Continental Aktiengesellschaft

Continental Teves, Ag and Company Ohg

Other

Holger Oldenettel

Gerhard Ernst

Holger Behrends

Wolfgang Klodmann

Helmut Fennel

Michael Latarnik

Heinrich Huinink

Dierk Hein

Thomas Becherer

Jens-Uwe Gleu

Harald Schaumburg

Andreas Nessel

Jens Uwe Gleu

Christian Witala

Andreas K&ouml;be

Volkan Sirke

Mark Philipps

Dirk Rosner

Thomas Eike

Ansgar Berling

An air suspension system for a motor vehicle and a method of operating thereof includes an air suspension device for adjusting a ride-height position of the motor vehicle by the feeding and removal of compressed air into a plurality of air springs. The system also includes a dryer supplied via a compressed-air supply unit which has a compressor driven by an electric motor. A control unit for performing a ride-height control function has instruction for: raising the ride-height position to a first ride-height position; subsequently lowering the ride-height position to a second ride-height position; checking a first condition whether a determined air quantity ratio is less than a first predetermined air quantity limit value; checking a second condition whether a saturation level of the dryer is greater than a saturation limit value, and activating the ride-height control function when either the first or the second condition is satisfied.

Method for operating an air suspension system using a dryer regeneration function

A method for the treatment of air of a compressed air system for a motor vehicle, the compressed air system comprising an air compressor, an air dryer and an ambient temperature sensor, wherein an exchange operation of a system air volume is performed by the air compressor, wherein during the exchange operation a part of the system air from the compressed air system is released into the surroundings and ambient air is filled into the compressed air system. The method includes determining a current ambient temperature value (T) using the ambient temperature sensor, checking a first condition, whether or not the current ambient temperature value (T) is lower than a temperature limit value (T), and performing the exchange operation to lower the dew point of the system air by the air dryer if the first condition is satisfied.

Method for the treatment of air of a compressed air system

A pneumatic spring strut for a vehicle, having a working chamber which is at least partially enclosed by a pneumatic spring bellows and having a centrally arranged telescopic damper, wherein the pneumatic spring bellows is fastened to the pneumatic spring cover and to a pneumatic spring piston connected to the damper cylinder and can roll on the outer side of the pneumatic spring piston, wherein the pneumatic spring piston is connected, at its top end and above the roll fold, to the damper cylinder by an elastic bearing, and the elastic bearing is composed of an elastomer body which is provided between a collar, which is situated on the damper cylinder, and a flange, which is arranged on the pneumatic spring piston, wherein the collar situated on the damper cylinder is arranged below the piston-rod-side end of the damper cylinder.

Pneumatic spring strut having a resilient piston bearing

An air spring device having a folding bellows which protects the rolling fold against contaminants, the folding bellows being fastened to that end of the rolling piston which lies opposite the rolling fold, and surrounding the outer guide at least over the length of the latter.

Air spring device

Disclosed is an air spring device having a free-standing air spring bellows and an outer guide which is fastened to the air spring bellows by means of an inner clamping ring, wherein the outer diameter of the inner clamping ring is greater than the outer diameter of the air spring bellows in the unpressurized state, and the inner clamping ring generates a radially outwardly pointing encircling bulge in the unpressurized air spring bellows.

A wheel-guiding forward axle spring strut includes a spring and a shock absorber () integrated axially therein. The spring includes two end members () and a spring element is disposed between these end members. The shock absorber () includes a shock absorber cylinder () and a shock absorber rod () connected to the chassis () via a non-rotatable shock absorber bearing () The end member () is connected by a rotational bearing () to the chassis. The lower spring end member () is fixedly connected to the shock absorber cylinder () and thereby in common to the forward axle. The upper spring end member is an air spring cover and the lower spring end member is an air spring piston () and an air spring flexible member () is mounted between the cover () and the piston () so as to be pressure-tight and tension-tight. The bearing () and a seal () are arranged between the air spring cover () and the non-rotatable component The bearing () and the seal () can be loaded in rotation in correspondence to a wheel moved to steer a vehicle.

