JPH0532017U - Height adjustment device for air suspension vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] Easily adjust to a vehicle height that is suitable for passengers getting on and off and loading and unloading luggage without a complicated control mechanism, and adjust even if there is load fluctuation at that time. The vehicle height is maintained, and when traveling, the vehicle height is automatically or manually restored to a predetermined vehicle height and the vehicle height is maintained. An input link 18 having a lower end pivotally supported by an axle 11, a control link 19 having one end pivotally supported at the chassis frame 10 and the other end pivotally supported at an upper end of the input link, and one end being a pivot point of the control link. Operation link 20 pivotally supported by A
A link mechanism 17 is constituted by an output link 21 whose upper end is pivotally supported by the switching lever 16 of the leveling valve 14 and whose lower end is pivotally supported by the operation link. Controller 27
When the elevating switches 31 and 32 are switched, the actuator 24 turns the operation link to bring the vehicle to a desired height. When the vehicle enters the traveling state and the return switch 46 is turned on or the traveling state detection switches 47 and 48 are turned on, the actuator returns the operation link to a predetermined position.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a vehicle equipped with an air suspension mechanism. More specifically, it relates to a device for maintaining an arbitrary vehicle height by an air suspension mechanism.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 In vehicles equipped with an air suspension mechanism such as buses and trucks, an air spring is provided between the chassis frame and the axle, and compressed air is supplied from the air tank to the air spring via a leveling valve, and the chassis frame is then used by the air spring. Is suspended. When the axle is displaced in the vertical direction relative to the chassis frame, the link mechanism pivotally supported on the axle rotates the switching lever of the leveling valve, and the rotation of this lever supplies and discharges the compressed air of the leveling valve. This is done to keep the chassis frame at a certain height. Conventionally, using this air suspension mechanism, in order to facilitate the loading and unloading of passengers in a vehicle such as a bus, or the loading and unloading of luggage in a vehicle such as a truck, a switching lever has an electric motor. Has proposed a kneeling device for forcibly rotating and discharging the compressed air in the air spring to lower the vehicle height (for example, JP-A-59-82111). In this kneeling device, a position detection sensor is provided on the switching lever, and the output of this sensor and the output from the vehicle height setting device are compared by a microcomputer to control the electric motor.

Furthermore, in addition to adjusting the height of the vehicle body to an arbitrary height when passengers are getting on and off or loading and unloading luggage, an air suspension mechanism is provided while the passengers are getting on and off and luggage is being loaded and unloaded. A vehicle height adjusting device has been proposed that can maintain the height of the vehicle body even if the load applied to the vehicle fluctuates (for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 60-188809). In this vehicle height adjusting device, the switching lever of the leveling valve is composed of two parts, one part is pivotally supported by the leveling valve, the other part is pivotally supported by the axle, and both parts are rotatable relative to each other. Be connected. The lever of the part pivotally supported by the axle is configured to be remotely controllable, and by remotely controlling the lever of the part pivotally supported by the axle, the compressed air of the leveling valve can be forcibly supplied and discharged. The vehicle height can be obtained.

[0004]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, the former kneeling device requires a microcomputer and a position detection sensor for the switching lever, which makes control complicated and requires a friction clutch on the switching lever to forcibly adjust the vehicle height. In addition, both devices can travel even when the vehicle height is changed by remote control, or the vehicle height may be unexpected if remote control is performed while traveling.

