JPH05193330A - Height adjusting device for car with electronically controlled air suspension - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To lower/return the height of a car with an electronically controlled air suspension in a short time by driving and controlling a solenoid valve for air release and a solenoid valve for air supply with a control means for car height adjustment and by supplying/releasing air to an air spring not thorough a leveling valve. CONSTITUTION:This device is provided with a solenoid valve for air release 16 for releasing air from an air spring not through a leveling valve at adjustment for lowering a height of a car body and a solenoid valve for air supply 18 for supplying air to the air spring not through the leveling valve at adjustment for returning the height of the car body, and the solenoid valves 16 and 18 are driven and controlled by a control means for car height adjustment 30b at the time of car height adjustment. At the time of car height adjustment of the car body with the control means for car height adjustment 30b, a solenoid valve for air suspension 6 is forcedly driven and controlled to the closed state by a control means 30a for air suspension. By this constitution, lowering/ returning adjustment of the car height can be carried out in an extremely short time.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle equipped with an electronically controlled air suspension for adjusting the vehicle height using the air suspension, and particularly to an electronic control suitable for a high decker type bus or the like. The present invention relates to a vehicle height adjusting device for an air suspension vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an air suspension vehicle using an air spring as a suspension device for a vehicle body has become the mainstream for a large-sized sightseeing bus or the like that frequently travels at high speed. Air suspension vehicles use air, which is a compressible fluid, for the air springs, so they offer a superior riding comfort compared to ordinary vehicles that use leaf springs.
By using the leveling valve, it has a feature that a constant vehicle height can be maintained regardless of the loading state.

The leveling valve is usually interposed between an air spring and an air supply source for supplying air to the air spring, and the valve body is fixed to the chassis frame side of the vehicle body and drives the leveling valve. A swingable lever is fixed on the axle side via a sensing rod. This leveling valve operates to keep the vehicle height constant by supplying air to the air spring or discharging air from the air spring according to the distance between the lower surface of the chassis frame and each axle. ..

A vehicle height of the vehicle body is adjusted by interposing an air cylinder that shortens with air supply to the sensing rod of such a leveling valve. In other words, by supplying air to the air cylinder and shortening the sensing rod, the distance between the lower surface of the chassis frame and the axle is artificially increased, and the air of the air spring is discharged from the leveling valve to increase the vehicle height. Degradation adjustment is performed. On the other hand, by exhausting air from the air cylinder and extending the sensing rod, the distance between the lower surface of the chassis frame and the axle becomes smaller, and the air from the air supply source passes through the leveling valve to the air spring. It is supplied and the vehicle height is adjusted for restoration.

On the other hand, conventionally, an auxiliary air tank is communicatively connected to the air spring via an electromagnetic valve, and the opening / closing state of the electromagnetic valve is controlled according to the motion state of the vehicle body, so that the spring constant of the air spring can be adjusted. Controlled air suspensions have also been proposed. In such an electronically controlled air suspension, by opening the solenoid valve, the air spring communicates with the auxiliary air tank to increase the volume of the air chamber and reduce the spring constant, while the solenoid valve is closed. By doing so, the communication state between the air spring and the auxiliary air tank is cut off, the volume of the air chamber becomes small, and the spring constant becomes large.

When the vehicle body having the electronically controlled air suspension described above makes a sharp roll (rolling), such as when the vehicle suddenly turns, the air valve is switched to the closed state. By increasing the spring constant of, the rolling of the vehicle body can be suppressed.

[0007]

However, when the vehicle height is adjusted as described above by mounting the air cylinder on the sensing rod of the leveling valve, air is supplied to and discharged from the air spring only through the leveling valve. Therefore, there is a problem that it takes a long time (about 3 to 5 minutes) to adjust the vehicle height and adjust the return.

Further, the above-mentioned vehicle height adjusting function is applied to an electronically controlled air suspension constructed by adding an auxiliary air tank and a solenoid valve to an air spring, and the air spring and the auxiliary air tank communicate with each other when the solenoid valve is open. If the vehicle height is lowered / returned while the vehicle is in a state, the volume of the air chamber is large, so it takes time to exhaust or supply air to the air chamber, and the time for the vehicle height to be lowered / returned is further extended. turn into. In addition, when the vehicle height is adjusted to be adjusted, the auxiliary air tank must also be supplied with air, resulting in a large amount of air filling and consumption, which shortens the life of the air compressor for compressing and supplying air.

The present invention was devised in view of the above-mentioned problems, and the vehicle height adjustment for an electronically controlled air suspension vehicle is performed so that the vehicle height reduction / return adjustment in the electronically controlled air suspension vehicle can be performed in a short time. The purpose is to provide a device.

[0010]

Therefore, in the vehicle height adjusting device for an electronically controlled air suspension vehicle according to the present invention, at least one vehicle height adjusting device is provided between the vehicle body and the front, rear, left and right axles to support the vehicle body. A spring, an auxiliary air tank connected to each of the air springs, an electromagnetic valve for an air suspension interposed between the air spring and the auxiliary air tank, and an air suspension for the air suspension depending on the state of the vehicle body. An air suspension control means for controlling the open / closed state of the solenoid valve, and the air suspension solenoid valve is controlled to be opened / closed by the air suspension control means to disconnect the air spring from the auxiliary air tank. To adjust the spring constant of the air spring by means of the air spring and the air spring. A leveling valve is provided between the leveling valve and an air supply source for supplying air, and an air cylinder is interposed in the sensing rod of the leveling valve, and air is supplied to or exhausted from the air cylinder to reduce the vehicle height of the vehicle body. / When performing a return adjustment, an exhaust electromagnetic valve for discharging air from the air spring without passing through the leveling valve when adjusting the vehicle height decrease of the vehicle body,
An air supply solenoid valve for supplying air from the air supply source to the air spring without passing through the leveling valve at the time of adjusting the vehicle body height recovery, and an exhaust solenoid valve and an air supply solenoid valve for the air supply solenoid valve, A vehicle height adjusting control means for driving and controlling when adjusting the vehicle height of the vehicle body, and when the vehicle height adjustment of the vehicle body is performed by the vehicle height adjusting control means, the air suspension solenoid valve is forced by the air suspension control means. It is characterized in that the drive control is performed in a closed state.

Further, the vehicle height adjusting control means lowers the vehicle height of the entire vehicle body while leaving an appropriate amount of air in the air spring, and a vehicle height stop mode in which the vehicle position is set to a door position of the vehicle body. Regarding the air spring at a corresponding position, a kneeling mode that discharges an appropriate amount of air from the air spring to reduce the vehicle height at the position of the vehicle body corresponding to the door position, and all air from the air spring when boarding a ferry It may be configured to drive and control the exhaust solenoid valve and the air supply solenoid valve by selecting one of the ferry embarkation mode in which the vehicle is discharged and the vehicle height of the entire vehicle body is lowered to the lowest position.

Further, the drive control time of the exhaust solenoid valve and the supply air solenoid valve by the vehicle height adjusting control means in accordance with the selection of any one of the vehicle height down mode, the kneeling mode and the ferry boarding mode. It may have a specified timer.

[0013]

In the vehicle height adjusting device for an electronically controlled air suspension vehicle of the present invention described above, the exhaust solenoid valve and the air supply solenoid valve are driven and controlled by the vehicle height adjusting control means, and the air is controlled without using the leveling valve. Since the air is supplied to and exhausted from the spring, the vehicle height can be lowered / returned quickly. When adjusting the vehicle height by the vehicle height adjustment control means,
Since the air suspension solenoid valve is forcibly driven and controlled to the closed state by the air suspension control means, the air spring is shut off from the auxiliary air tank, and the volume of the air chamber to be exhausted / supplied when adjusting the vehicle height. The vehicle height can be reduced, and the vehicle height can be lowered / returned more quickly.

Further, the vehicle height adjusting control means selects any one of three types of vehicle height down mode, kneeling mode and ferry embarkation mode to drive and control the exhaust solenoid valve and the intake solenoid valve. Therefore, when the vehicle height down mode is selected, the vehicle height of the entire vehicle body is reduced while air remains in the air spring, which is suitable for passing through a tunnel with a vehicle height restriction. When the kneeling mode is selected,
When the vehicle is stopped, an appropriate amount of air is discharged from the air spring at a position corresponding to the door position of the vehicle body, the vehicle height at the vehicle body position corresponding to the door position is lowered, and passengers and passengers can easily get on and off. When the ferry embarkation mode is selected, all the air is discharged from the air spring, and the vehicle height of the entire vehicle body is lowered to the lowest position.

Further, by controlling the drive control time of the exhaust solenoid valve and the intake solenoid valve by the vehicle height adjusting control means according to the selection of each mode by a timer, the exhaust solenoid valve and the intake solenoid valve are controlled. The rapid vehicle height adjustment by is stopped at a predetermined position according to each mode, and thereafter, the vehicle height adjustment by the leveling valve is performed.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A vehicle height adjusting device for an electronically controlled air suspension vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG.
3 is a configuration diagram showing a pneumatic circuit of the air suspension, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a bus (electronically controlled air suspension vehicle) equipped with the device of this embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a control processing operation by the ECS control means. Flow chart for
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a main program by the vehicle height adjustment control means, and FIGS. 6 to 11 are kneeling processing operations, kneeling restoration processing operations, vehicle height down processing operations, vehicle height restoration processing operations by the vehicle height adjustment control means, respectively. , A flow chart for explaining a monitoring processing operation of the air cylinder supply / exhaust solenoid valve, a processing operation when the ferry embarkation mode is selected, and FIG. 12 is a flow chart for explaining a buzzer sounding processing operation by the buzzer sounding / lamp display control means. Is.

