JPS6038222A - Car height adjusting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To accurately protect a suspension device that varies car height and air supply system by stopping the adjustment of car height when the internal pressure of the gas room of this suspension device reaches the upper and lower bound values even the car height does not reach a normal height. CONSTITUTION:When an auto start switch 23 is set to ON to automatically adjust car height, a solenoid valve 6 is opened. If the car height state detected by a car height sensor 18 is HIGH, an electromagnetic valve 15 for releasing an atmosphere is opened intermittently and the car height is reduced gradually. On the other hand, when the car height state is LOW, a compressor 2 is driven and the car height of a rear cushion 10 is increased. In this case, when an 'OK' signal is not output from the car height sensor 18 due to the heavy load of the car body through the internal pressure of the atmospheric room for adjusting the car height of the rear cushion 10 exceeds the upper bound value, the car height adjustment is stopped preferentially by using the output signal of a pressure sensor 16 through a control unit 17.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides vehicle height adjustment based on a detection signal from a vehicle height sensor.
The present invention relates to a vehicle height adjustment device ζ in which a certain limit is imposed by a pressure sensor located at a preferential position.

Normally, automatic vehicle height adjustment devices adjust the vehicle height to return the vehicle height to the standard vehicle height when the vehicle height deviates from a preset standard vehicle height due to an increase or decrease in vehicle weight. . In this case, a vehicle height sensor is provided to determine whether the vehicle height is at the standard vehicle height, and when the vehicle height is lower than the standard vehicle height, the compressor is activated to reduce the The vehicle height is raised by supplying high pressure air to the gas chamber that changes the height and increasing the pressure in the gas chamber. On the other hand, when the vehicle height is higher than the standard vehicle height,
The vehicle height is lowered by opening a relief solenoid pulp for venting to the atmosphere and removing high pressure air from the gas chamber.

However, as a practical matter, the gas chamber whose internal pressure is raised or lowered as described in "-" is formed as a part of the structure of, for example, the front fork or rear cushion of a motorcycle, and for example, the upper limit is The lower limit is the upper limit of the pressure to prevent damage to the suspension system, and the lower limit is the upper limit of the pressure to improve riding comfort.
Certain limits must be placed on the lower limit. In particular, when the vehicle height is adjusted to the standard vehicle height based on the vehicle height sensor, there is a risk that high pressure air will continue to be supplied to the gas chamber unless the standard vehicle height is reached. There arises a need to set a lower limit and perform control based on this.

An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle height adjustment device that changes the vehicle height to the standard height based on the output signal of the vehicle height sensor, which adjusts the vehicle height even if the vehicle height does not reach the standard height. When the gas chamber in the suspension system to be changed reaches a predetermined upper or lower limit value, vehicle height adjustment is stopped, thereby preventing the gas chamber pressure from becoming larger than necessary and reducing the suspension system and high pressure. It is important to protect the air supply system and control equipment.

The present invention is characterized by a vehicle height adjustment device that adjusts the vehicle height to the normal height when the vehicle height changes in response to an increase or decrease in the vehicle body load.
The object of the present invention is to provide a pressure sensor for measuring the internal pressure of the gas chamber that outputs a signal that is superior to the output signal of the vehicle height sensor that provides an adjustment standard for vehicle height adjustment.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below based on the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a vehicle height adjustment device according to the present invention, and FIG.
The figure shows the configuration of the control device.

In FIG. 1, the air circuit system will be explained first.

1 is a compressed air generator, which consists of: 1 layer/nose 2 and 1 layer 3. Reference numeral 4 indicates a switching valve ml unit, which is composed of two switching solenoid valves 5 and 6. The switching valve unit 4 connects the air pipe 7 connected to the compressed air generator 1 to the front/front fork 8 under predetermined control.
. Has a function. Specifically, solenoid valve 5
When the solenoid valve 6 opens, the air pipe 7 communicates with the air pipe 9, and when the solenoid valve 6 opens, the air pipe 7 communicates with the air pipe 11ζ. In the figure, 12 and 13 are three-way sockets.