The object of the present invention is, firstly, that the vehicle height can be easily adjusted to be suitable for passengers getting on and off and loading and unloading of goods without a complicated control mechanism, and secondly, Even if there are load fluctuations when passengers get on and off or load and unload cargo, the adjusted vehicle height is maintained, and thirdly, when the vehicle is running, it is automatically or manually restored to a predetermined vehicle height and the vehicle height is adjusted. It is to provide a vehicle height adjustment device for an Air Suspension vehicle that maintains.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 A configuration of the present invention for achieving the above object will be described based on FIG. 1 corresponding to an embodiment. The present invention provides an air spring 13 provided between the chassis frame 10 and the axle 11 for suspending the chassis frame 10 by the compressed air from the air tank 12, and an air flow path 15 between the air tank 12 and the air spring 13. A leveling valve 14 that is provided to control the supply and discharge of compressed air to keep the chassis frame 10 at a constant height, and a compressed air supply of the leveling valve that is rotatably provided on the leveling valve 14 according to the rotation angle. An air suspension vehicle equipped with a switching lever 16 for switching the discharge and a link mechanism 17 provided between the axle 11 and the switching lever 16 for rotating the switching lever 16 by the relative displacement of the chassis frame 10 and the axle 11. This is an improvement of the vehicle height adjustment device. The characteristic points are that the link mechanism 17 has an input link 18 whose lower end is pivotally supported by the axle 11, and a control link 19 whose one end is pivotally supported by the chassis frame 10 and the other end is pivotally supported by the upper end of the input link 18. And an output link 21 whose one end is pivotally supported by the switching lever 16 and whose lower end is pivotally supported by the operation link 20. An actuator 24 forcibly rotating the operation link 20 with A as a fulcrum is pivotally supported by the chassis frame 10, has vehicle height elevating switches 31 and 32 for setting the rotation direction of the operation link 20, and detects a running state. The actuator 24 is controlled so that the operation link 20 returns to a predetermined position by the switching output of either one of the switches 47 and 48 or the vehicle height restoration switch 46 or both switching outputs. In the controller 26, 27 is provided.

[0007]

When the vehicle height raising / lowering switch 31 or 32 is closed when the vehicle is stopped, the actuator 24 rotates the operation link 20. As a result, the switching lever 16 is rotated, the leveling valve 14 is switched, compressed air is supplied to and discharged from the air spring 13, and a desired vehicle height is obtained. In this state, if the load on the vehicle body changes due to a change in the load amount, the input link 18 and the output link 21 rotate the switching lever 16 and the leveling valve 14 maintains the desired vehicle height. When the vehicle enters the traveling state and the return switch 46 is turned on or the traveling state detection switches 47 and 48 are turned on, the actuator 24 returns the operation link 20 to a predetermined position and fixes it, and the vehicle suitable for traveling is operated as described above. Keep high.

[0008]

【Example】

 Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, an air spring 13 for suspending the frame 10 by compressed air from an air tank 12 is provided between a chassis frame 10 of a truck or a bus and an axle 11. A revering valve 14 that controls the supply and discharge of compressed air to keep the frame 10 at a constant height is fixed to the frame 10 via the base 10a in the air flow path 15 between the air tank 12 and the air spring 13. .. A switching lever 16 is rotatably provided on the leveling valve 14, and the compressed air of the valve 14 is supplied and discharged by the rotation angle of the lever 16.

A link mechanism 17 for rotating the switching lever 16 by the relative displacement of the chassis frame 10 and the axle 11 is provided between the axle 11 and the switching lever 16. The link mechanism is composed of an input link 18, a control link 19, an operation link 20, and an output link 21. The input link 18 has its lower end pivotally supported by the axle 11, one end of the control link 19 is pivotally supported by the chassis frame 10 via a bracket 10b, and the other end is pivotally supported by the upper end of the input link 18. Further, one end of the operation link 20 is pivotally supported by the pivot point A of the control link 19, and the output link 21 has its upper end pivotally supported by the switching lever 16 and its lower end pivotally supported by the operation link 20. An upper end of an actuator 24 is pivotally supported on the base 10a, and a lower end thereof is pivotally supported on the other end of the operation link 20. The actuator 24 is configured to forcibly rotate the operation link 20 with the pivot point A as the fulcrum. The actuator 24 is connected to a control circuit 26, which will be described later, and a control box 27 for raising or lowering the vehicle body or returning it to a traveling state. The control box 27 is provided on the vehicle body that can be easily operated from outside the vehicle.

