Vehicle height adjusting apparatus

• US 4,266,790 A
• Filed: 04/03/1979
• Issued: 05/12/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tokico Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Tokico Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kodama, Yoshiki, Uemura, Tamio
• Primary Examiner(s): Love, John J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stack, Jr., Norman L.
• Application Number:
  US06/027,014
• Time in Patent Office: 770 Days
• Field of Search: 280/709, 280/714, 280/703, 280/702, 280/6.1, 280/6 R, 105/164
• US Class Current: 280/5.514
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/01933 Velocity, e.g. relative velocity-displacement sensors

Abstract

A vehicle height adjusting apparatus in which a sensor means detects the distance between the body and axles of a vehicle while the vehicle is parked or moving. A signal comparator divides the vehicle height detection range into a plurality of detection zones based on the sensor signals; a pulse converter circuit converts the signals into pulse signals of the detection zones; an integrator circuit integrates the pulse signals for a period of time; a determination circuit determines the vehicle height level and a fluid circuit controls the inflow and outflow of fluid into and out of a suspension device.

Claims

1. A vehicle height adjusting apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

sensor means for detecting a vehicle height level by measuring the distance between the body and axles of said vehicle and for providing an output signal corresponding to said measured height level;

a signal comparator circuit for receiving and comparing said output signal from said sensor means and for classifying said output signal into one of a plurality of vehicle reference height zones;

a pulse converter circuit for converting said classified signal into a pulse signal corresponding to one of said height zones;

an integrator circuit for integrating said pulse signal for each respective zone during a given time period;

a determination circuit for receiving said integrating signal for each zone from said integrator circuit and for comparating the number of pulses for each zone and provide an output signal indicative of said vehicle height level;

and a fluid circuit for controlling the inflow and outflow of fluid into and out of a suspension device in dependance upon said output signal from said determination circuit, whereby said vehicle height level is adjusted to be in a predetermined vehicle reference height zone.

2. The vehicle height adjusting apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of said given time periods of said integrator circuit is within the range of several seconds to several tens of seconds.

3. The vehicle height adjusting apparatus as set forth in claim 2, further comprising a parking sensor for discriminating between the parked and moving states of said vehicle, said sensor connected to said fluid circuit, wherein said fluid circuit is directly controlled by an output signal from said parking sensor when said vehicle is in its parked state.

4. The vehicle height adjusting apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said sensor means is incorporated in said suspension device.

5. The vehicle height adjusting apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein said parking sensor means is incorporated in said suspension device.

6. The vehicle height adjusting apparatus as set forth in claims 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5, wherein said plurality of vehicle reference height zones comprise a low vehicle height zone, a reference vehicle height zone, and a high vehicle height zone.

7. The vehicle height adjusting apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein said predetermined reference height zone is said vehicle reference height zone.