In this embodiment, the vehicle height adjusting device of the present invention is
A case will be described in which the invention is applied to a large-sized vehicle having an electronically controlled air suspension (ECS) as shown in FIG. 3 (high decker type sightseeing bus, etc.). In addition, the electronically controlled air suspension of this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
The front axle side suspension portion 1 and the rear axle side suspension portion 2 are provided, and the front axle side suspension portion 1 is provided.
Is a pair of air springs 3 corresponding to the left and right front axles.
L, 3R, and these air springs 3L,
3R is provided between each front axle and the vehicle body 20 (see FIG. 3) to support the vehicle body 20. The rear axle-side suspension portion 2 is also configured in substantially the same manner as the front axle-side suspension portion 1, but the rear axle-side suspension portion 2 has a pair of air springs 3 on the left and right rear axles, respectively.
L, 3L; 3R, 3R are provided to support the vehicle body 20.

Auxiliary air tanks 5 and 5 are connected to the air springs 3L and 3R, respectively, via connecting pipes 4, and the connecting pipes 4 are each made of an air consisting of a normally closed on / off control valve. A suspension solenoid valve (hereinafter referred to as an ECS solenoid valve) 6 is provided. By connecting and disconnecting the air springs 3L and 3R and the auxiliary air tanks 5 and 5 which are paired with each other by the electromagnetic valve 6,
The spring constants of the air springs 3L and 3R are adjusted.

Here, the on / off state (open / closed state) of the ECS solenoid valve 6 depends on the running state of the vehicle body 20 and the like, and air suspension control means (hereinafter, referred to as an air suspension control means in the electronic controller 30 described later with reference to FIG. 1). It is controlled by an ECS control means) 30a. Also,
In this embodiment, a three-way solenoid valve is used as the ECS solenoid valve 6, and the first connection port 6a and the second connection port 6b of the ECS solenoid valve 6 are connected to the auxiliary air tank 5 and the air ports, respectively. The springs 3L and 3R are connected and the third connection port 6c is closed by a plug 6d.

When the solenoid valve 6 is off, the first to third connection ports 6a to 6c are all in communication with each other, and the air springs 3L and 3R and the auxiliary air tanks 5 and 5 are in communication with each other. While the spring constants of 3L and 3R are small, when the solenoid valve 6 is on, the second connection port 6
b is connected to the third connection port 6c, the communication between the air springs 3L and 3R and the auxiliary air tanks 5 and 5 is cut off, and the spring constants of the air springs 3L and 3R are increased. ..

ECS solenoid valve 6 and each air spring 3
A main supply pipeline 8 is connected to a connection pipeline 4 between L and 3R via a branch supply pipeline 7, and the main supply pipeline 8 is connected to an air supply source 9. The air supply source 9 is supplied with air from an air compressor (not shown) driven by a bus engine, and can supply air of a predetermined pressure toward the air springs 3L, 3R. A supply valve 8a is provided in the main supply line 8, and the air is supplied from an air supply source 9 by opening the supply valve 8a.

Further, a leveling valve 10 is provided in each branch supply line 7. Each leveling valve 1
0 opens and closes in accordance with the vertical movement of the vehicle body 20 (the distance between the lower surface of the chassis frame of the vehicle body 20 and the axle) to supply air (compressed air) to the air springs 3L and 3R, and the air springs 3L and 3L. It has a function of adjusting the vehicle height of the vehicle body 20 to a constant height by discharging air from the 3R.

Each leveling valve 10 is provided with an exhaust pipe 10a opened to the outside air so as to discharge air from the leveling valve 10. In addition, in this embodiment, the branch supply line 7 and the leveling valve 10 are
The front axle side suspension portion 1 is provided with a pair of left and right air springs 3L and 3R, whereas the rear axle side suspension portion 2 is provided with only one pair of left and right air springs 3L and 3R. .

Each leveling valve 10 is fixed to the vehicle body 20 side, and a swing lever 11 for directly opening and closing the valve 10 is provided for each leveling valve 10.
A sensing rod 12 whose one end is pivotally attached to the tip of the rocking lever 11 and the other end is pivotally attached to each axle side; and an air cylinder 13 which is interposed in this sensing rod 12 and shortens with air supply. It is provided.

A branch supply line 15 is provided in each air cylinder 13.
The main supply pipe 8 and the air supply source 9 are connected via the air supply / exhaust source 9 and the branch supply pipe 15 is provided with an electromagnetic air cylinder supply / exhaust solenoid for expanding / contracting the air cylinder 13 by switching the supply / exhaust of the air cylinder 13. The valve 14 is interposed. The solenoid valve 14 is a three-way solenoid valve, and the first connection port 14a and the second connection port 14b are connected to the main supply pipe line 8 and the air cylinder 13 via a branch supply pipe line 15, respectively, The third connection port 14c is opened to the outside air and functions as an exhaust port.

When the solenoid valve 14 is turned off, the second connection port 14b and the third connection port 14c are connected, the air in the air cylinder 13 is exhausted, and the air cylinder 13 is fully extended. Is held by the solenoid valve 1
4 is on, the first connection port 14a and the second connection port 14b
Are connected to each other, air is supplied from the air supply source 9 through the main supply pipeline 8 and the branch supply pipeline 15, and the air cylinder 13 is shortened.

On the other hand, an air spring exhaust electromagnetic valve 16 is provided in the branch supply line 7 between each air spring 3L, 3R and each leveling valve 10, and this electromagnetic valve 16 and each air spring 3L. , 3R, an air supply source 9 is connected to the branch supply pipeline 7 via a branch supply pipeline 17 and a main supply pipeline 8. An air spring air supply solenoid valve 18 is provided in the branch supply line 17.

The exhaust solenoid valve 16 is a three-way solenoid valve that is turned on when adjusting the vehicle height of the vehicle body 20 and discharges the air in each of the air springs 3L and 3R without passing through the leveling valve 10. The main supply line 8 is connected to the first connection port 16a of the valve 16 via the branch supply line 7 and the leveling valve 10, and the air springs are connected to the second connection port 16b via the branch supply line 7. 3L, 3R are connected, the exhaust pipe 1 opened to the outside air to the third connection port 16c
6d is connected.

When the solenoid valve 16 is off, the first connection port 16a and the second connection port 16b are connected to each other, and the air springs 3L, 3 are connected via the branch supply line 7.
R and each leveling valve 10 are connected to each other, and while the leveling valve 10 performs a normal vehicle height constant holding adjustment, when the solenoid valve 16 is turned on, the second connection port 16b and the third connection port 16c are connected. The air in the air springs 3L and 3R is discharged without passing through the leveling valve 10.

The air supply solenoid valve 18 is turned on at the time of adjusting the vehicle body height recovery and supplies air from the air supply source 9 to the air springs 3L and 3R without passing through the leveling valve 10. , While it is closed when off,
When it is on, it is in an open state, and the air supply source 9 is connected via the branch supply pipeline 17 and the main supply pipeline 8 to supply air.

The above-mentioned solenoid valve 14, exhaust solenoid valve 16 and air supply solenoid valve 18 are driven and controlled by a vehicle height adjusting control means 30b in an electronic controller 30 which will be described later with reference to FIG. . Note that FIG. 2 schematically shows one shock absorber 19 attached to each of the front, rear, left, and right axles, and these shock absorbers 19 are formed by known means to the electronic controller shown in FIG. With the control signal given from 30,
The damping force can be changed to hard or soft. In addition, each auxiliary air tank 5 is provided with a pressure sensor 21 that detects the internal air pressure thereof.

Next, the detailed structure of the vehicle height adjusting device of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that, in FIG. 3, tires and the like are shown in a transparent manner in order to clarify the arrangement positions of various sensors and switches. First, the sensors and switches in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3. In FIGS. 1 and 3, reference numeral 21 denotes a pressure sensor for detecting the air pressure in the auxiliary air tank 5, and 22 denotes A vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the vehicle body 20, a steering angular velocity sensor 23 that detects the angular velocity when the steering wheel 23a is turned, and a rolling sensor 24 that detects rolling or rolling of the vehicle body 20.

Further, 25 is a foot brake (not shown)
A foot brake switch that outputs an ON signal when the vehicle is stepped on (during braking), and 26 outputs an ON signal when a transmission (not shown) is switched to the reverse position in order to detect forward and backward movements of the vehicle body 20. A backup lamp switch, 27 is a parking switch that outputs an ON signal when the vehicle body 20 is parked (when the parking lever is operated), and 28 is provided near the front, rear, left and right air springs 3L, 3R. A vehicle height sensor that detects the height (vehicle height) of the vehicle body 20 at this position, and 29 is an indicator that is provided in the driver's seat of the bus of this embodiment and that displays the results of detection by various sensors.

Further, 31 is an auto / hard select switch for switching the opening / closing control of the ECS solenoid valve 6 by the ECS control means 30a to automatic or manual control, and 32 is a vehicle height down mode which will be described later as vehicle height adjustment of the vehicle body 20. A vehicle height down switch that is turned on when selecting is selected, and 33 is a kneeling switch that is turned on when selecting a kneeling mode to be described later for adjusting the vehicle height of the vehicle body 3.
Reference numeral 4 denotes a ferry embarkation switch that is turned on when selecting a ferry embarkation mode, which will be described later, for adjusting the vehicle height of the vehicle body 20. These switches 31 to 34 are provided in the driver's seat of the bus.

Signals from the sensors 21 to 24, 28 and the switches 25, 26, 31 are input to the ECS control means 30a of the electronic controller 30, and the signals from the vehicle speed sensor 22 and the switches 27, 32 to 34 are input. The signal is input to the vehicle height adjustment control means 30b of the electronic controller 30, and the vehicle height sensor 28 and the switches 32 to 3 are used.
The signal from 4 is input to the buzzer ringing / lamp display control means 30c of the electronic controller 30.

