Driving system of closed gas circuit air spring unit

Abstract

The invention provides a driving system of a closed air channel air spring unit, and relates to the technical field of vehicle air springs. The driving system comprises a power supply device, a programmable logic controller and a driving device, the programmable logic controller is electrically connected with the power supply device and the driving device, the power supply device is used for providing voltage needed by work of the programmable logic controller and the driving device, and the programmable logic controller is used for driving the driving device to work when any one of various built-in driving programs is executed. And a driving instruction corresponding to the driving program is sent to a driving device, and the driving device is used for controlling all valves in the air spring unit to perform driving actions based on actions indicated by the driving instruction after receiving the driving instruction. Therefore, the air spring unit can be driven without the help of a computer and a special driving program, the operation steps are simplified, the error rate of operation is reduced, the cost is reduced, and a worker can debug the air spring unit on a vehicle more conveniently.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of vehicle air springs, and in particular to a driving system of a closed air circuit air spring unit. Background Art

[0002] Air suspension is a vehicle suspension system that uses air springs as elastic elements. It adjusts the height of the vehicle body by inflating and deflating the air springs, enhancing the smoothness and stability of the vehicle. Traditional air suspension uses a mechanical height adjustment valve to adjust the inflation and deflation of the airbag. With the development of electronics, computers, automation and other fields, the electronically controlled air suspension system (ECAS) based on various sensors and electromagnetic control valves instead of traditional mechanical height adjustment valves has gradually developed and is one of the main trends in the development of future vehicle suspension systems. The electronically controlled air suspension control device can detect the height of the vehicle body in a timely and effective manner. The electronic control unit outputs the control command of the electromagnetic valve according to the detected vehicle body height and the current driving speed of the vehicle, controls the inflation amount of the air spring, and thus changes the stiffness of the air suspension to avoid excessive vibration of the vehicle and affect the smoothness and stability of driving.

[0003] Currently, the commonly used air spring unit drive devices all need to rely on a large number of special drivers pre-installed on the computer to control them. Therefore, when technicians detect and debug the air spring units, they not only need to perform tedious operation steps in sequence, which is very easy to make mistakes, but also need to develop corresponding applications in advance according to different functional modules, which is costly. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the embodiment of the present invention is to provide a driving system for a closed air circuit air spring unit, which does not require the use of a computer and a dedicated driver to drive the air spring unit, which not only simplifies the operation steps, reduces the error rate of the operation, but also reduces the cost, and makes it more convenient for the staff to debug on the vehicle. The specific technical solution is as follows: An embodiment of the present invention provides a driving system for a closed air circuit air spring unit, the driving system comprising a power supply device, a programmable controller and a driving device, the programmable controller being electrically connected to the power supply device and the driving device respectively, wherein: The power supply device is used to provide the voltage required for the programmable controller and the drive device to work; The programmable controller is used to send a driving instruction corresponding to the driver program to the driving device when any one of the multiple driver programs built into the programmable controller is executed; The driving device is used to control each valve in the air spring unit to perform a driving action based on the action indicated by the driving instruction after receiving the driving instruction.

[0005] Optionally, the driving device comprises at least a motor driving module and a solenoid valve driving module, wherein: The motor driving module is used to drive multiple action valves in the air spring unit; The solenoid valve driving module is used to drive multiple air circuit valves in the air spring unit; Among them, the action valve is used to adjust the mechanical action of the air spring unit, and the air path valve is used to control the direction of the air path in the air spring unit.

[0006] Optionally, the solenoid valve driving module supports pulse width modulation control, and the programmable controller is further used to modify the pulse width modulation parameters of the solenoid valve driving module based on the type of the target gas circuit valve driven by the solenoid valve driving module.

[0007] Optionally, the driving system further includes a sensor acquisition module, which is electrically connected to the programmable controller and is used to collect air flow information of the air spring unit and send the air flow information to the programmable controller.

[0008] Optionally, the drive system further comprises a safety valve for controlling the exhaust of the air spring unit, wherein the safety valve is electrically connected to the programmable controller, wherein: The programmable controller is also used to send an exhaust electrical signal to the safety valve when the air pressure of the air spring unit exceeds a preset threshold; The safety valve is used to open the valve after receiving the exhaust electrical signal to control the air pressure of the air spring unit to reach the atmospheric pressure.

