A leaf spring structure is designed as a single piece to be able to change the spring rates of leaf springs under a load independently from the manufacturing material. The operating mechanism of the leaf spring allows for increasing the spring rates by deactivating the short spring, which remains between the point A and the point B, as a result of the interaction between the short spring and the long spring after a certain amount of vertical displacement in the leaf spring.

Aspects of the present invention relate to a system for a vehicle comprising: a hydraulic suspension actuator comprising a piston, a first upper fluidic chamber and a second lower fluidic chamber, the first and second fluidic chambers separated by the piston; at least one actuator system module mounted to a subframe and laterally separated from the hydraulic suspension actuator, the at least one actuator system module comprising one or more actuator system components; a longitudinal beam located laterally between the hydraulic suspension actuator and the at least one actuator system module; and at least one conduit fluidly connecting the hydraulic suspension actuator and the at least one actuator system module, wherein the at least one conduit passes over the longitudinal beam.

A vehicle suspension system includes: a road surface sensor provided in a vehicle body portion ahead of a front wheel to detect an unevenness of a road surface; an electromagnetic damper that applies a damping force and a propulsive force along a stroke direction to a vehicle body and the front wheel with the aid of a motor element; and an ECU. The road surface sensor includes: a first road surface sensor; and a second road surface sensor that overlaps the first road surface sensor in a vehicle width direction and is provided at a position behind the first road surface sensor. The ECU includes: a road surface height calculation unit that calculates a road surface height based on detection values from the road surface sensors and a movement amount of the vehicle; and a damper control unit that controls the motor element based on the calculated road surface height.

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.

Aspects of the present invention relate to an actuator system for a vehicle suspension system comprising: a first actuator comprising a piston, a first upper fluidic chamber and a second lower fluidic chamber, the first and second fluidic chambers separated by the piston; a second actuator comprising a piston, a first upper fluidic chamber and a second lower fluidic chamber, the first and second fluidic chambers separated by the piston; a first hydraulic gallery fluidly connecting the first upper fluidic chamber of the first actuator and one of the first and second fluidic chambers of the second actuator; a second hydraulic gallery fluidly connecting the second lower fluidic chamber of the first actuator and the other of the first and second fluidic chambers of the second actuator; and at least one pump configured to pump fluid between the first and second hydraulic galleries.

A control system for a vehicle comprises a controller comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions. The system comprises a transformable knob manipulated between first and second states. The knob comprises a body having a periphery wall arranged to flex between first and second configurations with the first and second states, respectively. The system comprises an output device arranged to change between first and second settings. Manipulation of the transformable knob from the first state to the second state transmits an input signal to the controller and facilitates flexing of the periphery wall from the first configuration to the second configuration. The controller receives the input signal, and the processor compares the input signal to the instructions in the non-transitory computer-readable medium and transmit an output signal to the output device to change the output device from the first setting to the second setting.

Described are devices, systems, and methods that enable greater control and customization of variable suspension systems via mechanical modification, among other advantages. In one example, a linkage device is configured to be attached to a suspension arm of a vehicle and to a vehicle frame of the vehicle. The linkage device is configured to mechanically modify one or more physical states detected by a sensor of the vehicle, thereby causing the sensor to output modified signals to a controller, and causing the controller to output modified control signals to a variable shock absorber connected between the vehicle frame and the suspension arm, thereby modifying one or more variable physical properties of the variable shock absorber.

A solenoid comprises a mold coil, a housing, a yoke, an anchor, a cylinder, and an armature. The housing and the yoke are connected together with the cylinder intervening therebetween. The housing includes an accommodating tube portion including a first end portion, a second end portion, and a third end portion. The first end portion faces the anchor. The second end portion is axially recessed back from the first end portion and includes an abutting portion that abuts against the other axial end of the cylinder. The third end portion is axially recessed further back from the first end portion than the second end portion and accommodates solder (copper ring) for sealing space between the third end portion and the cylinder.

Integrated multiple actuator electro-hydraulic systems as well as their methods of use are described. Depending on the particular application, the integrated electro-hydraulic systems may exhibit different frequency responses and/or may be integrated into a single combined unit.

A damping control system for a vehicle having a suspension located between a plurality of ground engaging members and a vehicle frame includes at least one adjustable shock absorber having an adjustable damping characteristic. The system also includes a controller coupled to each adjustable shock absorber to adjust the damping characteristic of each adjustable shock absorber, and a user interface coupled to the controller and accessible to a driver of the vehicle. The user interface includes at least one user input to permit manual adjustment of the damping characteristic of the at least one adjustable shock absorber during operation of the vehicle. Vehicle sensors are also be coupled to the controller to adjust the damping characteristic of the at least one adjustable shock absorber based vehicle conditions determined by sensor output signals.