Electronic proportional leveling control system for recreational vehicles

• US 7,407,189 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2005
• Issued: 08/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valid Manufacturing Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Valid Manufacturing Ltd.
• Inventors: Fenkhuber, Jack, Hiebert, Grant
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming; Faye M.
• Application Number:
  US11/287,246
• Publication Number:
  US 20070120350A1
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• Field of Search: 280/766.1, 280/6.15, 280/6.153, 280/6.154, 280/6.155, 280/6.157, 280/6.159
• US Class Current: 280/766.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 9/12 of telescopic type

Abstract

Microprocessors read the tilt of a vehicle as indicated by lateral and longitudinal tilt sensors, and predict the amount of jack actuation needed to level the vehicle. Once an attempt is made to level the vehicle, the system may pause for a configurable amount of time to allow the oscillations of the vehicle to subside. Once the vehicle motion, if any, has stopped, the tilt angles of the vehicle are once again checked and any further actuation of the jacks is taken to fine tune the attitude of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method of proportional leveling of a recreational vehicle having at least one tilt sensor and at least three jacks, at least two of which are laterally spaced apart and at least two of which are longitudinally spaced apart along the vehicle, and wherein the jacks have all been brought into contact with the ground, the method comprising the steps of:

proportionally laterally leveling the vehicle by sequentially;

(a) identifying a low side of the vehicle, and if no side is lower than the other then taking no further action if the vehicle has already longitudinally levelled, and otherwise, if no side is lower than the other, commencing to longitudinally level the vehicle,

(b) calculating first time periods required to extend at least one jack of the at least three jacks, wherein the at least one jack is on the identified low side, in order to bring the vehicle to a first estimated level position laterally,

(c) extending the at least one jack on the identified low side for the calculated first time periods to achieve the first estimated level position laterally,

(d) pausing as necessary to let vehicle motion if any subside,

(e) re-checking the lateral leveling of the vehicle and if not yet laterally level then re-executing the steps (b) to (d) to laterally level the vehicle using at least one, of the jacks of said at least one jack on the identified low side, and

(f) if a laterally level position has been exceeded, and the vehicle has gone past laterally level, for at least one of the jacks of said at least one jack then;

(i) calculating second time periods required to retract the at least one of the jacks of said at least one jack on the identified low side in order to bring the vehicle to a level position laterally, and

(ii) retracting the at least one of the jacks of said at least one jack on the identified low side for the calculated second time periods to achieve the level position laterally,

proportionally longitudinally leveling the vehicle by sequentially;

(g) identifying a low end of the vehicle, and if no end of the vehicle is lower than the other end of the vehicle then taking no further action if the vehicle has already been laterally levelled, and, if no end of the vehicle is lower than the other end, otherwise commencing to laterally level the vehicle,

(h) calculating third time periods required to extend at least one jack of the at least three jacks, wherein the at least one jack is on the identified low end, in order to bring the vehicle to a first estimated level position longitudinally,

(i) extending the at least one jack on the identified low end for the calculated third periods to achieve the first estimated level position longitudinally,

(j) pausing as necessary to let vehicle motion if any subside,

(k) re-checking the longitudinal leveling of the vehicle and if not yet longitudinally level then re-executing the steps (h) to (j) to longitudinally level the vehicle using at least one of the jacks of said at least one jack on the identified low end, and

(l) if the longitudinally level position has been exceeded and the vehicle has gone past longitudinally level, for at least one of the jacks of said at least one jack then;

(i) calculating fourth time periods required to retract the at least one of the jacks of said at least one jack on the identified low end in order to bring the vehicle to a level position longitudinally, and

(ii) retracting the at least one of the jacks of said at least one jack on the identified low end for the calculated fourth time periods to achieve the level position longitudinally.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising the further steps, once steps (a) to (f) and (g) to (l) of claim 1 have been executed, of:

if steps (a) to (f) of claim 1 were executed before steps (g) to (l) of claim 1, then re-checking the lateral leveling of the vehicle and if not yet laterally level then re-executing the steps (b) to (d) of claim 1 to laterally level the vehicle using calculated fifth time periods to achieve a level position laterally, and if a laterally level position has been exceeded, and the vehicle has gone past laterally level, then re-executing the step (f) of claim 1 to achieve a level position laterally, or

if steps (g) to (l) of claim 1 were executed before steps (a) to (f) of claim 1, then re-checking the longitudinal leveling of the vehicle and if not yet longitudinally level then re-executing the steps (h) to (j) of claim 1 to longitudinally level the vehicle using calculated sixth time periods to achieve a level position longitudinally and if the longitudinally level position has been exceeded and the vehicle has gone past longitudinally level, then re-executing the step (l) of claim 1 to achieve a level position longitudinally.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said steps of calculating the time periods to extend at least one jack of the at least three jacks is calculated using configurable constants.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said step of calculating the time periods to extend at least one jack of the at least three jacks is calculated using configurable constants.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least three jacks consists of only three jacks.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said three jacks include one jack mounted at a first end, and the remaining two jacks mounted at an opposite second end and laterally spaced apart from one another.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein said at least three jacks consists of only three jacks.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said three jacks include one jack mounted at a first end, and the remaining two jacks mounted at an opposite second end and laterally spaced apart from one another.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least three jacks includes four jacks.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said four jacks are mounted at four separate corners of the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 2 wherein said at least three jacks includes four jacks.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said four jacks are mounted at four separate corners of the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of providing at least one lateral axis tilt sensor and at least one longitudinal axis tilt sensor as said tilt sensor.

14. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of providing at least one lateral axis tilt sensor and at least one longitudinal axis tilt sensor as said tilt sensor.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein said tilt sensor includes at least one accelerometer tilt sensor.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein said tilt sensor includes at least one accelerometer tilt sensor.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein said at least one lateral axis tilt sensor and said at least one longitudinal axis tilt sensor are all accelerometer tilt sensors.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein said at least one lateral axis tilt sensor and said at least one longitudinal axis tilt sensor are all accelerometer tilt sensors.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of identifying which of the at least three jacks is in contact with the highest ground elevation and therefore is a reference jack, and thereafter until leveling is achieved only actuating jacks of the at least three jacks which are not said reference jack.

20. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of identifying which of the at least three jacks is in contact with the highest ground elevation and therefore is a reference jack, and thereafter until leveling is achieved only actuating jacks of the at least three jacks which are not said reference jack.

21. The method of claim 3 wherein said configurable constants are lateral roll rates and longitudinal pitch rates.

22. The method of claim 4 wherein said configurable constants are lateral roll rates and longitudinal pitch rates.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein said configurable constants are determined by automatic tuning of said at least three jacks to determine said roll and pitch rates imparted by individual jacks of said at least three jacks.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein said configurable constants are determined by automatic tuning of said at least three jacks to determine said roll and pitch rates imparted by individual jacks of said at least three jacks.

25. The method of claim 12 wherein the at least one of the jacks of said at least one jack are two jacks of said four jacks, and said two jacks on the low side of the vehicle, said two jacks autonomously actuable so as to attain said level position laterally of both said ends of said vehicle.