Vehicle and control method thereof

Abstract

A vehicle may include a sensor configured to acquire detecting data including front road surface information; a suspension including a spring and a damper; and a controller including a processor and a memory; wherein the controller is configured to identify an unevenness of the front road surface based on the detecting data and control the suspension based on damping force setting information corresponding to the unevenness when the vehicle reaches the unevenness.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A vehicle comprising:
 a sensor configured to acquire detecting data including road surface information;   a suspension including an elastic member and a damper; and   a controller including a processor and a memory and connected to the sensor and the suspension;   wherein the controller is configured to identify an unevenness of a road surface based on the detecting data and to control the suspension based on damping force setting information corresponding to the unevenness upon determining that the vehicle reaches the unevenness.   
     
     
         2 . The vehicle according to  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to estimate a length and a height of the unevenness based on the detecting data and to acquire the damping force setting information corresponding to the estimated length and the estimated height of the unevenness from the memory. 
     
     
         3 . The vehicle according to  claim 2 , wherein the damping force setting information includes first data about a plurality of control sections set based on the length and the height of the unevenness and second data about damping force set for each of the plurality of control sections. 
     
     
         4 . The vehicle according to  claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to control the suspension based on the damping force set for each of the plurality of control sections while the vehicle passes over the unevenness. 
     
     
         5 . The vehicle according to  claim 4 , wherein the controller is configured to control the suspension to increase the damping force in an entry section of a pothole upon determining that the unevenness is the pothole and to control the suspension to reduce the damping force in an escape section of the pothole upon determining that an impact is expected in the escape section of the pothole. 
     
     
         6 . A method of controlling a vehicle, the method comprising:
 acquiring detecting data including road surface information;   identifying, by a controller, an unevenness of a road surface based on the detecting data; and   controlling, by the controller, a suspension based on damping force setting information corresponding to the unevenness upon determining that the vehicle reaches the unevenness.   
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 6 , further including:
 estimating, by the controller, a length and a height of the unevenness based on the detecting data; and   acquiring, by the controller, the damping force setting information corresponding to the estimated length and the estimated height of the unevenness from a memory of the controller.   
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein the damping force setting information includes first data about a plurality of control sections set based on the length and the height of the unevenness and second data about a damping force set for each of the plurality of control sections. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the controlling the suspension includes: controlling the suspension based on the damping force set for each of the plurality of control sections while the vehicle passes over the unevenness. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 9 , wherein the controlling the suspension includes: controlling the suspension to increase the damping force in an entry section of a pothole upon determining that the unevenness is the pothole; and
 controlling the suspension to reduce the damping force in an escape section of the pothole upon determining that an impact is expected in the escape section of the pothole.