Now, as shown in FIG. 1, the electronic controller 30 of the present embodiment, which receives signals from these sensors and switches to perform control operation, controls the ECS control means 3 as shown in FIG.
0a, a vehicle height adjustment control means 30b, and a buzzer ringing / lamp display control means 30c. ECS
The control means 30a operates according to a flow chart described later with reference to FIG. 4, and controls the ECS solenoid valve 6 and the shock absorber 19. Basically, the automatic / hard selection switch 31, the vehicle speed sensor 22, the steering angular velocity In accordance with signals from the sensor 23, the rolling sensor 24, the foot brake switch 25, the vehicle height sensor 28, etc., the solenoid valve 6 is opened / closed, the shock absorber 19 is switched between soft / hard, and the suspension state is switched to soft or hard. It has a function.

In the apparatus to which the present invention is applied, the ECS control means 30a controls the vehicle height of the vehicle body 20 by the vehicle height adjustment control means 30b, which will be described later. (Until completion), a major feature is that it has a function (see steps S3 and S4 of FIG. 4) for forcibly driving and controlling the ECS solenoid valve 6 to a closed state (on state).

The vehicle height adjusting control means 30b is shown in FIGS.
The air cylinder supply / exhaust solenoid valve 14, the air spring exhaust solenoid valve 16 and the air spring air supply solenoid valve 18 are controlled by operating in accordance with each flow chart described later in 1. By supplying or exhausting air to the air cylinder 13 by turning on / off the exhaust solenoid valve 14, the vehicle height of the vehicle body 20 is adjusted to be lowered / returned and at the same time, the air spring exhaust solenoid valve is adjusted. 16 and the air spring air supply solenoid valve 18 are controlled to be turned on / off so that the air springs 3L and 3L are not passed through the leveling valve 10.
It has a function of discharging air in the R or supplying air to the air springs 3L and 3R.

Then, the vehicle height adjusting control means 3 of the present embodiment
0b is a vehicle height down mode, a kneeling mode, or a vehicle height down mode when the vehicle height down switch 32, the kneeling switch 33, or the ferry boarding switch 34 is turned on.
One of the ferry embarkation modes is selected, and the vehicle height is adjusted according to the selected mode by controlling the solenoid valves 14, 16 and 18.

The details of the vehicle height adjustment control operation in the vehicle height down mode are shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, and the details of the vehicle height adjustment control operation in the kneeling mode are shown in FIGS.
Therefore, details of the vehicle height adjustment control operation in the ferry embarkation mode will be described later with reference to FIG. Further, the vehicle height adjusting control means 30b of the present embodiment is provided with a monitoring function of the air cylinder supply / exhaust solenoid valve 14 as will be described later with reference to FIG. 10, and when the solenoid valve 14 fails, the vehicle body 20 is driven. If the vehicle is in a high drop state, the vehicle height is automatically restored.

In the vehicle height down mode, the vehicle body 2 is left while leaving an appropriate amount of air in each of the air springs 3L, 3R.
In the kneeling mode, the door position of the vehicle body 20 is in the stopped state (see FIG. 3 in this embodiment).
As shown in (4), the air springs 3L, 3R on the front axle side, that is, the position corresponding to the front side position of the vehicle body 20, discharge a proper amount of air from the air springs 3L, 3R to lower the vehicle height on the front side of the vehicle body 20. In the ferry embarkation mode, all air is exhausted from all the air springs 3L and 3R when the ferry embarkation of the vehicle body 20 is performed.
0 The overall vehicle height is lowered to the lowest position (tie down).

By the way, as shown in FIG. 1, the ON command signals from the vehicle height adjusting control means 30b to the solenoid valves 16 and 18 are output to the solenoid valves 16 and 18 via the timers 35 and 36, respectively. The respective timers 35 and 36 indicate the drive control time of the solenoid valves 16 and 18 by the vehicle height adjustment control means 30b in accordance with the selection of any one of the vehicle height down mode, the kneeling mode and the ferry embarkation mode described above. It stipulates.

With these timers 35 and 36, for example, when the vehicle height down mode is selected, all the front and rear solenoid valves 1 are selected.
6 is on-driven for a predetermined time, all the front and rear electromagnetic valves 18 are on-driven for a predetermined time when the vehicle height is restored, and only the solenoid valve 16 on the front side of the vehicle body 20 is on-driven for a predetermined time when the kneeling mode is selected to restore the kneeling. Sometimes, only the solenoid valve 18 on the front side of the vehicle body 20 is turned on for a predetermined time. When the ferry embarkation mode is selected, all the front and rear solenoid valves 16 are turned on for an infinite time. When the vehicle height is restored, all the front and rear solenoid valves 18 are turned on for a predetermined time. It is designed to be turned on only.

Buzzer ringing / lamp display control means 30c
Performs a buzzer sounding processing operation and a lamp display processing operation according to a flowchart described later with reference to FIG. 12, and a sounding state of the buzzer 37 and a vehicle height down mode lamp 38a,
The lighting state of the kneeling mode lamp 38b, the ferry embarkation mode lamp 38c, and the diagnosis lamp 39 is controlled.

Buzzer sounding / lamp display control means 3
0c is a vehicle height adjustment control means 30 before the vehicle height adjustment operation is started.
The pre-blow function that continuously sounds the buzzer 37 for a predetermined time when receiving the buzzer sounding command output from b, and the buzzer 37 sounds intermittently during the vehicle height adjusting operation, that is, when the solenoid valve 16 or 18 is in the ON state. When the vehicle height adjustment ringing notification function is performed and the diagnosis lamp lighting command output from the vehicle height adjustment control means 30b is received in response to the failure detection of the solenoid valves 14, 16 and 18, the diagnosis lamp 3 is received.
9 has a fail display function for lighting up and a mode display function for displaying which mode the vehicle height is being adjusted by the lamps 38a to 38c from the start of the vehicle height adjustment to the completion of the vehicle height restoration. ing. Instead of continuously or intermittently sounding the buzzer 37 by the pre-blow function or the vehicle height adjustment ringing notification function, a speaker is provided and the vehicle height adjustment is started by voice or the like or the vehicle height adjustment operation is in progress. You may make it announce that there is.

Next, the control operation of the vehicle height adjusting device of the present embodiment constructed as described above will be explained with reference to FIGS. First, the basic control operation of the electronically controlled air suspension by the ECS control means 30a will be described with reference to FIG. When the engine is started and the operation of the electronic controller 30 (ECS control means 30a) is started, in step S1, the ECS control means 30a.
Receives a pressure signal from each pressure sensor 21, detects whether the air pressure in each auxiliary air tank 5 is at a predetermined level, and if the air pressure in any one of the auxiliary air tanks 5 is below a predetermined level. In this case, the corresponding ECS solenoid valve 6 is turned off and left open, and the system waits until the air pressure in the auxiliary air tank 5 reaches a predetermined level.

At this time, since the vehicle height at the position of the vehicle body supported by the suspension having the auxiliary air tank 5 whose air pressure is not higher than a predetermined level becomes low, the leveling valve 10 connected to the air spring 3L or 3R of the suspension operates. Then, the auxiliary air tank 5 is filled with air from the air supply source 9 through the leveling valve 10 and the electromagnetic valve 6.

Thus, the ECS control means 30a is
After waiting until the air pressure in the auxiliary air tank 5 reaches a predetermined level, the following control operation is executed. If the air pressures of all the auxiliary air tanks 5 are at a predetermined level, the ECS control means 30a is initialized, so-called initialization (step S2). Unless otherwise specified, all shock absorbers 19 are assumed to be switched to hardware.

Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the vehicle body 20 is in a vehicle height adjustment period in any mode (from the start of the vehicle height adjustment operation to the completion of the vehicle height restoration) (step S).
3) During the vehicle height adjustment period, the process proceeds to step S4. The air spring exhaust solenoid valve 16 of the vehicle height adjustment control means 30b determines whether or not the vehicle body 20 is in the vehicle height adjustment period.
Can be determined in accordance with an on command for the air cylinder supply / exhaust solenoid valve 14 (or an on command for the air cylinder air supply / exhaust solenoid valve 14) and an on / off command for the air spring air supply solenoid valve 18 (or an output of the vehicle height sensor 28). That is, in this embodiment, the start of vehicle height adjustment is detected by the ON drive of the solenoid valve 16 (or the ON drive of the solenoid valve 14),
Completion of the vehicle height recovery is detected by switching the solenoid valve 18 from the ON state to the OFF state (or the vehicle height sensor 22 detects the return of the vehicle body 20 to the standard vehicle height), and the vehicle height adjustment is started from the vehicle height adjustment start. The period until the completion of restoration is judged to be the vehicle height adjustment period.

In step S4, all the ECS solenoid valves 6 are switched to the closed position, and the air springs 3L and 3R are driven.
And the communication with each auxiliary air tank 5 is cut off. Thus, during the vehicle height adjustment period accompanying the ON operation of the solenoid valves 16 and 18, E
Closing the CS solenoid valve 6 is a characteristic operation of the present invention (Claim 1), and the action and effect associated with this operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 11. It will be described together with the control operation of 30b.

On the other hand, in step S3, the solenoid valve 1
If it is determined that neither of 6 and 18 is in the ON state, the process proceeds to step S5 to determine whether or not the auto / hardware selection switch 31 has been switched to hardware, and if it has been switched to hardware. , And proceeds to step S4. In step S4, as described above, all the ECS solenoid valves 6 are switched and driven to the closed position (ON state), so that the air springs 3L and 3R and the respective auxiliary air tanks 5 are
The communication with is cut off, the volume of the air chamber becomes small, and the spring constants of all the air springs 3L and 3R become large.

When it is determined in step S5 that the auto / hardware selection switch 31 is switched to auto, the process proceeds to step S6, and it is determined whether the backup lamp switch 26 is in the on state. .. If it is determined that the backup lamp switch 26 is in the on state, the vehicle body 20 is in the state of moving backward, so the process proceeds to step S7, where the left and right solenoid valves 6 on the front axle side are in the open position (off state). ), While
The left and right solenoid valves 6 on the rear axle side are switched and driven to the closed position (on state). As a result, the spring constants of all the air springs 3L, 3R on the rear axle side become large, so that the nose-up of the vehicle body 20 can be suppressed even if the backward movement is stopped by braking thereafter.

