An apparatus for estimating vehicle weight using a vehicle height adjusting device is provided. The apparatus includes a vehicle height adjusting device that raises or lowers four positions of front left (FL) and right (FR) sides and rear left (RL) and right (RR) sides of a vehicle body, respectively. A vehicle height controller operates the vehicle height adjusting device to raise or lower the FL and FR sides and the RL and RR sides of the vehicle body. A weight estimating unit measures time required for raising or lowering the vehicle body or operating speed of the vehicle body and calculates an expected vehicle weight value by comparing the time required or the operating speed with a preset reference data.

A vehicle is provided which has a vehicle body, at least one hub of a wheel, and a suspension connecting the hub to the vehicle body. The suspension has a suspension arm hinged to the vehicle body and to the hub, a spring, and an electromechanical rotary actuator operable between an active adjustment condition and a damping condition of the motion of the suspension, via a leverage.

The present invention provides an electromagnetic suspension capable of suppressing interference with other components and devices, being mounted in a narrow space, and having a small thrust pulsation, a large thrust, and a high damping performance even for a high-frequency vibration source. An electromagnetic suspension of the present invention includes a linear motor that includes an armature and a permanent magnet portion, the armature including a winding and a magnetic body, the permanent magnet portion being disposed on an outer periphery of the armature and including a permanent magnet and a cylindrical magnetic body, and the armature and the permanent magnet portion being relatively linearly driven in the linear motor, in which a recess recessed from an outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical magnetic body and a protrusion protruding from the outer peripheral portion are disposed on the same circumference of the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical magnetic body.

A lifting arrangement for lifting a wheel axle of a vehicle comprising a first elongated member extending along a first axis comprising a vehicle frame coupling portion for connecting the lifting arrangement to a vehicle frame of the vehicle during use, a second elongated member extending along a second axis comprising a wheel axle coupling portion for connecting the lifting arrangement to the wheel axle of the vehicle during use, wherein the vehicle frame coupling portion and the wheel axle coupling portion are offset from each other by a length and wherein the lifting arrangement is arranged to adjust the length between a maximum length and a minimum length by axially moving the second elongated member along the second axis relative the first elongated member, wherein the lifting arrangement further comprises an engaging device for axially moving the second elongated member along the second axis relative the first elongated member.

Methods and apparatus to determine vehicle weight are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a vehicle controller configured to control a motor operatively coupled to a suspension system to raise or lower a vehicle. The vehicle controller is to also determine a first parameter of the motor while controlling the motor to raise or lower the vehicle when the vehicle is unloaded. The vehicle controller is to also determine a second parameter of the motor while controlling the motor to raise or lower the vehicle when the vehicle is at least partially loaded. The vehicle controller is to also calculate a weight of the vehicle based on the first and second parameters of the motor.

A method for operating an adjustable roll stabilizer for a motor vehicle. The adjustable roll stabilizer has an actuator which relative to a rotational axis can be rotated through a system angle in order to twist two stabilizer sections connected to it about the rotational axis relative to one another. The stabilizer sections are each coupled to a respective wheel suspension at a radial distance away from the rotational axis, and, starting from a target angle to be set at the actuator and having regard to the actual system angle and other parameters of the adjustable roll stabilizer and/or the motor vehicle equipped with it, a position-rotational speed regulator determines a target motor torque on the basis of which a motor of the actuator is controlled, so that having regard to the target angle and the actual system angle, the target motor torque is checked for plausibility.

An actuator whose total length can be reduced is provided. An actuator (2) includes: a casing (7); a hollow shaft (8) rotatably supported by the casing (7) via a bearing (9a, 9b), the hollow shaft (8) including a bottom portion (8b); a screw shaft (14) coupled to the bottom portion (8b) of the hollow shaft (8), the screw shaft (14) sharing a common center line with the hollow shaft (8); and a nut (15) threadedly connected to the screw shaft (14). The nut (15) is capable of moving in an axial direction of the screw shaft (14) to enter between the hollow shaft (8) and the screw shaft (14).

Method to control active shock absorbers of a road vehicle. Each active shock absorber is part of a suspension connecting a frame to a hub of a wheel and is provided with an actuator. The control method comprises the steps of: determining a longitudinal acceleration and a transverse acceleration of the road vehicle; establishing a desired lowering of a centre of gravity of the road vehicle depending on the longitudinal acceleration and on the transverse acceleration; and controlling the actuator of each active shock absorber so as to obtain the desired lowering of the centre of gravity.

Method to control active shock absorbers of a road vehicle. Each active shock absorber is part of a suspension connecting a frame to a hub of a wheel and is provided with an actuator. The control method comprises the steps of: determining a longitudinal acceleration and a transverse acceleration of the road vehicle; establishing a desired roll angle based on the transverse acceleration; and establishing a desired pitch angle based on the longitudinal acceleration.

Included are an electromagnetic actuator which generates drive forces for a damping operation and a telescopic operation; an information acquirer which acquires information about the drive forces of, and control mode selection information about, the electromagnetic actuator; a drive force arithmetic part which sets a predetermined control mode based on the control mode selection information about the electromagnetic actuator, and sets a target damping force and a target telescopic force of the electromagnetic actuator based on setting information about the control mode; and a drive controller which controls drive of the electromagnetic actuator using a target drive force based on the target damping and telescopic forces set by the drive force arithmetic part. The drive force arithmetic part performs an operation of switching a setting of the predetermined control mode from one to another while a driving force of the electromagnetic actuator is within a predetermined force range.