The above front fork 8, 8. 10.
10, this embodiment will be described as a Φ height adjustment device for a motorcycle, but the gist of the present invention is not limited to a vehicle height adjustment device for a motorcycle.

A check valve 1 is located in the middle of the air pipe 7, that is, between the compressor 2 and the switching valve 4.
4 and open to atmosphere f, (-'(IT function ζ rub IJ IJ
- A pressure sensor 16 capable of measuring the pressure inside the fullenoid valve 15 and the air pipe 7 is provided. In this embodiment, the check valve 14, the solenoid valve 15, and the pressure sensor 16 are configured as a unit.

Next, the electric circuit system will be explained. 17 is a control device. The input side elements of the control device 17 include a small height sensor 18 as a detector, a voltage abnormality detection sensor 19, a side stand release detection sensor 20, and a main stand release detection sensor 21.
, a brake operating state detection sensor 22, and the pressure sensor 16 are respectively disposed at appropriate locations on the vehicle body, and as operation means, a reset type auto start switch 23, a manual type front/rear selection switch 24. Manual type +1' p/neutral/rlown selection switch 25
is provided. On the other hand, on the output side of the control device 17, the aforementioned compressor 2.71
// Equipped with solenoid valves 5 and 6 that form the id pulp 15 and the switching valve unit 4, as well as a pressure sensor 16 as a display element and a lamp 26 that indicates abnormalities in the solenoid valves 5, 6, and 15, and automatic vehicle height adjustment. It is equipped with a lamp 27 that blinks only during the middle of the day, and a pair of digital displays 28 that separately display the pressure of each gas chamber of the front fork 8 and rear cushion 10. In the figure, 29 is a power terminal, and 30 is a system start terminal. It's a switch.

The start switch 30 is normally in a closed state, and the entire vehicle height adjustment device can be reset by opening and closing the start switch 30 once if necessary.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a specific electric circuit of the control system. There is a CPU 3'l in the center,
An input interface 32 for sensors, etc., and a vehicle height sensor input interface 3 are provided around the CPU 31 to exchange signals with various external sensors, operating means, and loads.
3. Analog input interface 34, A/1)
A converter 35, a load drive output circuit 36, a lamp output circuit 37, a pressure output circuit 38, a display data interface 39, etc. are provided, and these are connected to the control device 17.
It can be incorporated within. In the figure, 40 is a display panel on which display elements are arranged.

Next, the operation of the vehicle height adjustment device having the above configuration will be explained.

The operation is based on the control of CP IJ 31.

First, the conditions for fully adjusting the vehicle height are that the side stand and main stand are released, the brakes are intact, and the voltage is normal.

When these conditions are satisfied and the ignition is turned on to start up the entire system, the solenoid valves 5, 6, and 15 and the pressure sensor 16 are first checked to see if they are normal or abnormal.

That is, the solenoid valve 15 is opened for about two seconds, for example, to open the air pipe 7 to the atmosphere, and then the pressure inside the air pipe 7 is measured by the pressure sensor 16.

If the measured pressure is zero, the system moves to a state where manual vehicle height adjustment is possible, and if it is not zero, the lamp 26 is turned on to issue a warning and the entire operation of the device is stopped.

Before the above steps, by selectively opening the solenoid valves 5 and 6, the pressures in the gas chambers of the front fork 8 and the rear cushion 10 are measured separately with the pressure sensors 16 and the digital indicators 2, respectively. It is assumed that a step is included to display the image on a daily basis. Such a step can be included as part of the processing flow, or the interrupt means can be completely separate and provided as a separate routine. For example, an average value is used as the pressure value to be displayed.

This vehicle height adjustment device can perform manual and automatic vehicle height adjustment, and the auto start switch 23
Unless it is turned on, the operating state is manual mode.

According to manual vehicle height adjustment, the vehicle height at the front and rear of the vehicle body can be arbitrarily changed within certain limits according to the load applied to the vehicle body. That is, in order to adjust the vehicle height at the front of the vehicle body, switch 24f is set to the front side to open the solenoid valve 5 and communicate the air pipes 7 and 9, and on the other hand, adjust the vehicle height at the rear of the vehicle body. To make the adjustment, set the switch 24 to the rear side to open the solenoid valve 6 and allow the air pipes 7 and 11 to fully communicate.

