Rover Group Limited

Graham Robert Brookes

Richard G Woodhouse

Christopher David Dixon

David Andrew Clare

Phillip James Green

Richard John Smith

An independent vehicle suspension in which the height change which can be made while the vehicle is stationary is limited so as to prevent the system from having to make too great an associated track change. This prevents the system from becoming locked during a height change due to stiction between the wheels and ground which opposes the track change. The height change is completed when the vehicle is detected as starting to move.

Vehicle suspensions

A motor vehicle suspension system includes rear suspension units to adjust ride height between sprung and unsprung parts of the vehicle, control means for monitoring and maintaining ride height at a particular setting and wheel speed monitoring means for monitoring wheel speeds. The control means provides a corrective up height change signal in the event of an unrequested height change and there existed before the unrequested height change a wheel speed signal indicative of vehicle movement. The corrective height change signal may be applied to each suspension unit or the control means may monitor abnormal vehicle activity and provide the corrective height change signal to the appropriate suspension unit. One example of abnormal vehicle activity is when the wheel speeds differ significantly, the control means responding to provide the corrective height change signal to the suspensions unit on the side of the vehicle with the highest wheel speed. A second example of abnormal vehicle activity is where the suspension units use fluid pressure to support the vehicle and a difference in pressures before and after the unrequested height change is used to provide the corrective height change signal to the suspension unit on the side of the vehicle with the lowest suspension pressure.

Growing community of inventors

Reditch, United Kingdom

Graham Robert Brookes