Ride height control system and method

Abstract

The present invention relates to a control system (49) for controlling a target ride height of a vehicle (1). The control system (49) is configured to set a target off-road ride height (h.sub.OFF) in dependence on one or more vehicle operating parameters. The target off-road ride height (h.sub.OFF) is set upon receipt of a driving mode signal signaling that an off-road driving mode has been selected. Aspects of the present invention also relate to a vehicle and a method of controlling a target ride height of a vehicle.

Claims

1. A control system for controlling a target ride height of a vehicle comprising: an electronic control unit (ECU) configured to receive a driving mode signal; and a driving mode selector configured to output the driving mode signal, the driving mode selector being operable manually by a driver or automatically in relation to automatically detected terrain parameters to signal that an on-road or an off-road driving mode has been selected, the control system being configured to implement an altered throttle response when in the off-road driving mode compared with the on-road driving mode, the control system being configured, upon receipt of the driving mode signal signalling that an off-road driving mode has been selected, to automatically select one of a plurality of predefined target off-road ride heights by comparing a vehicle speed with a plurality of speed thresholds, wherein when in said selected off-road driving mode, the control system is configured to select a first of said target off-road ride heights when the vehicle speed is below a first speed threshold and to select a second of said target off-road ride heights when the vehicle speed is above said first speed threshold, wherein said first target off-road ride height is higher than said second target off-road ride height, and is configured to select a target on-road ride height lower than the second target off-road height when the vehicle speed increases above a second speed threshold.

2. A control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first target off-road ride height is higher than said second target off-road ride height.

3. A control system as claimed in claim 1 configured automatically to select said first target off-road ride height when the vehicle speed decreases below said first speed threshold for a defined first time period.

4. A control system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first time period is dependent on the transfer case operating range.

5. A control system as claimed in claim 1 configured automatically to select the first or second target off-road ride height once the vehicle speed has decreased below said second speed threshold for a defined second time period.

6. A control system as claimed in claim 1 configured to output a signal to dis-engage the off-road driving mode when the vehicle speed remains above said second speed threshold for a defined third time period.

7. A control system as claimed in claim 1 configured to enable manual selection of said first off-road ride height when the second off-road ride height is selected and the vehicle speed is less than a predefined threshold.

8. A control system as claimed in claim 1 configured to select said target off-road ride height in dependence on a detected terrain parameter.

9. A vehicle comprising a control system as claimed in claim 1.

10. A control system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the terrain types include at least one of sand, grass, rocks, and mud.

11. A control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control system is configured to transition a target ride height from the off-road ride height to an on-road ride height when the vehicle speed exceeds a speed threshold.

12. A control system for controlling a target ride height of a vehicle, the control system comprising: a driving mode selector configured to output a driving mode signal; an electronic control unit (ECU) configured to receive the driving mode signal, the ECU configured to implement an automated ride height control to increase the target ride height of the vehicle to an off-road ride height when the vehicle speed falls below one or more predefined thresholds and to implement said automated ride height control when the vehicle is in an off-road driving mode indicated by the driving mode selector, the off-road driving mode determined manually by a driver or automatically from automatically detected terrain parameters, the control system configured to implement an altered throttle response when in the off-road driving mode compared with the on-road driving mode, wherein the electronic control unit is configured, upon receipt of the driving mode signal signalling that an off-road driving mode has been selected, to automatically select one of a plurality of predefined target off-road ride heights by comparing a vehicle speed with a plurality of speed thresholds, wherein when in said selected off-road driving mode, the control system is configured to select a first of said target off-road ride heights when the vehicle speed is below a first speed threshold and to select a second of said target off-road ride heights when the vehicle speed is above said first speed threshold, wherein said first target off-road ride height is higher than said second target off-road ride height, and is configured to select a target on-road ride height lower than the second target off-road height when the vehicle speed increases above a second speed threshold.

13. A control system as claimed in claim 12 configured to increase the target ride height only once the vehicle speed has been below said one or more predefined thresholds for one or more predefined periods.