In each communication state, the switch 25f r
II I) When set to J, the compressor 2 is activated and high-pressure air is supplied to each gas chamber through the air pipes 7, 9 (or 11), increasing the pressure in the gas chamber and raising the vehicle height.

However, the upper limit for the pressure in the gas chamber is for the front fork 8 and the rear cushion 10 (for example, 1.0°C for the front fork and 6.4°C for the rear cushion).
) is set, and the small cylinder must be adjusted within the 1st limit. The pressure state during adjustment is measured by the pressure sensor 16 at predetermined time intervals, and the digital display 28 is displayed each time.
will be displayed. For this reason, the driver must read the digital display 28.
Changes in pressure in each gas chamber can be visually checked through
Therefore, the vehicle height can be arbitrarily and appropriately adjusted. On the other hand, when the switch 25 is set to [downJ], the relief solenoid valve 15 opens intermittently at regular time intervals, the high pressure air in each gas chamber is gradually released, and the vehicle height is gradually lowered. In this case as well, a lower limit is set; for example, in the case of front fork 8, it is 0.0■, but for rear cushion 1
0 is 2.01. The pressure state during adjustment is measured by the pressure sensor 16 in the same manner as described above, and the pressure value is also displayed on the digital display 28.

In the above, when the switch 25 is in the neutral position, the vehicle height adjustment is not performed, and when the switch 25 is set in the neutral position while the vehicle height is being adjusted, the adjustment is stopped. The switched switch 25 is r II I) J or 1'-down
When the switch 24 is in either position J, the vehicle height adjustment is determined in the initially selected state and does not change even if the switch 24 is switched forward or backward. When the vehicle height adjustment is completed, the solenoid valve 5 (or solenoid valve 6) is closed, and then the solenoid valve 5.6.15 and pressure sensor 16 as described above are closed.
A zero pressure test is performed regarding the performance of the This pressure zero test is performed after adjusting the vehicle height.

Automatic vehicle height adjustment is performed to fully automatically adjust the vehicle height to an appropriate height while the vehicle is running or stopped. In this vehicle height adjustment device, automatic vehicle height adjustment is applied only to the iljl contact, that is, the rear cushion 10ζ, and when the auto start switch 23 is turned on, all automatic vehicle height adjustment is performed (I The state will be as follows.

According to the automatic mid-height adjustment, a standard vehicle height that is an appropriate vehicle height is determined in advance, and based on this standard vehicle height, the vehicle height adjustment is adjusted according to the signal detected by the low height seventh wheel 18. [0K-1, “IT 'I C', I-I J, l I
, OW J, is configured to be input to the Shinkiri control device.

When the auto start switch 23 is turned on, the lamp 27 first starts blinking and the solenoid pulp 6 opens. After that, the pressure in the gas chamber of Ryakunyo/1o is measured by pressure sensor 1.
6 and displayed on the digital display 28i, and vehicle height information is input from the vehicle height sensor 18. When the vehicle height condition is 1" OKJ, the vehicle height is not adjusted. When the stop surface condition is -11TOIIJ, under the condition that the pressure in the gas chamber does not fall below, for example, 20η,
The solenoid pulp 15 opens intermittently and the car it'? 1 gradually. Then, when the middle and high height state reaches "(IK"), the vehicle height adjustment will be stopped.Next, the vehicle height state will change to "I・OWJ".
For example, when the pressure in the gas chamber is 6.4, 9 J:
'11 Under the condition that the size does not increase, we decided to operate the combination nozzle 2 and supply high pressure air to the shime gas chamber.
1; Increase middle and high. When the vehicle height status becomes "OK", vehicle height adjustment is stopped. When the vehicle height is 1 full extension, this condition occurs when the vehicle falls over, etc., but it is confirmed that the ``extension'' state continues for a specified period of time (for example, 5 seconds or more). After that, the operation of the entire system including the CP TJ 3 l is stopped.

