Patent ID: 6439582
Filing Date: 2002-08-27
Classification: B60G

Abstract:
A suspension system for a vehicle having sprung and unsprung parts, the system comprising actuation means for applying an actuator force between said sprung and unsprung parts to control vehicle roll, lateral acceleration measuring means for providing a measure of the magnitude and an indication of the direction of lateral acceleration of the vehicle, and a controller having defined therein a normal mode characteristic and a slalom mode characteristic each of which relates the actuator force to said measure, and being arranged to monitor said measure and to control the actuation means in a normal mode to provide an actuator force, which is dependent on said lateral acceleration according to said normal mode characteristic and resists vehicle roll, and, if the lateral acceleration undergoes a predetermined number of changes of direction, at a frequency which is within a predetermined frequency range, and the measure of lateral acceleration between successive changes of direction exceeds a predetermined level, to enter a slalom mode in which it controls the actuation means according to the slalom mode characteristic which provides, at least over a range of lateral accelerations, more resistance to body roll for each of said range of lateral accelerations than the normal mode characteristic.