Importance

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Abstract

A vehicle, which has a body and a plurality of wheels, has a suspension system which includes: an actuator for each wheel, each of which supports the body from one of wheels and is controllable to provide a variable force between the body and the wheel; a sensor for detecting acceleration of the body and for producing a signal representative thereof, a sensor for each wheel for detecting load acting between the body and the wheel and for producing a signal representative thereof; and a controller for inputting the signals representative of the acceleration of the body and the load on each wheel, for calculating based thereupon fluctations in load acting between the wheels and the body, for controlling the actuators to increase or decrease forces provided thereby between the body and the wheels, and for operating by feedback action by comparing the actual fluctuation in the force between the respective wheel and the body as sensed by the load sensor for the wheel with the calculated value therefor, and for bringing the difference between the two values to be zero. Optionally, the acceleration sensor can include either a means for sensing lateral acceleration or a means for sensing roll angle acceleration or both of these; and in the latter case this control means can utilize for control either the lateral acceleration information or the roll angle information, depending on whether the signs of these accelerations are opposite or are the same, respectively.

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First Claim