14. A method of controlling a target ride height of a vehicle, the method comprising: receiving a driving mode signal, the driving mode signal being an output from a driving mode selector which is operable manually by a driver or automatically in relation to automatically detected terrain parameters to signal that an on-road or an off-road driving mode has been selected, an altered throttle response being implemented when in the off-road driving mode compared with the on-road driving mode, and upon receipt of the driving mode signal signalling that an off-road driving mode has been selected, automatically setting a target off-road ride height in dependence on a comparison of a vehicle speed with a speed threshold, wherein upon receipt of the driving mode signal signalling that an off-road driving mode has been selected, the method comprises automatically selecting one of a plurality of predefined target off-road ride heights by comparing a vehicle speed with a plurality of speed thresholds, wherein when in said selected off-road driving mode, the method selects a first of said target off-road ride heights when the vehicle speed is below a first speed threshold and selects a second of said target off-road ride heights when the vehicle speed is above said first speed threshold, wherein said first target off-road ride height is higher than said second target off-road ride height, and wherein the method selects a target on-road ride height lower than the second target off-road height when the vehicle speed increases above a second speed threshold.

15. A method of controlling a target ride height of a vehicle, the method comprising: receiving a driving mode signal, the driving mode signal being an output from a driving mode selector which is operable manually by a driver or automatically in relation to automatically detected terrain parameters to signal that an on-road or an off-road driving mode has been selected, an altered throttle response being implemented when in the off-road driving mode compared with the on-road driving mode, and automatically increasing the target ride height of the vehicle to an off-road ride height when the driving mode signal indicates that an off-road driving mode has been selected and the vehicle speed falls below one or more predefined thresholds, wherein upon receipt of the driving mode signal signalling that an off-road driving mode has been selected, the method comprises automatically selecting one of a plurality of predefined target off-road ride heights by comparing a vehicle speed with a plurality of speed thresholds, wherein when in said selected off-road driving mode, the method selects a first of said target off-road ride heights when the vehicle speed is below a first speed threshold and selects a second of said target off-road ride heights when the vehicle speed is above said first speed threshold, wherein said first target off-road ride height is higher than said second target off-road ride height, and wherein the method selects a target on-road ride height lower than the second target off-road height when the vehicle speed increases above a second speed threshold.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a motor vehicle suspension system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and

(3) FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C show a side elevation of the motor vehicle at respective first, second and third ride heights.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT

(4) A vehicle 1 having an adjustable height suspension system 3 in accordance with the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 1. The vehicle 1 is a four-wheel drive vehicle capable of driving off-road.

(5) The vehicle 1 has a front axle 5 and a rear axle 7, both representing unsprung parts of the vehicle 1. The front axle 5 carries front wheels 9, 11; and the rear axle 7 carries rear wheels 13, 15. A sprung part of the vehicle 1, represented diagrammatically as a body or chassis 17 (see FIG. 2), has its weight supported by front air spring suspension units 19, 21 and rear air spring suspension units 23, 25.

(6) The air spring suspension units 19, 21, 23, 25 are connected to respective front and rear valve blocks 27, 28 through Individual pipes 29, 31, 33, 35. The valve blocks 27, 28 are connected to a motor driven compressor 37 through a regenerative dryer. The first and second valve block 2, 28 each comprise a valve array (not shown) which can operatively connect each air spring suspension unit 19, 21, 23, 25 to the compressor 37 or to an exhaust to atmosphere 39; or can isolate each air spring suspension unit 19, 21, 23, 25 to maintain the mass of air within constant. Thus, the valve blocks 27, 28 enable independent control of the air pressure in each of the air spring suspension units 19, 21, 23, 25.

(7) The air spring suspension units 19, 21, 23, 25 have respective height sensors 41, 43, 45, 47 for measuring a ride height of the body 17 relative to the associated wheel 9, 11, 13, 18. Thus, the height sensors 41, 43, 45, 47 measure the height of the sprung components relative to the unsprung components. The height sensors 41, 43, 45, 47 can be a rotary Hall-effect transducer or a rotary potentiometer, for example. The height sensors 41, 43, 45, 47 are connected to an electronic control unit (ECU) 49 to provide suspension height signals. The ECU 49 is also connected to a vehicle communication bus (not shown) to receive data relating to vehicle operating parameters, such as the vehicle speed derived from wheel velocity transducers and the currently selected operating range of a transfer case (not shown).