Wheel-guiding forward axle air spring strut

A rolling-lobe air spring () includes a cover (cover plate,-I or-II), a roll-off piston () and a rolling-lobe flexible member (). A support bell (-I or-II) is provided in order to solve stability problems. The support bell (-I or-II) is rigidly connected to the cover (-I or-II) in order to provide a guide of high stiffness to the rolling-lobe flexible member. The support bell (-I or-II) is rigidly connected to the cover (-I or-II) and can be arranged within or outside of the cover (-I or-II). For an inner-lying support bell (-I) the upper end of the rolling-lobe flexible member is attached to the throat region (-I) of the support bell (-I) with the aid of a clamp ring (-I) applied from the outside. For an outside-lying support bell (-II), the throat region (-II) of the support bell (-II) is deformed against the upper end of the rolling-lobe flexible member and against a support ring (-II) disposed therebelow.

Rolling-lobe air spring having a support bell

A method for controlling the storage pressure of a pressurized air store () of a closed level control system for a motor vehicle includes a compressor (), a pressurized air store () (which can be filled with air from the atmosphere and which can be discharged into the atmosphere) and at least one air spring (to). The air springs (to) are connected via the compressor () to the pressurized air store () so that pressurized air from the air springs (to) can be transferred into the pressurized air store () and can be transferred in the opposite direction. The storage pressure of the pressurized air store () is controlled indirectly via the air quantity in the level control system in that this air quantity is determined. The pressurized air store () is filled with air from the atmosphere when the air quantity lies below a lower limit and the pressurized air store () is discharged into the atmosphere when the air quantity lies above an upper limit. The control is undertaken in such a manner that the air quantity, after filling or discharging, lies in an operating range between the lower and upper limits.

Method for controlling the storage pressure in a closed level control system

An air spring includes a flexible member which, on the one hand, is attached to a housing and, on the other hand, to a roll-off piston and which encloses an air volume. The surface of the housing, which faces toward the air volume of the air spring, is charged with the air pressure of the air volume; and, the air spring can be connected to the chassis of a motor vehicle with the interposition of an elastic bearing. The housing includes at least two parts of which a first part serves as the connection of the air spring to the chassis of a motor vehicle and a second part serves as the attachment of the flexible member; and, the elastic bearing is configured to have an annular shape and is mounted between the two parts of the housing.

Air spring with two part housing

An air spring strut ( ) is arranged between a vehicle axle ( ) and a vehicle body ( ) of a motor vehicle. The air spring strut ( ) includes a shock absorber ( ) and an air spring ( ). The shock absorber ( ) includes a cylinder ( ) and a piston displaceable into the cylinder ( ). The foot point ( ) of the cylinder ( ) can be articulately connected to a wheel-guiding component ( ) and the upper end of the piston can be pivotally connected to the vehicle body ( ) of a motor vehicle. The air spring ( ) includes a resilient member ( ) which is clamped between a cover ( ) and a roll-off piston ( ) while forming a rolling lobe. The cover ( ) can be attached to the vehicle body ( ) of a motor vehicle and the roll-off piston ( ) is supported on the cylinder ( ) of the shock absorber ( ). The resilient member ( ) of the air spring ( ) is enclosed by a bell ( ). The bell ( ) has an approximately circular-round cross-sectional area at each cross-sectional plane and the center points of the cross-sectional areas are arranged on a curve which approximately describes a circular path segment over the largest part of a spring path of the air spring.

