An apparatus includes at least one pressurized air source, at least one switching valve is in fluid communication with the pressurized air source, and at least one bump stop assembly is in fluid communication with the at least one switching valve. The at least one bump stop assembly includes a body member that at least partially defines a pressure chamber that is in fluid communication with the at least one pressurized air source. A bump stop contact member is coupled to the pressure chamber. A controller is configured to vary a fluid pressure within the pressure chamber in response to an input from at least one vehicle sensor.

A method and apparatus are disclosed for cooling damping fluid in a vehicle suspension damper unit. A damping unit includes a piston mounted in a fluid cylinder. A bypass fluid circuit having an integrated cooling assembly disposed therein is fluidly coupled to the fluid cylinder at axial locations that, at least at one point in the piston stroke, are located on opposite sides of the piston. The cooling assembly may include a cylinder having cooling fins thermally coupled to an exterior surface of the cylinder and made of a thermally conductive material. The bypass channel may include a check valve that permits fluid flow in only one direction through the bypass channel. The check valve may be remotely operated, either manually or automatically by an electronic controller. A vehicle suspension system may implement one or more damper units throughout the vehicle, controlled separately or collectively, automatically or manually.

This oscillating axle (3) for a lifting device (1) comprises an axle bridge (5) at the ends of which are mounted two ground connection members (7), an oscillation axis (X3), a left jack (9) and a right jack (11), each jack (9, 11) having a rod (90, 110) in contact with the bridge (5) and a body (92, 112) fixed on a fixed part (13) of a chassis (2) of the lifting device (1), the body (92, 112) forming a chamber (94, 114) in which the rod (90, 110) moves. The axle comprises a hydraulic circuit (15) interconnecting the chambers (92, 112) of the left (9) and right (11) jacks, in which a fluid is present at a given pressure, making it possible to press the rods (90, 110) of the left jack (9) and of the right jack (11) against the bridge (5), and at least one solenoid valve (150, 152) on a branch (15A) of the hydraulic circuit (15) connected to the chamber (94) of the left jack (9), and at least one solenoid valve (154, 156) on a branch (15B) of the hydraulic circuit (15) connected to the chamber (114) of the right jack (11), wherein each of these solenoid valves (150, 152, 154, 156) may be positioned in an open position, in which fluid may flow freely, and a closed position, in which the fluid is trapped in the chamber (94, 114) of the corresponding jack (9, 11). Each of the chambers (94, 114) of the left jack (9) and of the right jack (11) has a pressure sensor (23, 25) designed to measure the pressure of the fluid in each of the chambers (94, 114). Control means (21) are provided to detect a pressure in one of the chambers (94, 114) that is greater than a first threshold, and/or a differential between the pressures in each of the chambers (94, 114) that is greater than a second threshold, so as to detect the blocking of a solenoid valve (150, 152, 154, 156) in the closed position, and to initiate a safety procedure.

An apparatus for adjusting a height of a vehicle including a vehicle height adjustment unit configured to adjust a height of the vehicle; a hydraulic pressure supply unit configured to supply a hydraulic pressure supplied to a caliper from a braking device for braking of the vehicle to the vehicle height adjustment unit; and a control unit configured to control a hydraulic pressure supplied to the vehicle height adjustment unit from the braking device, by controlling the hydraulic pressure supply unit depending on whether a predetermined vehicle height adjustment condition is satisfied.

The present invention provides a suspension system capable of adjusting a vehicle height in a short time. The suspension system includes a front wheel-side suspension and a rear wheel-side suspension each provided between a vehicle body and an axle and configured to adjust a vehicle height according to supply and discharge of hydraulic fluid, a pressurization device configured to pressurize the hydraulic fluid, and a first tank and a second tank configured to store therein the hydraulic fluid pressurized by the pressurization device. When the suspension system lowers the vehicle height by each of the front wheel-side suspension and the rear wheel-side suspension, any one of the front wheel-side suspension and the rear wheel-side suspension discharges the hydraulic fluid to the first tank, and the other of the front wheel-side suspension and the rear wheel-side suspension discharges the hydraulic fluid into the second tank by the pressurization device.

A method and apparatus are disclosed for cooling damping fluid in a vehicle suspension damper unit. A damping unit includes a piston mounted in a fluid cylinder. A bypass fluid circuit having an integrated cooling assembly disposed therein is fluidly coupled to the fluid cylinder at axial locations that, at least at one point in the piston stroke, are located on opposite sides of the piston. The cooling assembly may include a cylinder having cooling fins thermally coupled to an exterior surface of the cylinder and made of a thermally conductive material. The bypass channel may include a check valve that permits fluid flow in only one direction through the bypass channel. The check valve may be remotely operated, either manually or automatically by an electronic controller. A vehicle suspension system may implement one or more damper units throughout the vehicle, controlled separately or collectively, automatically or manually.

Vehicle body tilt, representing a difference between a vehicle body frame of reference and a wheel-base frame of reference, is determined by obtaining information from sensor assemblies for the vehicle body and for the wheel-base. Navigational solutions are generated for the sensor assemblies using motion sensor data from the assemblies and absolute navigational information. Correspondingly, vehicle body tilt is determined based at least in part on the vehicle body navigation solution and the wheel-base navigation solution.

Systems and methods to control suspension of a vehicle are disclosed. An example apparatus includes one or more processors coupled to a vehicle. The one or more processors are to generate road profile data while the vehicle is moving and generate suspension control data based on the road profile data. A suspension of the vehicle is to be adjusted based on the suspension control data. The one or more processors also determine a distance traveled by the vehicle during a time interval. The time interval is associated with generating the road profile data or adjusting the suspension. The one or more processors also adjust the suspension based on the suspension control data, the distance, and a preview distance associated with the vehicle.

A method and apparatus are disclosed for cooling damping fluid in a vehicle suspension damper unit. A damping unit includes a piston mounted in a fluid cylinder. A bypass fluid circuit having an integrated cooling assembly disposed therein is fluidly coupled to the fluid cylinder at axial locations that, at least at one point in the piston stroke, are located on opposite sides of the piston. The cooling assembly may include a cylinder having cooling fins thermally coupled to an exterior surface of the cylinder and made of a thermally conductive material. The bypass channel may include a check valve that permits fluid flow in only one direction through the bypass channel. The check valve may be remotely operated, either manually or automatically by an electronic controller. A vehicle suspension system may implement one or more damper units throughout the vehicle, controlled separately or collectively, automatically or manually.

A suspension system for a vehicle axle including at least one hydraulic suspension cylinder, which has at least one chamber, with the chamber being connected to a hydraulic accumulator and allowing a connection via switching arrangement as well as to a pressure source and a pressure release. A shut-off valve is arranged between the chamber and the accumulator, by which the suspension can be blocked. In order to avoid during the unblocking process that any sudden compensating motion of the axle suspension develops, here the suspension system includes at least one detection device connected to the chamber of the suspension cylinder and the accumulator, which is embodied to detect the pressure difference between the chamber and the accumulator. This way a pressure difference can be reliably detected at both sides of the shut-off valve, thus between the chamber of the suspension cylinder and the accumulator, and can be compensated in a targeted fashion during or before the opening of the shut-off valve for unblocking the suspension.