Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Kayaba Industry Company, Ltd.

Sanyo Chemical Industries, Ltd.

The University of Tokyo

Kyb Corporation

Hirofumi Inoue

Takuhiro Kondo

Hideshi Watanabe

Hiromitsu Nakayama

Atsushi Ogawa

Takayuki Nagai

Yoshihiro Suda

Motohiko Honma

Hiroaki Date

Kazuo Ogawa

Takenari Yamaguchi

Keisuke Ohnishi

Masanori Horie

Makoto Katsukawa

A change of performance of an electromagnetic suspension unit is detected. When an integral &#x3a3;|Vs'&#x2212;Vs*| of an absolute value of a difference between an actual value Vs* and an estimated value Vs&#x2032; of an expansion/contraction velocity of a shock absorber is larger than a performance change threshold value Sth, it is detected that the performance of the electromagnetic suspension unit is changed. Further, when an integral &#x3a3;|Vs*| of an absolute value of the actual value Vs* is larger than an integral &#x3a3;|Vs&#x2032;| of an absolute value of the estimated value Vs&#x2032; by a predetermined value, performance of the shock absorber is changed such that a damping force of the shock absorber is reduced. Thus, the performance change of the electromagnetic suspension unit is detected based on the expansion/contraction velocity of the shock absorber.

Electromagnetic suspension system

A vehicle damper including an electromagnetic damper configured to generate a damping force with respect to a motion of a sprung portion and an unsprung portion toward each other and a motion thereof away from each other and includes: an electromagnetic motor; a motion converting mechanism; and an external circuit which is disposed outside the electromagnetic motor and including a first connection passage and a second connection passage and which includes a battery-device connection circuit for connecting the motor and a battery device and a battery-device-connection-circuit-current adjuster configured to adjust an electric current that flows in the battery-device connection circuit, wherein the damper system further includes an external-circuit controller configured to control an electric current that flows in the electromagnetic motor by controlling the external circuit and configured to control a flow of an electric current between the battery device and the electromagnetic motor by controlling the battery-device-connection-circuit-current adjuster.

Damper system for vehicle

It is an object of the invention to improve utility in a suspension apparatus for a vehicle having an electromagnetic actuator and a hydraulic damper. In the suspension apparatus, a hydraulic damper is disposed between an electromagnetic actuator and a wheel-holding portion, and a cover tube is provided for accommodating a seal provided between a piston rod and a housing of the hydraulic damper. In the suspension apparatus according to the present invention wherein the hydraulic damper is disposed between the wheel-holding portion and the electromagnetic actuator, it is possible to effectively mitigate not only transmission of vibrations to the vehicle body from the wheel via the electromagnetic actuator but also transmission of vibrations to the electromagnetic actuator. Further, owing to the presence of the cover tube, entry of dust and the like into the hydraulic damper through the seal can be effectively prevented.

Suspension apparatus for vehicle

A damper (D) comprising an actuator A connected to a sprung member (B) side of a vehicle, the actuator having a motion converting mechanism (T) for converting a linear motion into a rotational motion and a motor (M) to which the rotational motion resulting from the conversion by the motion converting mechanism (T) is transmitted; a hydraulic damper (E), the hydraulic damper (E) having a cylinder (C), a piston (P) inserted slidably into the cylinder (C) and defining two pressure chambers within the cylinder (C), and a rod (R) connected at one end thereof to the piston (P), the linear motion of the actuator (A) being transmitted to one of the rod (R) and the cylinder (C), the other of the rod (R) and the cylinder (C) being connected to an unsprung member (W) side of the vehicle; a spring () accommodated within one of the two pressure chambers and biasing the hydraulic damper (E) in a damper compressing direction; and a spring () accommodated within the other pressure chamber and biasing the hydraulic damper (E) in a damper extending direction.

