Bose getting into suspension design
09-12-2004, 11:53 PM
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Bose getting into suspension design
<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/3127/bose.jpg"></center><p>"Bose's new suspension system makes for an ear-opening ride
ANDREW LUU
Posted Date: 9/9/04
Bose, best known for its audio technology, is on the verge of adding a suspension system to its résumé.
Instead of conventional shocks and springs, the Bose system proposes a suspension that uses linear electromagnetic motors with magnets and wire coils mounted at each wheel. Sensors constantly monitor vehicle performance and handling, sending information to four power amplifiers also installed at all corners. The amps then apply power to the electromagnetic motors, causing them to retract and expand to counteract dive and body roll, while remaining supple like a luxury car when cruising.
The system uses modified MacPherson struts in front and a double-wishbone linkage in the rear. The Bose shocks don't push directly against the vehicle's body, but rather against a weight mounted near the wheel hub.
The hardware adds about 200 pounds compared to a conventional setup. While still in the development stage (the company has invested 24 years in the idea), Bose is showing a driveable prototype in an effort to convince an automaker that becoming a partner would be a sound decision. "
"Shooting for a smoother ride behind the wheel
By John McCormick / Autos Insider
Bose advanced suspension system
FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- Seven years ago I made my first visit to Bose headquarters and was impressed by the then new high-end audio system for the Cadillac STS.
At the time I was struck by the single-minded focus of company founder and entrepreneur extraordinaire Dr. Amar Bose on the science of creating brilliant sound systems, whether for car or home.
Little did I, or any other outsider, suspect that Dr. Bose had something else up his sleeve, something his privately held, research-driven company has been working on now for 24 years.
Even the title -- "Project Sound" -- was deliberately misleading.
In fact, Project Sound is a highly advanced active suspension system and if the hopes of Dr. Bose are realized, it's a design that could transform the ride and handling characteristics of tomorrow's luxury cars.
While active suspension systems have been around for a while, most have used variations on conventional spring/strut, hydraulic or air spring designs. Bose has ditched all these in favor of a design that uses extremely fast acting linear electromagnetic motors of the company's own design.
Coupled with wheel dampers, these motors can effectively isolate the up and down motions of a car's wheels from the body. The result, as demonstrated on a Lexus LS400 sedan, is a ride quality over rough road surfaces so smooth that it is hard to believe.
So far, Bose has only let the press experience the system in a laboratory setting, with the car on a four-post shaker, a machine that recreates the irregularities of a road surface. A visual demonstration of the system's capabilities in a parking lot showed how the Bose suspension can soak up large bumps at speed while maintaining a virtually level body attitude.
Bose's long obsession with creating a superior suspension system is founded partly on an area of expertise his company already possesses -- power amplification (not solely in audio applications).
One of the keys to the Bose design is that its amplifiers have a regenerative function, which allows power to be returned to the car's electrical system. The bottom line, claims Bose, is that the suspension on average uses only a third the power taken by an air conditioning system. This overcomes a traditional drawback to advanced active suspensions, which is that they draw so much energy as to be impractical.
That's the good news. Still in the debit column are two major issues -- weight and cost. As it stands, the Bose system adds a great deal of weight when compared to a conventional suspension. Even if Bose achieves its goal of minimizing the net weight increase to 200 pounds, that figure is bound to meet resistance from automakers' engineering teams.
As for cost, there's no question that the Bose system will be expensive, destined primarily for luxury cars.
The plan, says Dr. Bose, is to start working with an interested automaker in the next 12 months and with five years have the system appear in a production car.
Significantly, Bose reveals that its electromagnetic motors are scaleable and could be used in other applications, specifically for engine valve actuation.
That could be a very promising avenue to explore, because gaining complete control over operation of intake and exhaust valves, with less complex systems than those currently available, is one of the auto industry's holy grails.