When it is determined in step S6 that the backup lamp switch 26 is not in the ON state, that is, the vehicle body 20 is about to move forward, the vehicle speed is calculated (step S8). In this embodiment, this vehicle speed is calculated based on the detection signal from the vehicle speed sensor 22. Then, in step S9, it is determined whether or not the air suspension should be hardened based on the vehicle speed obtained in step S8. That is, the vehicle speed is, for example, 0 to 30
km / h, 80 km / h or more, or
If it is determined that it is in the range other than this (30 to 80 km / h), and if it is determined to be in the range of 0 to 30 km / h or 80 km / h or more, the process proceeds to step S4 described above and all air The spring constants of the springs 3L and 3R are increased. As a result, rolling of the vehicle body 20 at low speeds can be prevented, while straightness at high speeds can be improved.

In step S9, the vehicle speed is 30 to
When it is determined that the speed is within the range of 80 km / h, it is determined whether or not braking is being performed (step S10). This determination is made based on the detection signal from the foot brake switch 25. Here, if the foot brake (not shown) is depressed, the foot brake switch 25 is turned on, and it is determined that braking is in progress, and the process proceeds to step S11.

In step S11, all the solenoid valves 6 on the front axle side are switched to the closed position (on state), while all the solenoid valves 6 on the rear axle side are in the open position (off state). As a result, the air spring 3 on the front axle side
Since the spring constants of L and 3R are switched to a large value, it becomes possible to suppress the nose dive of the vehicle body 20 when the forward movement is stopped thereafter.

In step S10, when it is determined that the foot brake switch 25 is in the off state and the braking is not being performed, it is determined what angular velocity the steering can be turned, and the magnitude of the angular velocity ( Step S12). This determination is based on the detection signal from the steering angular velocity sensor 23, and when it is determined that the steering angular velocity is larger than the predetermined determination value, that is, the vehicle body 20 is about to make a sharp turn, the above-described step S is performed.
Go to 4. In this step S4, since the spring constants of all the air springs 3L and 3R are switched to a large value, it is possible to suppress rolling of the vehicle body 20 during a sharp turn. The predetermined determination value may be set to a small value according to the vehicle speed as the vehicle speed increases.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S12 that the steering angular velocity is less than or equal to the predetermined determination value, it is determined whether the vehicle body 20 is actually rolling (step S13). This determination is made based on the detection signal from the rolling sensor 24, that is, the rolling signal,
When it is determined that rolling is occurring in the vehicle body 20,
That is, when the rolling sensor 24 is in the ON state, the process proceeds to step S4 described above, but in the present embodiment, between step S13 and step S4,
Step S14 is added as needed.

In this step S14, it is judged whether or not the ON operation of the rolling sensor 24 continues for the set time, and when this condition is satisfied, the routine proceeds to step S4, in which the spring constants of all the air springs 3L, 3R. To a large value to suppress rolling of the vehicle body 20. On the other hand, if the ON operation of the rolling sensor 24 ends before the set time is satisfied, or if it is determined in step S13 that the operation of the rolling sensor 24 is in the OFF state, the process proceeds to step S15.

In step S15, the solenoid valve 6 on the left front axle side and the solenoid valve 6 on the right rear axle side are in the open position (OFF state), while the solenoid valve 6 on the right front axle side and the solenoid valve on the left rear axle side are in the open position. The valve 6 is switched to the closed position (ON state) and driven. That is, the spring constants of the air springs 3L, 3R on one side of the front and rear axles located diagonally in the vehicle body 20 are large, and the spring constants of the air springs 3L, 3R on the other side are small.

Therefore, in this case, the spring constants of all the air springs 3L and 3R are switched to a large value as in step S4, and the spring constants of all the air springs 3L and 3R are switched to a small value. The intermediate state of can be obtained. In step S15, the damping force of the shock absorber 19 is also switched so as to correspond to the spring constants of the air springs 3L and 3R. After steps S4, S7, S11, and S15, the process returns to step S1 and the above-described control operation is repeated.

Thus, steps S4 to S15 of FIG.
The control operation by means of
Hard / soft switching control of each air spring 3L, 3R is performed according to reverse, vehicle speed conditions, braking, sharp turn, and rolling state, so that shake of the vehicle body 20 (nose up, nose down, rolling) is effective. Can be suppressed.

Next, the vehicle height adjustment control operation by the vehicle height adjustment control means 30b of the electronic controller 30 will be described with reference to FIG.
~ It demonstrates according to FIG. First, the main program of the control process of the vehicle height adjusting control means 30b will be described with reference to FIG. 5. After initial setting of the pre-blow time of the buzzer 37, the operating time of the timers 35 and 36 for each mode, which will be described later, etc. (Step A), the kneeling process (Step B) described with reference to FIG. 6, the kneeling return process (Step C) described with reference to FIG. 7, the vehicle height down process (Step D) described with reference to FIG. 8, and the vehicle described with reference to FIG. The high return process (step E) and the monitoring process (step F) for the air cylinder supply / exhaust solenoid valve 14 described with reference to FIG. 10 are sequentially performed. Only the processing in the ferry embarkation mode performed by turning on the ferry embarkation switch 34 is executed separately from the main program shown in FIG. 5, and its operation will be described with reference to FIG.

Before describing the steps B to F and the ferry embarkation mode process in detail, a basic vehicle height adjusting operation by the pneumatic circuit of the air suspension of this embodiment shown in FIG. 2 will be described. Keep it. In this embodiment, when adjusting the decrease of the vehicle height, the air cylinder supply / exhaust solenoid valve 14 is turned on to adjust the air supply source 9
Air is supplied to the air cylinder 13 from the air cylinder 13, and the air cylinder 13 (sensing rod 12) is shortened. As a result, the swing lever 11 is pulled downward, and the leveling valve 10 is in the same state as when the vehicle height is increased, and the air in each of the air springs 3L and 3R is discharged from the exhaust pipe 10a of the leveling valve 10. The vehicle height is adjusted to be lowered.

At this time, in this embodiment, when the solenoid valve 14 is turned on in accordance with the adjustment of the vehicle height decrease, at the same time, the air spring exhaust solenoid valve 16 is also turned on by the timer 35 for a predetermined time. As a result, the air inside the air springs 3L, 3R is discharged from the exhaust pipe 16d of the solenoid valve 16 without passing through the leveling valve 10, and the vehicle height is rapidly reduced. Since the time (driving time) during which the solenoid valve 16 is in the ON state is defined by the timer 35, the above-described rapid decrease in vehicle height stops at a predetermined position, and thereafter, the leveling valve 10 as described above. The exhaust pipe 10a is gradually exhausted to adjust the vehicle height to an accurate set vehicle height.

On the other hand, when the vehicle height is returned from the lowered state (raised to a predetermined vehicle height), the solenoid valve 14 is switched from the on state to the off state so that the air in the air cylinder 13 is moved to the first position of the solenoid valve 14. The air cylinder 13 (sensing rod 12) is discharged from the 3rd connection port 14c and returns to the normal length. As a result, the rocking lever 11 is pushed up, and the leveling valve 10 is brought into the same state as when the vehicle height is lowered, and the air from the air supply source 9 is passed through the leveling valve 10 into the air springs 3L, 3R. The vehicle height is adjusted and the vehicle height is adjusted.

At this time, in this embodiment, when the solenoid valve 14 is turned off in accordance with the vehicle height return adjustment, at the same time, the air spring air supply solenoid valve 18 is also turned on by the timer 36 for a predetermined time. .. As a result, the air from the air supply source 9 is supplied into each of the air springs 3L and 3R through the electromagnetic valve 18 without passing through the leveling valve 10, and the vehicle height rises rapidly. At this time as well, the time during which the solenoid valve 18 is in the on state (driving time) is defined by the timer 36, so the above-described rapid increase in vehicle height stops at a predetermined position, and thereafter, as described above. Air is gradually supplied from the air supply source 9 via the leveling valve 10 to perform a return (rise) adjustment to an accurate set vehicle height.

In the present embodiment, the vehicle height adjustment operation performed as described above is utilized to perform vehicle height adjustment in the following modes, that is, the kneeling mode, the vehicle height down mode, and the ferry embarkation mode. First, the kneeling mode is selected by turning on the kneeling switch 33, and the kneeling process and the kneeling returning process at the time of selecting the kneeling mode are performed by the procedures shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, respectively. That is, in the kneeling process (step B), as shown in FIG. 6, it is determined whether or not the kneeling switch 33 is in the on state (step B1), and if it is in the on state, the parking switch 27 is in the on state. If there is, that is, whether the vehicle body 20 is in the parked state or not (step B2), if it is in the on state, it is determined whether or not the vehicle speed sensor 22 outputs zero, that is, whether or not the vehicle body 20 is in the stopped state (step B2). B3), if the output is zero (stop state), it is determined whether the vehicle body 20 is already in the kneeling state or the vehicle height down state (steps B4 and B5).

Based on the determinations in these steps B1 to B5, both the kneeling switch 33 and the parking switch 27 are in the ON state, and the vehicle speed sensor 22
Is zero and it is judged that neither the kneeling state nor the vehicle height down state has been reached yet, the processes of steps B6 to B10 are executed. Step B1 ~
If any of the conditions determined by B5 is not satisfied,
To return.

In step B6, the solenoid valve 14 on the front axle side used in the kneeling process and the kneeling return process,
It is determined whether or not 16 and 18 are in a normal state, and if there is an abnormality, a buzzer ringing / lamp display control means 30.
A diagnosis lamp lighting command is output to c (step B10). These front axle side solenoid valves 14, 1
If 6 and 18 are normal, the buzzer sounding / lamp display control means 30c outputs a buzzer sounding command for sounding the buzzer 37 for a predetermined time before starting the kneeling operation (step B7).

