Land vehicles – Wheeled – Running gear
Patent
1990-10-15
1993-02-09
Tyson, Karin L.
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Running gear
280711, 280612, B60G 17015
Patent
active
051848414
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a height regulating system for a vehicle having air suspension. In this system, the actual height of the vehicle body is measured with a sensor disposed between the vehicle body and an axle. The actual height is compared to a desired height to produce a correction signal and a control device controls the input or release of compressed air to or from an air spring according to the correction signal until the actual height substantially equals the desired height.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Such a system is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,518,169 wherein compressed air is admitted to the air spring when a distance sensor senses that the height of the vehicle body is below a desired value and air is released from the air spring when the distance sensor senses that the body height is above the desired value. It has been proposed to smooth the height signals h in a filter with a relatively short time constant in order to remove high frequency signal components.
To avoid adjustment in response to transient fluctuations of body height relative to the axle, as may be occasioned by a rough road surface or on encountering a pothole, it has been further proposed to filter with a larger time constant the correction signals in the control computer itself by virtue of the software in the control computer. This has the disadvantage that there is a phase delay between a deviation in the height signal h and the onset of the correcting height regulation operation. In order to be able to regulate the height of the vehicle body with reasonable certainty, a suitable compromise would be chosen, that is, the time constant of the software filter is chosen to be shorter than that which would eliminate virtually all response to transient variations in the body height.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to enable the time constant effective at any given time to be adapted to the travelling conditions, such as the velocity of the vehicle.
The invention affords the advantage that a smaller value can be chosen for the time constant (t.sub.1) of the first filter, whereby rapid response to adjustment of the desired height can be obtained while the longer time constant (t.sub.2) of the second filter prevents repeated regulating operations in the event of transient fluctuations in the body height (h) when travelling at an appreciable velocity.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention is further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a diagram of an air suspension system for a vehicle fitted with a height regulating system, and
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the height regulating system according to the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows diagrammatically a part of a vehicle body 10 attached to an axle 12 by an air suspension 14. The air suspension 14 comprises an air spring bellows 16 and a height measuring sensor 20, each arranged between the vehicle body 10 and the axle 12. The height measuring sensor 20 can be a simple potentiometer or variable resistor or an inductive transducer. The air spring bellows 16 is filled and emptied as required by a compressed air reservoir 22 and a solenoid valve arrangement 24. The reservoir 22 is charged from a compressor (not shown) via a line 26 containing a non-return valve 28. The valve arrangement 24 comprises a 3-port, 2-position valve 30 and a 2-port, 2-position valve 32 in a line 34 between the reservoir 22 and the suspension bellows 16. The valves are spring-biased to their positions shown and are operated by solenoids 36, 38 with the assistance of air pressure from the reservoir 22. Actuation of both valves 30, 32 connects the air spring bellows 16 to the reservoir 22 in order to feed compressed air to the air suspension 14 and thereby increase the height h of the vehicle body 10 relative to the axle 12. Actuation of the valve 32 alone connects the air spring bellows 16 via the unactuated valve 30 to exhaust
REFERENCES:
patent: 4518169 (1985-05-01), Kuroki et al.
patent: 4610462 (1986-09-01), Kumagai
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 10, No. 62 (M-460) (2119) dated Mar. 12, 1986 JP-A-60 209 312.
Pischke Jurgen
Tillhon Engelbert
Ottesen Walter
Robert Bosch CmbH
Tyson Karin L.
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