JP2016107976A - Air-suspension system of automobile, and control method of air-suspension system of automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air-suspension system of an automobile, and a control method of the air-suspension system of the automobile, capable of preventing a compressor used for the air-suspension from being broken by overheat.SOLUTION: In an air-suspension system of an automobile and a control method of the air-suspension system of the automobile in an embodiment, existence/absence of overheat of a compressor is determined by using a discharge quantity of compressed air discharged from the compressor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to an air suspension device for an automobile and a method for controlling the air suspension apparatus for an automobile, and more particularly to an air suspension apparatus for an automobile provided with an air suspension and a method for controlling the air suspension apparatus for an automobile.

  In general, there is a limit to the suspension that can satisfy both ride comfort and handling stability. If the ride comfort is improved, the steering stability is lowered, and if the ride stability is improved, the ride comfort is lowered. The reason is as follows. If the suspension springs are softened, the shock from the uneven road surface can be easily absorbed to improve the ride comfort. However, the vehicle body becomes unstable and the steering stability decreases. On the other hand, if the spring is hard, the handling stability is improved, but the impact transmitted from the road surface cannot be absorbed so much, and the riding comfort is lowered. However, coil springs made from conventional steel cannot change the strength as desired. For this purpose, an air spring using air is made. The air spring can be hardened or softened as required by easily controlling the air pressure. A suspension using such an air spring is an air suspension.

  The air suspension includes the air spring, a compressor that compresses air, and an air tank that stores the air compressed by the compressor and supplies the air spring to the air spring, and includes a solenoid valve, various sensors, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit). The sudden discharge of compressed air is controlled by the above, and the air spring adjusts the height of the vehicle body.

  However, if the compressor is driven for a long time, the compressor is damaged internally due to overheating. In order to prevent this, a temperature sensor is attached to the compressor, and when the temperature of the compressor rises above a set temperature, the driving of the compressor is temporarily stopped.

  However, since there is no method for measuring the temperature of the compressor in a state where the temperature sensor has failed, a method for minimizing the driving time of the compressor is used to prevent the compressor from being damaged. As described above, if the driving time of the compressor is restricted, the pressure in the air tank is insufficient, and furthermore, the air spring cannot adjust the height of the vehicle body.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an automobile air suspension apparatus and a method for controlling the automobile air suspension apparatus that can prevent a compressor used for the air suspension from being damaged by overheating.

  The problems of the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems that are not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

  In order to achieve the above object, an air suspension apparatus for an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a compressor that compresses air, an air tank that stores compressed air discharged from the compressor, and a vehicle body that receives supply of compressed air from the air tank. An air spring for adjusting the height of the compressor, and a controller for calculating a discharge amount of the compressed air discharged by the compressor and stopping the driving of the compressor if the calculated discharge amount of the compressed air is equal to or less than a set amount.

In addition, the method of controlling the air suspension device of the automobile according to the embodiment of the present invention compresses air to adjust the height of the vehicle body by receiving the supply of compressed air stored in the air tank and compresses the air tank. A first step of calculating a compressed air discharge amount stored in the compressor, a second step of comparing the calculated compressed air discharge amount with a set amount, and the calculated compressed air discharge amount being the set amount. If it is below, it includes a third step of stopping the compressor.
Specific details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and drawings.

  According to an embodiment of the present invention, an air suspension apparatus for an automobile and a method for controlling the air suspension apparatus for an automobile measure the temperature of the compressor in order to determine whether the compressor is overheated by using a discharge amount of compressed air discharged from the compressor. Therefore, there is an effect that it is not necessary to provide a temperature sensor.

  The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects which are not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the claims.