[0009] Optionally, the drive system further comprises a host computer, and the host computer is communicatively connected with the programmable controller based on a communication module, wherein the programmable controller is further used to send the air flow information to the host computer through the communication module; The host computer is used to collect and record the received data based on the pre-installed control software.

[0010] Optionally, the drive system further comprises a display device, which is electrically connected to the programmable controller and is used to display a drive program currently executed by the programmable controller and a current status of each valve in the air spring unit.

[0011] Optionally, the power supply device includes a module power supply and a voltage adjustment module, wherein the module power supply is used to provide direct current power, and the voltage adjustment module is used to convert the direct current power provided by the module power supply into the voltage required for the operation of the motor drive module, the solenoid valve drive module and the programmable controller.

[0012] Beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present invention: The driving system of the closed air circuit air spring unit provided by the embodiment of the present invention includes a power supply device, a programmable controller and a driving device. The programmable controller is electrically connected to the power supply device and the driving device respectively. The power supply device is used to provide the voltage required for the programmable controller and the driving device to work. The programmable controller is used to send a driving instruction corresponding to the driver program to the driving device when any one of the multiple built-in driver programs is executed. The driving device is used to control the driving action of each valve in the air spring unit based on the action indicated by the driving instruction after receiving the driving instruction. Therefore, there is no need to use a computer and a dedicated driver program to drive the air spring unit, which not only simplifies the operating steps and reduces the error rate of the operation, but also reduces the cost, and makes it more convenient for the staff to debug on the vehicle. Of course, it is not necessary to achieve all the advantages described above at the same time to implement any product or method of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other embodiments can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0014] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a driving system of a closed air circuit air spring unit provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 Based on Figure 1 A detailed structural diagram of the drive system of the illustrated embodiment; Figure 3 Based on Figure 2 A circuit diagram of a key and motor drive module of a drive system of the illustrated embodiment; Figure 4 Based on Figure 2 A circuit diagram of a solenoid valve drive module of a drive system of the illustrated embodiment; Figure 5 Based on Figure 2 A circuit diagram of a sensor acquisition module of a driving system of the illustrated embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and cannot be interpreted as limiting the present invention. Based on the embodiments in the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the present invention belong to the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0016] Since the currently commonly used air spring unit driving devices all need to be controlled by means of a large number of special drivers pre-installed on the computer, when the technicians detect and debug the air spring unit, they not only need to perform tedious operation steps in sequence, which is very easy to make mistakes, but also need to develop corresponding application programs in advance according to different functional modules, which is costly. Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, the embodiment of the present invention provides a driving system for a closed air circuit air spring unit. The driving system for the closed air circuit air spring unit provided by the embodiment of the present invention is introduced below.

[0017] like Figure 1 As shown, a driving system of a closed air circuit air spring unit, the driving system comprises a power supply device 101, a programmable controller 102 and a driving device 103, the programmable controller 102 is electrically connected to the power supply device 101 and the driving device 103 respectively, wherein: The power supply device 101 is used to provide the voltage required for the programmable controller 102 and the driving device 103 to work; The programmable controller 102 is used to send a driving instruction corresponding to the driver program to the driving device 103 when any one of the multiple built-in driver programs is executed; The driving device 103 is used to control each valve in the air spring unit 104 to perform a driving action based on the action indicated by the driving instruction after receiving the driving instruction.

[0018] It can be seen that the driving system of the closed air circuit air spring unit provided by the embodiment of the present invention includes a power supply device, a programmable controller and a driving device. The programmable controller is electrically connected to the power supply device and the driving device respectively. The power supply device is used to provide the voltage required for the programmable controller and the driving device to work. The programmable controller is used to send a driving instruction corresponding to the driver program to the driving device when any one of the multiple built-in driver programs is executed. The driving device is used to control the various valves in the air spring unit to drive based on the action indicated by the driving instruction after receiving the driving instruction. Therefore, there is no need to use a computer and a dedicated driver program to drive the air spring unit, which not only simplifies the operation steps, reduces the error rate of the operation, but also reduces the cost, and makes it more convenient for the staff to debug on the vehicle.

