Land vehicles – Body elevation or tilt – Establishing riding or trim height
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-28
2001-01-16
Rice, Kenneth R. (Department: 3611)
Land vehicles
Body elevation or tilt
Establishing riding or trim height
C280S005514, C280S006159, C280SDIG001
Reexamination Certificate
active
06173974
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to automotive vehicles having suspension systems that include gas levelers for adjusting vehicle ride height, and in particular it relates to detecting when such a vehicle is being either hoisted or jacked.
2. Background Information
In certain situations involving a vehicle of the type to which this invention relates, it may be desirable for the vehicle to have a self-diagnostic capability that enables it to automatically detect when it is being hoisted or jacked. Hoisting is customarily considered raising, from above by a device such as a hoist, a portion of a vehicle to relieve some or all of a portion of the vehicle weight applied at one wheel, or at a set of wheels such as the front wheels or the rear wheels. At an extreme, the weight is fully relieved by lifting the wheel, or set of wheels, off an underlying support surface. Jacking is customarily considered raising, from below by means of a device such as a jack, a portion of a vehicle to relieve some or all of a portion of the vehicle weight applied at one wheel, or at a set of wheels such as the front wheels or the rear wheels. At an extreme, the weight is fully relieved by lifting the wheel, or set of wheels, off an underlying support surface.
The suspension system of a vehicle of the type to which the present invention relates includes gas levelers that under certain conditions operate automatically to maintain predetermined vehicle ride heights at the wheels so that the vehicle remains generally level and insensitive to changes in load and/or load distribution within its load carrying capacity. When the vehicle weight applied at one or more wheels is relieved by apparent hoisting or jacking, it may be desirable for the automatic operation of the gas levelers to be interrupted, or inhibited. If a vehicle is equipped with a self-diagnostic capability that automatically detects apparent hoisting or jacking, it can automatically inhibit any vehicle leveling that might otherwise occur if the vehicle were not being apparently hoisted or jacked.
A preliminary novelty search in connection with this invention developed the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,709,934; 4,783,089; 4,965,878; 5,083,454; 5,286,059; 5,652,703; and 5,696,678.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly, a general aspect of the invention relates to a method for self-diagnosing vehicle jacking and hoisting, and a further aspect relates to utilizing this capability to inhibit automatic leveling of a vehicle suspension system.
Other general aspects relate to improving the robustness of a gas suspension system of a motor vehicle and to enhancing the self-diagnostic capability of the system.
The invention comprises an analog pressure sensor that is disposed in the gas system in a manner that enables the sensor to provide gas pressure data at each of the gas springs associated with a respective wheel of the vehicle, gas pressure data at a gas reservoir, and gas pressure data at a gas compressor.
The invention further comprises obtaining measurements corresponding to the portion of the vehicle load that is applied to each wheel, i.e. the corner load proximate each of the four corners of the vehicle. The measurements are compared against reference values indicative of jacking or hoisting to distinguish a condition indicative of vehicle jacking and/or hoisting from a condition indicating neither jacking nor hoisting. If jacking or hoisting is indicated, operation of the gas levelers is inhibited. After jacking or hoisting has ceased, the inhibition due to jacking and/or hoisting detection ceases.
A general aspect of the present invention relates to an automotive vehicle comprising a suspension system that includes a respective gas leveler at each of multiple wheels and a pneumatic circuit that serves the gas levelers and comprises a gas pressure source for introducing gas under pressure into the gas levelers and a gas exhaust for exhausting pressurized gas from the gas levelers, a respective branch from each gas leveler to the gas pressure source and the gas exhaust, including a respective electric-operated valve in series with the respective gas leveler, and an electric pressure sensor that provides an actual pressure measurement within a range of pressures at a pneumatic circuit node that is common to the branches and to gas pressure source.
Another general aspect relates to an automotive vehicle comprising: a suspension system that includes a respective gas leveler at each of multiple wheels; a compressor that serves the gas levelers and comprises an internal gas compressing mechanism, an internal electric-operated exhaust valve, and a port through which the gas compressing mechanism and the exhaust valve communicate with the gas levelers to pressurizing and exhausting the gas levelers; a respective branch from each gas leveler to the compressor port, each branch comprising a respective electric-operated valve in series with the respective gas leveler; and an electric pressure sensor that provides an actual pressure measurement within a range of pressures at a pneumatic circuit node that is common to the branches and to the compressor port.
Still another general aspect relates to a method for detecting apparent hoisting or jacking of an automotive vehicle having a suspension system that includes a respective gas leveler at each of multiple wheels and a pneumatic circuit that operates the gas levelers to set vehicle ride height at each wheel, the method comprising: measuring the ride height at each wheel by means of a respective electric sensor; measuring gas pressure in each gas leveler; and signaling apparent hoisting or jacking by processing the ride height and the gas leveler pressure measured at each wheel and a predetermined load for the wheel.
Further aspects will be seen in the ensuing description, claims, and accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4709934 (1987-12-01), Suzuki et al.
patent: 4783089 (1988-11-01), Hamilton et al.
patent: 4965878 (1990-10-01), Yamagiwa et al.
patent: 5083454 (1992-01-01), Yopp
patent: 5273308 (1993-12-01), Griffiths
patent: 5286059 (1994-02-01), Tabe
patent: 5344189 (1994-09-01), Tanaka et al.
patent: 5466007 (1995-11-01), Smith
patent: 5484162 (1996-01-01), Kanoh et al.
patent: 5499845 (1996-03-01), Geiger et al.
patent: 5652703 (1997-07-01), Kawazoe
patent: 5696678 (1997-12-01), Raad et al.
Raad Joseph Michael
Villec George Nicholas
Brown Gregory P.
Ford Global Technologies Inc.
Rice Kenneth R.
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