Patent ID: 8285449
Filing Date: 2012-10-09
Classification: B60G

Abstract:
1. A damping force control apparatus for a vehicle which changes and controls damping forces of shock absorbers disposed between a vehicle body and wheels, the damping force control apparatus comprising: a physical quantity detection unit that detects a predetermined physical quantity which changes with a turning of the vehicle; a damping-force determination unit that determines damping forces of shock absorbers disposed on a turn-locus inner side and damping forces of shock absorbers disposed on a turn-locus outer side in accordance with the detected predetermined physical quantity such that the damping forces of the shock absorbers disposed on the turn-locus inner side become greater than the damping forces of the shock absorbers disposed on the turn-locus outer side; a damping-force control unit that changes and controls the damping forces of the shock absorbers on a basis of the determined damping forces of the shock absorbers disposed on the turn-locus inner side and the determined damping forces of the shock absorbers disposed on the turn-locus outer side; a vertical movement determination unit that determines whether the vehicle body is moving in a vertical direction as a result of input of a road surface disturbance during the turning in a state in which the damping forces of the shock absorbers disposed on the turn-locus inner side and the damping forces of the shock absorbers disposed on the turn-locus outer side have been determined by the damping-force determination unit; and a vibration-suppressing-damping-force determination unit that determines a vibration-suppressing damping force which is necessary for suppressing the vertical movement of the vehicle body determined by the vertical movement determination unit and which must be generated by at least the shock absorbers disposed on the turn-locus outer side, wherein, when the vertical movement determination unit determines that the vehicle body is moving in the vertical direction, the damping-force determination unit subtracts the vibration-suppressing damping force determined by the vibration-suppressing-damping-force determination unit from the determined damping forces of the shock absorbers disposed on the turn-locus inner side, and adds the vibration-suppressing damping force determined by the vibration-suppressing-damping-force determination unit to the determined damping forces of the shock absorbers disposed on the turn-locus outer side to thereby determine the damping forces of the shock absorbers disposed on the turn-locus inner side and the damping forces of the shock absorbers disposed on the turn-locus outer side.