Automatic leveling system

• US 5,143,386 A
• Filed: 11/28/1990
• Issued: 09/01/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jorge Uriarte
• Original Assignee: Jorge Uriarte
• Inventors: Uriarte, Jorge
• Primary Examiner(s): Rice, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US07/618,940
• Time in Patent Office: 643 Days
• Field of Search: 280/840, 280/6.1, 280/6.12, 280/707, 280/DIG. 1, 180/41
• US Class Current: 254/418
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 9/02 for only lifting or supporting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 280/01 Load responsive, leveling of vehicle

Abstract

A system for automatically leveling a vehicle, such as a recreational vehicle installed with a plurality of extensible jacks and disposed at strategic positions on the vehicle underside, and responsive to an automatic level control electronics to extend simultaneously all of the jacks and at different speeds as determined by the angle of vehicle versus gravity and bring vehicle to a level condition. The jacks are stopped when they are use higher current than that used before the jacks contact the ground, to assure ground contact, and the vehicle is level.

Claims

1. In an apparatus for leveling a vehicle, including a plurality of jacks mounted at different locations to the vehicle, and control means for selectively controlling said jacks to extend and contract, the improvement wherein said control means comprises a level sensor for providing output signals corresponding to the degree of tilt of separate axes extending between said jacks, and means responsive to separate ones of said output signals for energizing separate said jacks to extend or contract independently of one another, where a plurality of said jacks may be energized simultaneously, thereby increasing the speed of leveling of said vehicle.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said means for energizing said jacks comprises means responsive to said output signals for simultaneously energizing the jacks adjacent the two lowest corners of said vehicle.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said control means comprises means for expanding said jacks at a constant rate.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said control means comprises means for stopping expansion of each said jack in response to the sensing of a respective level at the corresponding axis by said sensor.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an indicator responsive to the output of said sensor for indicating the tilt of the vehicle along each of said axes.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said sensor is mounted to the bottom of said vehicle at a central position thereof and separately removably connected to each of said jacks.

7. In an apparatus for leveling a vehicle, including a plurality of jacks mounted at different locations to the vehicle, and control means for selectively controlling said jacks to extend and contract, the improvement wherein said control means comprises a level sensor for providing output signals corresponding to the degree of tilt of axes extending between said jacks, and means for simultaneously energizing at least two of said jacks to extend or contract, thereby increasing the speed of leveling of said vehicle, each of said jacks including means for producing a first signal when the respective jack is in its uppermost position, and means for producing a pulse train of pulses at a rate corresponding to the rate of extension of the respective jack, said control means comprising means responsive to said first signal for stopping the respective jack and means responsive to said pulse train for monitoring the speed of expansion of said jack.

8. In an apparatus for leveling a vehicle, including a plurality of jacks mounted at different locations to the vehicle, and control means for selectively controlling said jacks to extend and contract, the improvement wherein said control means comprises a level sensor for providing output signals corresponding to the degree of tilt of axes extending between said jacks, and means for simultaneously energizing at least two of said jacks to extend or contract, thereby increasing the speed of leveling of said vehicle, said means for simultaneously energizing said jacks comprising means for energizing said jacks to expand at a rate proportional to the tilt along the respective axes.

9. In an apparatus for leveling a vehicle, including a plurality of jacks mounted at different locations to the vehicle, and control means for selectively controlling said jacks to extend and contract, the improvement wherein said control means comprises a level sensor for providing output signals corresponding to the degree of tilt of axes extending between said jacks, and means for simultaneously energizing at least two of said jacks to extend or contract, thereby increasing the speed of leveling of said vehicle, said means for simultaneously energizing said jacks comprising means for energizing only the jack at the lowest corner of said vehicle until it attains the level of the next lowest corner, and then simultaneously energizing the jacks that were initially at the lowest and next lowest corners.

