Continental Automotive Systems Corporation

Continental Teves, Inc.

Matthew Conrad Tuhro

Daniel Gregory Goodrich

Bryan S Coullard

Vesa Bilhelm Luomaranta

Patrick Alan Crane

Bo Ye

Graham Scott Russell

Yongle Lou

Michael Gerhard Schneider

Matthew E Letizio

Benjamin Nathan Mikel

Sai-Pavan Eswara

Gerald Geck

Ryan Wayne Alaspa

Vesa Vihelm Luomaranta

Paul Anthony Jozefowicz

Juergen Karner

Timothy John Hayden

Adam Roger Pagot

Bryan Coullard

An air suspension system includes an air supply system block including one or more air spring valves, where the one or more air spring valves are disposed within the air supply system block, the air supply system block having a valve block housing. The system further includes the air supply system block pneumatically coupled with one or more air springs, and at least one reservoir coupled with the air supply system block, at least one motor and pump disposed within the air supply system block. The air suspension further includes fast down leveling valves disposed within the air supply system block.

CAirS with integrated fast down leveling valves

An air spring suspension system includes a first air spring that has a first volume with a first pressure that is configured to provide a first spring stiffness to a first suspension assembly. A second air spring has a housing with a second volume with a second pressure that is configured to provide a second spring stiffness to a second suspension assembly. The second air spring includes a piston that is arranged in the second volume. One of the housing and the piston includes a first mounting structure that is configured to connect to a vehicle chassis. Another of the housing and the piston includes a second mounting structure that is configured to connect to the second suspension assembly. The second air spring also includes a fluid connection on the housing. The second air spring further includes a crosslink valve that is disposed in the housing and movable between open and closed positions. The crosslink valve is configured to selectively fluidly connect the second volume to the fluid connection. A crosslink line is fluidly connected to the first volume of the first air spring and the fluid connection on the second air spring. A controller is in communication with the crosslink valve. The controller is configured to command the crosslink valve between the open and closed positions in response to an input.

Integrated crosslink valve

An air suspension system which includes the ability to adjust the working air volume, pressure, and spring rate of one or more air springs to reduce or eliminate various types of vehicle oscillations. Switchable or variable volume air spring assemblies have the ability to change air spring volumes, which results in changes in air spring rates, and therefore changes in normal loads applied to each wheel. Changes in wheel normal loads change wheel traction (slip) and vehicle dynamics (pitch, roll, yaw displacement, rate and acceleration). The spring rate of one or more of the air spring assemblies is adjusted automatically when a vehicle oscillation is detected. This vehicle oscillation is calculated from the raw vehicle signals, or another vehicle module may detect the oscillation and send a command to the air suspension module to change the spring rates. This changes the natural frequency of the vehicle, dampening the oscillation.

Vehicle oscillation control by switchable air volume suspension

A hydraulic brake system for a vehicle which has expanded functionality, where a pre-charge occurs in the brake system upon deactivation of the cruise control, reducing the time needed to generate pressure in each brake unit, reducing stopping distance. The pre-charge function involves generating pressure in each caliper of the brake system upon deactivation of the cruise control function of the vehicle, such that the hydraulic brake system is pre-charged prior to the driver of the vehicle applying force to the brake pedal, which reduces stopping distance. One aspect of the pre-charge function includes generating enough pressure such that the brake pads contact each corresponding rotor. Another aspect of the pre-charge function includes generating enough pressure such that the brake pads apply force to each corresponding rotor, providing a minimum amount of deceleration prior to the driver of the vehicle applying force to the brake pedal.

Cruise control cancel, with brake precharge

An air suspension system which includes a Dynamic Load Transfer (DLT) function. DLT is a process of transferring vehicle load, or varying normal loads applied to each wheel of the vehicle, using switchable volume or variable volume air spring assemblies. Switchable or variable volume air spring assemblies have the ability to change air spring volumes, which results in changes in air spring rates, which result in changes in normal loads applied to each wheel. Changes in wheel normal loads change wheel traction (slip) and vehicle dynamics (pitch, roll, yaw displacement, rate and acceleration). Each air spring assembly may have multiple volume air chambers that are switched 'on' and 'off,' a variable volume air chamber, or the air spring assembly may be coupled with other air springs, or air chambers, that are switched or varied.

Dynamic load transfer by switchable air volume suspension

An electronic parking brake support system for a vehicle includes an electric parking brake having at least one brake member associated with a wheel of the vehicle. The system also includes a service brake system constructed and arranged to control service brakes of the vehicle. The service brake system includes at least one circuit constructed and arranged to determine an occurrence of a failure or degradation condition of the service brake system and, in response to the detected condition, to send a request signal to the electric parking brake instructing the electric parking brake to activate the at least one brake member.

Electronic brake support system for use when service brake system has failed or is degraded

A method of controlling a transmission park control system for a vehicle comprises receiving a shift request from a transmission controller, wherein the shift request is not completed by the transmission and reporting the shift request from the transmission controller to the transmission park control system. Various vehicle sensors are monitored to detect motion of the vehicle. Detected motion and the shift request are compared to determine that a transmission park control brake action is desired. A brake system is requested to apply one of an electronic parking brake and/or a vehicle service brake to bring the vehicle velocity to zero and hold the vehicle velocity at zero.

Transmission park control with integrated brake function

A vehicle stability control system operates by detecting a wheel speed potentially indicative of the presence of a mini-spare wheel at a wheel location of a vehicle with a wheel speed sensor and determines that a mini-spare tire is present responsive to the wheel speed remaining within a predefined band for predefined time. A threshold value that triggers action by a vehicle stability control system is adjusted to provide the mini-spare wheel with a value different than a wheel speed threshold value indicative of wheel slipping for a standard wheel.

Quick mini-spare detection

A control system to generate a yaw torque of an all-wheel drive vehicle comprises a brake control module. The brake control moduledetermines the desired powertrain torquefor the vehiclebased upon a plurality of factors including available torque from the powertrain. The brake control moduledetermines a first torqueand a second torque, wherein the first torqueand the second torqueare combined to provide the total desired yaw torqueof the vehicle. The first torqueis generated between wheels of the vehicleby applying torquefrom the powertrainto different wheelsof the vehicleand the second torqueis generated by applying different braking torque from a braking systemof the vehicle

All-wheel drive torque vectoring by electronic brake system control

A method of providing parked vehicle protection comprises determining if a vehicle ignition is in an off position and monitoring an exterior area proximate to a vehicle with a plurality of sensors when the vehicle ignition is off to detect an object proximate to the vehicle. The ECU determines whether the object is within a first object range and provides a first external warning when the object is within the first object range and determines whether the object is within a second object range and provides a second external warning when the object is within the second object range.

Standby virtual bumper for parked vehicle protection

In an optimized hydraulic brake system, a pedal travel sensor is used to improve pedal feel. In order to improve pedal feel, a low pressure is detected in the brake booster and the brake hydraulic system is used to increase wheel pressure. This prevents the operator from having to exert an increasing large force on the brake pedal during a deceleration situation.

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Sault Ste. Marie, MI, United States of America

Matthew Conrad Tuhro