Vehicle Height Control via Temperature Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle-height control systems fail to accurately adjust vehicle height based on temperature differences between the inside and outside environments, leading to deviations from the target height due to temperature changes in the air pressure medium.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle-height control system that utilizes temperature sensors to detect inside and outside-air temperatures, calculating a correction value to adjust the vehicle height by controlling air supply and discharge, ensuring the vehicle height is maintained closer to the target height by accounting for temperature differences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If vehicle height control is executed without temperature compensation, then the control system is simple, but the vehicle height deviates from the target height due to temperature changes
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary temperature compensation calculation before executing vehicle height control. By calculating the temperature-induced height deviation in advance and compensating for it proactively, the system ensures accurate height control without requiring complex real-time adjustments during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the control parameter by introducing temperature as an additional input variable. The control ECU adjusts the vehicle height control based on temperature differences between inside and outside environments, transforming the control approach from fixed target-height control to adaptive temperature-compensated control.
2Reliability
If down control is executed when inside temperature is higher than outside-air temperature, then the vehicle height is controlled to a relatively high position, but the vehicle height becomes lower than the true target height when temperature lowers
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback control by continuously monitoring both inside temperature (from air cylinder temperature sensor) and outside-air temperature (from outside-air-temperature sensor), calculating the temperature difference, and using this feedback to adjust the down control execution timing and magnitude to achieve accurate height control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces direct mechanical height control with a thermally-aware control mechanism. Instead of purely mechanical or pneumatic control, the ECU uses temperature sensor data to intelligently modulate the air supply and discharge control, substituting thermal sensing and computational control for traditional mechanical control approaches.
3Measurement precision
If temperature compensation control is executed, then the vehicle height control accuracy improves, but the system requires additional temperature sensors and control calculations
Solution Approach 1:
The system achieves multi-functionality by using temperature sensors that serve dual purposes: monitoring cabin temperature for climate control and detecting air cylinder temperature for vehicle height control compensation. This universal use of existing sensors reduces the need for additional dedicated temperature sensing hardware.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively adjusts vehicle height to match the true target height by incorporating a correction value based on temperature differences, improving running stability, fuel efficiency, and appearance, while reducing power consumption and unnecessary air discharge.
Implementation Method 1
In the case where a vehicle-height control actuator is defined as one sealed space, a change of temperature of air as a pressure medium changes a vehicle height (PV = nRT)
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A
AI summary
In a vehicle-height control system, a relationship "PV = nRT" is established in the case where air cylinders (2) are defined as a single sealed area. Lowering of a temperature of air in an air chamber (19) lowers a vehicle height. Thus, the vehicle height is controlled to a relatively high vehicle height in the case where down control is executed in a state in which an inside temperature in the vehicle-height control system is high and it is estimated that the inside temperature lowers to an outside-air temperature. With this control, the vehicle height is brought closer to a true target vehicle height when the inside temperature has lowered. Also, it is possible to shorten a time of operation of a compressor (40), resulting in reduction of power consumption of a battery.