JP2000301927A - Vehicle height adjuster for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inexpensive pneumatic vehicle-height adjuster for a vehicle with reduced energy consumption. SOLUTION: This adjuster has an air chamber 12 arranged between a body side-member 10 and a wheel side-member 11, and constituted volume-changeably to hold a vehicle height by inside air pressure, a pneumatic source (air tank 100) of a supply source for supplying air to the air chamber 12, a compressor 102 for supplying the air to the pneumatic source, a vehicle height adjusting means 50 for supplying the air from the source into the air chamber 12 or releasing the air inside the chamber 12 to the atmosphere to adjust the vehicle height, and a control means for controlling the vehicle height adjusting means 50. The compressor 102 supplys the air to the pneumatic source utilizing repeated fluctuation of a relative distance between the body side-member 10 and the wheel side-member 11 accompanied to vertical movement of the vehicle height.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle height adjusting device, and more particularly, to a vehicle height adjusting device provided between a vehicle body-side member and a wheel-side member to maintain the vehicle height by an internal pressure in an air chamber having a variable volume. The present invention also relates to a pneumatic vehicle height adjustment device that adjusts a vehicle height by supplying air to an air chamber or discharging air from the air chamber.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a vehicle height adjustment device mounted on a suspension system of a vehicle, a pneumatic vehicle height adjustment that makes it possible to adjust the vehicle height by adjusting the supply and exhaust of air to and from an air chamber using air pressure. An apparatus is known, for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-151.
No. 928 is disclosed. This pneumatic vehicle height adjustment device is disposed between a vehicle body-side member and a wheel-side member, is configured to be variable in volume, and uses an internal air pressure to maintain a vehicle height, and supplies air to the air chamber. A compressor to be supplied, an electric motor for driving the compressor, and a vehicle height for changing the volume of the air chamber and adjusting the vehicle height by supplying air compressed by the compressor to the air chamber or releasing the air in the air chamber to the atmosphere. It has an adjusting means and a control means for controlling the vehicle height adjusting means.

[0003]

However, this vehicle height adjusting device requires a drive source such as an electric motor for driving a compressor, and thus causes an increase in the cost of the entire system.

Further, power for operating a drive source such as an electric motor is consumed only for adjusting the vehicle height, which is contrary to the demand for reducing power consumption.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has as its object to provide an inexpensive pneumatic vehicle height adjustment device that consumes less energy.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 is arranged between a vehicle body-side member and a wheel-side member so as to be variable in volume and to reduce the internal air pressure. An air chamber that maintains the vehicle height by utilizing the air chamber, an air pressure source that is a supply source that supplies air to the air chamber, a compressor that supplies air to the air pressure source, and supplies air from the air pressure source to the air chamber. Or vehicle height adjusting means for adjusting the vehicle height by changing the volume of the air chamber by releasing the air in the air chamber to the atmosphere, and control means for controlling the vehicle height adjusting means, wherein the compressor is A vehicle height adjusting device for supplying air to the air pressure source by using a repetitive variation of a relative distance between the vehicle body side member and the wheel side member due to a vertical movement of the vehicle height. .

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a conventional drive source that requires power consumption such as an electric motor is used as a drive source for a compressor that generates a pneumatic pressure source necessary for adjusting a pneumatic vehicle height. In other words, the system uses the repetitive variation of the relative distance between the vehicle body side member and the wheel side member due to the repetitive variation of the vehicle height that always occurs during traveling, eliminating the need for a drive source for driving the compressor. Cost can be reduced. In addition, since power consumption for driving the compressor is not generated,
This makes it possible to reduce the overall power consumption required for the vehicle height adjustment control.

[0008] The invention described in claim 2 is the first invention.
A cylinder integrally fixed to the vehicle body-side member, a piston integrally fixed to the wheel-side member, and airtightly disposed to be vertically movable in the cylinder. And a discharge valve that allows only the flow of air from inside the cylinder to the air pressure source.

