System for sensing level change in vehicles

• US 7,221,265 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2003
• Issued: 05/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kongsberg Automotive ASA
• Original Assignee: Kongsberg Automotive ASA
• Inventors: Bjorkgard, Sven
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu; Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, LAM P
• Application Number:
  US10/529,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20050271464A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,336 Days
• Field of Search: 340/440, 280/124.1, 280/124.11, 280/124.157, 280/124.16, 403/114, 403/122, 701 37- 38, 701/70
• US Class Current: 340/440
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/019 characterised by the type of sensor or the arrangement thereof B60G17/01941 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/11 Mounting of sensors thereon
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/416 Ball or spherical joints
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/25 Stroke; Height; Displacement
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 7/005 Ball joints B60G7/006 takes precedence; for steering linkage B62D7/16; ball joints per se F16C11/06
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 11/0609 made from two or more parts
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2326/05 Vehicle suspensions, e.g. bearings, pivots or connecting rods used therein
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/32565 Ball and socket with restricted movement about one axis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/32631 Universal ball and socket

Abstract

A system for sensing relative position between chassis (5a, 5b) and axle (3) on a vehicle, which vehicle is provided with a so-called V-rod (1) mounted between the chassis (5a, 5b) and the axle (3) where the pointed end of the V is connected by a ball joint (2) to the axle (3) of the vehicle and the opposite ends (1a, 1b) of the V-rod (1) are connected to the chassis (5a, 5b) of the vehicle, which ball joint (2) comprises a partly ball-shaped body (8) permanently fixed to the axle or the v-rod, encircled by a complementarily shaped collar (9) arranged round the whole or parts of the ball-shaped body (8) which ball joint (2) is covered by a cap or housing. The system is characterised in that on the ball (8) or in connection with the housing in the ball joint there are mounted a sensor (6) and an identification area (7) which is detected by the sensor (6) respectively, which identification area (7) is provided with information for registering position in at least one direction and that the sensor (6) registers the position of the identification area (7) in at least one direction.

Claims

1. A system for sensing relative position between a chassis and an axle on a vehicle, which vehicle is provided with a V-rod mounted between the chassis and the axle where a pointed end of the V is connected by a ball joint to the axle of the vehicle and opposite ends of the V-rod are connected to the chassis of the vehicle, which ball joint comprises a partly ball-shaped body permanently fixed to the axle or the V-rod, encircled by a complementarily shaped collar arranged round the whole or parts of the ball-shaped body, which ball joint is covered by a cap or housing, wherein on the ball or in connection with the housing in the ball joint there are mounted a sensor and an identification area which is detected by the sensor respectively, which identification area is provided with information for registering position in at least one direction and that the sensor registers the position of the identification area in at least one direction.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the identification area which is detected by the sensor is provided with information for registering position in two directions and the sensor registers the position of the identification area in the two directions.

3. A system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sensor is of a type that detects the identification area in one of the following ways:

mechanical identification, distance identification with light, distance identification based on surface state as light reflection, magnetic identification or ultrasound.

4. A system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the identification area is provided with information consisting of a number of individual, dissimilar sections with different characteristics such as:

reflecting power, material thickness, surface state or mechanical profile.

5. A system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the identification area which is detected by the sensor is provided with information for registering position in two directions where the information in one of the directions provides progressive sensing while the information in the other direction provides sensing of the extreme points and the sensor progressively registers the position of the identification area in one of the two directions, in addition to which the sensor registers extreme points in the second of the two directions.

6. A system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the identification area which is detected by a sensor is provided with information for registering the position in two directions where the information in both directions provides progressive sensing so that the sensor(s) progressively registers the position of the identification area in one or both of the two directions.

7. A system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the information in the identification area is provided with a majority of individual sections for progressive detection of the position and a minority of individual sections for registering position at the extreme points.

8. A system according to claim 3, wherein the sensor is connected to the identification via a mechanical connection.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein the sensor is a torsion potentiometer.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein a signal representing the detected position in one or two directions is transmitted from the sensor to a processing unit, which in the event of rapid changes of position activates an alarm signal for play in the ball bearing.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein a signal representing the detected distance in the direction representing heeling is transmitted from the sensor to a processing unit where accumulated heeling relative to a neutral starting point is registered, and which processing unit activates an alarm signal for dangerous heeling when the accumulated distance representing heeling exceeds a predetermined value.