After the pre-blowout time of the buzzer 37 has elapsed, the air cylinder supply / exhaust solenoid valve 14 on the front axle side is driven to the on state (step B8), and the air spring exhaust solenoid on the front axle side is exhausted. The valve 16 is driven to the ON state for a predetermined time by the timer 35 (step B
9). At this time, as described in steps S3 and S4 of FIG. 4, when the solenoid valve 16 (or the solenoid valve 14) is turned on, the ECS control means 30a operates until the return to the standard vehicle height is completed. The ECS solenoid valve 6 is forcibly switched to the ON state and switched to the closed position, and the communication between the air springs 3L and 3R and each auxiliary air tank 5 is cut off.

As a result, during the kneeling process, the volume of the air chamber to be exhausted from the solenoid valve 16 can be reduced only by the air springs 3L and 3R, and the operation of the above-mentioned steps B8 and B9 and the step of FIG. By the operations of S3 and S4, with respect to the air springs 3L and 3R on the front axle side of the vehicle body 20 in the stopped state, an appropriate amount of air is discharged from the solenoid valve 16 without passing through the leveling valve 10. As a result, the vehicle height on the front side of the vehicle body 20 having the door, that is, kneeling, is performed in an extremely short time, and passengers and passengers can easily get on and off.

On the other hand, the kneeling return processing (step C) of raising and returning the vehicle body 20 from the kneeling state to the standard vehicle height position is performed by turning off the kneeling switch 33, turning off the parking switch 27, or the vehicle speed sensor 2.
This is performed when either of the cases where the output of 2 is not zero is detected. That is, in the kneeling recovery process (step C), as shown in FIG. 7, it is determined whether or not the kneeling switch 33 is in the off state (step C1).
7 is in the ON state or not (step C2),
If it is not in the ON state, it is judged whether or not the vehicle speed sensor 22 has zero output (step C3), and if it is zero output, the routine returns.

When one of the OFF state of the kneeling switch 33, the OFF state of the parking switch 27, and the non-zero output of the vehicle speed sensor 22 is detected by the determinations in these steps C1 to C3, the vehicle body 20 is already in the kneeling state or It is determined whether or not the vehicle height is in the down state (steps C4 and C5), and if it is determined that the vehicle is not in the kneeling state and if it is in the vehicle height down state, the routine is returned. Then, steps C4 and C
If it is determined that the vehicle is in the kneeling state and that the vehicle height is not down according to step 5, step C
The processing from 6 to C11 is executed.

In step C6, it is judged whether or not the solenoid valve 18 on the front axle side used for the kneeling return processing is in a normal state, and if there is an abnormality in this solenoid valve 18, a buzzer sound / lamp indication is displayed. A diagnostic lamp lighting command is output to the control means 30c for operation (step C
10) Then, the air cylinder supply / exhaust solenoid valve 14 is turned off to raise / restore the vehicle height to the standard vehicle height (step C11).

As a result, the air in the air cylinder 13 is discharged from the third connection port 14c of the solenoid valve 14, and the air cylinder 13 (sensing rod 12) on the front axle side returns to the normal length. 11 is pushed up, and the air from the air supply source 9 is supplied into the air springs 3L, 3R on the front axle side via the leveling valve 10. Therefore, when an abnormality occurs in the solenoid valve 18, the vehicle height on the front axle side is raised and returned to the normal position (standard vehicle height) by using the leveling valve 10.

In step C6, the solenoid valve 18 on the front axle side
Is determined to be normal, the buzzer sounding / lamp display control means 30c outputs a buzzer sounding command for sounding the buzzer 37 for a predetermined time before starting the kneeling return operation (step). C7). Then, after the pre-blow time of the buzzer 37 has elapsed, the air spring air supply solenoid valve 18 on the front axle side is driven to the ON state for a predetermined time by the timer 36 (step C8), and the air cylinder on the front axle side is also activated. The supply / exhaust solenoid valve 14 is driven to the off state (step C9).

At this time, the ECS control means 30a shown in FIG.
By the processing operations in steps S3 and S4 of
Solenoid valve for ECS 6 until the vehicle height returns to the standard vehicle height.
Is forcibly switched to the on state and switched to the closed position, so that the communication between the air springs 3L and 3R and the respective auxiliary air tanks 5 remains disconnected. Therefore, even during the kneeling return process, the volume of the air chamber to be supplied to the solenoid valve 18 can be reduced only by the air springs 3L and 3R, and further, the operations of the steps C8 and C9 described above and step S3 of FIG. , S4, the air springs 3L, 3R on the front axle side of the vehicle body 20 are
Since an appropriate amount of air is supplied to these air springs 3L and 3R from the air supply source 9 through the solenoid valve 18 without passing through the leveling valve 10, the standard vehicle height on the front side of the vehicle body 20 having the doors. The ascent to the knee, or the return to the kneeling, is performed in an extremely short time.

Next, the vehicle height down processing and the vehicle height restoration processing when the vehicle height down mode is selected will be described. These processings are performed by the procedures shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, respectively. That is, in the vehicle height down process (step D), the process shown in FIG.
As shown in, it is determined whether or not the vehicle height down switch 32 is in the ON state (step D1), and if it is in the ON state, it is determined whether or not the vehicle body 20 is already in the vehicle height down state. (Step D2) If the vehicle height is not yet lowered, it is determined whether the vehicle body 20 is already in the kneeling state (step D3).

When the vehicle height down switch 32 is in the ON state and the vehicle height is not yet in the down state based on the determinations in these steps D1 to D3, the vehicle body 20 is in the kneeling state. Depending on whether or not the processing is performed, steps D4 to D13 are executed. The vehicle height down switch 3 is determined according to the determination in steps D1 and D2
When it is determined that the vehicle body 2 is in the off state, or when it is determined that the vehicle body 20 is already in the vehicle height down state, the routine returns.

In this embodiment, the vehicle height down processing is prioritized over the kneeling processing. When the vehicle body 20 is neither in the kneeling state nor in the vehicle height down state, the vehicle height down processing in steps D4 to D8 is performed. On the other hand, if the vehicle body 20 is already in the kneeling state while the processing is executed, the vehicle height down processing on the rear axle side is executed by steps D9 to D13.

If the vehicle body 20 is neither in the kneeling state nor in the vehicle height down state, first, in step D4, all the solenoid valves 14, 16 used before and after the vehicle height down processing and vehicle height returning processing are used. It is determined whether or not 18 is in a normal state, and if there is an abnormality, a diagnosis lamp lighting command is output to the buzzer ringing / lamp display control means 30c (step D8). If these solenoid valves 14, 16 and 18 are normal, the buzzer sounding / lamp display control means 30c is instructed to sound the buzzer 37 for a predetermined time before starting the vehicle height down operation. Output (step D5).

After the pre-blow time of the buzzer 37 has elapsed, the front and rear air cylinder air supply / exhaust solenoid valves 14 are driven to the ON state (step D6), and the front and rear air spring exhaust solenoid valves 16 are operated by the timer. It is driven to the ON state for a predetermined time by 35 (step D7). The on-driving time of the solenoid valve 16 before and after being set by the timer 35 may be set to different values before and after as required.

Also at this time, when the solenoid valve 16 (or solenoid valve 14) is turned on by the processing operation of the ECS control means 30a in steps S3 and S4 in FIG. 4, the return to the standard vehicle height is completed. , The ECS solenoid valve 6 is forcibly switched to the ON state and switched to the closed position, and the communication between the air springs 3L and 3R and the auxiliary air tanks 5 is cut off.

As a result, during the vehicle height down process,
Not only can the volume of the air chamber to be exhausted from the solenoid valve 16 reduced by only the air springs 3L and 3R, but the operation of steps D6 and D7 and the operations of steps S3 and S4 in FIG. With respect to all the air springs 3L and 3R, an appropriate amount of air is supplied from the air springs 3L and 3R.
Since it is exhausted from the solenoid valve 16 without passing through 0, the vehicle height can be reduced in an extremely short time to reduce the vehicle height of the entire vehicle body 20 while leaving an appropriate amount of air in each air spring 3L, 3R. Be done.

When it is determined in step D3 that the vehicle body 20 is in the kneeling state, the front axle side of the vehicle body 20 is already in the vehicle height lowering state, and therefore, in steps D9 to D13, Adjust the vehicle height on the axle side. First, in step D9, it is judged whether or not the solenoid valves 14, 16 and 18 on the rear axle side, which are used in the subsequent vehicle height reduction processing and vehicle height restoration processing, are in a normal state, and if there is an abnormality, , And outputs a diagnosis lamp lighting command to the buzzer sounding / lamp display control means 30c (step D13). These solenoid valves 14, 1
If 6 and 18 are normal, the buzzer sounding / lamp display control means 30c outputs a buzzer sounding command for sounding the buzzer 37 for a predetermined time before starting the vehicle height down operation (step D10). ..

After the pre-blowout time of the buzzer 37 has elapsed, the air cylinder air supply / exhaust solenoid valve 14 on the rear axle side is driven to the on state (step D11), and the air spring exhaust solenoid on the rear axle side is exhausted. Valve 16 is timer 35
Is driven to the ON state for a predetermined time (step D
12). At this time, the ECS solenoid valve 6 is forcibly switched to the ON position and driven to the closed position by the processing operation of the ECS control means 30a in steps S3 and S4 of FIG. The communication between the springs 3L and 3R and the respective auxiliary air tanks 5 remains disconnected.

Therefore, the volume of the air chamber to be exhausted from the solenoid valve 16 is small only for the air springs 3L and 3R.
The air springs 3L, 3R on the rear axle side of the vehicle body 20 are operated by the operation of D12 and the operations of steps S3 and S4 of FIG.
As for the solenoid valve 1 without passing through the leveling valve 10, an appropriate amount of air from these air springs 3L, 3R
The vehicle height on the rear axle side of the vehicle body 20 drops in an extremely short time while leaving a proper amount of air in each of the air springs 3L, 3R, and the vehicle body 20 as a whole is in a vehicle height down state.