As shown in detail in FIG. 2, the control box 27 includes a raising switch 31 for raising the vehicle height, a lowering switch 32 for lowering the vehicle height, a pilot lamp 33, a normally open operation switch 34, and a normally closed return. A switch 46 is provided. The actuator 24 also includes an electric motor 36 and a sliding shaft 41 that slides as the screw 39 rotates by the motor 36. A drive gear 37 is fixed to the motor shaft 36a, and a reduction gear 38 fixed to a screw 39 meshes with this gear. The shaft end of the screw 39 is rotatably supported by the casing 24a of the actuator 24. A female screw portion 41a of a sliding shaft 41 is screwed onto the screw 39. Cams 41b and 41c are formed on both sides of the female screw portion 41a. The slide portion 41d of the sliding shaft 41 is splined, and the slide portion 41d is non-rotatably and slidably inserted into the guide hole 24b of the casing 24a. The actuator 24 is pivotally supported on the base 10a described above by the attachment portion 24c, and is pivotally supported on the operation link 20 by the tip end portion 41e of the sliding portion 41.

Position switches 42 and 43 are fixed to the casing 24a in proximity to the cams 41b and 41c, respectively. These switches 42 and 43 are normally open switches that are closed by the cams 41b and 41c when the sliding shaft 41 slides. The battery 45 is connected to one contact of the switches 42 and 43 via the holding relay 44, and the motor 36 and the vehicle height raising / lowering switches 31 and 32 are connected to the other contacts of the switches 42 and 43, respectively. A normally closed vehicle height return switch 46, a parking switch 47 that is turned on when the parking brake is operated, and a neutral switch 48 that is turned on when the transmission is in neutral are connected in series to the coil portion 44b of the holding relay 44.

The operation of the vehicle height adjusting device thus configured will be described. First, when a truck or a bus stops to load or unload baggage or passengers get on or off, the driver operates the parking brake to set the gear position of the transmission to the neutral position. Is turned on, and when the driver or another occupant turns on the operation switch 34, the switch 44a of the holding relay 44 is held in the position shown by the broken line, and the pilot lamp 33 is turned on. Then, when the lowering switch 32 of the control box 27 is turned on, the motor 36 rotates in the forward direction, the sliding portion 41d of the sliding shaft 41 advances from the casing 24a, and the switch 43 is closed by the cam 41c. As a result, the operation link 20 shown in FIG. 1 rotates counterclockwise around the pivot point A, the switching lever 16 rotates clockwise via the output link 21, and the leveling valve 14 causes the compressed air of the air spring 13 to move to the atmosphere. To lower the vehicle height. When the desired height is reached, the switching lever 16 is set to the neutral position, compressed air is no longer discharged from the air spring 13, and the descent of the vehicle body is stopped. On the contrary, when raising the vehicle height, the raising switch 31 is turned on. The motor 36 reversely rotates, the slide portion 41d of the slide shaft 41 retracts into the casing 24a, and the switch 42 is closed by the cam 41b. The operation link 20 rotates clockwise, the switching lever 16 rotates counterclockwise, and the leveling valve 14 supplies compressed air to the air spring 13 to raise the vehicle height. When the desired height is reached, the switching lever 16 moves to the neutral position, compressed air is no longer supplied from the air spring 13, and the ascending of the vehicle body stops.

When the load applied to the air spring 13 fluctuates due to loading and unloading of luggage and passengers getting on and off, and the vehicle height changes, the leveling valve 14 supplies and discharges the compressed air of the air spring 13 to obtain the above-mentioned desired value. Maintain the height of. For example, when the load decreases and the vehicle body starts to rise, the links 18 and 21 rotate the switching lever 16 counterclockwise, and the leveling valve 14 discharges the compressed air from the air spring 13 to prevent the vehicle body from rising and prevent the vehicle from rising to a desired height. Maintain On the contrary, when the load increases and the vehicle body begins to lower, the switching lever 16 rotates clockwise, and the leveling valve 14 supplies compressed air to the air spring 13 to prevent the vehicle body from descending and maintain a desired height.

