Vehicle height adjustment device

• US 10,226,978 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2017
• Issued: 03/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Astemo Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Showa Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kasuga, Takahiro, Koresawa, Takahiro, Ikeda, Masayoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Alex C
• Application Number:
  US15/468,675
• Publication Number:
  US 20170274721A1
• Time in Patent Office: 718 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/016 characterised by their responsiveness, when the vehicle is travelling, to specific motion, a specific condition, or driver input B60G17/017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0185 for failure detection
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/019 characterised by the type of sensor or the arrangement thereof B60G17/01941 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/12 Cycles; Motorcycles
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/204 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/25 Stroke; Height; Displacement
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2500/30 Height or ground clearance
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/08 Failure or malfunction detecting means
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 2025/045 Suspensions with ride-height adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 25/04 for mounting axles resiliently on cycle frame or fork for sidecars, forecars or the like B62K27/06
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 25/08 for front wheel
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/56 Means for adjusting the length of, or for locking, the spring or damper, e.g. at the end of the stroke F16F9/50 takes precedence; for telescopic gas springs or dampers F16F9/0245; vehicle suspension locking arrangements B60G17/005

Abstract

A vehicle height adjustment device includes a changer, a detector, a vehicle height controller, and a malfunction detector. The changer is configured to change a relative position of a body of a vehicle relative to an axle of a wheel of the vehicle. The detector is configured to detect the relative position of the body of the vehicle relative to the axle of the wheel of the vehicle. The vehicle height controller is configured to control the changer based on a detection value detected by the detector to change the relative position to control a vehicle height, which is a height of the body. When the detection value detected by the detector changes by a predetermined amount or more in a predetermined period of time, the malfunction detector is configured to determine that there is a possibility of a malfunction occurring in the detector.

Claims

1. A vehicle height adjustment device comprising:

an actuator configured to change a relative position of a body of a vehicle relative to an axle of a wheel of the vehicle;

a detector configured to detect the relative position of the body of the vehicle relative to the axle of the wheel of the vehicle;

a vehicle height controller configured to control the actuator based on a detection value detected by the detector to change the relative position to control a vehicle height, which is a height of the body; and

a malfunction detector configured to, when the detection value detected by the detector changes by a predetermined amount or more in a predetermined period of time, determine that there is a possibility of a malfunction occurring in the detector.

2. The vehicle height adjustment device according to claim 1,

wherein the detection value detected by the detector comprises a first detection value and a second detection value, and

wherein the malfunction detector is configured to:

immediately before the predetermined period of time, check the first detection values in a detection cycle that comprises a predetermined cycle length;

at a time of elapse of the predetermined period of time, check the second detection value in the detection cycle; and

determine that there is the possibility of the malfunction occurring in the detector when a difference between the first detection value and the second detection value exceeds a predetermined threshold.

3. The vehicle height adjustment device according to claim 1,

wherein the detection value detected by the detector comprises first detection values and a second detection value, and

wherein the malfunction detector is configured to:

immediately before the predetermined period of time, check the first detection values in a detection cycle that comprises a predetermined cycle length;

at a time of elapse of the predetermined period of time, check the second detection value in the detection cycle; and

determine that there is the possibility of the malfunction occurring in the detector when a difference between an average value of the first detection values and the second detection value exceeds a predetermined threshold.

4. The vehicle height adjustment device according to claim 1, wherein after the detection value detected by the detector has changed by the predetermined amount or more in the predetermined period of time, and when the detection value is thus changed for a predetermined period of time or longer, the malfunction detector is configured to determine that the malfunction has occurred in the detector.

5. The vehicle height adjustment device according to claim 4, wherein when the malfunction detector has detected the malfunction in the detector, the vehicle height controller is configured to control the actuator based on a predetermined detection value before the malfunction detector determines that there is the possibility of the malfunction occurring in the detector.

6. The vehicle height adjustment device according to claim 4, wherein when the malfunction detector has detected the malfunction in the detector, the vehicle height controller is configured to control the actuator in accordance with a speed of the vehicle irrespective of the detection value detected by the detector.

7. The vehicle height adjustment device according to claim 2, wherein after the detection value detected by the detector has changed by the predetermined amount or more in the predetermined period of time, and when the detection value is thus changed for a predetermined period of time or longer, the malfunction detector is configured to determine that the malfunction has occurred in the detector.

8. The vehicle height adjustment device according to claim 3, wherein after the detection value detected by the detector has changed by the predetermined amount or more in the predetermined period of time, and when the detection value is thus changed for a predetermined period of time or longer, the malfunction detector is configured to determine that the malfunction has occurred in the detector.

9. The vehicle height adjustment device according to claim 7, wherein when the malfunction detector has detected the malfunction in the detector, the vehicle height controller is configured to control the actuator based on a predetermined detection value before the malfunction detector determines that there is the possibility of the malfunction occurring in the detector.

10. The vehicle height adjustment device according to claim 8, wherein when the malfunction detector has detected the malfunction in the detector, the vehicle height controller is configured to control the actuator based on a predetermined detection value before the malfunction detector determines that there is the possibility of the malfunction occurring in the detector.

11. The vehicle height adjustment device according to claim 7, wherein when the malfunction detector has detected the malfunction in the detector, the vehicle height controller is configured to control the actuator in accordance with a speed of the vehicle irrespective of the detection value detected by the detector.

12. The vehicle height adjustment device according to claim 8, wherein when the malfunction detector has detected the malfunction in the detector, the vehicle height controller is configured to control the actuator in accordance with a speed of the vehicle irrespective of the detection value detected by the detector.