Damper

A suspension system for a vehicle, including: an electromagnetic actuator configured to generate an actuator force and including a sprung-side unit supported by a sprung portion, an unsprung-side unit supported by an unsprung portion, a screw mechanism, and an electromagnetic motor; a connecting mechanism including a support spring for permitting one of the sprung-side and unsprung-side units to be floatingly supported as a floating unit by a unit-floatingly support portion that is one of the sprung and unsprung portions by which the floating unit is supported; and a controller including a sprung-vibration-damping control portion and a relative-vibration-damping control portion that is configured to execute a relative-vibration damping control for damping a vibration of the floating unit caused by the structure in which the floating unit is floatingly supported by the support spring.

Suspension system for vehicle

A suspension system is provided to execute a control for avoiding a state in which an operation of an electric motor which is a power source of an electromagnetic actuator is kept halted at a certain operational position while the motor is generating a motor force. Where a target rotational position of the motor becomes equal to a specific operational position (e.g., a rotational position at which an electrifying current amount of one phase reaches a peak value), a control for shifting the target rotational position by &#x3b4;&#x3b8; is executed. Where the rotational position of the motor is kept located at the certain position for a time period longer than a prescribed time, a control for changing the rotational position of the motor is executed.

It is an object of the invention to provide a suspension system configured to execute a control for avoiding a state in which an operation of an electric motor which is a power source of an electromagnetic actuator is kept halted at a certain operational position while the motor is generating a motor force. Where a target rotational position of the motor becomes equal to a specific operational position (e.g., a rotational position at which an electrifying current amount of one phase reaches a peak value), a control for shifting the target rotational position by &#x3b4;&#x3b8; is executed. Where the rotational position of the motor is kept located at the certain position for a time period longer than a prescribed time, a control for changing the rotational position of the motor is executed. According to the present suspension system, it is possible to suppress imbalance in heat generation in the motor and to thereby reduce a load to be applied to the motor. Accordingly, a suspension system with high utility is realized.

A vehicle suspension system including: (a) a suspension spring interconnecting a vehicle body and a wheel; (b) an actuator having an electric motor, such that the actuator is capable of generating, based on a force of the electric motor, an actuator force forcing the body and the wheel toward and away from each other, and causing the generated actuator force to act as a damping force against displacement of the body and the wheel; and (c) a control device for controlling the actuator force generated by the actuator, by controlling operation of the electric motor. The control device is capable of establishing a constant-force generating state in which the actuator force is constantly generated as a constant actuator force by the actuator with supply of an electric power thereto from a battery as an electric power source of the electric motor such that the generated constant actuator force acts in a rebound direction or a bound direction. The control device controls the constant-force generating state, based on a charge state of the battery.

Vehicle suspension system

An electromagnetic shock absorber including: (a) a wheel-side member; (b) a body-side member movable relative to the wheel-side member; and (c) a damping force generator with an electromagnetic motor including stationary and movable elements movable relative to each other. The damping force generator can generate, based on a force generated by the motor, a damping force acting against a relative movement of the wheel-side member and the body-side member. The motor has an axis extending in a both-members-relative-movement direction as a direction of the above-described relative movement. The stationary element is supported by the wheel-side member via an elastic body, to be movable relative to the wheel-side member in the both-members-relative-movement direction. The electromagnetic motor allows relative movement of the stationary element and the movable element upon movement of the stationary element relative to the wheel-side member.

Electromagnetic shock absorber for vehicle

A damper is comprised of an actuator (A) connected to a sprung member (B) side of a vehicle, the actuator (A) including a motion converting mechanism (T) for transforming a linear motion into a rotational motion and a motor (M) to which the rotational motion resulting from the transformation by the motion converting mechanism (T) is transmitted; a hydraulic damper (E) including a cylinder (C), a piston (P) inserted slidably into the cylinder (C) and defining two pressure chambers within the cylinder (C), and a rod (R) connected at one end thereof to the piston (P), wherein a linear motion of the actuator (A) being transmitted to one of the rod (R) and the cylinder (C) while the other of the rod (R) and the cylinder (C) being connected to an unsprung member (W) side of the vehicle; and biasing means (, X, Y, Z) for biasing the hydraulic damper (E) in both compressing and extending directions.

