À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ

Background

Suspension systems are used to reduce vibrations/shocks transmitted to the vehicle body from the road/terrain being travelled in order to enhance driver/passenger comfort and protect cargo and chassis. Typical designs are a compromise between performance measures such as vehicle ride, handling, load capacity, size constraints and energy consumption.

The University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ is actively seeking automotive suppliers and manufacturers interested in commercializing an innovative, highly tunable air suspension system.

Description of the invention

The new technology developed by University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ researchers provides for a new class of road-adaptive suspension systems capable of independently tuning suspension stiffness and vehicle ride height corresponding to road conditions. Utilizing two pressurized chambers and a unique pneumatic control design, easy modification of suspension stiffness and ride height is made possible.

Advantages

Highly flexible system allowing for:

• Independent tuning of stiffness and ride height
• Large static load variations
• Large dynamic loads
• Ride handling and comfort
• High durability, low weight, complexity, and maintenance costs
• Stiffness and damping control
• Enables real time tuning to suit road surface

Potential applications

• On/off-road vehicles
• Passenger cars, trucks, buses
• Military vehicles
• Stationary equipment