[0019] As an implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, the driving device 103 at least includes a motor driving module and a solenoid valve driving module, wherein: The motor driving module is used to drive multiple action valves in the air spring unit; The solenoid valve driving module is used to drive multiple air circuit valves in the air spring unit; Among them, the action valve is used to adjust the mechanical action of the air spring unit, and the air path valve is used to control the direction of the air path in the air spring unit.

[0020] For example, a driving system in an embodiment of the present invention may be specifically as follows: Figure 2 As shown, the driving system of the closed air circuit air spring unit can be quickly operated by buttons, and the drive is selected based on the button type, making the function implementation concise and clear.

[0021] Specifically, the drive system may include multiple function buttons integrated with the motor drive module. Users can select function buttons according to their needs. Each function button may correspond to a driver program built into the programmable controller. When any button is pressed, the programmable controller can confirm that the corresponding driver program is executed, thereby sending a drive instruction corresponding to the driver program to the drive device, namely the motor drive module and the solenoid valve drive module. In a specific implementation, the circuit diagram of the button and the motor drive module may be as follows: Figure 3 As shown, the circuit diagram of the solenoid valve drive module can be as follows Figure 4 shown.

[0022] On the other hand, the drive system further includes a sensor acquisition module, which is electrically connected to the programmable controller and is used to collect air flow information of the air spring unit and send the air flow information to the programmable controller. In a specific embodiment, the circuit diagram of the sensor acquisition module can be as follows: Figure 5 shown.

[0023] Similarly, the drive system may also include a display device, which may be an LCD display screen in one embodiment, and the display device is electrically connected to the programmable controller to display the current driver program executed by the programmable controller and the current state of each valve in the air spring unit. The programmable controller in the embodiment of the present invention may be any common single-chip controller, which is not specifically limited here.

[0024] Specifically, the power supply device may include a module power supply and a voltage adjustment module, wherein the module power supply is used to convert alternating current into direct current, and the voltage adjustment module is used to convert the direct current provided by the module power supply into the voltage required for the operation of the button and motor drive module, solenoid valve drive module, sensor acquisition module, LCD display and programmable controller, such as 12V, 5V and 3.3V.

[0025] The following takes the "front axle lift" and "stop" function buttons as an example to briefly explain the driving process of the drive system. The drive system is in the initialization state after power-on. At this time, the LCD display status bar can display the "waiting to start" state.

[0026] When the "front axle lift" button is pressed, the IO port corresponding to the single-chip controller is in a high level state, and the controller always performs cyclic judgment. When it is judged that this IO port is at a high level, the controller can control the LCD screen to display the working status of the air spring unit (that is, the "front axle lift" status) and the working conditions of each valve, and at the same time execute the front axle lift status sending instruction, which can be sent to multiple slave modules through SPI communication, including multiple motor drive modules and solenoid valve drive modules.

[0027] After receiving the command, the motor driving module responsible for controlling the direction of the gas path can open the gas path valve required for lifting the front axle, and the solenoid valve driving module responsible for controlling the action of the air spring can open the action valve required for lifting the front axle. Then, the air source is used to inflate the air spring unit, wherein the air source in the embodiment of the present invention can be an independent air source, so that the pressure can be adjusted more conveniently to meet the diversified use requirements.

[0028] When the front axle lift reaches the required stroke, you can press the "Stop" function button. At this time, the IO port corresponding to the single-chip controller is in a high level state. When the controller determines that this IO port is at a high level, the controller controls the LCD screen to display the overall working status (ie, the "Stop" status) and the working status of each valve, and executes the stop status sending instruction. The instruction is sent to multiple slave modules through SPI communication, and multiple motor drive modules and solenoid valve drive modules execute the stop action at the same time.

[0029] In view of the fact that the number of modules and functions of the current drive system are fixed, it is necessary to repeatedly redevelop different forms of air spring units, which is costly. In the implementation of the present invention, the solenoid valve drive module also supports pulse width modulation (PWM) control, and the programmable controller can also modify the pulse width modulation parameters of the solenoid valve drive module based on the type of target air circuit valve driven by the solenoid valve drive module, thereby satisfying a variety of different solenoid valve controls.