By adopting such a configuration, the piston in the cylinder is moved relative to the cylinder by the repetitive fluctuation of the relative distance between the vehicle body side member and the wheel side member due to the repetitive fluctuation of the vehicle height which always occurs during traveling. The cylinder moves up and down relatively repeatedly, and as a result, the cylinder volume formed by the cylinder and the piston fluctuates repeatedly. In the repeated vertical movement of the piston with respect to the cylinder, the discharge valve closes and the suction valve opens in conjunction with the increase in the cylinder volume during the downward movement of the piston,
Air flows from the atmosphere into the cylinder. On the other hand, in the upward stroke of the piston, the suction valve closes and the discharge valve opens in conjunction with the decrease in the cylinder volume, and the air in the cylinder is forcibly supplied to the air pressure source. Such vertical movement of the piston is repeatedly performed by the repetitive fluctuation of the vehicle height due to the running of the vehicle, so that sufficient compressed air for performing vehicle height adjustment is accumulated in the air pressure source, and stable pneumatic vehicle height adjustment control is performed. It can be performed.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a mechanical structure related to one wheel of a vehicle height adjusting device according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a vehicle body-side member,
11 is a wheel side member. The wheel side member 11 is provided with a wheel connecting portion 11z at a lower end thereof.
It is connected to wheels (not shown) via z. An air chamber 12 having a variable volume is provided between the vehicle body-side member 10 and the wheel-side member 11. The vehicle height is supported by the member 11. The air chamber 12
Is provided with a communication hole 121 through which air flows with the vehicle height adjustment means 50 described later. If air is supplied from the vehicle height adjustment means 50 into the air chamber 12 through the communication hole 121, the air The height of the vehicle increases due to the increase in the volume of the chamber 12, and the vehicle height adjusting means 50 is moved from the inside of the air chamber 12 through the communication hole 121.
When the air is exhausted, the volume of the air chamber 12 decreases, so that the vehicle height decreases. That is, the vehicle height can be adjusted by adjusting the amount of air in the air chamber 12 by the vehicle height adjusting means 50.

Reference numeral 102 denotes a compressor, which is a point of the present invention. The compressor 102 includes a cylindrical cylinder 110 integrally fixed to a lower part of the vehicle body side member 10 in the air chamber 12 and an upper part of the wheel side member 11. And a piston 111 hermetically disposed so as to be movable up and down relatively in the cylinder 110, and allows only air to flow from the atmosphere into the cylinder 110 and does not allow flow in the opposite direction. The intake valve 112 and a discharge valve 113 permitting only the flow of air from the cylinder 110 to an air tank 100 (air pressure source) described later and not permitting the flow in the reverse direction. With such a configuration, the compressor 102 operates as follows. That is, the piston 111 in the cylinder 110 repeatedly moves up and down relative to the cylinder 110 due to the repeated change in the relative distance between the vehicle body-side member 10 and the wheel-side member 11 due to the repeated change in the vehicle height that always occurs during traveling. As a result, the cylinder volume formed by the cylinder 110 and the piston 111 repeatedly fluctuates.
In the reciprocating vertical movement of the piston 111 with respect to the cylinder 110, the discharge valve 113 is closed and the suction valve 112 is opened in conjunction with the increase in the cylinder volume during the downward movement of the piston 111, and the air flows from the atmosphere into the cylinder 110. Flows in. On the other hand, in the upward movement stroke of the piston 111, the suction valve 112 closes and the discharge valve 113 opens in conjunction with the decrease in the cylinder volume, and the air in the cylinder 110 is forcibly supplied to the air tank 100. Such vertical movement of the piston 111 is repeatedly performed by the repetitive fluctuation of the vehicle height due to the running of the vehicle, so that the air tank 10
In the case of 0, sufficient compressed air for performing vehicle height adjustment is accumulated, and can function as an air pressure source for performing stable pneumatic vehicle height adjustment control.

As described above, the relative distance between the vehicle body-side member and the wheel-side member as a driving source of the compressor for generating the air pressure source necessary for adjusting the pneumatic vehicle height due to the repetitive fluctuation of the vehicle height which always occurs during traveling. Since a repetitive variation of the above is used, a driving source for driving the compressor is not required, and it is possible to contribute to cost reduction of the entire system. Further, since power consumption for driving the compressor is not generated, it is possible to reduce the power consumption as a whole required for the vehicle height adjustment control.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a more specific embodiment of the vehicle height adjusting device according to the present invention in FIG. In FIG. 2 and subsequent figures, the same or equivalent members as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those described above, and duplicate description will be omitted.

