Abstract: A suspension control apparatus for an automotive vehicle has a plurality of suspension units which are disposed between each of the wheels of the vehicle and the vehicle body. A plurality of actuators for controlling the characteristics of the suspension units are controlled by a control unit in response to the output of an acceleration sensor. The ground circuit of the acceleration sensor is connected to the ground circuit of the control unit.

Abstract: A rear suspension apparatus for use in a motor vehicle comprises a wheel carrier rotatably supporting a rear wheel of the vehicle, an upper arm connecting the upper portion of the wheel carrier and the vehicle body, an A-shaped lower arm connecting the wheel carier and the vehicle body, and a swing arm extending from the wheel carrier inwardly of the vehicle body and obliquely at a predetermined angle to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. The swing arm has two outer ends set apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and pivotably connected to the vertically central portion of the wheel carrier, and an inner end pivotably connected to the vehicle body.

Abstract: Disclosed is a control apparatus for a vehicular suspension system having a plurality of suspension units each disposed between a road wheel and the body of a vehicle for suspending the corresponding road wheel from the vehicle body. The control apparatus includes a control unit which is connected to receive the output signals from an acceleration sensor, a vehicle-speed sensor and a steering sensor for calculating the rolling state of the vehicle due to a transverse acceleration thereof and controlling the respective suspension units based on the calculated rolling state of the vehicle so as to suppress the rolling thereof.

Abstract: A four-wheel steering system of a vehicle includes a power steering device for steering the front wheels, an oil pressure pump for generating an oil pressure in accordance with a travel speed of the vehicle, and a hydraulic actuator for steering the rear wheels. A first control valve is provided between the pump and the actuator so as to operate upon reception of the oil pressure from the power steering device. This valve introduces the oil pressure from the pump to the actuator in accordance with the oil pressure from the power steering device so that the actuator steers the rear wheels in the same direction as the front wheels. A second control valve is provided between the power steering device and the actuator so as to operate in accordance with the oil pressure from the power steering device.

Abstract: A suspension control apparatus and a method for a vehicle having a plurality of suspension units each disposed between a road wheel and the body of a vehicle for suspending the corresponding road wheel from the vehicle body. The suspension control apparatus includes a control unit which is connected to receive the output signals from an acceleration sensor, a vehicle-speed sensor and a steering sensor for calculating the rolling state of the vehicle due to a transverse acceleration thereof and controlling the respective suspension units based on the calculated rolling state of the vehicle so as to suppress the rolling thereof. The control unit serves to determine the period or frequency of change or reversal of the direction of the detected transverse acceleration of the vehicle, and control the suspension units so as to stop the roll-suppression control when the frequency of reversal exceeds a prescribed level.

Abstract: Disclosed is a suspension control apparatus for a vehicle having a plurality of suspension units each disposed between a road wheel and the body of a vehicle for effectively and quickly correcting any deviation of the vehicle height from a normal height level immediately upon finishing of active suspension control operations. Priority is determined for vehicle-height control and various active suspension control operations such as roll control, nose-dive and squat control, and pitching and bouncing control so that normal vehicle-height control is stopped or inhibited during active suspension control operations are being carried out, thereby preventing the traveling attitude of the vehicle from being made unstable.

Abstract: A flow control valve includes a cylinder in which an inflow port, an outflow port and a return port are formed. A spiral choke is formed between the inflow and outflow ports. A working oil introduced from the inflow port into the cylinder flows out from the outflow port through the spiral choke. An actuating valve is arranged in the cylinder so as to open and close the return port in accordance with a difference in pressure between the inflow and outflow port sides of the spiral choke. When the pressure difference exceeds a predetermined value, the actuating valve opens the return port so that a part of the working oil introduced into the cylinder is returned to the inflow side of the flow control valve.

