Arrangement for making contactless distance and pressure measurements within an air spring

US6032535A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• ContiTech Luftfedersysteme GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Norbert Fischer · Lichtenberg, DE
• Roland Altsinger · Burgdorf, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 13, 1998
• Grant date: Mar 7, 2000
• Expiry date: Jan 13, 2018

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01S15/88
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

The invention is directed to an arrangement for making contactless distance and pressure measurements within an air spring. With a single arrangement, the exact elevation of the spring as well as the spring pressure can be determined. This permits optimal utilization of the axle loads of a multi-axle vehicle and permits adjustment of the distance between the chassis and the axle. In the arrangement, an ultrasonic configuration makes contactless distance measurements in accordance with the pulse/echo method. The arrangement includes a transmitter/receiver component (4) mounted on the chassis and a first reflector (24) defining a first reference distance (16) therebetween. The component (4) and a reflector (6) define a measuring distance (30). The reflector (6) is fixedly mounted to the axle. The transmitter/receiver component (4) is elastically supported by a suspension (10) in a pipe stub (8) fixedly mounted to the chassis. A second reflector (28) is fixedly mounted on the pipe stub (8) and defines a second reference distance (18) to the component (4). The displacement of the elastically-supported component (4), which is caused by the internal pressure, is given by a comparison of …