The specific embodiment shown in FIG. 2 differs from the schematic diagram shown in FIG. 1 in that a damping force generating mechanism is provided. That is, the inside of the cylindrical wheel-side member 11 is an oil chamber, and a vertically extending rod 60 integrally fixed below the body-side member 10 is liquid-tightly moved vertically in the oil chamber. The cylindrical flange portion 60a provided at the lower end of the rod 60 is inserted into the upper chamber 61 of the oil chamber.
And a lower chamber 62 in a liquid-tight manner. The flange portion 60a is provided with an orifice 60aa, and the hydraulic oil in the upper chamber 61 and the hydraulic oil in the lower chamber 62 can be mutually circulated only through the orifice 60aa.
In such a configuration, when the relative distance between the vehicle body side member 10 and the wheel side member 11 fluctuates due to the vehicle running and the vehicle height fluctuating, the oil chamber in the wheel side member 11 is flanged in conjunction therewith. The portion 60a moves up and down. In this case, in order for the flange portion 60a to move up and down in the oil chamber, the hydraulic oil in the upper chamber 61 and the hydraulic oil in the lower chamber 62
It must pass through the orifice 60aa. Here, when the hydraulic oil passes through the orifice 60aa, a differential pressure is generated between the hydraulic oil in the upper chamber 61 and the hydraulic oil in the lower chamber 62, and this differential pressure is applied to the vehicle body side member 10 and the wheel. This serves as a damping force for suppressing a change in the relative distance from the side member 11, and in this respect, a damping force generating mechanism is configured. In FIG. 2, a suction valve 112 is provided on the vehicle body side member 10 and communicates between the atmosphere and the cylinder chamber.
b and a leaf 112a.
Are discharge holes 113b and leaves 113a provided in the vehicle body side member 10 and communicating the air tank 100 with the cylinder chamber.
It is composed of

As described above, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 according to the present invention, the compressor 10 is provided in the air chamber 12.
2 is arranged, but the compressor 10 is provided outside the air chamber 12.
2 may be arranged.

Next, a specific control method of the vehicle height adjusting apparatus according to the present invention having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3 is a control circuit diagram of the entire vehicle height adjusting apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 3 shows an example in which a compressor, which is a point of the present invention, is applied to only two rear wheels in a four-wheel vehicle. The reason for using only the rear two wheels is that the rear two wheels tend to have a greater vehicle height variation than the front two wheels due to the characteristics of the vehicle, so that the compressor function can be exhibited efficiently. . It goes without saying that there is no problem if the compressor is used for all four wheels.
In addition, in FIG. 3, regarding the suffixes attached to the reference numerals, “a” relates to the right front wheel, “b” relates to the right rear wheel, “c” relates to the left front wheel, and “d” relates to the left rear wheel. The ones related to the rings are shown.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 100 denotes an air tank (pneumatic pressure source). The air tank 100 is connected to the discharge valves 113 of the two compressors 102 on the rear two wheels. As described above, high-pressure air pumped by the compressor 102 is accumulated in the air tank 100, and the vehicle height of each wheel is adjusted using the high-pressure air as an air pressure source.

The air tank 100 is connected via a stop valve (normally-closed electromagnetic on-off valve) 101 to vehicle height adjusting valves (normally-closed electromagnetic on-off valves) 13a to 13d for controlling the vehicle height of each wheel. Through these vehicle height adjustment valves 13a to 13d,
Further, the flow holes 121 of the air chambers 12a to 12d are respectively provided.
a to 121d. The vehicle height adjustment valve 13
The flow path between a to 13d and the stop valve 101 is further connected to an atmosphere release valve (normally closed electromagnetic on-off valve) 16. These stop valve 101, vehicle height adjusting valves 13a to 13
The vehicle height adjusting means 50 is formed by d and the atmosphere release valve 16. Each of the valves forming the vehicle height adjusting means 50 is normally closed.

The stop valve 101 and the vehicle height adjusting valve 13
The vehicle height adjusting means 50 formed by a to 13d and the atmosphere release valve 16 is controlled by the microcomputer 20 (control means). The microcomputer 20 is configured based on signals from various sensors / switches 21 such as a pressure sensor, a load sensor, an acceleration sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, an accelerator opening sensor, a vehicle height adjustment switch, and a door switch. The optimum vehicle heights of the four wheels at the moment are calculated independently, and the vehicle height adjusting means 50 is controlled so that the actual vehicle height of each wheel becomes the same as the calculation result.
The vehicle height is adjusted by adjusting the amount of air in 2a to 12d.