Abstract: If a deceleration exeeds first set value G1 within set time T1 after the brake is depressed, a set amount of fluid is supplied to the fluid spring chamber of each front-wheel suspension unit. If a deceleration exceeds the second set value G2 when set time T1 or more has elapsed upon this operation, a set amount of fluid is exhausted from the fluid spring chamber of each rearwheel suspension unit. With this operation, since braking action for gradually increasing a deceleration is controlled by two stages, uncomfortableness which passangers feel in anti-nose-dive control can be greatly reduced. In addition, control is not performed only by depressing the brake pedal if an acutal deceleration is smaller than first set value G1.

Abstract: When vibrations having a period at which pitching tends to occur in a vehicle body is detected, if its amplitude falls out of the range between "H" and "L", a control unit increases the damping force of each suspension unit by using an actuator. In addition, if the amplitude falls out of the range between "HH" and "LL", the control unit supplies a predetermined amount of air to each air spring chamber in response to an upward displacement of vehicle height, and exhausts a predetermined amount of air from each air spring chamber in response to a downward displacement of vehicle height.

Abstract: A vehicle suspension apparatus having a fluid spring chamber provided for each wheel and inserted between the wheel and a vehicle body, a fluid supply unit for supplying a fluid to each fluid spring chamber through a supply valve, a fluid exhaust unit for exhausting the fluid from each fluid spring chamber through an exhaust valve, a roll amount sensor for detecting a roll amount of the vehicle body, and a roll controller for setting a control target corresponding to the roll amount detected by the roll amount sensor and executing roll control in which the supply valves corresponding to the fluid spring chambers at a contracting side with respect to a direction of roll generated in the vehicle body and the exhaust valves corresponding to the fluid spring chambers at an expanding side are opened in accordance with the control target, includes a pressure sensor for detecting an internal pressures in the fluid spring chamber at one of front and rear sides, and an internal pressure relationship memory for storing

Abstract: A vehicle suspension apparatus comprises a G sensor for detecting lateral acceleration G acting on the vehicle, and a G sensor map for setting the time for supplying/exhausting fluid to and from a fluid spring chamber mounted in each suspension unit in accordance with the lateral acceleration G detected by the G sensor, said lateral acceleration G being higher than a predetermined value. Whether the vehicle is running on a rough road is judged by a rough-road judging routine. When it is judged by the rough-road judging routine that the vehicle is running on a rough road, the non-sensitive area of the G sensor map is widened such that the lateral acceleration G detected by the G sensor is non-sensitive to the G sensor map while the vehicle is running on the rough road, even if the detected lateral acceleration G is somewhat high, thereby preventing the erroneous roll control function.

Abstract: A vehicle suspension apparatus having a fluid spring chamber provided for each wheel and inserted between the wheel and a vehicle body, a fluid supply unit for supplying a fluid to each fluid spring chamber through a supply valve, a fluid exhaust unit for exhausting the fluid from each fluid spring chamber through an exhaust valve, a roll amount detector for detecting a roll amount of the vehicle body, and a roll controller for setting a control target corresponding to the roll amount detected by the roll amount detector and executing roll control in which the supply valves corresponding to the fluid spring chambers at a contracting side with respect to a direction of roll generated in the vehicle body and the exhaust valves corresponding to the fluid spring chambers at an expanding side are opened in accordance with the control target, includes a plurality of memories, provided in the roll controller, each for storing a control target corresponding to the roll amount of the vehicle body, the control targets

Abstract: A rear-wheel steering apparatus includes a steering unit for steering the front wheels in association with a rotation of the steering wheel, and a hydraulic actuator for steering the rear wheels. The actuator has first and second hydraulic chambers and a drive member connected to the rear wheels and operating in accordance with an oil pressure supplied to the hydraulic chambers. A directional control valve is provided between the steering unit and the actuator. The valve supplies oil pressure to the actuator in association with the operation of the steering unit. The valve includes a casing, and a valve body slidably arranged in the casing. First and second pressure chambers filled with oil pressure are defined in the casing. When the steering angle of the front wheels is smaller than a predetermined angle, the valve body moves to an in-phase position for supplying oil pressure to the actuator so that the rear wheels are steered in the same direction as the front wheels.

