Vehicle leveling assembly

{
  "publication_number": "US6584385B1",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B1",
  "title": "Vehicle leveling assembly",
  "abstract": "A leveling assembly for analyzing the attitude of a structure such as a motor vehicle in two axes. The assembly drives leveling devices on the structure to correct the attitude of the structure relative to a calibrated reference point or attitude. The assembly includes a controller connected to the leveling devices and a proportional two-axis tilt sensor that is connected to the controller and supported on the structure. The tilt sensor provides analog signals to the controller that represent the attitude of the structure about longitudinal pitch and lateral roll axes. The controller also uses those signals to determine the attitude of the structure relative to a calibrated sensitivity factor and a user-defined zero point. This allows an operator or installer to determine which portion of the structure will be leveled without regard to the location of the tilt sensor and allows an installer to mount the tilt sensor at any point on the structure.",
  "claims": [
    "1. An assembly for correcting the attitude of any selected portion of a structure, the assembly comprising: a controller configured to connect to and control one or more jacks operable to change the attitude of a structure; and a proportional two-axis tilt sensor connected to the controller and configured to be supported on the structure, the tilt sensor being configured to provide analog signals to the controller, which represent the degree of longitudinal pitch and lateral roll of the portion of the structure the sensor is supported on, the controller being additionally configured to move a selected portion of the structure into a desired attitude by commanding movement of the entire structure into an attitude where the tilt sensor signals match a pre-selected reference value corresponding to the desired attitude of the selected portion of the structure, thereby allowing any portion of the structure to be corrected to any desired attitude within a range of attitudes despite the location of the tilt sensor and allowing the tilt sensor to be located anywhere in the structure.",
    "2. An assembly as defined in claim 1 in which the controller is configured to change drive rates of the jacks based upon inputs other than tilt angle.",
    "3. An assembly as defined in claim 1 in which the controller is configured to tailor drive rates of the jacks to respond to structural dynamics.",
    "4. An assembly as defined in claim 1 in which the controller is configured to change drive rates of the jacks dynamically to control an attitude correction rate of the structure.",
    "5. An assembly as defined in claim 1 in which the controller is configured to measure jack drive rates and attitude change speed of the structure using inputs from the tilt sensor.",
    "6. An assembly as defined in claim 1 in which the controller is configured to automatically select between different jack grounding procedures, the selection being based on conditions of the structure.",
    "7. An assembly as defined in claim 1 in which the controller is configured to infer jack ground contact based on dynamic information received from the tilt sensor and indicating jack loading.",
    "8. An assembly as defined in claim 1 in which the controller is configured to automatically select between alternative leveling algorithms, the selection being based on conditions of the structure.",
    "9. An assembly as defined in claim 1 in which: the assembly includes at least two pairs of jacks supported on the structure; and the controller is configured to correct the attitude of a structure by extending the jacks in pairs parallel to longitudinal pitch and lateral roll axes of the structure.",
    "10. An assembly as defined in claim 1 in which the controller is configured to detect and correct whichever of the pitch and roll of the structure requires the most correction to move the structure into a desired attitude.",
    "11. An assembly as defined in claim 1 in which the controller is configured to maximize signal stability by employing adaptive filtering based on rate of angular change and estimated signal noise.",
    "12. An assembly as defined in claim 1 in which the controller is configured to allow an operator to choose between fully automatic or semi automatic attitude correction operations.",
    "13. An assembly as defined in claim 1 in which the controller is configured to automatically correct long-term attitude changes that occur after attitude correction.",
    "14. An assembly for analyzing the attitude of a structure and operating jacks that extend from the structure to contact a support surface before changing the attitude of the structure and are further selectively extended to correct the attitude of the structure relative to a calibrated reference attitude, the leveling assembly comprising: a controller configured to connect to the jacks; a tilt sensor connected to the controller and configured to be supported on the structure, the tilt sensor being configured to provide signals to the controller representing the attitude of the structure, the controller being additionally configured to receive and use those signals to initially ground the jacks and then to correct the structure to a predetermined attitude relative to gravity; the controller being configured to automatically select between different jack grounding procedures, the selection being based on which grounding procedure is preferable in view of initial conditions of the structure whose attitude is to be corrected.",
    "15. An assembly for correcting the attitude of a structure by operating jacks that extend from the structure to contact a support surface before being selectively extended to correct the attitude of the structure, the assembly comprising: a controller configured to connect to and command operation of the jacks; a tilt sensor connected to the controller and configured to be supported on the structure, the tilt sensor being configured to provide signals to the controller representing the attitude of the structure, the controller being additionally configured to receive and use those signals to initially ground the jacks and then to correct the structure to a predetermined attitude relative to gravity; the controller being configured to infer jack ground contact based on tilt angle changes sensed by the tilt sensor.",