When such a vehicle height down mode is selected,
Even when the vehicle body 20 is running, each air spring 3L, 3L
The vehicle height of the entire vehicle body 20 is lowered in a state where air is left in the R, which is suitable when passing through a tunnel with a vehicle height limitation. At this time, the ECS solenoid valve 6 is forcibly switched to the ON state and continuously switched to the closed position during the vehicle height reduction (until the vehicle height returns to the standard vehicle height). , 3R is in a hard state with a large spring constant, and can suppress vehicle body fluctuations even when the road surface is rough, and can safely drive while suppressing the behavior of the vehicle body 20 even when traveling in a tunnel in a vehicle height down state. You can

On the other hand, in the vehicle height restoration process (step E) of raising and returning the vehicle body 20 from the vehicle height down state to the standard vehicle height position, as shown in FIG.
Is off (step E
1) If the vehicle is in the off state, it is determined whether the vehicle body 20 is already in the vehicle height down state or the kneeling state (steps E2 and E3), and it is determined that the vehicle height is not in the vehicle height down state and the kneeling state. If it is determined to be true, return. Then, when it is determined in steps E2 and E3 that the vehicle height is in the down state and it is not in the kneeling state, steps E4 to
The processing by E9 is executed.

At step E4, it is judged whether or not all the solenoid valves 18 used for the vehicle height restoration process are in a normal state, and if there is an abnormality in the solenoid valves 18, the steps shown in FIG. Similar to C10 and C11, the diagnosis lamp lighting command is output to the buzzer ringing / lamp display control means 30c (step E8), and the air cylinder supply / exhaust solenoid valve 14 is operated to raise / return the vehicle height.
Is turned off (step E9).

As a result, the air in the air cylinder 13 is discharged from the third connection port 14c of the solenoid valve 14, and all the air cylinders 13 (sensing rods 12) return to their normal lengths, so that the swing lever 11 moves. The air from the air supply source 9 is pushed up and supplied through the leveling valve 10 into all the air springs 3L, 3R. Therefore, when an abnormality occurs in the solenoid valve 18, the leveling valve 1
By using 0, the vehicle height of the entire vehicle body 20 rises and returns to the normal position (standard vehicle height).

When it is determined in step E4 that all the electromagnetic valves 18 are normal, the buzzer ringing / lamp display control means 30c is operated with the buzzer 37 for a predetermined time before starting the vehicle height recovery operation. A buzzer sounding command for sounding is output (step E5). And buzzer 3
After the pre-blowing time of 7 has elapsed, all the air spring air supply solenoid valves 18 are driven to the ON state for a predetermined time by the timer 36 (step E6), and all the air cylinder air supply and exhaust solenoid valves 14 are turned on. It is driven to the off state (step E7).

At this time, the ECS control means 30a shown in FIG.
By the processing operations in steps S3 and S4 of
Until the total vehicle height returns to the standard vehicle height, the ECS solenoid valve 6 is forcibly switched to the on state and switched to the closed position, so that the air springs 3L and 3R and the auxiliary air tanks 5 are Communication is still broken. Therefore,
Even during the vehicle height restoration process, the volume of the air chamber to be supplied to the solenoid valve 18 can be reduced not only by the air springs 3L and 3R, but also the above-described operations of steps E6 and E7 and step S3 of FIG. By the operation of S4, with respect to all the air springs 3L and 3R of the vehicle body 20, an appropriate amount of air is supplied from the air supply source 9 to the air springs 3L and 3R through the solenoid valve 18 without passing through the leveling valve 10. As a result, the entire vehicle body 20 is raised to the standard vehicle height, that is, the vehicle height is restored in an extremely short time.

By the way, the solenoid valve for exhausting the air spring 1
6 and the air spring solenoid valve 18 do not operate unless the vehicle height down switch 32 and the kneeling switch 33 are turned on / off, and immediately before the solenoid valves 16 and 18 are actuated during the on / off operation. Is step B
As described in 6, C6, D4, D9, and E4, the solenoid valves 16 and 18 are checked. However, since the air cylinder air supply / exhaust solenoid valve 14 is always in the ON state during the vehicle height adjustment period, the solenoid valve 14 is operated.
Need to be monitored.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the vehicle height adjusting control means 30b of the electronic controller 30 is provided with the function of monitoring the solenoid valve 14 by the flow shown in FIG. In this monitoring process (step F), it is first judged whether or not the solenoid valve 14 on the front axle side is in a normal state (step F1). If the solenoid valve 14 is normal, the solenoid valve 14 on the rear axle side is judged. It is determined whether the solenoid valve 14 is in a normal state (step F2).

When it is determined in step F1 that the solenoid valve 14 on the front axle side is abnormal, a diagnosis lamp lighting command is output to the buzzer ringing / lamp display control means 30c (step F3), and then the vehicle body 20 determines whether or not the vehicle height is in a down state (step F4),
If the vehicle height is not down, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is in a kneeling state (step F5).

If it is determined in step F4 that the vehicle height is in a down state, both the front and rear solenoid valves 14 are turned off (step F6), and all the air cylinders 13 (sensing rods 12) are set to the normal length. Then, the rocking lever 11 is pushed up, and the air from the air supply source 9 is supplied into all the air springs 3L and 3R via the leveling valve 10. As a result, the vehicle height of the entire vehicle body 20 is raised and returned to the normal position (standard vehicle height) using the leveling valve 10 (step F7).

When it is determined in step F5 that the vehicle is in the kneeling state, only the solenoid valve 14 on the front axle side is on and the solenoid valve 14 on the rear axle side is off, so the solenoid valve on the front axle side is in the off state. 14 is turned off (step F8), the air cylinder 13 (sensing rod 12) on the rear axle side is returned to the normal length and the swing lever 11 is pushed up, and the air from the air supply source 9 is passed through the leveling valve 10. Is supplied into the air springs 3L, 3R on the front axle side. As a result, the vehicle height on the front axle side is raised and returned to the normal position (standard vehicle height) using the leveling valve 10 (step F9). If it is determined in step F5 that the kneeling state is not set, the process is returned.

On the other hand, in step F2, the rear axle side solenoid valve 1
When it is determined that the vehicle body 20 is in the vehicle height down state after outputting the diagnosis lamp lighting command to the buzzer ringing / lamp display control means 30c (step F10), If it is determined that the vehicle height is in a down state (step F11), the front and rear solenoid valves 14 are both turned off (step F1) just as in steps F6 and F7.
2) Using the leveling valve 10, the vehicle height of the entire vehicle body 20 rises and returns to the normal position (standard vehicle height) (step F13). If it is determined in step F2 that the solenoid valve 14 on the rear axle side is normal, and in step F1
If it is determined in 1 that the vehicle height is not down, the routine is returned.

With such a monitoring function of the solenoid valve 14,
When an abnormality occurs in one of the front and rear solenoid valves 14, a diagnosis lamp lighting command is output to the buzzer ringing / lamp display control means 30c, and the vehicle body 20 is in either the kneeling state or the vehicle height down state. Even in this state, the kneeling return or the vehicle height return is performed by the leveling valve 10, and the vehicle height of the entire vehicle body 20 is returned to the standard vehicle height.

Next, by turning on the ferry embarkation switch 34, control processing in the ferry embarkation mode is executed by interruption in the vehicle height adjusting control means 30b separately from the control operation described above with reference to FIGS. Operation,
This will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 11A is a flowchart for explaining the transition processing operation to the ferry embarkation mode state, and FIG. 11B is a flowchart for explaining the return processing operation from the ferry embarkation mode state.

First, the ferry embarkation mode is selected by turning on the ferry embarkation switch 34. When the ferry embarkation switch 34 is detected to be in the on state as shown in FIG. 11A (step G1), parking is performed. It is determined whether or not the switch is in the on state (step G2), and if it is in the on state, it is determined whether or not the vehicle speed sensor 22 has zero output (step G3), and if it is zero output (stop state), Control goes to step G4.

Based on the judgments in these steps G1 to G3, both the ferry embarkation switch 34 and the parking switch 27 are in the ON state, and the vehicle speed sensor 2
If it is determined that the output of 2 is zero, step G
The processing of 4 to G8 is executed. Steps G1 to G3
If any one of the conditions determined by the above is not satisfied, the vehicle height adjustment processing to the ferry boarding state is not executed.

It should be noted that, based on the determinations in steps G1 to G3 described above, this vehicle height adjustment processing to the ferry boarding state is executed when the vehicle body 20 is in the vehicle height down mode state (the parking switch 27 is in the off state). If the vehicle body 20 is in the kneeling mode state (the parking switch 27 is on and the vehicle speed sensor 22 outputs zero),
It will be executed prior to this kneeling mode state.

Now, in step G4, all the solenoid valves 14 and 1 before and after the solenoid valves 14 and 1 to be used in the process of shifting to the ferry embarkation mode state or the process of returning from the ferry embarkation mode state.
It is judged whether or not 6 and 18 are in a normal state, and if there is an abnormality, a buzzer sounding / lamp display control means 30c.
A diagnostic lamp lighting command is output to (step G5). If all the solenoid valves 14, 16 and 18 are normal, the buzzer sounding / lamp display control means 30c.
On the other hand, a buzzer sounding command for sounding the buzzer 37 for a predetermined time is output before starting the transition operation to the ferry embarkation mode state (step G6).

After the pre-blow-out time of the buzzer 37 has elapsed, the front and rear air cylinder supply / exhaust solenoid valves 14 are driven to the on state (step G7), and the front and rear air spring exhaust solenoid valves 16 are infinite. It is driven and held in the ON state for a time (step G8). Also at this time, when the solenoid valve 16 (or the solenoid valve 14) is turned on by the processing operation of the ECS control means 30a in steps S3 and S4 of FIG. 4, the EC is returned until the return to the standard vehicle height is completed.
The S solenoid valve 6 is forcibly switched to the ON state and switched to the closed position, and the communication between the air springs 3L and 3R and each auxiliary air tank 5 is cut off.

