A vehicle motion control device includes: an actuator characteristic change estimation unit configured to estimate a characteristic change of an actuator at a future time from a current time; a controllable range estimation unit configured to calculate a controllable range of a vehicle motion from a characteristic change calculated by the actuator characteristic change estimation unit, a target track of a vehicle, and a current vehicle state; a vehicle motion planning unit configured to create a motion plan within a controllable range calculated by the controllable range estimation unit; an evaluation value calculation unit configured to calculate an evaluation value based on a motion plan created by the vehicle motion planning unit; and a determination unit configured to determine whether or not an evaluation value calculated by the evaluation value calculation unit is minimum.

An electrically adjustable hydraulic shock absorber includes a piston positioned within a tube that divides a fluid chamber into a first working chamber and a second working chamber. A piston rod is attached to the piston and projects. An electronically-controlled valve is positioned within a rod guide. A circuit board is in communication with the electronically-controlled valve. A carrier includes an inner wall and an outer wall interconnected by a bottom wall thereby defining a pocket. A circuit board is positioned within the pocket.

Methods and apparatus for regulating the function of a suspension system are disclosed herein. Suspension characteristics often contribute to the efficiency of a suspended system. Depending on the desired operating parameters of the suspended system, it may be desirable to alter the functional characteristics of the suspension from time to time in order to maintain or increase efficiency. The suspension hereof may be selectively locked into a substantially rigid configuration, and the damping fluid may be phase separated and/or cooled to increase damping rate during use (or offset rate degradation). The suspension hereof may generate power usable to achieve any or all of the foregoing or to be stored for use elsewhere in the suspended system or beyond.

A suspension control apparatus that includes a vehicle behavior detection unit, a damping force adjustable shock absorber, and a controller. The damping force adjustable shock absorber includes a cylinder in which the electric rheological fluid is encapsulated, a piston, a piston rod extending to an outside of the cylinder, and an electrode configured to apply electric field to the electric rheological fluid. The controller includes a target voltage value setting unit configured to obtain a target voltage value to be applied to the electrode based on the detection result obtained by the vehicle behavior detection unit, a current detection unit configured to detect a current value exhibited when the target voltage value obtained by the target voltage value setting unit is applied, and a voltage value correction unit configured to correct the target voltage value based on the detected current value or a function of the detected current value.

An emergency operating method for operating an active chassis of a motor vehicle in the event of a failure of a pump of the active chassis. The method includes (a) detecting a termination of a proper electrical supply of an electric drive machine of the pump; (b) short-circuiting the electric drive machine operated at high voltage; and (c) disconnecting the high-voltage supply of the electric drive machine.

A method for operating an active vehicle chassis including a control device; a damper device having a hydraulic cylinder and a hydraulic piston; a pump for generating a pressure via the hydraulic piston; a gas spring having a pneumatic cylinder and a pneumatic piston; and a compressor for generating a pressure via the pneumatic piston. In the case of a command for a request for an increased resulting force of the active chassis with the aid of an increased pressure level in the gas spring, the method includes the steps of increasing the pressure in the damper device by way of the pump; increasing the pressure in the gas spring by way of the compressor; and upon reaching the requested increased resulting force, reducing the pressure in the damper device, such that the increased resulting force is adjusted as required using the increased pressure level in the gas spring.

A method for operating a damper valve in order to control a damper force of a damper in an active chassis of a vehicle, wherein the damper valve includes a pilot valve for controlling a main spool. The method includes determining a target pressure necessary for a target damper force, in a first damper chamber of the damper; determining a valve flow through a damper valve inlet of the damper valve on the basis of a damper flow, generated by a damper movement, from the first damper chamber and on the basis of a measured pump flow of a pump; determining a main spool opening distance in such a way that, with an applied main spool flow through the main spool opening distance, the target pressure is present as the back pressure in the first damper chamber.

Methods and apparatus for regulating the function of a suspension system are disclosed herein. Suspension characteristics often contribute to the efficiency of a suspended system. Depending on the desired operating parameters of the suspended system, it may be desirable to alter the functional characteristics of the suspension from time to time in order to maintain or increase efficiency. The suspension hereof may be selectively locked into a substantially rigid configuration, and the damping fluid may be phase separated and/or cooled to increase damping rate during use (or offset rate degradation). The suspension hereof may generate power usable to achieve any or all of the foregoing or to be stored for use elsewhere in the suspended system or beyond.

A suspension system for a work vehicle includes a shock absorber including a fluid, a coil positioned at least partially in the fluid, a sensor configured to detect a work status of the work vehicle, and a controller. The controller is configured to determine the work status of parked or operational based on the sensor, determine an electrical resistance of the coil in a shock absorber based on the work status, predict a temperature of a fluid in the shock absorber based on the electrical resistance of the coil, provide an electric current in the coil based on the predicted temperature of the fluid, determine the electrical resistance of the coil while the electric current is on, and terminate the electric current in the coil based on the work status and the predicted temperature.

A ground movement system for a land transport vehicle (2) capable of levitating, the vehicle having a plurality of wheels including at least one actuated wheel (3), a drive device (6) for driving the actuated wheel and/or a brake (8) for braking the actuated wheel (3), a vertical positioning actuator (9) arranged to move the actuated wheel (3) vertically relative to a fuselage of the vehicle (2), and control means arranged to act, during an acceleration stage and/or during a braking stage of the vehicle, to control the vertical positioning actuator (9) as to adjust the vertical position of the actuated wheel in order to increase the load carried by the actuated wheel and thus increase the maximum force that can be transmitted to the ground by the actuated wheel so as to increase the maximum drive and/or braking torque that can be produced by the drive device (6) and/or by the brake (8) without the actuated wheel (3) skidding or slipping.