Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
VIN: L65xxx Vehicle: X' / E70 / OFF-ROAD VEHICLE / X5 35dX / M57 / USA / LL / AUTO / 2010 /
12
System version: Data version: 2.28
1.0.8
The VDM enhances on-road comfort. Greater on-road comfort is achieved when the vehicle body moves vertically as little as
possible: neither due to excitation of the vehicle from the road (irregularities, joins) nor on cornering.
The VDM control unit specifies how the damper satellites are to activate the shock absorbers (individual damping force for each
wheel). To this end, the VDM control unit is connected to the damper satellites via the very fast FlexRay data bus.
With a data transfer rate of 10MBit/s, FlexRay is significantly faster than the data buses deployed nowadays in motor vehicles
(in the area of body and drive or chassis). FlexRay supports not only the greater bandwidth but also data interchange with real-
time capability. FlexRay can be configured as error-tolerant.
Damper satellites
There are 4 damper satellites:
- Damper satellite, front left (EDCSVL)
- Damper satellite, front right (EDCSVR)
- Damper satellite, rear left (EDCSHL)
- Damper satellite, rear right (EDCSHR)
The damper satellites electronically control the damping forces. The damper satellites and the EDC valves are inseparably
connected to the shock absorbers. Each damper satellite contains its own vertical-acceleration sensor. The damper satellites
have the following tasks (among others):
- activating the EDC valves on the shock absorbers (characteristic map for damping)
- measuring the internal current (actual value) of the EDC valves and regulating to the target value.
- measuring the vertical acceleration of a wheel
Adaptive Drive Page 3 of 8
Height-level sensors
There are the following 4 height-level sensors:
- Height-level sensor, front left (single)
- Height-level sensor, front right (single)
- Height-level sensor, rear left (single, double only with single-axle level control)
- Height-level sensor, rear right (double, double only with single-axle level control)
The 4 height-level sensors are connected to the VDM control unit. The height-level sensors deliver dynamic information on the
height of the vehicle body to the VDM control unit. The vertical dynamics management uses this to calculate the body
Adaptive Drive Page 4 of 8
Sport button
The sport button is located in the centre console behind the gear selector switch (GWS). Operation of the sport button changes
the damping characteristics:
Comfort <-> Sport.
The sport button is electrically connected at the gear selector switch (GWS). The GWS is a separate control unit. The signal is
then output on the PT CAN.
Adaptive Drive Page 5 of 8
A control LED in the SPORT button indicates the activated sport program. SPORT is also displayed on the LCD display in the
instrument cluster.
The following other control units deliver signals for the vertical dynamics management:
System function
The following system functions are described for vertical dynamics management:
- Damping of the wheel accelerations as well as body movements
- Fail safe
For the vehicle vertical axis, the control of the damping is divided into 'comfort' and 'safety'.
The vertical dynamics management damps the body movements with regard to comfort.
The vertical dynamics management damps the wheel accelerations with regard to safety. At the same time, it must be ensured
that the wheels do not lose contact with the road surface. Depending on the situation, optimised vertical force must be
transferred.
The vertical dynamics management also takes account of steering angles (e.g. transition from straight-ahead driving into a
curve). If a rapid enlargement of the steering angle is detected, the VDM control unit concludes that cornering is about to begin.
This means that the shock absorbers can be activated accordingly in advance. In doing so, the vertical dynamics management
supports active roll stabilisation (ARS). This means that the VDM contributes to reducing the rolling motion of the vehicle.
The vertical dynamics management also detects braking and acceleration. To achieve this, the DSC provides the brake
pressure and longitudinal acceleration signals. Excessive brake pressure normally leads to a pitching motion of the vehicle. The
VDM counteracts this pitching motion with a harder setting of the front shock absorbers. This also counteracts the pitching
motion of the vehicle on accelerating.
Depending on the selected damping characteristics (comfort or sport via sport button), the level of the damping force is adapted
by the VDM control unit. Independently of this, there is maximum driving safety in critical driving situations despite the selected
comfort program.
Fail safe
Depending on the type of fault that has occurred, the fail safe takes effect in 3 stages:
- Stage 1: substitute values
If, for example, the steering-angle-sensor signal is unavailable, other variables are used as substitute values for the
detection of cornering. The driver does not receive a Check Control message: no fault code memory entry.
- Stage 2: constant power supply
The VDM control unit specifies a constant damping force that is the same for all 4 wheels (medium-hard damping).
The damper satellites set a constant power supply for the EDC valves. A defective height-level sensor, for example,
can be the cause. A Check Control message is output to the driver. A fault is entered in the fault memory.
- Stage 3: no power supply
If a fault has occurred in activation of an EDC valve:
The VDM control unit indicates to the damper satellites that the EDC valves may no longer be supplied with current.
This causes the valve to move to a position that corresponds more to medium to harder damping. A Check Control
message is output to the driver. A fault is entered in the fault memory.
Diagnosis instructions
Note: a number of fault code memories in the vertical dynamics
management.
The VDM control unit only its own faults in its own fault code memory. Faults in the damper satellites are stored in their own fault
code memory. This is why not only the fault code memory of the VDM control unit but also that of the damper satellites must be
read out in the event of a fault. It must be possible for the BMWdiagnosis system to reach the damper satellites. This is why the
VDM control unit also works as the gateway for diagnosis between the PT-CAN and FlexRay.
Switch-on conditions
The vertical dynamics management is activated under the following conditions:
- Ignition ON (terminal 15 and wake-up line)
- Speed greater than 0.1kph
No liability can be accepted for printing or other errors. Subject to changes of a technical nature