The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 18, 2000
Filed:
Sep. 30, 1998
James R Kunz, Eugene, OR (US);
Kwikee Products Co., Inc., Cottage Grove, OR (US);
Abstract
An automatic leveling system for a vehicle includes four leveling jacks coupled to a vehicle and extendible into contact with the ground to stabilize the vehicle. A level sensor calculates the location of a plane defined by the chassis of the vehicle, and downloads the information regarding the location of the plane to an onboard computer. The computer calculates the difference between the present location of the chassis plane and a plane which is level. The computer determines which of the leveling jacks need to be extended, and the proportion of extension required by each jack to activate the jacks in unison to level the vehicle. The computer further determines the proportions of flow that are needed to actuate the jacks in unison. To achieve the desired proportional flow, solenoid valves in a manifold coupling the jacks to a source of fluid are operated at varying frequencies. The selected frequencies are determined by the computer and correspond to the percentage of extension required by each of the four jacks to move the chassis plane to a level position.