As a result, the volume of the air chamber to be exhausted from the solenoid valve 16 can be reduced only by the air springs 3L and 3R at the time of the transition processing to the ferry embarkation mode state, and the above-mentioned steps G7, G8 and FIG. By the operations of steps S3 and S4 of 4, all the air in all the air springs 3L and 3R of the vehicle body 20 is discharged from the solenoid valve 16 in the on state for an infinite period of time with respect to all the air springs 3L and 3R of the vehicle body 20 in the stopped state. Because
Lower the height of the entire vehicle body 20 to the lowest position (tie down)
The ferry embarkation mode state thus made can be reached in an extremely short time, and the vehicle body 20 can be safely secured on the ferry at the time of boarding the ferry.

On the other hand, the returning process for raising and returning the vehicle body 20 from the ferry embarkation mode state to the standard vehicle height position is executed by turning off the ferry embarkation switch 34. In the present embodiment, when the vehicle body 20 is in the ferry embarkation mode state, the parking switch 27 is locked in the ON state and the vehicle speed sensor 22 does not become a non-zero output. During the return process, the ferry boarding switch 34 does not perform the OFF operation of the parking switch 27 and the non-zero output of the vehicle speed sensor 22 unlike the kneeling return process.
The return processing is executed when the off operation is detected.

That is, as shown in FIG. 11B, when the OFF state of the ferry embarkation switch 34 is detected (step G9), it is determined whether or not the solenoid valve 18 used before and after the returning process is in a normal state. (Step G10),
When the solenoid valve 18 is abnormal, a diagnosis lamp lighting command is output to the buzzer ringing / lamp display control means 30c (step G11), and the air spring is used to raise and restore the vehicle height to the standard vehicle height. The exhaust solenoid valve 16 is turned off and the air cylinder supply / exhaust solenoid valve 14 is turned off (step G1).
2).

As a result, the air in the air cylinder 13 is discharged from the third connection port 14c of the solenoid valve 14, and all the air cylinders 13 (sensing rods 12) return to their normal lengths, so that the swing lever 11 moves. The air from the air supply source 9 is pushed up and supplied through the leveling valve 10 into all the air springs 3L, 3R. Therefore, when an abnormality occurs in the solenoid valve 18, the leveling valve 1
By using 0, the vehicle height of the entire vehicle body 20 rises and returns to the normal position (standard vehicle height).

When it is determined in step G10 that all the solenoid valves 18 are normal, the buzzer ringing / lamp display control means 30c is operated for a predetermined time before starting the return operation from the ferry embarkation mode state. Only buzzer 37
A buzzer sounding command for sounding is output (step G13). Then, after the pre-blow time of the buzzer 37 has elapsed, all the solenoid valves 16 are switched from the on state to the off state (step G14), and then all the air spring air supply solenoid valves 18 are set by the timer 36 in a predetermined manner. While being driven to the on state for only time (step G15), all the air cylinder supply / exhaust solenoid valves 14 are driven to the off state (step G16).

At this time, the ECS control means 30a shown in FIG.
By the processing operations in steps S3 and S4 of
Until the total vehicle height returns to the standard vehicle height, the ECS solenoid valve 6 is forcibly switched to the on state and switched to the closed position, so that the air springs 3L and 3R and the auxiliary air tanks 5 are Communication is still broken. Therefore,
Even during the process of returning from the ferry embarkation mode state, the volume of the air chamber to be supplied to the solenoid valve 18 can be reduced only by the air springs 3L and 3R. Step S
By the operation of 3, S4, all the air springs 3L, 3
Regarding R, an appropriate amount of air is supplied from the air supply source 9 to these air springs 3L and 3R through the solenoid valve 18 without passing through the leveling valve 10, and the vehicle body 20 as a whole from the ferry embarkation mode state to the standard vehicle height. The ascent and return to is performed in an extremely short time.

Now, a buzzer sounding processing operation by the buzzer sounding / lamp display control means 30c of the electronic controller 30 will be described with reference to FIG. This buzzer sounds /
In the buzzer sound processing operation by the lamp display control means 30c, as shown in FIG. 12, first, it is determined whether or not a buzzer sounding command before starting the vehicle height adjustment operation is received from the vehicle height adjustment control means 30b (step H1). As described above, this buzzer sounding command is issued in steps B7, C7, D5, D.
It is output before the vehicle height adjusting operation is started at 10, E5, G6, and G13. When it is determined that the buzzer sounding command is received, the buzzer 37 is continuously sounded for a predetermined time (pre-sounding function; step). H2). If the buzzer blow command is not received, it is returned.

After the pre-sounding at step H2, the steps B9, C8, D7, D12, E6, G
While the solenoid valve 16 or 18 is turned on by 8, G15 (that is, during the vehicle height adjusting operation), step H
According to the judgment of 3 (whether the solenoid valve 16 or 18 is in the ON state), the buzzer 37 is intermittently rung (vehicle height adjustment ringing notification function; step H4).

Then, in step H3, the solenoid valves 16,
If it is determined that 18 is turned off, the buzzer 37 stops ringing (step H5). At this time,
At step G8 when the ferry embarkation mode is selected, the solenoid valve 16 is turned on for an infinite period of time. Therefore, in the flowchart shown in FIG.
Since 7 will continue to ring intermittently, only when adjusting the vehicle height decrease when the ferry embarkation mode is selected, when the vehicle height of the vehicle body 20 decreases to the lowest position, step H
4 to stop the intermittent sounding of the buzzer 37.

As described above, the pre-blow function for continuously ringing the buzzer 37 for a predetermined time before starting the vehicle height adjusting operation, and the vehicle height adjusting ringing notification function for intermittently ringing the buzzer 37 during the vehicle height adjusting operation. By providing the above, it is possible to notify the occupants and passengers inside or near the vehicle body 20 that adjusts the vehicle height to the effect that the vehicle height adjustment is started and that the vehicle height adjustment operation is in progress, and issue a warning. Therefore, the vehicle height of the vehicle body 20 can be adjusted safely.

Further, as the lamp display processing operation by the buzzer sounding / lamp display control means 30c, there are three modes of fail display function for controlling the lighting state of the diagnosis lamp 39 and vehicle height adjustment by the device of this embodiment ( A mode display function is provided to indicate which of the vehicle height down mode, the kneeling mode, and the ferry embarkation mode) is selected.

In the fail display function, the steps B10, C10, D8, D13, E8, F3, F10,
When the diagnosis lamp lighting command is received from the vehicle height adjusting control means 30b in accordance with the failure detection of the solenoid valves 14, 16, 18 by G5, G11, the diagnosis lamp 39 is lit. Further, in the mode display function, the lamps corresponding to the switches 32 to 34 that have been turned on, that is, the vehicle height down mode, based on which of the vehicle height down switch 32, the kneeling switch 33, and the ferry embarkation switch 34 is turned on. The lamp 38a, the kneeling mode lamp 38b, or the ferry embarkation mode lamp 38c is selected by lighting the vehicle height adjustment start time until the vehicle height return is completed (during the vehicle height adjustment period). The displayed mode is clearly displayed.

By providing such a display function, the fail state of the solenoid valves 14, 16, 18 in the apparatus of this embodiment can be clearly displayed and notified to the driver etc. by the diagnosis lamp 39. At the time of adjusting the vehicle height, it is possible to clearly display and notify the driver or the like which mode is selected by the lamps 38a to 38c.

The lighting period of each of the lamps 38a to 38c may be from the time of turning on the switch 32 to 34 to the time of turning off the switch.
4, the start of the vehicle height adjustment is detected by the on-drive of the solenoid valve 16 (or the on-drive of the solenoid valve 14), and the completion of the vehicle height recovery is changed from the on-state of the solenoid valve 18 to the off-state. Switching (or vehicle body 20 by vehicle height sensor 22)
Of the standard vehicle height), and a period from the start of the vehicle height adjustment to the completion of the vehicle height adjustment may be set as the lighting period.

As described above, according to the apparatus of this embodiment, the solenoid valves 16 and 18 are used to supply and exhaust air to and from the air springs 3L and 3R without the intervention of the leveling valve 10. The ECS solenoid valve 6 is forcibly closed by the ECS control means 30a when the vehicle height is lowered / returned by the solenoid valves 16 and 18 as well as the height is lowered / restored quickly. Since the air springs 3L and 3R are shut off from the auxiliary air tank 5 because the drive control is performed (on state), the volume of the air chamber that is the target of exhaust / air supply during vehicle height adjustment can be reduced, and the vehicle height can be reduced. The return adjustment can be performed more quickly, and the vehicle height reduction / return adjustment in the electronically controlled air suspension vehicle can be performed in an extremely short time.

Further, at the time of adjusting the height of the vehicle, the auxiliary air tank 5 and the air springs 3L and 3R are shut off so that the exhaust /
Since the volume of the air chamber to be supplied is small, there is an advantage that the consumption of air filling is small and the life of the air compressor for compressing and supplying air can be extended. Further, according to the present embodiment, any one of three types of vehicle height down mode, kneeling mode and ferry embarkation mode is selected, and the vehicle height adjustment control means 30b adjusts the vehicle height according to each mode. As it is performed, it is possible to adjust the vehicle height flexibly according to various situations.

