A hydraulic damper with one end connected to the body of a vehicle and a second end connected to a suspension system of a vehicle. The mechanism allows for multiple hydraulic-fluid metering valve positions to control piston resistance based on a variable pressure input using pressurized gas. The use of compressed gas to mechanically control a valve position allows changes to the piston resistance to be made quickly and to be increased or decreased as desired. The hydraulic damper features a control piston which in turn mechanically controls a valve needle within a hydraulic suspension piston. The position of the valve needle controls the damping characteristics of the suspension piston. When the control piston moves, the position of the valve needle is proportionally adjusted.

End members are supportable along a damper housing and dimensioned for securement to flexible spring member. End members include a wall with a side wall portion including an inner side surface portion. First projections extend toward a first inner edge with a first shoulder surface portion faces a second end. Second projections extend inward beyond the inner side surface portion toward a second inner edge with a second shoulder surface portion facing a first end. Second projections are spaced axially from first projections such that a groove is formed inward of the inner side surface portion between first and second shoulder surface portions. End member assemblies including such an end member as well as gas spring and damper assemblies and suspension systems are also included.

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.

Methods are provided for proactively controlling a component of a system. The system may comprise a vehicle and the component may comprise a suspension of the vehicle. According to various aspects, methods may include obtaining information regarding a travel surface along a travel path that the system will travel at a future time and, based on the information regarding the travel surface, controlling the component of the system to traverse the travel surface. Controlling the component based on the information regarding the travel surface may comprise comparing the information regarding the travel surface to information regarding at least one physical constraint of the system and/or comparing frequency content of the information regarding the travel surface to a threshold frequency. Proactive control methods may provide improved response to disturbances and improved tracking and isolation because a suspension may be controlled with reduced or substantially zero delay.

A suspension system including four dampers is disclosed where each damper includes a compression chamber and a rebound chamber. A first hydraulic circuit includes a front hydraulic line, a rear hydraulic line, and a first longitudinal hydraulic line that extends between and fluidly connects the front and rear hydraulic lines of the first hydraulic circuit. A second hydraulic circuit includes a front hydraulic line, a rear hydraulic line, and a second longitudinal hydraulic line that extends between and fluidly connects the front and rear hydraulic lines of the second hydraulic circuit. First and second longitudinal comfort valves are positioned in the first and second longitudinal hydraulic lines, respectively, between the front and rear hydraulic lines. Both of the first and second longitudinal comfort valves are electromechanical valves and can be actuated to couple and decouple front axle roll control from rear axle roll control.

It is an object of the present invention to improve accuracy in estimation of a state of a vehicle in order to achieve excellent ride comfort. An ECU (600) includes a reference vehicle model computation section (1100), which is configured to calculate a reference output by carrying out computation with respect to at least one of a plurality of state amounts in a planar direction and at least one of a plurality of state amounts in an up-down direction in an inseparable manner.

A system for determining a displacement velocity signal for controlling an active wheel suspension of a land vehicle by open-loop and/or closed-loop control includes at least one Kalman filter, and at least one acceleration sensor arranged on a sprung mass of the land vehicle to sense a vertical acceleration of the sprung mass and to generate a corresponding acceleration signal supplied to the Kalman filter. The Kalman filter includes a mathematical motion model of the sprung mass, and input states of the Kalman filter include a vertical acceleration of the sprung mass, a vertical displacement velocity of the sprung mass, and a vertical displacement distance of the sprung mass. A displacement measurement signal having a value 0 is supplied continuously to the Kalman filter to determine the displacement velocity signal. Constant noise variance values of a measurement noise covariance matrix of the Kalman filter that are assigned to the displacement measurement signal are, in each case, set at one half of a maximum vertical displacement distance of the sprung mass.

In some examples, a vehicle suspension for supporting, at least in part, a sprung mass, includes a damper connected to the sprung mass, the damper including a movable piston. The vehicle suspension further includes an actuator and a controller. The controller may be configured to determine a frequency of motion associated with the sprung mass. When the frequency of motion is below a first frequency threshold, the controller may send a control signal to cause the actuator to apply a deceleration force to the sprung mass. Further, when the frequency of motion associated with the sprung mass exceeds the first frequency threshold, the controller may send a control signal to cause the actuator to apply a compensatory force to the sprung mass. For instance, a magnitude of the compensatory force may be based on a friction force determined for the damper.

This invention pertains to shock absorbers, and a method of controlling their operation. Specifically, this invention relates to use of a user interface allowing to control the sensitivity of various parameters used by a programmed electronic control unit. When in operation, said electronic control unit automatically send calculated and user-adjusted electronic signals to electronic control devices which proportionally regulate flow of fluid within each shock absorbers of a vehicle.

A machine includes a first cylinder coupled to a first wheel and a second cylinder coupled to a second wheel. A first proportional dampening valve fluidly connects to the first cylinder and a second proportional dampening valve fluidly connects to the second cylinder. First accumulators are fluidly connected to the first cylinder and the first proportional dampening valve, and second accumulator(s) are fluidly connected to the second cylinder and the second proportional dampening valve. Additionally, a first proportional flow control valve fluidly connects to the first cylinder and a second proportional flow control valve fluidly connected to the second cylinder. An electronic control module (ECM) communicatively couples to the first proportional flow control valve and the second proportional flow control valve to adjust a ride height of the first wheel via the first cylinder and a ride height of the second wheel via the second cylinder.