In the following, how the microcomputer 20 controls the vehicle height adjusting means 50 in the vehicle height adjustment will be specifically described. As typical examples, focusing on the right front wheel, a case where the vehicle height of only the right front wheel is increased, a case where the vehicle height is decreased, and a case where the vehicle height is maintained will be described.

First, when increasing the vehicle height of only the right front wheel,
The microcomputer 20 supplies the exciting current only to the stop valve 101 and the vehicle height adjusting valve 13a, and the stop valve 1
01 and the vehicle height adjustment valve 13a are opened (the other valves are closed). As a result, the air tank 100 communicates with the air chamber 12a of the right front wheel, and high-pressure air in the air tank 100 is forcibly supplied into the air chamber 12a of the right front wheel, so that the volume in the air chamber 12a increases, Height rises.

When lowering the vehicle height of only the right front wheel, the microcomputer 20 supplies the exciting current only to the air release valve 16 and the vehicle height adjustment valve 13a, and opens the air release valve 16 and the vehicle height adjustment valve 13a ( Other valves are closed). Thereby, since the stop valve 101 is closed, the communication between the air tank 100 and the air chamber 12a of the right front wheel is cut off,
The high pressure air in the air tank 100 is supplied to the right front wheel air chamber 12a.
There is no forced supply inside. In this state, the atmosphere communicates with the right front wheel air chamber 12a.
The air in 2a is released to the atmosphere, the volume in air chamber 12a decreases, and the vehicle height of the right front wheel decreases.

When the vehicle height of the right front wheel is maintained, the microcomputer 20 closes the vehicle height adjustment valve 13a by not supplying the exciting current to the vehicle height adjustment valve 13a. Thus, the air in the air chamber 12a of the right front wheel is sealed, the volume in the air chamber 12a does not change, and the vehicle height of the right front wheel is maintained.

As described above, as a representative example, attention has been paid to the right front wheel, and how the microcomputer 20 controls the vehicle height adjusting means 50 has been specifically described. The same is true.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.
It includes various aspects according to the principles of the present invention. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 described above, a full air suspension type in which all the weight of the vehicle is held by the air pressure in the air chamber is described, but an elastic member such as a coil spring is also used as an auxiliary support member. It may be of the embodiment described above.

[0029]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In the pneumatic vehicle height adjusting device, it is possible to provide an inexpensive device with low energy consumption.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a mechanical configuration relating to one wheel of a vehicle height adjusting device of a vehicle according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a more specific embodiment in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a control circuit diagram of the entire vehicle height adjusting device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Body side member 11 Wheel side member 12 Air chamber 13a-13d Vehicle height adjustment valve (vehicle height adjustment means) 16 Atmosphere release valve (vehicle height adjustment means) 20 Microcomputer (control means) 50 Vehicle height adjustment means 100 Air tank (air pressure) Source) 101 Stop valve (vehicle height adjusting means) 102 Compressor 110 Cylinder 111 Piston 112 Suction valve 113 Discharge valve

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An air chamber disposed between a vehicle body-side member and a wheel-side member and configured to have a variable volume and maintain a vehicle height by using internal air pressure, and supply air to the air chamber. An air pressure source that is a supply source, a compressor that supplies air to the air pressure source, and a change in the volume of the air chamber by supplying air from the air pressure source to the air chamber or releasing the air in the air chamber to the atmosphere. Vehicle height adjustment means for adjusting the vehicle height, and control means for controlling the vehicle height adjustment means, wherein the compressor is configured to move the vehicle-side member and the wheel-side member relative to each other as the vehicle height moves up and down. A vehicle height adjusting device for supplying air to the air pressure source using repetitive fluctuations of a target distance. 2. The compressor according to claim 1, wherein the compressor is integrally fixed to the vehicle body-side member, and is air-tightly fixed to the wheel-side member and relatively vertically movable in the cylinder. A piston,
A vehicle height adjusting device comprising: a suction valve that allows only air to flow from the atmosphere into the cylinder; and a discharge valve that allows only air to flow from the cylinder to the air pressure source. .