(8) The ECU 49 comprises a control unit 51 for controlling the ride height of the vehicle 1. The control unit 51 outputs suspension control signals to the valve blocks 27, 28 to provide independent control of the mass of air in each of the air spring suspension units 19, 21, 23, 25. The ECU 49 can thereby independently control the height of each air spring suspension unit 19, 21, 23, 25. In normal use, the ECU 49 is configured to operate in a self-levelling mode to maintain the height of each air spring suspension unit 19, 21, 23, 25 to maintain the body 17 at a control target ride height. This operating mode is illustrated in FIG. 2A when the vehicle 1 is on level ground. If the ECU 49 determines that the height of an air spring suspension unit 19, 21, 23, 25 is too low to maintain the control target ride height, the valve blocks 27, 28 are operated to increase the air mass in that air spring suspension unit 19, 21, 23, 25 to increase its height. Conversely, if the ECU 49 determines that the height of an air spring suspension unit 19, 21, 23, 25 is too low to achieve the control target ride height, the valve block 27 is operated to reduce the air mass in that air spring suspension unit 19, 21, 23, 25 to reduce Its height. The ECU 49 operates to maintain the ride height of the body 17 at the control target ride height or within a predefined range. The control unit may comprise a single control unit or electronic controller or alternatively different functions of the control system may be embodied in, or hosted in, different physical controllers. As used herein the term “control unit”, “electronic control unit” or “ECU” will be understood to include both a single control unit or controller, and a plurality of control units or controllers collectively operating to provide the stated control functionality.

(9) A drive mode selector 53 is provided to select either an on-road driving mode or an off-road driving mode. The drive mode selector 53 outputs a driving mode signal to the control unit 51 to indicate whether the on-road or off-road driving mode is currently selected. When the on-road driving mode is active, the control unit 51 configures the vehicle 1 for driving an a metalled road typically having a uniform surface. When the off-road driving mode is active, the control unit 51 configures the vehicle 1 for driving off-road on a surface which may be irregular. In the present embodiment, when the off-road driving mode is selected, the control unit 51 increases the control target ride height of the body 17 to provide improved ground clearance. The control unit 51 controls the first and second valve blocks 27, 28 to increase the air mass in the air spring suspension units 19, 21, 23, 25 and increase the height of each suspension unit. It will be appreciated that the off-road driving mode can implement other functions (for example to alter throttle response and/or the weighting of the steering) but these are outside the scope of the present application. The operation of the drive mode selector 53 is performed manually, for example by operating a switch or knob. In alternate embodiments, the drive mode selector 53 could be operated automatically, for example as a function of the ECU 49. A suitable technique for automatically selecting the off-road driving mode is known from the Applicant's co-pending patent application GB2492655 filed on 4 Jul. 2012, the contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.

(10) The control unit 51 controls the first and second valve blocks 27, 28 to maintain the ride height of the vehicle 1 at a predefined on-road target ride height (h.sub.ON) when the on-road driving mode is selected. The control unit 51 defines a first target off-road ride height (h.sub.OFF1) and a second target off-road ride height (h.sub.OFF2) for selection automatically when the off-road driving mode is selected. The first target off-road ride height (h.sub.OFF1) is higher than the second target off-road ride height (h.sub.OFF2). In the present embodiment the first target off-road ride height (h.sub.OFF1) is approximately 75 mm and the second target off-road ride height (h.sub.OFF2) is approximately 40 mm. The target off road heights (h.sub.OFF1, h.sub.OFF2) can be calibrated for different vehicles, for example the first target off-road ride height (h.sub.OFF1) can be reduced to 65 mm and the second target off-road ride height (h.sub.OFF2) reduced to 35 mm.

(11) When the off-road driving mode is selected, the control unit 51 is configured automatically to select one of said first and second target off-road ride heights (h.sub.OFF1, h.sub.OFF2) based on an operating parameter of the vehicle. In particular, the control unit 51 selects either the first or second target off-road ride heights (h.sub.OFF1, h.sub.OFF2) in dependence on the vehicle speed. The control unit 51 defines first and second speed thresholds, the first speed threshold being less than the second speed threshold. In the present embodiment, the first speed threshold is 50 km/h and the second speed threshold is 80 km/h. The control unit 51 is configured to calibrate hysteresis into the first and second speed thresholds for selecting ride heights and for automatically dropping out of those ride heights. The first target off-road ride height (h.sub.OFF1) is selected up to 40 kph and is automatically cancelled, transitioning to the second target off-road ride height (h.sub.OFF2), when the speed exceeds 50 kph. The second target off-road ride height (h.sub.OFF2) selected up to 70 kph and is automatically cancelled, transitioning to a standard on-road target ride height, when the speed exceeds 80 kph.