It is tempting to dismiss Dr. Bose's dreams of reinventing the suspension system as pie in the sky. But even if the effort only has a limited application, you have to admire the dedication of such a tireless inventor to smooth out our automotive lives. "
ANDREW LUU
Posted Date: 9/9/04
Bose, best known for its audio technology, is on the verge of adding a suspension system to its résumé.
Instead of conventional shocks and springs, the Bose system proposes a suspension that uses linear electromagnetic motors with magnets and wire coils mounted at each wheel. Sensors constantly monitor vehicle performance and handling, sending information to four power amplifiers also installed at all corners. The amps then apply power to the electromagnetic motors, causing them to retract and expand to counteract dive and body roll, while remaining supple like a luxury car when cruising.
The system uses modified MacPherson struts in front and a double-wishbone linkage in the rear. The Bose shocks don't push directly against the vehicle's body, but rather against a weight mounted near the wheel hub.
The hardware adds about 200 pounds compared to a conventional setup. While still in the development stage (the company has invested 24 years in the idea), Bose is showing a driveable prototype in an effort to convince an automaker that becoming a partner would be a sound decision. "
"Shooting for a smoother ride behind the wheel
By John McCormick / Autos Insider
Bose advanced suspension system
FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- Seven years ago I made my first visit to Bose headquarters and was impressed by the then new high-end audio system for the Cadillac STS.
At the time I was struck by the single-minded focus of company founder and entrepreneur extraordinaire Dr. Amar Bose on the science of creating brilliant sound systems, whether for car or home.
Little did I, or any other outsider, suspect that Dr. Bose had something else up his sleeve, something his privately held, research-driven company has been working on now for 24 years.
Even the title -- "Project Sound" -- was deliberately misleading.
In fact, Project Sound is a highly advanced active suspension system and if the hopes of Dr. Bose are realized, it's a design that could transform the ride and handling characteristics of tomorrow's luxury cars.
While active suspension systems have been around for a while, most have used variations on conventional spring/strut, hydraulic or air spring designs. Bose has ditched all these in favor of a design that uses extremely fast acting linear electromagnetic motors of the company's own design.
Coupled with wheel dampers, these motors can effectively isolate the up and down motions of a car's wheels from the body. The result, as demonstrated on a Lexus LS400 sedan, is a ride quality over rough road surfaces so smooth that it is hard to believe.
So far, Bose has only let the press experience the system in a laboratory setting, with the car on a four-post shaker, a machine that recreates the irregularities of a road surface. A visual demonstration of the system's capabilities in a parking lot showed how the Bose suspension can soak up large bumps at speed while maintaining a virtually level body attitude.
Bose's long obsession with creating a superior suspension system is founded partly on an area of expertise his company already possesses -- power amplification (not solely in audio applications).
One of the keys to the Bose design is that its amplifiers have a regenerative function, which allows power to be returned to the car's electrical system. The bottom line, claims Bose, is that the suspension on average uses only a third the power taken by an air conditioning system. This overcomes a traditional drawback to advanced active suspensions, which is that they draw so much energy as to be impractical.
That's the good news. Still in the debit column are two major issues -- weight and cost. As it stands, the Bose system adds a great deal of weight when compared to a conventional suspension. Even if Bose achieves its goal of minimizing the net weight increase to 200 pounds, that figure is bound to meet resistance from automakers' engineering teams.
As for cost, there's no question that the Bose system will be expensive, destined primarily for luxury cars.
The plan, says Dr. Bose, is to start working with an interested automaker in the next 12 months and with five years have the system appear in a production car.
Significantly, Bose reveals that its electromagnetic motors are scaleable and could be used in other applications, specifically for engine valve actuation.
That could be a very promising avenue to explore, because gaining complete control over operation of intake and exhaust valves, with less complex systems than those currently available, is one of the auto industry's holy grails.
It is tempting to dismiss Dr. Bose's dreams of reinventing the suspension system as pie in the sky. But even if the effort only has a limited application, you have to admire the dedication of such a tireless inventor to smooth out our automotive lives. "
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