Vehicle Height Adjustment Device with Ceiling Sonar Impact Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle height adjustment devices fail to accurately detect impacts between the vehicle body and objects above or below, leading to potential damage during height adjustments, such as when entering garages with low ceilings or encountering snow banks.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle height adjustment system with actuators for at least a pair of wheels, a control device to adjust height, and detection devices to monitor physical changes upon contact, stopping movement and reversing direction when contact is detected to prevent impacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If surrounding object detection devices are provided at four corners of the vehicle to detect objects in front or below, then object detection capability is improved, but objects above the vehicle cannot be detected
Solution Approach 1:
The detection device is designed to perform multiple detection functions - detecting objects both below the vehicle (using clearance sonar/millimeter wave radar) and objects above the vehicle (using ceiling sonar). This multi-functional approach allows a single detection system to handle various detection needs, resolving the limitation of the previous single-function detection devices.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If vehicle height is decreased to avoid obstacles below, then clearance improvement is achieved, but wheel lift and loss of drive force may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors wheel contact status and vehicle height, providing feedback to the control device. When wheel lift is detected, the control device adjusts vehicle height in real-time to maintain wheel contact with the ground, ensuring drive force is maintained while avoiding obstacles.
Solution Approach 2:
The vehicle height is made dynamically adjustable rather than fixed. The control device can change vehicle height in real-time based on detected conditions, allowing the vehicle to adapt to varying terrain and obstacle conditions, thus preventing wheel lift while maintaining clearance.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If vehicle height is increased to clear obstacles above, then ceiling clearance is improved, but impact with ceiling may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The ceiling sonar performs preliminary detection of objects above the vehicle before the vehicle enters a potentially hazardous area. This advance detection allows the control device to adjust vehicle height in advance, preventing impact with the ceiling or overhead obstacles before they occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the distance to overhead objects using ceiling sonar and provides feedback to the control device. When the vehicle approaches a ceiling or overhead obstacle, the control device adjusts vehicle height in real-time to maintain safe clearance, preventing impact and protecting vehicle body integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle height adjustment device includes: vehicle height adjustment actuators provided to at least a pair of front wheels or a pair of rear wheels of a vehicle, and configured to adjust a vehicle height defined by a distance between the wheels and a vehicle body; an actuator control device configured to control the vehicle height adjustment actuators such that the vehicle height approximates to a target vehicle height; and a detection device configured to detect a physical quantity which varies as upward or downward movement of the vehicle body is restricted due to contact with an external contacted object. The actuator control device stops upward or downward movement of the vehicle body, and switches to movement in an opposite direction based on a detected value of the detection device, when the determination that the movement of the vehicle body is restricted is made by the detection device.