It is a figure which shows the air suspension provided in the motor vehicle by embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of FIG. 1. It is a circuit diagram which shows the path | route which the compressed air which the compressor of the air suspension provided in the motor vehicle by the embodiment of this invention discharges moves to an air tank. It is a circuit diagram which shows the path | route which the compressed air stored in the air tank of the air suspension provided in the motor vehicle by embodiment of this invention moves to an air spring. It is a control block diagram of the motor vehicle by embodiment of this invention. 5 is a flowchart according to a vehicle control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  Advantages and features of the present invention and methods for achieving them will be apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, and may be implemented in various forms different from each other. The present embodiments merely provide a complete disclosure of the present invention, and It is provided to fully inform those skilled in the art to the scope of the invention, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

Hereinafter, an air suspension device for an automobile and a control method for the air suspension apparatus for an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an air suspension provided in an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of FIG.

  Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an air suspension provided in an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a compressor 10 that compresses air, an air tank 20 that stores compressed air, and a compression that is stored in the air tank 20. A plurality of air springs 36 that adjust the height of the vehicle body by adjusting the height by the pressure of air are included. The plurality of air springs 36 are arranged so as to support the vehicle body from the lower side of the vehicle body, and the height of the vehicle body can be adjusted by adjusting the height when compressed air is supplied from the air tank 20.

  The compressor 10 includes a compression unit 12 that compresses air and a motor 14 that drives the compression unit 12.

  The compressor 10 and the air tank 20 are connected through the first flow path 1, and the plurality of air springs 36 are connected to the first flow path 1 through the second flow path 2 and the adjustment flow path 34.

  The first flow path 1 connects between the compression unit 12 and the air tank 20. That is, the first flow path 1 has one end connected to the compression unit 12 and the other end connected to the air tank 20.

  The first flow path 1 is provided with a first open / close valve 21 that opens and closes the first flow path 1. The first opening / closing valve 21 is a single-acting solenoid valve.

  One end of the second flow path 2 is connected to the corresponding first flow path 1 between the compression unit 12 and the first opening / closing valve 21, and the pressure sensor 40 is connected to the other end.

  In addition, the adjustment channel 34 is connected to the second channel. A plurality of adjustment flow paths 34 are provided, and are connected to a plurality of air springs 36 one by one. That is, one end of the adjustment channel 34 is connected to the second channel 2 and the other end is connected to the air spring 36.

The adjustment channel 34 is provided with an on / off valve 32 that opens and closes the adjustment channel 34.
A single-acting solenoid valve is used as the on / off valve 32. Four adjustment flow paths 34, on / off valves 32, and air springs 36 are provided.

  Four air springs 36 are attached to a lower arm connected to each wheel of an automobile, and an upper stage supports the vehicle body and absorbs an impact, and adjusts the height of the vehicle body.

  The pressure sensor 40 measures the pressure in the circuit formed by the compressor 10, the air tank 20, and the air spring 36. For example, the pressure sensor 40 can measure the pressure in the air tank 20 when the first opening / closing valve 21 is opened, and can measure the pressure in the air spring 36 when the on / off valve 32 is opened.

  A drying unit 50 is provided in the first channel 1 corresponding to a portion between the portion where the one end of the second channel 2 in the first channel 1 is connected and the compression unit 12. The drying unit 50 removes moisture in the compressed air flowing through the first flow path 1.

  Further, a needle valve 60 is provided in the first flow path 1 corresponding to the portion between the portion where the one end of the second flow path 2 in the first flow path 1 is connected and the drying unit 50. The needle valve 60 increases the speed by decreasing the flow rate of the compressed air flowing through the first flow path 1.

  An exhaust passage 7 for discharging compressed air to the outside is connected to the first passage 1. One end of the exhaust channel 7 is connected to the first channel 1 corresponding to the space between the compression unit 12 and the drying unit 50, and the other end discharges compressed air through the outside. An exhaust hole 7 a that is the end of the exhaust flow path 7 is formed outside the compression portion 12.

  The exhaust passage 7 is provided with a second opening / closing valve 22 that opens and closes the exhaust passage 7. The second opening / closing valve 22 may be a single-acting solenoid valve as in the case of the first opening / closing valve 21, but in this embodiment, a pilot valve that operates by air pressure is used.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, in order to operate the second opening / closing valve 22, a third flow path 3 that connects the first flow path 1 and the second opening / closing valve 22 is further provided. The third flow path 3 has one end connected to the first flow path 1 between the end of the second flow path 2 in the first flow path 1 and the needle valve 60, and the other end. Is connected to the second on-off valve 22.

