VEHICLE HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT SYSTEM

• US 20170151849A1
• Filed: 11/18/2016
• Published: 06/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: TOKUMITSU, Jun, OHASHI, Hideki, KANDA, Ryo, SANO, Katsuyuki, TANAKA, Shogo
• Granted Patent: US 10,160,277 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0155 pneumatic unit
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0157 non-fluid unit, e.g. electric motor
• 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 17/017 characterised by their use when the vehicle is stationary, e.g. during loading, engine start-up or switch-off
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0525 Height adjusting or levelling valves
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/62 Adjustable continuously, e.g. during driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/80 Interactive suspensions; arrangement affecting more than one suspension unit
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/252 vertical
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/51 in suspension unit
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/952 of door or bonnet
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2500/30 Height or ground clearance

Abstract

A vehicle height adjustment system includes: a vehicle height adjustment actuator provided for each wheel of a vehicle; a pressure medium intake and exhaust device configured to supply and exhaust a pressure medium to and from the vehicle height adjustment actuator; and a vehicle height adjustment unit including a computer, the vehicle height adjustment unit configured to: adjust a vehicle height by controlling the pressure medium intake and exhaust device, the vehicle height being a distance between the wheel and a vehicle body; adjust the vehicle height when a get-in estimation condition is satisfied; and limit a number of times the vehicle height is adjusted within a set period to a number of times smaller than a set number of times.

Claims

1. A vehicle height adjustment system comprising:

a vehicle height adjustment actuator provided for each wheel of a vehicle;

a pressure medium intake and exhaust device configured to supply and exhaust a pressure medium to and from the vehicle height adjustment actuator; and

a vehicle height adjustment unit including a computer, the vehicle height adjustment unit configured to;

adjust a vehicle height by controlling the pressure medium intake and exhaust device, the vehicle height being a distance between the wheel and a vehicle body;

adjust the vehicle height when a get-in estimation condition is satisfied; and

limit a number of times the vehicle height is adjusted within a set period to a number of times smaller than a set number of times.

2. The vehicle height adjustment system according to claim 1, wherein

the set period is a period from a time an ignition switch of the vehicle is switched from ON to OFF to a time the ignition switch is switched from OFF to ON.

3. The vehicle height adjustment system according to claim 1, wherein

the set period includes a plurality of periods, each being a period from a time an ignition switch of the vehicle is switched from ON to OFF to a time the ignition switch is switched from OFF to ON.

4. The vehicle height adjustment system according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicle height adjustment system operates on power supplied from a battery and

the vehicle height adjustment unit is configured to determine the set number of times based on a state of the battery.

5. The vehicle height adjustment system according to claim 1, wherein

the set number of times is a value equal to or larger than three.

6. The vehicle height adjustment system according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicle height adjustment system operates on a power supplied from a battery and

the vehicle height adjustment unit is configured to determine an operation amount of the vehicle height adjustment actuator based on a state of the battery.

7. The vehicle height adjustment system according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicle height adjustment unit is configured in such a way that an operation amount of the vehicle height adjustment actuator is smaller as a number of times vehicle height adjustment is performed is larger, the vehicle height adjustment being performed when the get-in estimation condition is satisfied.

8. The vehicle height adjustment system according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicle height adjustment unit is configured to count the number of times when the get-in estimation condition is satisfied.

9. The vehicle height adjustment system according to claim 8, wherein

the vehicle height adjustment unit is configured not to count the number of times when a thing-left-behind condition is satisfied.

10. The vehicle height adjustment system according to claim 9, wherein

the vehicle height adjustment unit is configured to determine that the thing-left-behind condition is satisfied when the get-in estimation condition is satisfied before set time elapses from a time a previous vehicle height adjustment is terminated.

11. The vehicle height adjustment system according to claim 9, further comprising

a communication device that carries out communication with a mobile apparatus, wherein

the vehicle height adjustment unit is configured to determine the thing-left-behind condition is satisfied when the get-in estimation condition is satisfied from a time a previous vehicle height adjustment is performed to a time before the mobile apparatus gets out of a communication area.

12. A vehicle height adjustment system comprising:

a vehicle height adjustment actuator provided for each wheel of a vehicle;

a pressure medium intake and exhaust device configured to supply and exhaust a pressure medium to and from the vehicle height adjustment actuator; and

a vehicle height adjustment unit including a computer, the vehicle height adjustment unit configured to;

adjust a vehicle height by controlling the pressure medium intake and exhaust device, the vehicle height being a distance between the wheel and a vehicle body; and

limit a number of times the vehicle height adjustment is performed while an ignition switch is set to OFF to a number of times smaller than a set number of times.