Vehicle height detecting system

• US 4,741,206 A
• Filed: 12/15/1986
• Issued: 05/03/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kabune, Hideki, Itou, Masami, Kamiya, Kohji, Miyake, Kiyoshi, Nakashima, Noriyuki, Ishiguro, Yoshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): MYRACLE, JERRY
• Application Number:
  US06/942,082
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: 73/118.1, 73/1 J, 73/1 D, 280/6 R, 280/6 H, 280/DIG. 1, 340/686
• US Class Current: 73/117.01
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0185 for failure detection

Abstract

A vehicle height sensor includes switching circuits which are turned on and off in accordance with height of a vehicle. The vehicle height sensor is driven when a drive signal is outputted to the sensor. A preset voltage is fed to terminals of the respective switching circuits via resistors. Voltages at the terminals are outputted as vehicle height data having bits corresponding to the respective switching circuits. When the output of the drive signal is suspended, the vehicle height data are read as vehicle height sensor malfunction detecting data. The malfunction detecting data are compared to preset reference data. The vehicle height sensor is judged to be wrong when the malfunction detecting data differ from the preset reference data.

Claims

1. A vehicle height detecting system comprising:

(a) a vehicle height sensor including switching circuits which are turned on and off in accordance with height of a vehicle;

(b) means for outputting a drive signal to the vehicle height sensor and thereby driving the vehicle height sensor;

(c) means for feeding a present voltage to terminals of the respective switching circuits and outputting voltages at the terminals as vehicle height data having bits corresponding to the respective switching circuits;

(d) means for, when the driving means suspends the output of the drive signal, reading the vehicle height data as vehicle height sensor malfunction detecting data; and

;

(e) means for comparing the malfunction detecting data with preset reference data and judging the vehicle height sensor to be wrong when the malfunction detecting data differ from the preset reference data.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising means for alarming when the vehicle height sensor is judged to be wrong.

3. A vehicle height detecting system comprising:

(a) vehicle height sensors each of which includes switching circuits turned on and off in accordance with height of a vehicle;

(b) means for outputting drive signals to the vehicle height sensors sequentially and thereby driving the vehicle height sensors in turn;

(c) means for feeding a preset voltage to terminals of each of the vehicle height sensors and outputting voltages at the terminals of each of the vehicle height sensors as vehicle height data having bits corresponding to the respective switching circuits in each of the vehicle height sensors;

(d) means for, when the driving means suspends the output of each of the drive signals, reading the vehicle height data as vehicle height sensor malfunction detecting data; and

(e) means for comparing the malfunction detecting data with preset reference data and judging at least one of the vehicle height sensors to be wrong when the malfunction detecting data differ from the preset reference data.

4. The system of claim 3 further comprising means for alarming when at least one of the vehicle height sensors is judged to be wrong.

5. A system comprising:

a sensor for detecting height of a vehicle;

means for selectively activating and deactivating the sensor;

means for monitoring a condition of the sensor when the sensor is deactivated; and

means for detecting a malfunction of the sensor on the basis of the monitored condition of the sensor,

wherein the sensor includes an output terminal via which a signal representative of the detected vehicle height is outputted, and the monitoring means is operative to monitor an electrical condition of the output terminal of the sensor.

6. A system comprising:

a sensor for detecting height of a vehicle;

means for selectively activating and deactivating the sensor;

means for monitoring a condition of the sensor when the sensor is deactivated; and

means for detecting a malfunction of the sensor on the basis of the monitored condition of the sensor,

wherein the malfunction detecting means comprises means for comparing the monitored condition of the sensor with a reference condition corresponding to a normal state of the sensor, and means for judging the sensor to be wrong when the monitored condition differs from the reference condition.

7. A system comprising:

a sensor for detecting height of a vehicle;

means for selectively activating and deactivating the sensor;

means for monitoring a condition of the sensor when the sensor is deactivated;

means for detecting a malfunction of the sensor on the basis of the monitored condition of the sensor; and

means for alarming when the malfunction of the sensor is detected.