  The third flow path 3 is provided with a third open / close valve 23 that opens and closes the third flow path 3. The third opening / closing valve 23 is a single-acting solenoid valve.

  In addition, the air suspension provided in the automobile according to the embodiment of the present invention further includes a fourth flow path 4 for injecting compressed air into an external object. Here, the external object may be a tire, a tube, an air mat, or the like. The fourth flow path 4 has one end connected to the corresponding exhaust flow path 7 between the portion of the exhaust flow path 7 where one end is connected to the first flow path 1 and the second opening / closing valve 22, and the exhaust flow The other end is connected to the corresponding exhaust passage 7 between the other end of the passage 7 and the second opening / closing valve 22.

  The fourth flow path 4 is provided with a fourth open / close valve 24 that opens and closes the fourth flow path 4. The fourth flow path 4 is provided with an auxiliary flow path 8 for opening the fourth open / close valve 24 by air pressure when only the first open / close valve 21 is opened. The auxiliary flow path 8 has one end connected to a corresponding fourth flow path between a portion connected to the exhaust flow path 7 at one end and the fourth open / close valve 24, and the other end connected to the fourth open / close valve 24. The

  On the other hand, the air channel 20 is further provided with a fifth flow path 5. One end of the fifth flow path 5 is connected to the air tank 20, and the other end communicates with the outside. A check valve 25 is provided in the fifth flow path 5. The check valve 25 opens the fifth flow path 5 when the pressure in the air tank 20 becomes excessive.

  FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing a path through which compressed air discharged from a compressor of an air suspension provided in an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention moves to an air tank.

  Referring to FIG. 3, a process of storing compressed air discharged from the compressor 10 in the air tank 20 will be described. With the on / off valve 32 closed, the first opening / closing valve 21 is opened and the first flow path 1 is opened. To release. When the motor 14 is driven in such a state, external air flows into the compression unit 12 and is compressed through the compression unit 12.

  Next, the compressed air that has passed through the compression unit 12 is dried through the drying unit 50, moves to the air tank 20, and is stored in the air tank 20. At this time, when a part of the compressed air stored in the air tank 20 reaches the pressure sensor 40 through the second flow path 2, the pressure of the compressed air in the air tank 20 can be measured. On the other hand, when the air pressure in the air tank 20 becomes excessive, the check valve 25 opens the fifth flow path 5 so that the compressed air in the air tank 20 is discharged to the outside.

  FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing a path through which compressed air stored in an air tank of an air suspension provided in an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention moves to an air spring.

  Referring to FIG. 4, the first opening / closing valve 21 is opened to open the first flow path 1, and the on / off valve 32 is also opened to open the second flow path 2 and the adjustment flow path 34. Then, the compressed air stored in the air tank 20 sequentially moves to the first flow path 1, the second flow path 2 and the adjustment flow path 34 and is filled in the air spring 36. At this time, when a part of the compressed air filled in the air spring 36 reaches the pressure sensor 40 through the second flow path 2, the pressure of the compressed air supplied to the air spring 36 can be measured.

FIG. 5 is a control block diagram of an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 5, the vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention further includes a temperature sensor 70 and a controller 80. The temperature sensor 70 is not installed in the circuit shown in FIG. That is, the temperature sensor 70 may be included in another control part of the automobile provided around the circuit, and detects the temperature of the atmosphere outside the circuit and transmits it to the controller 80.

  The controller 80 may be an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) provided in the automobile, and opens and closes the valves 21, 22, 23, 24, and 34. Further, the controller 80 can control the driving time of the compressor 10 using the atmospheric temperature detected by the temperature sensor 70. For example, when the temperature of the atmosphere detected by the temperature sensor 70 is high, the controller 80 drives the compressor 10 for a short time to prevent the compressor 10 from overheating, and when the temperature of the atmosphere detected by the temperature sensor 70 is low. The compressor 10 is driven for a longer time than when the atmospheric temperature is high. The controller 80 is preferably preset with a set time, which is a time during which the compressor 10 is driven without overheating, depending on the temperature of the atmosphere.