[0030] In addition, the number of modules of the solenoid valve drive module, the button and motor drive module, and the sensor acquisition module can be expanded to better meet the control requirements of different forms of air spring units. Since the number of sensor acquisition, solenoid valve and motor drive can be expanded, the drive system in the embodiment of the present invention has stronger adaptability.

[0031] In one embodiment, the drive system may further include a host computer, the host computer and the programmable controller are communicatively connected based on the communication module, wherein the programmable controller is also used to send the air flow information collected by the sensor collection module to the host computer through the communication module; The host computer is used to collect and record the received data based on the pre-installed control software.

[0032] Specifically, the host computer is a very important part of the drive system. It supports multi-channel, multi-protocol real-time data acquisition. By collecting data from sensors, actuators and other modules from the lower-level equipment, such as temperature, pressure, flow, etc., it can provide a monitoring basis for the system operation status and provide original information for subsequent data analysis and display.

[0033] The core functions of the upper computer include data collection, analysis and processing, system status monitoring, sending control instructions, providing human-computer interaction interface, alarm and fault diagnosis, etc. Therefore, by working in collaboration with the lower computer, the efficiency, intelligence level and user experience of the drive system can be significantly improved.

[0034] In one implementation, the programmable controller can communicate with the host computer via a CAN communication device, the communication device pressure control supports both XCP protocol and DBC database communication, and the host computer can use software such as CANAPE, ZXDOC, etc. to collect and record data.

[0035] In a specific implementation, the communication frequency between the programmable controller and the host computer may be no less than 200 times per second.

[0036] In the process of driving and testing the traditional air spring unit, not only does it require manual observation instruments to record data manually, but it is also impossible to record data in time and guarantee data accuracy. In addition, some instantaneous data cannot be observed by the naked eye, resulting in the accuracy of the test results not being guaranteed. However, this solution can communicate air flow information at a high frequency, automatically record data curves, and form record files, so that every detail change of each parameter can be recorded, which is convenient for summary and comparison. It can also be connected to a computer through CANAPE and other methods to observe data changes and control the state of the air spring unit through the computer.

[0037] As an implementation of an embodiment of the present invention, the drive system may further include a safety valve for controlling the exhaust of the air spring unit, the safety valve being electrically connected to the programmable controller, wherein: The programmable controller is also used to send an exhaust electrical signal to the safety valve when the air pressure of the air spring unit exceeds a preset threshold; The safety valve is used to open the valve after receiving the exhaust electrical signal to control the air pressure of the air spring unit to reach the atmospheric pressure.

[0038] Specifically, in order to ensure the safety performance of the controlled module, this drive system is also equipped with a pressure over-limit judgment logic. Once the pressure collected by the sensor is found to exceed the safety limit, the programmable controller can control the system to automatically enter the "forced exhaust" state. The electronically controlled safety valve of the corresponding gas circuit is opened for exhaust. At the same time, the LCD display will also display the words "System pressure exceeds the limit, automatic exhaust", ensuring that the pressure of the air spring unit is below the safety pressure and ensuring the safety of personnel. Furthermore, the electronically controlled safety valve can also be opened by the host computer. This function is suitable for exhaust after the equipment is used. There is no need to manually disassemble the air spring unit for exhaust, and the operation is more convenient.

[0039] It can be seen that in this embodiment, the electronically controlled safety valve equipped in the drive system can automatically exhaust air after the pressure exceeds the limit. At the same time, the valve body can be controlled to exhaust air after each drive, without the need for manual disassembly and exhaust, to ensure that the next use is at normal pressure.

[0040] It should be understood that the specific examples in this specification are only intended to help those skilled in the art to better understand the implementation methods of this specification, rather than to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0041] It can be understood that in the various implementations of this specification, the size of the sequence number of each process does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the implementation methods of this specification.

[0042] It can be understood that the various embodiments described in this specification can be implemented individually or in combination, and the embodiments of this specification are not limited to this.