    "16. A method for analyzing the attitude of a structure relative to two axes; the method comprising the steps of: providing a structure to be leveled, the structure including a first set of at least two levelers and a second set of at least two levelers actuable to level the structure relative to a calibrated reference attitude; providing a leveling assembly including a tilt sensor on the structure to be leveled; determining whether the structure is in an initial attitude that is within an initial allowable range of attitudes from which the levelers will be able to level the structure; retracting the levelers; extending one of the first and second sets of levelers until the one set of levelers contacts the ground; extending the other of the first and second sets of levelers until the other set contacts the ground; extending the individual levelers in a predetermined order until each leveler is applying a predetermined minimum force value to the ground; determining a first of the two axes about which the structure is most out of level; extending the individual levelers in a predetermined order until the structure is level about the first axis; and extending the individual levelers in a predetermined order until the structure is level about the other of the two axes.",
    "17. The method of claim 16 in which: the step of providing the structure includes providing a motor vehicle having an air suspension including suspension air bags; and an additional step of deflating the suspension air bags is included before extending the first and second sets of levelers until they contact the ground.",
    "18. The method of claim 16 in which the step of providing an assembly includes providing a controller optionally configurable to command suspension air bag deflation.",
    "19. The method of claim 16 in which the step of providing an assembly includes providing a controller configured to sense ground contact in response to signals from the tilt sensor indicating a change in tilt angle of the structure.",
    "20. A method for maintaining a structure in a desired attitude; the structure including jacks actuable to change the attitude of the structure; the method including the steps of: providing an attitude correction assembly on the structure, the attitude correction assembly including a tilt sensor; monitoring the attitude of the structure by monitoring signals from the tilt sensor; and correcting the attitude of the structure by actuating the jacks in response to signals from the tilt sensor, which indicate that a difference between desired and actual attitude of greater than a predetermined magnitude has existed for longer than a predetermined period of time.",
    "21. The method of claim 20 in which the steps of leveling the structure include operator inputs in the form of actuating respective switches corresponding to the respective indications and the respective levelers required to level the structure about respective selected axes.",
    "22. The method of claim 21 in which the step of leveling the structure about the first axis includes disabling switches that do not correspond to levelers required to level the structure about the first axis.",
    "23. A method for analyzing the attitude of a structure relative to two axes; the method comprising the steps of: providing a structure to be leveled, the structure including first and second sets of levelers actuable to change the attitude of the structure relative to a calibrated reference attitude; providing a leveling assembly on the structure; determining whether the structure is in an initial attitude that is within an initial allowable range of attitudes from which the levelers will be able to level the structure; retracting the levelers; extending one of the first and second sets of levelers until the one set of levelers contacts the ground; extending the other of the first and second sets of levelers until the other set contacts the ground; extending the individual levelers in a predetermined order until each leveler is applying a predetermined minimum force value to the ground; determining which of the two axes need to be leveled; indicating to an operator the axes about which the structure is out-of-level; determining about which of the two axes the structure is most out-of-level; indicating to an operator a first axis about which the structure is most out-of-level; leveling the structure about the first axis by operating appropriate levelers in response to an operator input; and where the structure is out-of-level about the remaining axis, leveling the structure about the remaining axis by operating appropriate levelers in response to an operator input.",
    "24. The method of claim 23 in which the step of leveling the structure about the remaining axis includes disabling switches that do not correspond to levelers required to level the structure about the remaining axis.",
    "25. The method of claim 23 in which: the step of leveling the structure about the first axis includes disabling operator inputs once the structure has been leveled about the first axis within a predetermined tolerance; and the step of leveling the structure about the remaining axis includes disabling operator inputs once the structure has been leveled about the remaining axis to within a predetermined tolerance.",
    "26. A method for calibrating an attitude correction assembly to recognize when a selected portion of a structure the assembly is installed on is in a desired attitude relative to gravity; the method comprising the steps of: providing a structure including jacks actuable to change the attitude of the structure; providing an attitude correction assembly on the structure, the assembly including a controller and a tilt sensor, the controller programmed to include a zero mode in which the controller is ready to receive a signal that will instruct the controller to recognize signal values being received from the tilt sensor as indicating that a selected portion of the structure is in a desired attitude; providing an attitude indicator on the selected portion of the structure, the attitude indicator configured to indicate attitude relative to gravity; actuating the jacks until the attitude indicator indicates that the selected portion of the structure is in a desired attitude relative to gravity; and providing an input to the controller indicating that the current set of signals being received from the tilt sensor is the set of signal values that will represent the correct attitude for the controller to reference in future attitude correction operations.",