Air spring strut

System and method for ascertaining the emergency running condition of a pneumatic tire on a motor vehicle. The system includes at least one sensor device arranged at least on each axle. The at least one sensor device is adapted to supply a permanently present first periodic oscillation proportional to a wheel rotation speed as a speed output signal. The at least one sensor device includes one of an active and a passive magnetic field sensor being mounted to one of rotate with the tire and be stationary. The transmitter device is arranged complementary to the at least one passive and active magnetic field sensor and is adapted to produce a periodic magnetic field change in proportion to the wheel rotation speed in a detection range. At least one signal processing device is used for processing and evaluating the speed output signal. A transmission and a display device are used for at least one of the transmission and the display of the speed output signal, and for one of the transmission and the display of at least one of the output control and the warning signal. An emergency running device is arranged on the vehicle wheel.

Method and system for ascertaining the emergency running condition of a pneumatic tire

The invention relates to a motor vehicle having a tire-pressure control system wherein pressure values in the tires are measured by respective tire-pressure control devices ( to ) and are transmitted from these devices via a central antenna ( ) to a central unit ( ). The central antenna is mounted beneath the vehicle on an electrically-insulating surface. The antenna is preferably mounted on the surface of a fuel tank made of electrically-insulating material. With an arrangement of the central antenna ( ) as described above, excellent reception of the data transmitted by the tire-pressure control devices ( to ) is ensured.

Motor vehicle having a control system for controlling tire pressure

The invention relates to a method for carrying out the allocation of tire pressure control devices ( to ) to wheel positions in a tire pressure control system of a motor vehicle. Each tire pressure control device ( to ) transmits, at certain time intervals, its individual identifier and a lengthened high frequency signal to the central unit ( ) of the tire pressure control system. The high frequency signals have an individual trace which is dependent upon the rotational angle of the wheel and on the time because of the geometry of the wheel box and as a consequence of the rotation of the wheel. In the central unit ( ), a time point is fixed from two sequential high frequency signals at which the wheel assumes the same angular position in each case with this wheel being the wheel from which the signals were transmitted. The corresponding wheel has made an integer number of revolutions between the two time points. In the central unit ( ), with the aid of the signals of the rpm sensors ( to ), the wheel position is determined in which the wheel has made an integer number of revolutions between the two time points. The corresponding wheel position is allocated to the individual identifier transmitted from the tire pressure control device ( to ).

Method for allocating tire pressure control devices to wheel positions in a tire pressure control system of a motor vehicle

A method for determining the tread depth of a vehicle tire during driving includes the step of determining the angle of a radially outer tire location relative to hub-based a coordinate system based of the vehicle tire by a sensor fastened to the vehicle. A signal containing harmonic oscillation sent by the sensor is then analyzed and, based on the signal, the resonant frequency is determined corresponding to the torsional oscillation component of the tire belt relative to the wheel. The mass moment of inertia of the tire belt about the axis of rotation is then computed based on the torsional stiffness of the tire sidewall and the determined resonant frequency. The actual mass and changes of the tire diameter are then calculated based on the computed mass moment of inertia and based on a mass function of the vehicle tire that is a function of the tire diameter. The loss of tread depth is then calculated based on the changes of the tire diameter.

Method for determining the tread depth of a vehicle tire while the vehicle is moving

The invention relates to a method for determining the rotational speed of a motor vehicle wheel (,), which rotates about a rotational axis (,), by an acceleration sensor (,). The acceleration sensor (,) is mounted on the motor vehicle wheel (,) at a spacing (r) to the rotational axis (,) in such a manner that the force-sensitive axis of the acceleration sensor (,) is perpendicular to the rotational axis and is perpendicular to the centrifugal force which acts on the acceleration sensor (,) with a rotation of the motor vehicle wheel (,) about the rotational axis (,). The rotational speed of the motor vehicle wheel (,) is measured in that the rotational axis (,) is aligned horizontally so that a periodic measurement signal is generated in the acceleration sensor (,) by the gravitational force. The frequency of the measurement signal corresponds to the rotational speed of the motor vehicle wheel (,) about the rotational axis (,). The invention also relates to an air pressure control system in which the rotational speed of the motor vehicle wheel is measured.

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Wedemark, Germany

Holger Oldenettel