[0043] Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used in the embodiments of this specification have the same meaning as those generally understood by those skilled in the art of the technical field of this specification. The terms used in this specification are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of this specification. The term "and / or" used in this specification includes any and all combinations of one or more related listed items. The singular forms of "a", "above", and "the" used in the embodiments of this specification and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates other meanings.

[0044] It can be understood that the controller of the embodiment of this specification can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method implementation can be completed by the hardware integrated logic circuit or software instructions in the controller. The above controller can be a general processor, a digital signal processor (Digital Signal Processor, DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (Application Specific Integrated Circuit, ASIC), a field programmable gate array (Field Programmable Gate Array, FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components. The methods, steps and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiment of this specification can be implemented or executed. The general processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiment of this specification can be directly embodied as a hardware decoding processor to perform, or the hardware and software modules in the decoding processor can be combined to perform. The software module can be located in a mature storage medium in the field such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0045] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of this specification may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (programmable ROM, PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (erasablePROM, EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0046] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this specification.

[0047] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method implementation methods and will not be repeated here.

[0048] In the several embodiments provided in this specification, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device implementation described above is only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0049] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the present embodiment.

[0050] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present specification may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0051] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this specification, or the part that contributes to the prior art or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including several instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of this specification. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), disk or optical disk, etc., various media that can store program codes.

[0052] The above is only a specific implementation of this specification, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this specification, which should be included in the protection scope of this specification. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A driving system for a closed air circuit air spring unit, characterized in that: The driving system comprises a power supply device, a programmable controller and a driving device, wherein the programmable controller is electrically connected to the power supply device and the driving device respectively, wherein: The power supply device is used to provide the voltage required for the programmable controller and the drive device to work; The programmable controller is used to send a driving instruction corresponding to the driver program to the driving device when any one of the multiple driver programs built into the programmable controller is executed; The driving device is used to control each valve in the air spring unit to perform a driving action based on the action indicated by the driving instruction after receiving the driving instruction.

2. The driving system of the closed air circuit air spring unit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving device at least includes a motor driving module and a solenoid valve driving module, wherein: The motor driving module is used to drive multiple action valves in the air spring unit; The solenoid valve driving module is used to drive multiple air circuit valves in the air spring unit; Among them, the action valve is used to adjust the mechanical action of the air spring unit, and the air path valve is used to control the direction of the air path in the air spring unit.

3. The driving system of the closed air circuit air spring unit according to claim 2, characterized in that: The solenoid valve driving module supports pulse width modulation control, and the programmable controller is further used to modify the pulse width modulation parameters of the solenoid valve driving module based on the type of the target gas circuit valve driven by the solenoid valve driving module.

4. The driving system of the closed air circuit air spring unit according to claim 2, characterized in that: The driving system further comprises a sensor acquisition module, which is electrically connected to the programmable controller and is used for acquiring air flow information of the air spring unit and sending the air flow information to the programmable controller.

5. The driving system of the closed air circuit air spring unit according to claim 4, characterized in that: The drive system further comprises a safety valve for controlling the exhaust of the air spring unit, wherein the safety valve is electrically connected to the programmable controller, wherein: The programmable controller is also used to send an exhaust electrical signal to the safety valve when the air pressure of the air spring unit exceeds a preset threshold; The safety valve is used to open the valve after receiving the exhaust electrical signal to control the air pressure of the air spring unit to reach the atmospheric pressure.

6. The driving system of the closed air circuit air spring unit according to claim 4, characterized in that: The drive system further comprises a host computer, wherein the host computer is communicatively connected with the programmable controller based on a communication module, wherein the programmable controller is further used to send the air flow information to the host computer through the communication module; The host computer is used to collect and record the received data based on the pre-installed control software.

7. The driving system of the closed air circuit air spring unit according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that: The drive system also includes a display device, which is electrically connected to the programmable controller and is used to display the drive program currently executed by the programmable controller and the current status of each valve in the air spring unit.

8. The driving system of the closed air circuit air spring unit according to claim 7, characterized in that: The power supply device includes a module power supply and a voltage adjustment module, wherein the module power supply is used to provide direct current, and the voltage adjustment module is used to convert the direct current provided by the module power supply into the voltage required for the motor drive module, the solenoid valve drive module and the programmable controller to work.

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