  Further, the controller 80 can stop the compressor 10 when the compressor 10 is in an overheated state. In the present embodiment, the controller 80 determines that the compressor 10 is overheated and stops the compressor 10 if the discharge amount of the compressed air discharged from the compressor 10 is equal to or less than the set amount. Since the discharge amount of the compressed air decreases when the compressor 10 is overheated, the controller 80 calculates the discharge amount of the compressed air discharged from the compressor 10, and the calculated discharge amount of the compressed air is equal to or less than a preset set amount. If it is determined that the compressor 10 is overheated, the compressor 10 is stopped.

  The controller 80 stores the pressure in the circuit measured by the pressure sensor 40 when the compressed air discharged from the compressor 10 moves to the air tank 20 as described in FIG. 3 and the air tank 20 as described in FIG. The amount of compressed air discharged by the compressor 10 can be calculated using at least one of the pressures in the circuit measured by the pressure sensor 40 when the compressed air moves to the air spring 36. That is, the controller 80 uses the pressure in the circuit measured by the pressure sensor 40 in a state where the first opening / closing valve 21 is opened and the on / off valve 32 is closed as described with reference to FIG. The amount of compressed air discharged from the air can be calculated. Further, as described with reference to FIG. 4, the controller 80 uses the pressure in the circuit measured by the pressure sensor 40 even when the first opening / closing valve 21 is opened and the on / off valve 32 is opened. The amount of compressed air discharged by 10 can be calculated.

  The controller 80 is preferably preset with a discharge amount of compressed air discharged by the compressor 10 in accordance with the pressure in the circuit.

The vehicle control method according to the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be described as follows.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart according to the vehicle control method according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  Referring to FIG. 6, the controller 80 drives the compressor 10 when the compressed air stored in the air tank 20 runs short or the air spring 20 runs short of air. However, the time during which the compressor 10 is driven without overheating differs depending on the temperature of the atmosphere. Therefore, the controller 80 drives the compressor 10 so that the driving time varies depending on the atmospheric temperature detected by the temperature sensor 70.

  First, the temperature sensor 70 detects the temperature of the atmosphere (S1). The controller 80 is set with a set time which is a time during which the compressor 10 is driven without overheating according to the temperature of the atmosphere detected by the temperature sensor 70. For example, if the atmospheric temperature is 25 ° C., the set time, which is the time during which the compressor 10 is driven without overheating, is 1 hour. If the atmospheric temperature is 20 ° C., the compressor 10 is driven without overheating. The set time, which is a set time, can be 2 hours. That is, since a plurality of the set times are set in the controller 80, the controller 80 selects one of the set times according to the atmospheric temperature detected by the temperature sensor 70, and then drives the compressor 10. (S2). The controller 80 counts the driving time of the compressor 10 while driving the compressor 10.

  Next, the controller 80 compares the driving time of the compressor 10 with the selected set time to determine whether the driving time of the compressor 10 exceeds the selected set time (S3). If the driving time of the compressor 10 exceeds the selected set time, the compressor 10 is overheated. The controller 80 continues to drive the compressor 10 if the driving time of the compressor 10 does not exceed the selected set time.

  Further, if the driving time of the compressor 10 exceeds the selected set time, the controller 80 calculates the discharge amount of the compressed air discharged from the compressor 10 (S4). The controller 80 can calculate the amount of compressed air discharged by the compressor 10 using the pressure in the circuit measured by the pressure sensor 40.

  Next, the controller 80 compares the calculated compressed air discharge amount with a preset set amount, and determines whether or not the calculated compressed air discharge amount is equal to or less than the set amount. (S5).

