Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha

Katsuyuki Sano

Hideki Ohashi

Shogo Tanaka

Ryo Kanda

Jun Tokumitsu

Masaaki Oishi

Shuuichi Buma

Ken Ogue

Kimitoshi Kato

Hiroyuki Terada

Yukihide Kimura

Kenji Hayashi

Hideyuki Kobayashi

Osamu Yasuike

Masakazu Ohashi

Takayuki Tachi

Ikuhide Iyoda

Tamotsu Furukawa

Kazutoshi Kunishima

Tetsuaki Kawata

Masao Ikeya

A wheel steering device for a vehicle, including: a steering knuckle that constitutes a part of a suspension device and that is capable of moving relative to a body of the vehicle in an up-down direction, the steering knuckle holding a wheel such that the wheel is rotatable; and a steering actuator configured to cause the steering knuckle to be pivoted about a kingpin axis so steer the wheel, wherein a caster angle and a caster offset are both 0.

Wheel steering device

A vehicle-height control system includes: a fluid supply and discharge device including a compressor device and a tank storing fluid pressurized by the compressor device; a vehicle-height control actuator corresponding to a wheel and connected to the fluid supply and discharge device; a vehicle height controller that controls a vehicle height for the wheel by controlling the fluid supply and discharge device to control supply and discharge of fluid to and from the vehicle-height control actuator; a tank pressure controller that controls a tank pressure; and a fluid supply controller that supplies the fluid to a low pressure portion by controlling the fluid supply and discharge device at start and/or termination of at least one of control executed by the vehicle height controller and control executed by the tank pressure controller. The low pressure portion is at least a portion of the fluid supply and discharge device.

Vehicle-height control system and pressure source device

A vehicle-height control system is configured to control a vehicle height for a wheel. The vehicle-height control system includes: a vehicle-height control actuator provided so as to correspond to the wheel; a pressure-medium supply and discharge device configured to supply and discharge a pressure medium to and from the vehicle-height control actuator; and a vehicle height controller configured to control the vehicle height for the wheel by controlling the pressure-medium supply and discharge device based on an inside temperature and an outside-air temperature to control at least one of supply and discharge of the pressure medium to and from the vehicle-height control actuator. The inside temperature is a temperature in the vehicle-height control system.

Vehicle-height control system

A vehicle-height adjustment system includes: a vehicle-height adjustment actuator provided so as to correspond to a wheel; and a pressure-medium supply and discharge device configured to supply and discharge a pressure medium to and from the vehicle-height adjustment actuator. The pressure-medium supply and discharge device includes a tank configured to store the pressure medium. The vehicle-height adjustment system includes a tank-pressure controller configured to control a tank pressure based on at least one of a vehicle height for the wheel and an inside temperature. The tank pressure is a pressure of the pressure medium stored in the tank, and the inside temperature is a temperature in the vehicle-height adjustment system.

Vehicle-height adjustment system

A vehicle height adjustment system includes: a vehicle height adjustment actuator provided for each wheel of a vehicle; a pressure medium intake and exhaust device configured to supply and exhaust a pressure medium to and from the vehicle height adjustment actuator; and a vehicle height adjustment unit including a computer, the vehicle height adjustment unit configured to: adjust a vehicle height by controlling the pressure medium intake and exhaust device, the vehicle height being a distance between the wheel and a vehicle body; adjust the vehicle height when a get-in estimation condition is satisfied; and limit a number of times the vehicle height is adjusted within a set period to a number of times smaller than a set number of times.

Vehicle height adjustment system

A suspension system for a vehicle including: a stabilizer apparatus configured to change a stabilizer force by an operation of an actuator, a pair of hydraulic shock absorbers configured to change damping coefficients thereof, and a control device which is configured to execute a body-roll damping control in which at least a part of the stabilizer force is controlled to act as a roll damping force having a magnitude in accordance with a roll speed of a body of the vehicle, which is configured to change, in the body-roll damping control, a degree of the magnitude of the roll damping force by the stabilizer force, and which is configured to control, under execution of the body-roll damping control, the damping coefficient of each absorber such that a component of the absorber force for damping roll of the vehicle body is controlled in accordance with the degree of the magnitude of the roll damping force by the stabilizer force, namely, such that the component of the absorber force becomes smaller in an instance where the degree of the magnitude of the roll damping force by the stabilizer force is high than in an instance where the degree of the magnitude of the roll damping force by the stabilizer force is low.

