Synaptic Damping Control is a mechatronic device that, during the vehicle motion, regulates the level of the damping forces, according to road conditions and to the driving style.
The system provides the vehicle with higher safety, comfort, drivability, handiness and handling, compared to vehicles with traditional shock absorbers. Synaptic Damping Control helps to isolate the passenger compartment from the irregularities of the road surface and allows the control of movements, arising from steering, acceleration, braking and gear change manoeuvres.
The shock absorbers of the system are provided with electro valves, that regulate their oil flows according to control signals. Differently from traditional shock absorbers, whose damping characteristic is determined by the geometry of the internal components, Synaptic Damping Control guarantees in a continuous way the more suitable damping level according to the driving conditions.
The electronic control unit of the system reproduces the vehicle motion by receiving from the sensors information about the vertical movements of the vehicle body and of the wheels and by interacting with the other power units on board the vehicle (engine control, power steering, ABS, ESP, …). This data processing allows the continuous and active control of the damping force of the electronic shock absorbers.
Synaptic Damping Control can offer the driver the possibility to choose among different configurations of the system, by differentiating the damping performance according to the driving needs.