After each of the above adjustment operations, the solenoid valve 6 is closed,
Furthermore, after the solenoid valve 15 is opened for a certain period of time, the zero pressure test described by AiT is performed. When the automatic vehicle height adjustment is completed, the lamp 27 turns off.
Perform manual vehicle height adjustment again and return to the original state.

In the above-described automatic vehicle height adjustment, the vehicle height is adjusted based on the output signal of the vehicle height sensor 18.

In other words, when the vehicle height is at the regular standard vehicle height, H4j
The height sensor 18 outputs an "OK" signal, and when the vehicle height is outside the standard vehicle height, the height sensor 18 outputs a signal of [IT r (1 [T J
Or [Output LOWJ signal. And auto 2〇) ton; t"-'+ r round adjustment [j oi i r IIT
When GI-T J or [1.0W-1 Shinzuki is output, the vehicle height adjustment will be performed in the snow where the output signal becomes "River (").

However, in places where high pressure air is supplied to raise the vehicle height or where high pressure air is vented to lower the vehicle height,
Since the gas chamber is formed inside the gas chamber and forms a part of its structure, upper and lower limits are determined for the internal pressure of the gas chamber, as described above.

Therefore, during automatic vehicle height adjustment, for example, if the vehicle body load is too large, the vehicle height sensor 1
In some cases, the "OK" signal is not outputted from the pressure sensor 16, but in such a case, the vehicle height adjustment is controlled so as to preemptively stop the vehicle height adjustment using the output signal of the pressure sensor 16. This can prevent the gas chamber pressure from exceeding the upper limit value.

Even when the vehicle height is lowered to the normal standard vehicle height, control is performed in the same way as above to ensure that the gas chamber pressure does not fall below the lower limit.

Of course, the present invention can be applied to a vehicle height adjustment device using a gas other than air or an electromagnetic valve other than a solenoid valve.

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, in the vehicle height adjustment device that adjusts the vehicle height to the normal vehicle height based on the output signal of the vehicle height sensor, even if the vehicle height is not the normal height, When the internal pressure of the gas chamber in the suspension system that changes the vehicle height reaches a low or lower limit value, the pressure sensor output signal is displayed.
The suspension system and control system can be protected, which is good for safety.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a small height adjustment device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block circuit diagram of a control device. In the drawing, 2 is a compressor, 4 is a switching valve unit 1-
15.6 is a switching solenoid pulp, 8 is a front fork, 10 is a rear cushion, 15 is a relief solenoid valve, 16 is a pressure sensor, and 17 is a control device. Special W [Applicant: Showa Seisakusho Co., Ltd., Patent Attorney, Part 2 1) Patent Attorney, Department, Department: Ohashi, Patent Attorney, Department, Department: Small 111 Yes 15- 141- Procedural Amendment (Voluntary) 1. Indication of Case Patent Application Showa No. 58-146976 No. 2, Title of the invention: Vehicle height adjustment device 3, Relationship to the amended person's case: Patent applicant Showa Seisakusho Co., Ltd. 4, Agent: 1-11-3 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo - 107 Reinanzaka Annex 4th floor Pa-1゛Telephone (0
3) 586-6821 (Representative) Choi-ichi (6735)
Patent Attorney Yoichi Shimoda - Engraving of the 7th paragraph amendment (no change in content) 143-

Claims (1)

[Claims] The vehicle height is increased by opening the electromagnetic pulp into the gas chamber formed in the suspension system and supplying high-pressure air from the compressor, and by fully opening the electromagnetic pulp for atmospheric release to remove the high-pressure air from the gas chamber. A vehicle height adjustment device for lowering the vehicle height includes a vehicle height sensor that sets an adjustment standard in the vehicle height adjustment, and outputs a signal that precedes the output signal of the vehicle height sensor (9). impose restrictions.”
2. A vehicle height adjustment device characterized by comprising a pressure sensor for measuring the internal pressure of the gas chamber.