Suspension system for vehicle

A stabilizer system for a vehicle including: a stabilizer apparatus which includes: a stabilizer bar connected at opposite ends thereof to respective wheel holding members which respectively hold left and right wheels of the vehicle; and an actuator which changes rigidity of the stabilizer bar in accordance with an operational amount of the actuator from a neutral position; and a control device which determines a target operational amount of the actuator based on a roll-moment-index amount indicative of roll moment that acts on a body of the vehicle, wherein the control device determines the target operational amount such that the target operational amount is made different for different directions of the roll moment that acts on the body of the vehicle and controls an operation of the actuator based on the determined target operational amount.

Vehicle stabilizer system

A vehicle height control apparatus adapted to a suspension system of an automotive vehicle including a plurality of fluid actuators disposed between a body structure of the vehicle and a set of road wheels for adjusting each vehicle height at the road wheels in accordance with fluid pressure applied thereto, fluid control means for controlling fluid under pressure supplied to and discharged from the fluid actuators, first detection means for detecting each vehicle height at the road wheels, and vehicle height control means for controlling said fluid control means based on each vehicle height detected by said first detection means in such a manner that each vehicle height at the road wheels is adjusted to a predetermined height. The vehicle height control apparatus comprise a second detection means for detecting each vertical load at the road wheels; and communication control means for effecting a communication between said fluid actuators for a predetermined period of time after adjustment of each vehicle height at the road wheels when a difference between the vertical loads detected by said second detection means is smaller than a predetermined value.

Vehicle height control apparatus

A control system of an automotive vehicle including a vehicle height control apparatus for adjusting height of the vehicle under control of fluid under pressure supplied from a first fluid pump and a brake control apparatus for regulating braking forces applied to a set of road wheels of the vehicle under control of fluid under pressure supplied from a second fluid pump, wherein a single source of driving force in the form of an electric motor is adapted in common to the first and second control apparatuses to drive both the first and second fluid pumps.

Control system of automotive vehicle

In an air suspension device of a vehicle having a parallel combination of an air spring and a shock absorber, a housing to provide the air spring has an upper half cylindrical portion of a smaller diameter and a lower half cylindrical portion of a larger diameter; the shock absorber is coaxially disposed in the housing such that its upper axial end is connected with an upper end of the housing via a first elastic cushion while its lower axial end is axially extended out of the lower end of the housing to be connected with a wheel suspension member of the vehicle; an annular flange is coaxially mounted to the lower axial end of the shock absorber; an annular rolling diaphragm is extended between the open lower end of the housing and the annular flange so as to define a closed air chamber with the housing means; and a second elastic cushion is attached to the upper end of the housing for connection with a body of the vehicle.

Air suspension device of input force separation type of vehicle, having

A hydro-pneumatic suspension system adapted to be connected to first and second sides of a vehicle for leveling the vehicle in a side-to-side direction includes first and second absorbers, a pump and a gas spring element. Each of the first and second absorbers includes a piston rod provided with a piston for slidingly engaging a cylinder and an actuating chamber for an actuating liquid formed between the cylinder and the piston. The pump and the gas spring elements are connected to the actuating chamber of the first and second absorbers to control the flow of the actuating liquid. The pump and the gas spring element are independent from the first and second absorbers.

Hydro-pneumatic suspension

A hydropneumatic shock absorber includes an inlet valve and an outlet valve. The inlet valve opens when the piston moves in a contracting direction so that fluid is sucked into a pump chamber, and the outlet valve opens when the piston moves in an extending direction so that the fluid is discharged from the pump chamber into a high-pressure operating chamber. Thus, the pressure in the high-pressure operating chamber does not increase when the wheel bounces, and the oscillation encountered while the vehicle is traveling is properly absorbed so that good riding comfort is realized.

Growing community of inventors

Miyoshi, Japan

Katsuyuki Sano