Next, when loading and unloading of luggage and passengers are finished and the driver or another occupant turns off the return switch 46, the switch 44a of the holding relay 44 is switched to the position shown by the solid line in the figure. .. If the switch 43 is closed here, the motor 36 rotates in the reverse direction to retract the sliding shaft 41 into the casing 24a. As shown in FIG. 2, when the cam 41c returns to a predetermined position where it does not depress the switch, the motor 36 stops. If the switch 42 is closed, the motor 36 rotates in the normal direction and similarly returns the sliding shaft 41 to a predetermined position and stops. The leveling valve 14 rotates the switching lever 16 according to the displacement of the links 18 and 21, and the compressed air is supplied to and discharged from the air spring 13 according to the rotation direction, so that the vehicle height becomes suitable for traveling. Even if the driver forgets to turn off the return switch 46, the switches 47 and 48 are turned off by disabling the parking brake to drive the vehicle and moving the transmission gear position from the neutral position to the traveling gear position. Therefore, the holding of the holding relay 44 is released, and similarly to the above, the vehicle height suitable for traveling is automatically restored by the rotation of the switching lever 16.

[0015]

[Effect of the device]

 As described above, according to the present invention, when the vehicle is stopped, the actuator 24 is forced to turn the operation link 20 by the turning force of the motor 36 simply by turning on the up / down switch 31 or the down switch 32 of the control box 27. As the vehicle moves, it is possible to easily adjust the vehicle height to suit passengers getting on and off and luggage loaded and unloaded. At that time, even if the load fluctuates when the passengers get on and off or the luggage is loaded and unloaded, the links 18 and 21 rotate the switching lever 16 to operate the leveling valve 14 to maintain the adjusted vehicle height. it can. In particular, by providing a running state detection switch in the control circuit, it is possible to adjust the vehicle height to a desired vehicle height due to a malfunction or the driver's intention even when the conventional vehicle height adjusting device is running. Since the traveling state detection switch is automatically switched and the operation link is restored to the predetermined position via the actuator, malfunctions and the like are prevented, and the vehicle height suitable for traveling can be maintained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle height adjusting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the electric circuit configuration thereof.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Chassis Frame 11 Axle 12 Air Tank 13 Air Spring 14 Leveling Valve 16 Switching Lever 17 Link Mechanism 18 Input Link 19 Control Link 20 Operation Link 21 Output Link 24 Actuator 26 Control Circuit (Controller) 27 Control Box (Controller) 31, 32 Vehicle Height Lifting switch 46 Vehicle height return switch 47 Parking switch (running state detection switch) 48 Neutral switch (running state detection switch)

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. An air spring (13) provided between a chassis frame (10) and an axle (11) for suspending the chassis frame (11) by compressed air from an air tank (12), and the air tank (12). ) And the air spring (13) between the air flow path (15) to control the supply and discharge of compressed air to maintain the chassis frame (10) at a constant leveling valve (14), A switching lever (16) rotatably provided on the leveling valve (14) for switching the supply and discharge of compressed air of the leveling valve according to a rotation angle, and the axle (11) and the switching lever (16) A link mechanism (17) that is provided between the chassis frame (10) and the axle (11) to rotate the switching lever (16) by relative displacement.
In the vehicle height adjusting device for an air suspension vehicle, the link mechanism (17) has an input link (18) whose lower end is pivotally supported by the axle (11), and one end of the chassis frame (10).
And a control link (19) pivotally supported at the other end on the upper end of the input link (18) and an operation link (20) pivotally supported at one end on the pivot point (A) of the control link (19). ) And an output link (21) whose upper end is pivotally supported by the switching lever (16) and whose lower end is pivotally supported by the operation link (20), and the operation link with the pivot point (A) as a fulcrum. An actuator (24) for forcibly rotating (20) is pivotally supported on the chassis frame (10), and has a vehicle height raising / lowering switch (31, 32) for setting the rotation direction of the operation link (20). Also, the actuator (24) is controlled so that the operation link (20) is returned to a predetermined position by the switching output of either or both of the traveling state detection switch (48, 49) and the vehicle height return switch (46). Controller
(26,27) is provided, the vehicle height adjusting device for an air suspension vehicle.