IP Library Granted Patent US 10,040,330
Granted Patent B2
US 10,040,330 · App. 15/432,907 · Granted Aug 7, 2018

Active vehicle suspension system

Inventors: Zackary Martin Anderson (Cambridge, MA); Shakeel Avadhany (Cambridge, MA); Matthew D. Cole (Boston, MA); Robert Driscoll (Derry, NH); John Giarratana (Whitman, MA); Marco Giovanardi (Melrose, MA); Vladimir Gorelik (Medford, MA); Jonathan R. Leehey (Wayland, MA); William G. Near (Boston, MA); Patrick W. Neil (Randolph, MA); Colin Patrick O'Shea (Cambridge, MA); Tyson David Sawyer (Mason, NH); Johannes Schneider (Cambridge, MA); Clive Tucker (Charlestown, MA); Ross J. Wendell (Medford, MA); Richard Anthony Zuckerman (Somerville, MA)
Assignee: ClearMotion, Inc.
B60G17/052B60G13/14B60G2202/413B60G2300/60B60G2600/182B60G2800/012F03G7/08
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,040,330
App. No.
15/432,907
Granted
Aug 7, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method of on-demand energy delivery to an active suspension system comprising an actuator body, hydraulic pump, electric motor, plurality of sensors, energy storage facility, and controller is provided. The method comprises disposing an active suspension system in a vehicle between a wheel mount and a vehicle body, detecting a wheel event requiring control of the active suspension; and sourcing energy from the energy storage facility and delivering it to the electric motor in response to the wheel event.

Claims (26)

1. An active suspension system, comprising:

a first hydraulic suspension actuator, operatively interposed between a vehicle wheel assembly and a vehicle body, that applies a first force;

a second suspension actuator, with a slower response than the first hydraulic suspension actuator, operatively interposed between the vehicle wheel assembly and the vehicle body, that applies a second force;

an active roll stabilizer system that applies a third force; and

a controller that operates the first hydraulic suspension actuator, the second suspension actuator, and the active roll stabilizer system to cooperatively apply the first, second, and third forces to control the relative motion between the wheel assembly and the vehicle body in at least one mode of operation of the active suspension system.

2. The active suspension system of claim 1 , wherein the first hydraulic actuator includes a hydraulic pump operatively coupled to an electric motor wherein a product of the system compliance and the reflected system inertia of the first hydraulic suspension actuator is less than or equal to 0.0063 s −2 .

3. The active suspension system of claim 1 , wherein the second suspension actuator is an air spring.

4. The active suspension system of claim 1 , wherein the active roll stabilizer system is one of a hydraulic active roll stabilizer and an electromechanical active roll stabilizer.

5. A method of controlling a vehicle body motion, the method comprising:

applying a first force on the vehicle body with a first hydraulic suspension actuator operatively interposed between a vehicle wheel assembly of the vehicle and the vehicle body;

applying a second force on the vehicle body, simultaneously with the first force in at least one mode of operation, with a second suspension actuator, wherein the second suspension actuator has a slower response than the first hydraulic suspension actuator, and wherein the second suspension actuator is operatively interposed between the vehicle wheel assembly of the vehicle and the vehicle body; and,

applying a third force with an active roll stabilizer system, simultaneously with the first and the second forces, in at least one mode of operation;

controlling the first, second, and third forces to cooperatively control relative motion between the vehicle body and the wheel assembly.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first hydraulic system actuator includes a hydraulic pump operatively coupled to an electric motor, wherein a product of the system compliance and the reflected system inertia of the first hydraulic suspension actuator is less than or equal to 0.0063 s −2 .

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the second suspension actuator is an air spring.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the active roll stabilizer system is one of a hydraulic active roll stabilizer and an electromechanical active roll stabilizer.

9. An active suspension system, comprising:

a first hydraulic suspension actuator, with a response time that is less than 150 ms, operatively interposed between a vehicle wheel assembly and a vehicle body, that applies a first force;

a second actuator, with a slower response than the first hydraulic suspension actuator, interposed between the vehicle wheel assembly and the vehicle body, that applies a second force; and,

a controller that operates the first hydraulic suspension actuator and the second actuator to cooperatively apply the first and second forces to control the relative motion between the wheel assembly and the vehicle body in at least one mode of operation of the active suspension system.

10. The active suspension system of claim 9 , wherein the first hydraulic suspension actuator has a response time that is less than 100 ms.

11. The active suspension system of claim 9 , wherein the first hydraulic suspension actuator has a response time that is less than 50 ms.

12. The active suspension system of claim 9 , wherein the second actuator, is any one of an inverted actuator, a telescoping actuator, an air spring, a self-pumping ride height adjustable device.

13. The active suspension system of claim 9 , wherein the second actuator is an air spring.

14. The active suspension system of claim 9 , further comprising an active roll stabilizer system that applies a third force, wherein, the controller also operates the active roll stabilizer system to apply the third force to cooperatively control the relative motion between the wheel assembly and the vehicle body in the at least one mode of operation of the active suspension system.

