the pair of cylinders and the other of two liquid chambers of the other cylinder to communicate with each other. The stabilizer device further includes an inter-passage communication passage that allows the two communication passages to communicate with each other, and an on-off valve that is opened and closed to open and close the inter-passage communication passage.

Provided is a damper for a semi-active energy regenerative suspension based on hybrid excitation. The damper includes: an upper lifting lug, a dustcover, a lower lifting lug, a hydraulic shock absorber, and a hybrid excitation mechanism, wherein the hydraulic shock absorber is configured to provide a constant viscous damping coefficient, and wherein the hybrid excitation mechanism is configured to generate an adjustable electromagnetic damping force, to transform the vibration energy into electrical energy, and to storage the electrical energy. Also provided is a method for determining the sizes of the damper. The damper which has a simple structure, balances the vibration isolation property and energy regenerative property of the vehicle suspension, and provides a fail-safe function. Furthermore, the method for determining the sizes of the damper is easy and practical to implement, has definite steps and produces drastically optimized results.

The present invention provides a suspension system capable of adjusting a vehicle height in a short time. The suspension system includes a front wheel-side suspension and a rear wheel-side suspension each provided between a vehicle body and an axle and configured to adjust a vehicle height according to supply and discharge of hydraulic fluid, a pressurization device configured to pressurize the hydraulic fluid, and a first tank and a second tank configured to store therein the hydraulic fluid pressurized by the pressurization device. When the suspension system lowers the vehicle height by each of the front wheel-side suspension and the rear wheel-side suspension, any one of the front wheel-side suspension and the rear wheel-side suspension discharges the hydraulic fluid to the first tank, and the other of the front wheel-side suspension and the rear wheel-side suspension discharges the hydraulic fluid into the second tank by the pressurization device.

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.

An apparatus and a method for controlling vehicle suspension, which controls a variable damper in consideration of virtual tire damping, may include a variable damper which is installed between a vehicle body and a wheel, a first acceleration sensor which is installed at each corner of the vehicle body to measure a vehicle body corner vertical acceleration, a second acceleration sensor which is installed to each wheel to measure a wheel vertical acceleration, and a controller that estimates a road surface roughness based on the vehicle body corner vertical acceleration and the wheel vertical acceleration, determines a virtual tire damping required damping force based on the estimated road surface roughness, and adjusts a damping force of the variable damper based on the determined virtual tire damping required damping force.

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 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.