VEHICLE HAVING SUSPENSION WITH CONTINUOUS DAMPING CONTROL

摘要

A damping control system for a vehicle having a suspension located between a plurality of ground engaging members and a vehicle frame includes at least one adjustable shock absorber having an adjustable damping characteristic. The system also includes a controller coupled to each adjustable shock absorber to adjust the damping characteristic of each adjustable shock absorber, and a user interface coupled to the controller and accessible to a driver of the vehicle. The user interface includes at least one user input to permit manual adjustment of the damping characteristic of the at least one adjustable shock absorber during operation of the vehicle. Vehicle sensors are also be coupled to the controller to adjust the damping characteristic of the at least one adjustable shock absorber based vehicle conditions determined by sensor output signals.

主权项

1. A damping control method for a vehicle having a suspension located between a plurality of wheels and a vehicle frame, a controller, a plurality of vehicle condition sensors, and a user interface, the suspension including a plurality of adjustable shock absorbers including a front right shock absorber, a front left shock absorber, a rear right shock absorber, and a rear left shock absorber, the damping control method comprising:
receiving with the controller a user input from the user interface to provide a user selected mode of damping operation for the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers during operation of the vehicle; receiving with the controller a plurality of inputs from the plurality of vehicle condition sensors including a brake sensor, a throttle sensor, and a vehicle speed sensor; determining with the controller whether vehicle brakes are actuated based on an input from the brake sensor; determining with the controller a throttle position based on an input from the throttle sensor; determining with the controller a speed of the vehicle based on an input from the vehicle speed sensor; operating the damping control in a brake condition if the brakes are actuated, wherein in the brake condition the controller adjusts damping characteristics of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers based on condition modifiers including the user selected mode and the vehicle speed; operating the damping control in a ride condition if the brakes are not actuated and a throttle position is less than a threshold Y, wherein in the ride condition the controller adjusts damping characteristics of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers based on condition modifiers including the user selected mode and the vehicle speed; operating the damping control in the ride condition if the brakes are not actuated, the throttle position in greater than the threshold Y, and the vehicle speed is greater than a threshold value Z; and operating the damping control in a squat condition if the brakes are not actuated, the throttle position in greater than the threshold Y, and the vehicle speed is less than the threshold value Z, wherein in the squat condition the controller adjusts damping characteristics of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers based on condition modifiers including the user selected mode, the vehicle speed, and a throttle percentage.