Patent Application
20140188336
The technical field generally relates to vibration damping, and more particularly, to a system and method for controlling/regulating an electronically controlled damping system in a convertible vehicle.
Convertible motor vehicles have a roof that can be manually or automatically transferred from a closed position to an open position (and vice versa). For example, some convertible vehicles are equipped with a folding roof that consists of a flexible material (or “soft-top”) which folds into a storage area when the roof is in the open position. Other convertible vehicles have several roof segments (or “retractable hardtop”), in which the roof segments are folded on top of one another in the open position and the stack of segments can be stowed, for example, in the trunk or behind the rear seat.
With respect to convertible vehicles, it is known that the driving dynamics of the vehicle change depending on whether the vehicle roof is in its open position or in its closed position. The main reasons for this variability in the driving dynamics are the changed bending and torsional rigidity of the vehicle body, as well as a shift of the vehicle masses that is caused by the changed position of the vehicle roof. For example, when the vehicle roof is opened, the front header that supports the windshield of the convertible vehicle is no longer supported by the retracted roof. In this case, interaction between the vehicle suspension system and road conditions may cause lateral vibrations (or shake) in the vehicle front header that operators of the vehicle may find objectionable.
Conventionally, passive vibration absorbers have been attached to the header in an attempt to attenuate (absorb) the unwanted vibrations. However, lateral shake is a non-linear response that limits the effectiveness of passive absorbers since passive absorbers are tuned to a predetermined mass for selected driving conditions.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a vibration attenuation system for convertible vehicles that is effective at attenuating lateral vibrations in the header. In addition, it is desirable to have such a system be closed loop so as to be responsive to the non-linear nature of lateral shake. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.
An apparatus is provided for attenuating vibrations in the header of a convertible vehicle. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a fluid damper configured to be coupled to a header of a convertible vehicle and an accelerometer for sensing vibrations in the header and providing a signal to adjust the fluid damper thereby attenuating the vibrations.
A method is provided for attenuating vibrations in the header of a convertible vehicle. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving a signal indicating a vibration in a header of a convertible vehicle and adjusting a fluid damper coupled to the header in response to the signal thereby attenuating the vibration.
The exemplary embodiments will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and wherein:
The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the application and uses. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the following detailed description.
In this document, relational terms such as first and second, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. Numerical ordinals such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc. simply denote different singles of a plurality and do not imply any order or sequence unless specifically defined by the claim language.
Additionally, the following description refers to elements or features being “connected” or “coupled” together. As used herein, “connected” may refer to one element/feature being directly joined to (or directly communicating with) another element/feature, and not necessarily mechanically. Likewise, “coupled” may refer to one element/feature being directly or indirectly joined to (or directly or indirectly communicating with) another element/feature, and not necessarily mechanically. However, it should be understood that, although two elements may be described below, in one embodiment, as being “connected,” in alternative embodiments similar elements may be “coupled,” and vice versa. Thus, although the schematic diagrams shown herein depict example arrangements of elements, additional intervening elements, devices, features, or components may be present in an actual embodiment.
Finally, for the sake of brevity, conventional techniques and components related to vehicle electrical and mechanical parts and other functional aspects of the system (and the individual operating components of the system) may not be described in detail herein. Furthermore, the connecting lines shown in the various figures contained herein are intended to represent example functional relationships and/or physical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in an embodiment of the invention. It should also be understood that
The illustrated embodiment of the convertible vehicle 100 includes, without limitation: a plug-in charging port 102 coupled to an energy storage system 104; a control module 106 coupled to a generator 108 for charging the energy storage system 104; and an inverter 110 coupled to the energy storage system 104 for providing AC power to a powertrain 112 via a cable 114. The powertrain 112 includes an electric motor 116 and a transmission 118 for driving wheels 120 to propel the convertible vehicle 100.
The plug-in charging port 102 may be configured as any suitable charging interface, and in one embodiment, comprises a charging receptacle compatible with the J1772 standard, which receives a charging cable with compatible plug (not shown). The energy storage system 104 may be realized as a rechargeable battery pack having a single battery module or any number of individual battery cells operatively interconnected (e.g., in series or in parallel), to supply electrical energy. A variety of battery chemistries may be employed within the energy storage system 104 such as, lead-acid, lithium-ion, nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal hydride, etc.
The control module 106 may include any type of processing element or vehicle controller, and may be equipped with nonvolatile memory, random access memory (RAM), discrete and analog input/output (I/O), a central processing unit, and/or communications interfaces for networking within a vehicular communications network. The control module 106 is coupled to the energy storage system 104, the generator 108, the inverter 110 and the powertrain 112 and controls the flow of electrical energy between the these modules depending on a required power command, the state of charge of the energy storage system 104, etc.
As noted above, in hybrid-electric embodiments, the powertrain 112 includes an electric motor 116 and a transmission 118 configured within a powertrain housing. The electric motor 16 includes a rotor and stator (not shown) operatively connected via the transmission 118 to at least one of the wheels 120 to transfer torque thereto for propelling the vehicle 100. It will be appreciated that in hybrid-electric embodiments, the powertrain 112 may be implemented as a series hybrid-electric powertrain or as a parallel hybrid-electric powertrain.
As illustrated in
According to various embodiments, a closed-loop control system is provided for the fluid damper 130 by incorporating sensors or accelerometers to provide a signal for adjusting the fluid damper 130. In some embodiments, the sensor 216 is integrated within the housing 200. In some embodiments, the sensor 218 is coupled to the header 124. In some embodiments, the sensor 220 can be placed on the housing 200 at an external bottom portion. In some embodiments, the sensor 222 can be placed on the housing 200 at an external side portion. Regardless of the placement of the sensor 222, a signal 224 is provided to the fluid damper 130 causing the Magneto-Rheological fluid 208 to change its viscosity. In some embodiments connections 226 comprise electromagnets within the reservoir 204 that apply an electromagnetic field across the Magneto-Rheological fluid 208 to change its viscosity. In some embodiments, connections 226 comprise electrodes for passing a current through the Magneto-Rheological fluid 208 to change its viscosity. Additionally or alternately, the fluid damper 130 could be controlled (or also controlled) by the control module (106 of
The routine (method 400) begins in step 402 where a signal (224 or 228 of
While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the disclosure in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that various changes can be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the scope of the appended claims and the legal equivalents thereof.