In a system including four electromagnetic absorbers for respective four vehicle wheels, motor coils of two respective electromagnetic absorbers disposed corresponding to two diagonally located wheels are connected forming a closed loop including the coils. A generated damping force magnitude can be made different between an instance directions of respective movements of the diagonally located two wheels with respect to the vehicle body are the same, and an instance the directions are opposite each other. Each electromagnetic absorber includes a resistor cooperating with the corresponding coil forming a closed loop, and selectively establishes: a connected state in which one of the four coils and any of the other three coils are connected to form a closed loop; and a non-connected state in which the one of the four coils is not connected to any other coil. An appropriate vibration suppressing action is exhibited with respect to a coupled motion.

In a system in which an actuator force to be generated by an actuator is controlled based on a component sum that is a sum of a vibration damping component as the actuator force to be generated in a vibration damping control and a posture control component that is the actuator force to be generated in a body-posture control, a control in which the posture control component is limited so as to be not larger than a limit value is executable. The system ensures the actuator force that should be generated in the vibration damping control by limiting the posture control component, in a situation in which there is a limit in the actuator force that can be generated. Accordingly, a sufficient amount of a damping force can be generated, so that riding comfort of the vehicle and the like is prevented from being deteriorated.

It is an object of the invention to improve the utility of an electromagnetic absorber system which is disposed in a suspension system of a vehicle and which generates a damping force by a generation force of a motor. The electromagnetic absorber systemis equipped with high-speed-motion responding means, thereby obviating an insufficiency of the damping force and a deterioration of the controllability in a high-speed stroke motion. More specifically, a hydraulic absorberis provided in combination with the electromagnetic absorber system such that the hydraulic absorberoperates in the high-speed motion in which an electromotive force of the motorexceeds a power source voltage Further, two motors having mutually different T-N characteristics are provided, and the two motors are selectively operated depending upon a stroke speed. Further, a variable resistor is interposed between the motor and the power source, and a resistance value of the variable resistor is increased in the high-speed motion to realize a decrease in a time constant of the motor, etc. Moreover, to cope with a large extent of unevenness of a road surface, an active stroke motion is performed by a drive force of the motor, thereby preventing the high-speed motion from being performed.

Damping force generation system and vehicle suspension system constructed by including the same

The present invention provides a modifier for resins which comprises a dispersant (I) or a coatability improver (II) comprising a modified polyolefin (A) and a filler in combination, the modified polyolefin (A) containing a hydrophobic group comprising a polyolefin (a) having a number average molecular weight of 1,500 to 100,000 and 0.2 to 10 double bonds per 1,000 carbons at the molecular terminus and/or within the molecule, and a hydrophilic group containing at least one onium base (b), and a number average molecular weight per (b) being 750 to 50,000.

Dispersant or coatability improver

An aqueous resin dispersion useful as a primer capable of providing plastics products, in particular polyolefin plastics products, with good coatability characteristics. A thermocrosslinkable resin dispersion having a continuous phase having an aqueous medium and a dispersed phase distributed therein, the dispersed phase having particles (I) of a resin component and particles (II) of a crosslinking agent as separately dispersed from the particles (I), the resin component having, as an essential constituent thereof, a modified polyolefin resin (a) or a mixture thereof with a vinyl resin (b), the resin (a) having a number average molecular weight of at least 1,500 and having at least one functional group species selected from the group of carboxyl, hydroxyl, mercapto, amino, isocyanate and carbodiimide groups, the resin (b) having a number average molecular weight of 700 to 40,000 and a glass transition temperature of &#x2212;65 to 40&#xb0; C., and the crosslinking agent having at least two groups reactive with the resin (a).

Growing community of inventors

Toyota, Japan

Hirofumi Inoue