  Next, if the calculated discharge amount of compressed air is equal to or less than the set amount, the controller 80 determines that the compressor 10 has overheated and temporarily stops driving the compressor 10 (S6). Of course, if the calculated compressed air discharge amount is larger than the set amount, the controller 80 ends the logic.

  As described above, in the vehicle air suspension apparatus and the vehicle air suspension apparatus control method according to the embodiment of the present invention, if the discharge amount of the compressed air discharged by the compressor 10 is detected to be equal to or less than a preset set amount, It is determined that the compressor 10 is overheated, and the drive of the compressor 10 is temporarily stopped to cool the compressor 10. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not the compressor 10 is overheated and to prevent the compressor 10 from being damaged without attaching a sensor for measuring the temperature to the compressor 10.

  A person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains understands that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without changing its technical idea and essential features. I will. Accordingly, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative in all aspects and not limiting. The scope of the present invention is defined by the following claims rather than the above detailed description, and all modifications or variations derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and equivalent concepts thereof are within the scope of the present invention. Must be interpreted as included in

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Compressor 20 ... Air tank 36 ... Air spring 40 ... Pressure sensor 70 ... Temperature sensor 80 ... Controller

Claims (10)

A compressor that compresses the air,
An air tank in which compressed air discharged from the compressor is stored;
An air spring that receives the supply of compressed air from the air tank and adjusts the height of the vehicle body; and a discharge amount of the compressed air that is discharged by the compressor. An air suspension device for an automobile, comprising: a controller for stopping driving of the compressor. A pressure sensor for measuring a pressure in a circuit formed by the compressor, the air tank, and the air spring;
The automobile air suspension device according to claim 1, wherein the controller calculates a discharge amount of compressed air discharged by the compressor using a pressure in the circuit measured by the pressure sensor.   The controller is configured to measure the pressure in the circuit measured by the pressure sensor when compressed air discharged from the compressor moves to the air tank, and the circuit measured when compressed air stored in the air tank moves to the air spring. The air suspension device for an automobile according to claim 2, wherein an amount of compressed air discharged from the compressor is calculated using at least one of the internal pressures. It further includes a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the atmosphere,
The controller selects one of a plurality of set times according to the temperature of the atmosphere detected by the temperature sensor to drive the compressor, and the drive time of the compressor exceeds the selected set time. The air suspension device for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the amount of compressed air discharged from the compressor is calculated.   The automobile air suspension device according to claim 4, wherein the controller continues to drive the compressor if the driving time of the compressor is equal to or less than the selected set time. A first step of calculating the amount of compressed air discharged from the compressor that compresses air and stores the compressed air in the air tank so that the air spring can receive the supply of compressed air stored in the air tank and adjust the height of the vehicle body;
A second step of comparing the calculated discharge amount of compressed air with a set amount; and a third step of stopping the compressor if the calculated discharge amount of compressed air is equal to or less than the set amount. Method for controlling the air suspension apparatus of the present invention.   The said 1st step WHEREIN: After measuring the pressure in the circuit which the said compressor, the said air tank, and the said air spring comprise, the discharge amount of the compressed air which the said compressor discharges using the measured pressure is calculated. 6. A method for controlling an air suspension device of an automobile according to claim 6.   In the first step, when the compressed air discharged from the compressor moves to the air tank, the pressure in the circuit measured by the pressure sensor and when the compressed air stored in the air tank moves to the air spring are measured. The method for controlling an air suspension device for an automobile according to claim 7, wherein an amount of compressed air discharged from the compressor is calculated using at least one of the pressures in the circuit. Before the first step, further comprising: detecting an atmospheric temperature; and selecting one of a plurality of set times according to the detected atmospheric temperature to drive the compressor;
7. The method of controlling an air suspension device for an automobile according to claim 6, wherein, in the first step, if the driving time of the compressor exceeds the selected set time, the amount of compressed air discharged by the compressor is calculated. .   10. The method of controlling an air suspension device for an automobile according to claim 9, wherein, in the first step, the compressor is continuously driven when the driving time of the compressor is equal to or less than the selected set time.