Abstract: A vehicle height control system wherein vehicle height control is inhibited when the vehicle is turning and in a rolling state, the state when the control is inhibited being based upon the vehicle's speed from a speed sensor, the steering angular velocity of a steering wheel from a steering angle sensor and the outputs from sensors detecting the height of the vehicle body on both sides of the vehicle with respect to the wheels, which by the pattern of their outputs, represent that the vehicle is inclined from side-to-side and in the rolling state.

Abstract: A rear wheel suspension arrangement of trailing arm type for motor vehicles includes a trailing arm for supporting a rear wheel, and a pair of upper and lower lateral arms. The trailing arm is split into a vehicle body side arm and a wheel side arm, which are coupled to have a degree of displacing freedoms within a horizontal plane of the vehicle body. The vehicle body side arm is formed shorter than the lateral arms, whose pivotally securing portion to the vehicle body is disposed at the front side from the coupling portion to the wheel side arm, and disposed in the inside in the lateral direction from the wheel side arm. The lower lateral arm is pivotally secured at least to the wheel side arm via a ball joint.

Abstract: A rear wheel steering system of the trailing arm type suspension for rear wheels having a trailing arm for supporting at the rear portion thereof a rear wheel and extending essentially in the longitudinal direction of a vehicle body by pivotally securing the front end thereof to the body side. Lateral arms are rotatably coupled at the outer ends thereof to the rear portion of the trailing arm and extending essentially in the lateral direction of the vehicle by pivotally securing the inner ends thereof to the vehicle body. The trailing arm allows the front portion thereof to displace essentially in the lateral direction of the vehicle. The rear wheel suspension arrangement allows the trailing arm to displace substantially in the lateral direction of the front end thereof and which comprises an actuator for steering a rear wheel by operating the trailing arm to displace the front portion of the trailing arm essentially in the lateral direction of the vehicle.

Abstract: A vehicle suspension apparatus has suspension units each with a height control fluid spring chamber, fluid supply valves for supplying a fluid from a fluid source to the spring chambers through corresponding supply control valve means, and fluid exhaust valve means for exhausting the fluid from the fluid spring chambers through exhaust control valve means. The supply control valve means are opened only for a predetermined period of time to increase the height by a predetermined distance upon the operation of a high height selection switch, thereby increasing the height to the maximum height.

Abstract: In a vehicle suspension apparatus having air spring chambers between the vehicle body and the respective wheels to perform height and position control modes by controlling supply control valve means for supplying air to the air spring chambers and exhaust control valve means for exhausting air from the air spring chambers, the vehicle suspension apparatus has a high-pressure reserve tank connected to the respective chambers through the supply control valves, a first compressor for supplying compressed air to the high-pressure reserve tank, a low-pressure reserve tank connected to the respective chambers through the corresponding exhaust control valves and the suction port of the first compressor, and a second compressor for supplying atmospheric air to the high-pressure reserve tank through a check valve and a drier arranged between the check valve and the second compressor.

Abstract: Judgement of a rough road is made when detecting the number of upward and downward movements exceeding the set range of the vehicle height within a predetermined period of time by the vehicle height sensors or when detecting the upward and downward acceleration exceeding the set value within a predetermined period of time by an acceleration sensor. Since a high vehicle height is automatically set as a target vehicle height to control the vehicle height toward the same high vehicle height by the control unit, the minimum ground height of the body is raised to reduce a contact of the body with the surface of the road, thereby improving drivability of a vehicle on a rough road and decreasing damage of the body.

Abstract: In a vehicle suspension apparatus, front and rear wheel suspension units respectively have air spring chambers. Air is supplied to predetermined air spring chambers from an air source through a supply control valve, and at the same time air is exhausted from remaining air spring chambers through an exhaust control valve. Three-directional valves are inserted between the respective air spring chambers and the exhaust control valve. One end of a front wheel communication path is connected to the front left wheel three-directional valve and the other end of the path is connected to the front right wheel three-directional valve. Similarly, one end of a rear wheel communication path is connected to the rear left wheel three-directional valve and the other end of the path is connected to the rear right wheel three-directional valve.