Air dehumidifying arrangement for pneumatic vehicle suspension system

• US 4,327,936 A
• Filed: 10/25/1979
• Issued: 05/04/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Atsugi Motor Parts Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Atsugi Motor Parts Company Limited
• Inventors: Sekiguchi, Tomoyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Song, Robert R.
• Application Number:
  US06/088,128
• Time in Patent Office: 922 Days
• Field of Search: 280/702, 280/708, 280/703, 280/714, 280/736, 280/711, 280/707, 55/59, 55/167, 55/387, 55/302, 55/303, 55/385, 98/2.11, 98/2, 267/65
• US Class Current: 280/6.157
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0408 details, e.g. antifreeze for suspension fluid, pumps, retarding means per se
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0523 Regulating distributors or valves for pneumatic springs
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2202/152 Pneumatic spring
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2500/20 Spring action or springs
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2500/2014 Closed systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2500/2021 Arrangement of valves
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2500/205 Air-compressor operation

Abstract

A pneumatic self-levelling vehicle suspension system including an air compressor, an air reservoir communicating with the air compressor, an air dehumidifier unit intervening between the air compressor and reservoir, and a variable-length pneumatic suspension unit having an air inlet port communicable with the air reservoir across a two-position valve and an air discharge port through which an excess of air is to be discharged to the open air from the suspension unit, wherein arrangements are made so that the air discharge port of the suspension unit is made open to the atmosphere by way of the air dehumidifier unit for automatically regenerating the regenerative desiccative chemical composition contained in the air dehumidifier unit.

Claims

1. A pneumatic self-levelling suspension system for a land vehicle, comprising:

(a) a power driven air compressor;

(b) an air reservoir operable to store therein compressed air;

(c) an air dehumidifier unit interconnecting the air compressor and air reservoir, said air dehumidifier unit including a regenerative desiccative chemical composition for dehumidifying compressed air received from the air compressor;

(d) a pneumatic variable-length suspension unit interconnecting a sprung mass part of the vehicle and an unsprung mass part of the vehicle for supporting the sprung mass part at a variable level in relation to a road surface, said suspension unit having air inlet and discharge ports communicating with a variable volume air chamber, the level of the sprung mass part being variable with the volume of the air chamber;

(e) first two position valve means interconnecting the air reservoir to the air inlet port of the suspension unit;

(f) passageway means interconnecting the air discharge port of the suspension unit to the air dehumidifier unit for discharging the dehumidified compressed air through the air dehumidifier unit to the ambient air, said discharged compressed air tending to have lower humidity than the compressed air entering the air dehumidifier unit, thereby regenerating said regenerative desiccative chemical composition by removing and discharging moisture from the composition to the ambient air;

(g) second two position valve means provided in the passageway means; and

(h) electronic control means for opening the first two position valve means when the level of the sprung mass part is lower than a predetermined level in relation to the road surface, said electronic control means being operable to allow compressed air to enter the suspension unit and simultaneously close the second two position valve means to prevent discharge of compressed air from the suspension unit, thereby raising the level of the sprung mass part to a predetermined level in relation to the road surface, said electronic control means being further capable of closing the first two position valve means when the level of the sprung mass part is higher than the predetermined level and open the second two position valve means for lowering the level of the sprung mass part to said predetermined level.

2. A suspension system according to claim 1, further comprising switch means responsive to air pressure variations in the air reservoir, said switch means being operable to actuate the air compressor upon detection of an air pressure in the air reservoir less than a predetermined value.

3. A pneumatic self levelling suspension for a land vehicle having a pneumatic variable length suspension unit interconnecting a sprung mass part of the vehicle and an unsprung mass part of the vehicle for supporting the sprung mass part at a variable level in relation to a road surface, said suspension unit having air inlet and discharge ports communicating with a variable volume air chamber, the level of the sprung mass part being variable in relation to the volume of air in the air chamber, comprising:

(a) a power driven air compressor;

(b) an air reservoir operable to store therein compressed air;

(c) an air dehumidifier unit interconnecting the air compressor and air reservoir, said air dehumidifier unit including regenerative desiccative chemical composition for dehumidifying compressed air received from the air compressor; and

(d) passageway means interconnecting the air discharge port of the suspension unit to the air dehumidifier unit for discharging dehumidified compressed air through said air dehumidifier to the ambient air, said dehumidified compressed air being discharged through the regenerative desiccative chemical composition tending to have lower relative humidity than the compressed air entering the air dehumidifier from the air compressor, thereby being operable to remove a substantial quantity of moisture from the desiccative chemical composition for ventilation to the ambient air and regeneration of said chemical composition due to the relative humidity differential between entering compressed air and discharged compressed air.