    "27. The method of claim 26 in which: the step of providing an attitude correction assembly includes programming the controller to enter the zero mode when power is first applied to the controller; and an additional step of applying electrical power to the attitude correction assembly and is included before the step of providing an input to the controller.",
    "28. The method of claim 26 in which the step of providing an attitude correction assembly includes providing an indicator and programming the controller to indicate through the indicator when the controller is in the zero mode.",
    "29. An assembly for correcting the attitude of any selected portion a structure, the assembly comprising: a controller configured to connect to and control one or more jacks operable to change the attitude of a structure; and a proportional tilt sensor connected to the controller and configured to be supported on the structure, the tilt sensor being configured to provide signals to the controller that represent the degree of longitudinal pitch and lateral roll of a portion of the structure the sensor is connected to, the controller being additionally configured to move a selected portion of the structure into a desired attitude by commanding movement of the entire structure into an attitude where the tilt sensor signals match a pre-selected reference value corresponding to the desired attitude of the selected portion of the structure.",
    "30. An assembly as defined in claim 29 in which the signals are analog signals.",
    "31. An assembly as defined in claim 29 in which the controller is configured to correct the attitude of the structure relative to a calibrated sensitivity factor.",
    "32. An assembly as defined in claim 29 in which the reference value is defined by a set of tilt sensor signal values that the controller recognizes as indicating that the selected portion of the structure is in the desired attitude.",
    "33. An assembly as defined in claim 29 in which the controller is configured to detect jack ground contact from a change in tilt angle.",
    "34. An assembly for correcting the attitude of a structure, the assembly comprising: a controller configured to connect to and control one or more jacks operable to change the attitude of a structure; and a proportional tilt sensor connected to the controller and configured to be supported on the structure, the tilt sensor being configured to provide signals to the controller that represent the degree of longitudinal pitch and lateral roll of the structure the sensor is connected to, the controller being additionally configured to use signals from the tilt sensor to detect jack ground contact.",
    "35. A method for analyzing the attitude of a structure relative to two axes; the method comprising the steps of: providing a structure including jacks actuable to change the attitude of the structure; providing a tilt sensor on the structure; extending one or more jacks until one or more of the jacks contact the ground; and detecting jack ground contact through tilt sensor indications of a change in the attitude of the structure resulting from jack ground contact."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "This patent application claims the benefit of provisional application U.S. Ser. No. 60/157,310 filed Oct. 1, 1999.\n\nThis invention relates generally to a motor vehicle leveling assembly, and, more particularly, to such an assembly that analyzes the attitude of a motor vehicle in two axes and uses leveling devices to correct the vehicle attitude to a relative reference attitude.\n\nThe prior art includes automatic motor vehicle leveling systems; at least one of which requires only a single switch actuation to level an automotive vehicle such as a recreation vehicle (RV). Automatic leveling systems generally include some type of controller that extends and contracts each of a plurality of levelers until at least a portion of the vehicle is level. In most systems there are four levelers or “jacks” typically mounted adjacent the four corners of a vehicle, respectively.\n\nFor example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,386 issued Sep. 1, 1992 to Uriarte, discloses a motor vehicle leveling assembly including an automatic leveling system that includes a controller that selectively extends and contracts four jacks located adjacent the four corners of a vehicle. The controller includes a proportional tilt sensor that provides output signals corresponding to the degree of tilt of separate axes extending between the jacks. The controller responds to the output signals by energizing the jacks to extend or contract independently at a rate proportional to the tilt along the respective axes. The controller can also energize at least two of the jacks to extend or contract simultaneously to increase the speed of leveling.",
  "cpc": [
    "B60G 17/0161",
    "B60G 2600/02",
    "B60G 2600/20",
    "B60G 2800/012",
    "B60G 2800/014",
    "B60G 2800/16",
    "B60G 2800/912",
    "B60S 9/02"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B60G 17/016",
    "B60S 9/02"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Innovative Design Solutions Inc"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Robert M. Ford",
    "Shawn P. Haley",
    "John P. Manfreda"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2000-03-20",
  "publication_date": "2003-06-24",
  "grant_date": "2003-06-24",
  "priority_date": "1999-10-01",
  "application_number": "US-52861400-A",
  "family_id": "26853994",
  "cited_by_count": 81,
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}