For example, as described above, when the vehicle height down mode is selected, air remains in all the air springs 3L, 3R and the air springs 3L, 3R are hard (E).
Since the vehicle height of the entire vehicle body 20 is reduced with the CS solenoid valve 6 closed), the vehicle body 20 can safely pass through a tunnel with a vehicle height limitation without causing a large swing. When the kneeling mode is selected, an appropriate amount of air is discharged from the air springs 3L, 3R on the front axle side when the vehicle is stopped, the vehicle height of the front side of the vehicle body 20 having the door is lowered, and passengers and passengers can easily get on and off. become. When selecting the ferry embarkation mode, all air springs 3
All the air is discharged from L and 3R, the vehicle height of the entire vehicle body 20 is lowered to the lowest position, and the vehicle body 20 can be safely fixed on the ferry at the time of boarding the ferry.

Further, in the present embodiment, the drive control time of the solenoid valves 16 and 18 by the vehicle height adjusting control means 30b is defined by the timers 35 and 36, respectively, so that the solenoid valves 16 and 18 are controlled. It is possible to easily control the rapid vehicle height adjustment by 18 so as to surely stop at a predetermined position according to each mode, and the subsequent fine adjustment of the vehicle height position is performed by using the leveling valve 10. Become.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the buzzer sounds /
A warning is issued by notifying the occupants and passengers that the vehicle height adjustment is started and that the vehicle height adjustment operation is being performed by the pre-blow function and the vehicle height adjustment ring notification function by the lamp display control means 30c. The vehicle height of the vehicle body 20 is safely adjusted. Further, the fail state of the solenoid valves 14, 16, 18 and the mode selected by the switches 32 to 34 are
Since the diagnosis lamp 39 and the respective lamps 38a to 38c are clearly displayed and notified to the driver and the like, the driver and the like can accurately grasp and manage the fail state and vehicle height adjustment state of the device of the present embodiment. There is also.

In the above embodiment, the ECS solenoid valve 6 is forcibly closed (on) during the vehicle height adjustment period.
However, the ECS electromagnetic valve 6 may be driven to the closed state only while the electromagnetic valve 16 or 18 is in the ON state. In this case, with the vehicle height down mode selected and the vehicle height of the vehicle body 20 lowered to a predetermined position,
The air springs 3L and 3R can be switched between hard and soft.

Further, in the above embodiment, the door is provided on the front side of the vehicle body 20 so that the vehicle height on the front side of the vehicle body 20 is lowered when the kneeling mode is selected, but the device of the present invention is not limited to this. The same applies to the case where the door is at the center or the rear side of the vehicle body 20, and when the door is at the center, the vehicle height of the entire vehicle body 20 is lowered to a predetermined position, while the door is at the rear side. In this case, the vehicle height behind the vehicle body 20 is lowered to a predetermined position.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the case where the device of the present invention is applied to a bus has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and any vehicle having an electronically controlled air suspension can be used. It is applied in the same manner as in the embodiment, and the same effect can be obtained.

[0129]

As described above in detail, according to the vehicle height adjusting device for an electronically controlled air suspension vehicle of the present invention, the exhaust air for discharging the air from the air spring without passing through the leveling valve when the vehicle body height decrease is adjusted. Solenoid valve, an air supply solenoid valve that supplies air from an air supply source to the air spring without passing through the leveling valve when adjusting the vehicle body height return, and these exhaust solenoid valve and air supply solenoid valve A vehicle height adjusting control means for driving and controlling the valve when adjusting the vehicle height of the vehicle body, and when adjusting the vehicle height of the vehicle body by the vehicle height adjusting control means, the air suspension solenoid valve is controlled by the air suspension control means. With an extremely simple configuration in which the drive control is forcibly closed, the air spring is used to assist the Is cut off from the engine, the volume of the air chamber that is the target of exhaust / air supply during vehicle height adjustment can be reduced, and the vehicle height can be lowered / returned more quickly. Adjustment of return can be performed in an extremely short time. Further, at this time, since the volume of the air chamber to be exhausted / air-supplied is small, it is possible to reduce the filling and consumption of air at the time of adjusting the vehicle height, and it is possible to extend the life of the air compressor for compressing and supplying air. There are also advantages.

Further, the vehicle height adjusting control means lowers the vehicle height of the entire vehicle body while leaving a proper amount of air in the air spring, and the vehicle height adjusting mode in a stopped state according to the vehicle door position. Regarding the air spring, a kneeling mode in which an appropriate amount of air is discharged from the air spring to reduce the vehicle height at the position of the vehicle body according to the door position, and all air is discharged from the air spring when boarding a ferry, There is a vehicle height limit by selecting one of the ferry embarkation mode in which the vehicle height of the entire vehicle body is lowered to the lowest position and drivingly controlling the exhaust electromagnetic valve and the air supply electromagnetic valve. It is possible to adjust the vehicle height flexibly according to various situations such as when passing through a tunnel, when passengers and passengers get on and off, and when the ferry is stable and fixed.

Further, a timer is provided for defining the drive control time of the solenoid valve for exhaust and the solenoid valve for air supply by the vehicle height adjusting control means in accordance with the selection of any one of the vehicle height down mode, the kneeling mode and the ferry embarkation mode. Thus, there is an advantage that the rapid vehicle height adjustment by these solenoid valves can be easily controlled so as to surely stop at a predetermined position according to each mode.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle height adjusting device for an electronically controlled air suspension vehicle as an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a pneumatic circuit of an air suspension in the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a bus (electronically controlled air suspension vehicle) equipped with the device of the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart for explaining a control processing operation by the ECS control means of the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a main program by a vehicle height adjusting control means of the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a kneeling processing operation by the vehicle height adjustment control means of the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a kneeling return processing operation by the vehicle height adjustment control means of the present embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining a vehicle height down processing operation by the vehicle height adjustment control means of the present embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining a vehicle height restoration processing operation by the vehicle height adjustment control means of the present embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the monitoring processing operation of the air cylinder supply / exhaust solenoid valve by the vehicle height adjustment control means of the present embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a view for explaining the processing operation when the ferry embarkation mode is selected by the vehicle height adjusting control means of the present embodiment, and FIG. 11A is a flow chart for explaining the processing operation for shifting to the ferry embarkation mode state. , (B) is a flow chart for explaining a return processing operation from the ferry embarkation mode state.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart for explaining a buzzer sounding processing operation by the buzzer sounding / lamp display control means of the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Front Axle Side Suspension Section 2 Rear Axle Side Suspension Section 3L, 3R Air Spring 4 Connection Pipeline 5 Auxiliary Air Tank 6 Air Suspension (ECS) Solenoid Valve 7 Branch Supply Pipeline 8 Main Supply Pipeline 8a Supply Valve 9 Air Supply Source 10 Leveling Valve 10a Exhaust Pipe 11 Swing Lever 12 Sensing Rod 13 Air Cylinder 14 Air Cylinder Supply / Exhaust Solenoid Valve 15 Branch Supply Pipeline 16 Air Spring Exhaust Solenoid Valve 17 Branch Supply Pipeline 18 Air Spring Supply Solenoid Valve 19 Shock absorber 20 Vehicle body 21 Pressure sensor 22 Vehicle speed sensor 23 Steering angular velocity sensor 23a Steering 24 Rolling sensor 25 Foot brake switch 26 Backup lamp switch 27 Parking switch 28 Vehicle height sensor 29 in Caterer 30 Electronic controller 30a Air suspension (ECS) control means 30b Vehicle height adjustment control means 30c Buzzer ringing / lamp display control means 31 Auto / hard selection switch 32 Vehicle height down switch 33 Kneeling switch 34 Ferry boarding switch 35, 36 Timer 37 Buzzer (speaker) 38a Vehicle height down mode lamp 38b Kneeling mode lamp 38c Ferry boarding mode lamp 39 Diagnostics lamp

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An air spring which is provided between the vehicle body and each of the front, rear, left and right axles to support the vehicle body, an auxiliary air tank which is communicatively connected to each of the air springs, and the air spring. The air suspension solenoid valve is provided between the auxiliary air tank and an air suspension solenoid valve, and air suspension control means for controlling the open / closed state of the air suspension solenoid valve according to the state of the vehicle body. A vehicle height adjusting device for an electronically controlled air suspension vehicle that adjusts the spring constant of the air spring by opening / closing the valve by the air suspension control means to make a connection between the air spring and the auxiliary air tank. And leveling between the air spring and an air supply source that supplies air to the air spring. In a vehicle equipped with a valve, an air cylinder is provided on a sensing rod of the leveling valve, and air is supplied to or exhausted from the air cylinder to reduce / return the vehicle height of the vehicle body. An exhaust electromagnetic valve that discharges air from the air spring without passing through the leveling valve when adjusting the vehicle height, and from the air supply source to the air spring without passing through the leveling valve when adjusting the vehicle height of the vehicle body. And a vehicle height adjustment control means for driving and controlling the exhaust electromagnetic valve and the air supply electromagnetic valve when adjusting the vehicle height of the vehicle body. When the vehicle height is adjusted by the vehicle suspension control means, the air suspension solenoid valve is forcibly closed by the air suspension control means. Characterized in that it is driven and controlled, the electronic control air suspension vehicles vehicle height adjustment device. 2. A vehicle height down mode in which the vehicle height adjusting control means lowers the vehicle height of the entire vehicle body while leaving a proper amount of air in the air spring, and a vehicle position at a door position of the vehicle body in a stopped state. Regarding the air spring at a corresponding position, a kneeling mode that discharges an appropriate amount of air from the air spring to reduce the vehicle height at the position of the vehicle body corresponding to the door position, and all air from the air spring when boarding a ferry 2. The exhaust solenoid valve and the air supply solenoid valve are drive-controlled by selecting one of a ferry embarkation mode in which the vehicle is discharged and the vehicle height of the entire vehicle body is lowered to a minimum position. A vehicle height adjusting device for an electronically controlled air suspension vehicle as described. 3. The drive control time of the exhaust solenoid valve and the air supply solenoid valve by the vehicle height adjusting control means according to the selection of any one of the vehicle height down mode, the kneeling mode and the ferry boarding mode. The vehicle height adjusting device for an electronically controlled air suspension vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising a prescribed timer.