Vehicle provided with inclination sensor

• US 7,204,621 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2004
• Issued: 04/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi FUSO Truck & Bus Corporation (Daimler Truck Holding AG), Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi FUSO Truck & Bus Corporation (Daimler Truck Holding AG)
• Inventors: Hayashi, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Luebke; Renee
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shallenberger; Julie A.
• Application Number:
  US10/939,951
• Publication Number:
  US 20050088290A1
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• Field of Search: 362/464, 362/465, 362/466, 362/467, 362/802, 200/51.A, 200/61.52
• US Class Current: 362/466
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/02 for radio sets, television sets, telephones, or the like; Arrangement of controls thereof

Abstract

To prevent an inclination sensor of a vehicle from becoming soiled by flying matter such as muddy water splashes scattered by the rotating wheels of the vehicle itself, which may result in false detection of the inclination of the vehicle to a road surface, a vehicle provided with an inclination sensor for detecting the inclination of vehicle to road surface is proposed, wherein the sensor is attached onto the undersurface of the vehicle at a position between the wheels in the direction of the width of the vehicle, and a cover member having at least either of a side cover portion for covering the wheel side of the inclination sensor or a rear side portion for covering the rear side of the inclination sensor in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is provided.

Claims

1. A vehicle provided with an inclination sensor for detecting an inclination of the vehicle to a road surface, wherein said sensor is attached onto an undersurface of the vehicle at a position between the wheels in a direction of a width of the vehicle, and a cover member having at least either of a side cover portion for covering the wheel side of the inclination sensor or a rear side portion for covering the rear side of the inclination sensor is provided, wherein the cover member is configured to permit radiation from the sensor to be reflected from the road surface, wherein said cover member is provided with a front cover portion for covering the front side of the inclination sensor.

2. The vehicle provided with an inclination sensor according to claim 1, wherein said inclination sensor is fixed to the vehicle by a bracket to which said cover member is attached detachably.

3. The vehicle provided with an inclination sensor according to claim 2, wherein said inclination sensor is an ultrasonic wave sensor comprising ultrasonic wave radiators for radiating an ultrasonic wave, ultrasonic wave detectors for detecting the ultrasonic wave, and a case in which the ultrasonic wave radiators and ultrasonic wave detectors are mounted;

the case is formed to have conically shaped parts, each broadening in diameter from each of the ultrasonic wave radiators and detectors toward the road surface, and said cover member is located such that the lower end thereof does not interfere with each of the extension of the conically shaped parts.

4. The vehicle provided with an inclination sensor according to claim 1, wherein a head lamp controller is provided for controlling the light axes of the head lamps of the vehicle.

5. The vehicle provided with an inclination sensor according to claim 1, wherein said inclination sensor is a laser sensor.

6. The vehicle provided with an inclination sensor according to claim 3, wherein two pairs of ultrasonic wave radiators and ultrasonic wave detectors are attached to said case, each pair consisting of an ultrasonic wave radiator and an ultrasonic wave detector.

7. The vehicle provided with an inclination sensor according to claim 3, wherein said downward broadening part is formed to have a broadening angle of 120°

.

8. The vehicle provided with an inclination sensor according to claim 1, wherein said inclination sensor is fixed to the vehicle by a bracket to which said cover member is attached detachably.

9. The vehicle provided with an inclination sensor according to claim 3, wherein a head lamp controller is provided for controlling the light axes of the head lamps of the vehicle.