Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft

Axel Pauly

Roland Schmidt

Goetz Baumgarten

Werner Kosak

Horst Flechtner

Rudi Muller

Hans-Joachim Faulstroh

A method for determining the mass of a motor vehicle while taking different driving situations into consideration, involving an evaluation of a vehicle acceleration, wherein apart from a driving force of a vehicle drive unit, resistance forces resulting from rotational forces, air resistance, rolling resistance, the slope descending force and a braking force are taken into consideration. Additionally, a multitude of different driving situations may be evaluated, wherein the individual results are stored and combined suitably into a collective mass value. Further, different driving situations can be weighted differently in determining the mass value.

Method for determining the mass of a motor vehicle while taking into account different driving situations

An overlay steering system for a vehicle includes a mechanical steering apparatus for the transfer of a steering torsional moment at a predetermined transfer ratio to at least one steered wheel, a wheel angle sensor connected to at least one steered wheel for generating a wheel angle signal corresponding to an angle of the at least one steered wheel, a comparison device for comparing the steering angle signal and the wheel angle signal as well as for generating a comparison signal based on the steering angle and the wheel angle, and an electromechanical converter for generating the overlay torsional moment, if the comparison signal indicates the presence of a deviation from the predetermined relation between the steering angle and the wheel angle of the at least one steered wheel, resulting in a reduction of the deviation.

Overlay steering system and method for motor vehicles

A suspension for a vehicle includes a displacer which can be actuated by the relative motions between a vehicle wheel and the vehicle body. The displacer includes a working space or chamber containing a flow medium connected by at least one throttle to one of at least two springs which can be loaded by the flow medium. The two springs have different load-dependent spring rate changes whereby the distribution of the volume proportions of flow medium displaced to the springs differs depending on the static flow medium pressure. At least one throttle which operates as a function of load is placed in front of the less progressive spring.

Suspension system for vehicles

An individual wheel suspension for a non-steered wheel of a motor vehicle such as an automobile comprises a trailing arm including a lengthwise arm directed along the length of the vehicle, the trailing arm being articulated to the vehicle body by means of the lengthwise arm as well as two wishbones which are arranged transversely to the length of the vehicle and are located one above the other wherein at least the articulation of the lengthwise arm is an elastic bearing. The suspension is characterized in that the articulation of the lengthwise arm is disposed in the vicinity of the wheel center plane with the articulations of the wishbones on the body side being on one side of the wheel axle as viewed from above, and in that the articulations of the wishbones on the wheel side as viewed from above lie approximately on an auxiliary tie rod which runs centrally through the articulations of the wishbone on the body side and at least approximately through the intersection of the application lines of the force along the wheel and laterally with respect to the wheel. Wherein, the articulation of the lengthwise arm to the vehicle body is an elastic bearing with different spring rates C.sub.1 and C.sub.2 in directions which are approximately horizontal and approximately perpendicular with respect to one another, and wherein the direction of the first spring rate C.sub.1 is primarily transverse to the length of the vehicle and forms an angle which is different than 90.degree. with the force which results and acts upon the elastic bearing as viewed from above.

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Karlsfeld, Germany

Axel Pauly