Road-Preview Suspension
Road-preview suspension uses information about the road ahead to prepare a suspension controller before a wheel reaches a disturbance.
What it does
A camera, lidar sensor, stored road map, or the measured motion of a front wheel can provide preview data. The controller estimates when each wheel will meet the feature and adjusts an adaptive damper, ride-height system, or active actuator in advance. This can reduce the delay of purely reactive control and improve body-motion or impact management when the road feature is detected correctly.
Preview describes the sensing and prediction function, not the suspension hardware. A camera alone cannot generate suspension force, and a passive suspension cannot act on preview data. Performance also depends on perception quality, vehicle speed, the predicted tyre path, and the actuator's available force, stroke, and response.
For the control hierarchy and the difference between adaptive and fully active systems, see Active suspension.