15. The active suspension system of claim 14 , wherein the active roll stabilizer system is one of a hydraulic active roll stabilizer and an electromechanical active roll stabilizer.

Assignments (8)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 10, 2025
From: CLEARMOTION ACQUISITION I LLC; CLEARMOTION, INC.
To: ACADIA WOODS PARTNERS, LLC
Reel/Frame 072836/0921 →
TERMINATION OF AMENDED & RESTATED PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Feb 12, 2023
From: FRANKLIN STRATEGIC SERIES - FRANKLIN GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES FUND; FRANKLIN STRATEGIC SERIES - FRANKLIN SMALL CAP GROWTH FUND; FRANKLIN TEMPLETON INVESTMENT FUNDS - FRANKLIN U.S. OPPORTUNITIES FUND; NEWVIEW CAPITAL FUND I, LP; WIL FUND I, L.P.; BRIDGESTONE AMERICAS, INC.; MICROSOFT GLOBAL FINANCE; FHW LIMITED PARTNERSHIP; TEW LIMITED PARTNERSHIP; THE PRIVATE SHARES FUND; BRILLIANCE JOURNEY LIMITED
To: CLEARMOTION, INC.; CLEARMOTION ACQUISITION I LLC
Reel/Frame 062705/0684 →
TERMINATION OF AMENDED & RESTATED PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Feb 8, 2023
From: ACADIA WOODS PARTNERS, LLC
To: CLEARMOTION, INC.; CLEARMOTION ACQUISITION I LLC
Reel/Frame 062687/0713 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ADDING ASSIGNEE PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 059361 FRAME: 0433. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE SECURITY AGREEMENT. Recorded Apr 6, 2022
From: CLEARMOTION, INC.; CLEARMOTION ACQUISITION I LLC
To: ACADIA WOODS PARTNERS, LLC; FRANKLIN STRATEGIC SERIES - FRANKLIN GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES FUND; FRANKLIN TEMPLETON INVESTMENT FUNDS - FRANKLIN U.S. OPPORTUNITIES FUND; FRANKLIN STRATEGIC SERIES - FRANKLIN SMALL CAP GROWTH FUND; NEWVIEW CAPITAL FUND I, LP; WIL FUND I, L.P.; BRIDGESTONE AMERICAS, INC.; MICROSOFT GLOBAL FINANCE; FHW LIMITED PARTNERSHIP; TEW LIMITED PARTNERSHIP; THE PRIVATE SHARES FUND; BRILLIANCE JOURNEY LIMITED
Reel/Frame 060130/0001 →
AMENDED & RESTATED PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 11, 2022
From: CLEARMOTION, INC.; CLEARMOTION ACQUISITION I LLC
To: ACADIA WOODS PARTNERS, LLC
Reel/Frame 059361/0433 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jan 4, 2022
From: CLEARMOTION, INC.
To: NEWVIEW CAPITAL FUND I, L.P.; ACADIA WOODS PARTNERS, LLC; WIL FUND I, L.P.; FRANKLIN STRATEGIC SERIES - FRANKLIN GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES FUND; FRANKLIN TEMPLETON INVESTMENT FUNDS - FRANKLIN U.S. OPPORTUNITIES FUND; FRANKLIN STRATEGIC SERIES - FRANKLIN SMALL CAP GROWTH FUND
Reel/Frame 058644/0007 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 5, 2017
From: ANDERSON, ZACKARY MARTIN; AVADHANY, SHAKEEL; COLE, MATTHEW D.; DRISCOLL, ROBERT; GIARRATANA, JOHN; GIOVANARDI, MARCO; GORELIK, VLADIMIR; LEEHEY, JONATHAN R.; NEAR, WILLIAM G.; NEIL, PATRICK W.; O'SHEA, COLIN PATRICK; SAWYER, TYSON DAVID; SCHNEIDER, JOHANNES; TUCKER, CLIVE; WENDELL, ROSS J.; ZUCKERMAN, RICHARD ANTHONY
To: LEVANT POWER CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 042593/0256 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jun 5, 2017
From: LEVANT POWER CORPORATION
To: CLEARMOTION, INC.
Reel/Frame 042687/0775 →
Continuity (9)
Continuation 14602463 · Jan 22, 2015
Continuation PCTUS2014029654 · Mar 14, 2014
Provisional Application 61913644 · Dec 9, 2013
Provisional Application 61865970 · Aug 14, 2013
Provisional Application 61815251 · Apr 23, 2013
Provisional Application 61789600 · Mar 15, 2013
Provisional Application 61930452 · Jan 22, 2014
Related Publication 20170182859A1 · Jun 29, 2017
Related Publication 20180134106A9 · May 17, 2018