A vehicle suspension system incorporating suspension units (46-48) associated with respective vehicle wheels and selectively controllable to vary the ride height of the vehicle. Vehicle speed sensors and height sensors are responsive to departure of the ride height from a predetermined height datum which is a function of the vehicle speed and to provide a signal related thereto to control movement of at least one suspension unit thereby to tend to move at least a part of the vehicle to said pred...

In a vehicle having a chassis and at least one wheel assembly, where the wheel assembly includes a wheel support member, a damping mass, a damping spring for connecting the damping mass to the wheel support member, and a mechanical resistive member in parallel with the damping spring, a suspension connecting the wheel assembly to the chassis, the suspension supporting the weight of the vehicle and isolating the wheel motion from the chassis motion, and at least one actuator for providing force b...

A vehicle height control system is provided. This height control system is directed to establish fluid communication between right and left suspension actuators or between front and rear suspension actuators, balancing fluid pressures in the actuators for leveling a vehicle body when height level difference between right and left wheels or between front and rear wheels is greater than a first threshold value within a given period of time after an ignition switch is turned off. The height control...

A control system for controlling the adjustable damping rate of a suspension in a vehicle dependent on a road condition. The control system includes a detector for detecting a vibration acceleration of the vehicle, and a control means for controlling the suspension in response to information on the vibration acceleration from the first detector. The control system can automatically control the suspension quickly and reliably.

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 comp...

An "active" suspension system provides two parallel force-transmitting paths between the body and wheel of a vehicle. The first path has a main spring (41), and the second path includes an actuator (42) and a spring (43). LVDT's (53,55) are arranged to monitor the displacements of the actuator (42) and the spring (43). The actuator is arranged in a high-gain closed position or velocity servoloop. The actual force (F.sub.w) exerted by the suspension system on the body is determined and compared w...

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. An acceleration sensor measures the lateral acceleration of the vehicle body. A contol unit corrects the output of the acceleration sensor for drift of the neutral point of the sensor from a prescribed value. Based on the corrected output, the control unit controls the suspension units so as to suppress rolling of the vehi...

A shock absorber control system controls vehicle shock absorbers by bringing them selectively into a softer dampening mode or a harder dampening mode in response to operation of a steering wheel of a vehicle. The shock absorbers are changed from the softer to the harder dampening mode only when the vehicle speed is higher than a reference vehicle speed and the steering wheel is turned at an angular velocity greater than a predetermined reference angular velocity. The angular velocity of rotation...

A vehicle body is suspended on a vehicle wheel via a suspension actuator which continually produces a force for supporting the vehicle body on the vehicle wheel under the control of a calculation and control means which calculates a target value of the force to be produced by the suspension actuator according to the amount of relative movement between the vehicle body and the vehicle wheel and controls the suspension actuator so that the force produced thereby conforms to the calculated target v...

A vehicle height control system controls suspension assemblies to adjust the vehicle height within a predetermined height range. The vehicle height control system is further active to reduce differences in height at respective positions of the vehicle body so as to be within a predetermined acceptable height difference range.