(12) When the off-road driving mode is selected and the vehicle speed is less than the first speed threshold, the control unit 51 is configured to select the first target off-road ride height (h.sub.OFF1). The control unit 51 outputs control signals to the suspension units 19, 21, 23, 25 to adjust the suspension height to match the first target off-road ride height (h.sub.OFF1), as shown in FIG. 2a.

(13) When the off-road driving mode is selected and the vehicle speed is between the first and second speed thresholds, the control unit 51 is configured to select the second target off-road ride height (h.sub.OFF2). The control unit 51 outputs control signals to the suspension units 19, 21, 23, 25 to adjust the suspension height to match the second target off-road ride height (h.sub.OFF2), as shown in FIG. 2b.

(14) If the vehicle speed increases above the second speed threshold, the control unit 51 is configured to select the target on-road ride height (h.sub.ON). The control unit 51 outputs control signals to the suspension units 19, 21, 23, 25 to adjust the suspension height to match the target on-road ride height (h.sub.ON), as shown in FIG. 2c The drive mode selector 53 can optionally be configured to dis-engage the off-road drive mode if the vehicle speed exceeds the second speed threshold.

(15) The control unit 51 is further configured automatically to select the first target off-road ride height (h.sub.OFF1) in dependence on the vehicle speed and optionally also the selected transfer case range. Specifically, if the vehicle speed is below a third speed threshold (typically lower than the first speed threshold) for a predefined first time period, the first target off-road ride height (h.sub.OFF1) is selected. In the present embodiment the third speed threshold is 40 km/h. The first time period which must elapse before selection occurs depends on the selected transfer case range. If the transfer case is operating in a low range, a second time period is implemented; and, if the transfer case is operating in a high range, a third time period is implemented. The second time period is less than the third time period. In the present embodiment the second time period is thirty (30) seconds and the third time period is five (5) minutes.

(16) If, when the vehicle speed is below the third speed threshold, the vehicle comes to a standstill the timer measuring said first time period can optionally be stopped, zeroed and restarted when the car moves off. Alternatively, the timer could be paused when the vehicle comes to rest and re-started when the car moves off. However, setting the timer to zero can help to reduce the number of ride height changes, for example to avoid unnecessary ride height changes when the vehicle has temporarily come to a standstill.

(17) A further refinement is to enable selection of the first off-road ride height (h.sub.OFF1) by manually requesting an air suspension raise function when the second off-road ride height (h.sub.OFF2) is engaged. The requested air suspension function can be permitted provided the vehicle speed is less than a predefined threshold, such as 40 km/h.

(18) Optionally, if the vehicle speed is below a fourth speed threshold (which is less then the third speed threshold) for a fourth time period (which is less than the second time period), the first target off-road ride height (h.sub.OFF1) is selected. In the present embodiment the fourth speed threshold is 10 km/h and the fourth time interval is fifteen (15) seconds.

(19) It will be understood that the time periods and speed thresholds described herein can be calibrated for particular applications or vehicles.

(20) The present embodiment has been described with reference to a target vehicle ride height (h) and a suspension unit height. These heights are both defined in relation to respective reference points, which can be coincident with, or offset from each other. The suspension height can be the same as the target vehicle ride height. Alternatively, the control unit 51 can map the target vehicle ride height to a corresponding suspension height. For example, the control unit 51 can determine the required suspension height to achieve a target ride height. The control unit 51 can calculate the required suspension height or access a look-up table to identify the required suspension height. A dynamic model can be implemented to calculate the suspension heights for the current ride height given the vehicle's operating conditions.

(21) An automated drive mode selector 53 can be implemented (for example as described in the Applicant's co-pending application GB2492655) to provide automatic selection of said first target off-road ride height (h.sub.OFF1). The automated selection of the first target off-road ride height (h.sub.OFF1) can be dependent on the transfer case operating in a low range. The automated drive mode selector 53 can optionally be by-passed, for example when the off-road driving mode is selected manually.

(22) It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications can be made to the embodiment described herein without departing from the present invention.