10. In an apparatus for leveling a vehicle, including a plurality of jacks mounted at different locations to the vehicle, and control means for selectively controlling said jacks to extend and contract, the improvement wherein said control means comprises a level sensor for providing output signals corresponding to the degree of tilt of axes extending between said jacks, and means for simultaneously energizing at least two of said jacks to extend or contract, thereby increasing the speed of leveling of said vehicle, said level sensor comprising a cavity having changers with curved bottom sections extending parallel to said axes, capacitor plates on opposition sides of said chambers, and a dielectric liquid partially filling said cavity.

11. A method for leveling a vehicle by a plurality of jacks, wherein each jack is adjacent a respective corner of said vehicle, comprising sensing the degree of tilt of the vehicle along a plurality of axes parallel to lines that extend through the axis of at least one of said jacks, with separate sensors, and simultaneously independently expanding at least two of said jacks in response to outputs of separate said sensors that correspond to the lowest corners of the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said step of expanding said jacks comprises expanding said jacks at a constant rate.

13. A method for leveling a vehicle with four jacks located in the vicinity of separate corners of the vehicle, comprising sensing the tilt of the vehicle along a pair of diagonals parallel to lines extending through diagonally opposite jacks, with separate sensors, then simultaneously independently expanding the two jacks corresponding to the lowest corners of said vehicle in response to the outputs of separate said sensors.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said step of expanding said two jacks comprises initially expanding only the jack corresponding to the lowest corner of said vehicle, and then simultaneously energizing said two jacks when the corner of the vehicle that was initially the lowest corner reaches the level of the next lowest corner.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein said step of expanding said jacks comprises expanding said jacks at a rate proportional to the tilt along the respective axis.

16. A method for leveling a vehicle by a plurality of jacks, wherein each jack is adjacent a respective corner of said vehicle, comprising sensing the tilt of the vehicle along a plurality of axes, parallel to lines that extend through the axis of at least one of said jacks, and simultaneously expanding at least two of said jacks that correspond to the lowest corners of the vehicle, said step of expanding comprising expanding said jacks at a rate proportional to the tilt of the respective axis.

17. In an apparatus for leveling a vehicle including four jacks arranged to raise separate corners of the vehicle, the improvement comprising a tilt sensor mounted to said vehicle for sensing the degree of tilt of the vehicle along a pair of axes parallel to lines passing through the axes of diagonally opposite jacks, and control means responsive to the outputs of the sensors for simultaneously independently expanding at least the two jacks at the lowest corners of the vehicle in response to the outputs of separate sensors.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said control means comprises processing means mounted to the bottom of the vehicle adjacent said sensor and separately connected to said jacks, and a control unit mounted within said vehicle for control by a user.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said control means comprises means for controlling said jacks to expand at a substantially constant rate.

20. In an apparatus for leveling a vehicle including four jacks arranged to raise separate corners of the vehicle, the improvement comprising a tilt sensor mounted to said vehicle for sensing the tilt of the vehicle along a pair of axes parallel to lines passing through the axes of diagonally opposite jacks, and control means responsive to the output of the sensor for simultaneously expanding at least the two jacks at the lowest corners of the vehicle, said control means comprising means for controlling said jacks to expand at a rate responsive to the output of said sensor.

21. An apparatus for leveling a vehicle having a body, four wheels for supporting said body and four jacks positioned in the vicinity of separate corners of said body, for raising and lowering said body, said apparatus comprising a main control unit mounted to the underside of said body and including a level sensor positioned at the junction of a pair of diagonal lines extending through said jacks, and a terminal control unit mounted within said vehicle, said main control unit having a separate releasable connecting means directed toward each of said jacks, and a separate modular connector and conductor connecting each connecting means to the switch of the respective jack, said modular connectors being connectable to the different connecting means in different directions to thereby minimize the possibility of connecting a modular connector to the wrong connecting means.

22. An apparatus for leveling a vehicle having a body, four wheels for supporting said body and four jacks positioned in the vicinity of separate corners of said body, for raising and lowering said body, said apparatus comprising a main control unit mounted to the underside of said body and including a level sensor positioned at the junction of a pair of diagonal lines extending through said jacks, said level sensor comprising a member with a cross shaped cavity, the arms of which are aligned with said diagonal lines, each arm of said sensor defining a separate capacitor, and a dielectric liquid partially filling said cavity.