A weight estimation device for a vehicle includes a storage unit storing a weight calculation information indicating a correspondence between an internal pressure value of an air spring supporting a vehicle body and a vehicle height serving as a height of the vehicle body from a base, a measured value acquisition unit acquiring a measured internal pressure value and a measured vehicle height, an internal pressure value calculation unit calculating a corrected internal pressure value of the air spring by deducting or adding a corrected value from or to the measured internal pressure value in a case where the measured internal pressure value is greater or smaller than the internal pressure value of the weight calculation information which corresponds to the measured vehicle height, and a weight calculation unit calculating a weight of a supported body, including the vehicle body, based on the corrected internal pressure value.

A suspension system for controlling movement of a vehicle wheel may include a spring and damper assembly coupling the wheel to the vehicle chassis for movement of the wheel relative to the vehicle chassis. The spring and damper assembly may include a spring coupled to a damper member configured to extend and retract the wheel relative to the vehicle chassis. The suspension system may further include a damper actuator located remotely from the spring and damper assembly and configured to modify an amount of damping and/or wheel extension. The suspension system may also include a spring actuator integrated with the damper actuator and configured to control an amount of deflection of the spring and/or to alter a spring rate. The damper actuator may be provided at a location in the vehicle separated from the spring and damper assembly.

A vehicle height adjustment apparatus includes: vehicle height adjustment units respectively provided to correspond to wheels of a vehicle body, and changing a vehicle height according to supply and discharge of a working fluid; a supply source of the working fluid; opening and closing valves interposed between the vehicle height adjustment units and the supply source; a control unit configured to execute vehicle height adjustment such that the vehicle height of the vehicle height adjustment units reaches a target vehicle height; and a storage unit configured to store state information indicating a changed state of an actual vehicle height with respect to a current target vehicle height, wherein the control unit modifies a subsequent target vehicle height when subsequent control is executed, based on the state information stored in the storage unit, and executes vehicle height adjustment.

Disclosed is a configurable dynamic valve. In various embodiments the valve operates to control a pneumatic leveling system for vehicles and provide the capability for an operator to select an elevated or lowered ride height, to block air flow in and out of the leveling air bags, or to dump air from the air bags controlling the ride height. In various embodiments, the valve utilizes rotary disks which contain actuate apertures, wherein the disks form seals between ports which connect various inlet and outlet chambers such that the pneumatically selected operative disk apertures and ports provide air flow in or out of leveling air bags dynamically at a selected ride height during varying load and road conditions. In various embodiments, the modular design of the valve components allows for an easily configurable valve which may be customized to a particular application with a minimum of effort and manufacturing cost.

A vehicle-height control system includes: a fluid supply and discharge device including a compressor configured to suck fluid, and a tank configured to supply the fluid; an actuator-side passage connected to the fluid supply and discharge device; a vehicle-height control actuator provided for a wheel and connected to the actuator-side passage via a vehicle-height control valve; and a vehicle height controller configured to control a vehicle height for the wheel by controlling the fluid supply and discharge device and the vehicle-height control valve to control supply and discharge of the fluid in the vehicle-height control actuator. The vehicle height controller includes a start controller configured to open the vehicle-height control valve after establishing communication between the actuator-side passage and at least one of the tank and the compressor in a state in which the vehicle-height control valve is closed at a start of control of the vehicle height.

A vehicle-height control system includes: a fluid supply and discharge device including a compressor device and a tank storing fluid pressurized by the compressor device; a vehicle-height control actuator corresponding to a wheel and connected to the fluid supply and discharge device; a vehicle height controller that controls a vehicle height for the wheel by controlling the fluid supply and discharge device to control supply and discharge of fluid to and from the vehicle-height control actuator; a tank pressure controller that controls a tank pressure; and a fluid supply controller that supplies the fluid to a low pressure portion by controlling the fluid supply and discharge device at start and/or termination of at least one of control executed by the vehicle height controller and control executed by the tank pressure controller. The low pressure portion is at least a portion of the fluid supply and discharge device.

A trailer having a liftable first axle and an air suspended second axle includes a controller, a first valve coupled to the first axle and a second valve coupled to the second axle. The controller receives an air suspension exhaust request signal and a pressure signal from an air suspension bellows coupled to the second axle. The controller transmits an air suspension control signal to the second valve in response to the air suspension exhaust request signal and transmits a lift axle control signal to the first valve to lower the first axle in response to the pressure signal being less than a predetermined pressure value.

An air spring for a heavy-duty vehicle includes a bellows chamber, a piston chamber, and at least one opening. The piston chamber is operatively connected to the bellows chamber. The at least one opening is in fluid communication with the bellows chamber and the piston chamber to provide fluid communication between the bellows chamber and the piston chamber. An orifice assembly is disposed adjacent the at least one opening for variably changing the size of the opening. The air spring provides damping to the heavy-duty vehicle.

A damper assembly has a longitudinal axis and includes a damper housing with a side wall portion and an end wall portion defining a damping chamber containing a quantity of damping fluid. A photon source and a photon receptor are operatively disposed in optical communication with the non-gaseous damping fluid in the damping chamber. The photon source is operable to direct a photon through the non-gaseous damping fluid toward an associated target surface. The photon receptor is operable to receive the photon reflected off the associated target surface through the non-gaseous damping fluid. A sensor suitable for such use as well as spring and damper assemblies and suspension systems are also included.

A stopped vehicle height of an air suspension for a stop-side wheel on a side that stops first is determined in consideration of a vehicle height that changes in accordance with a vehicle height change of the air suspension for a supply/discharge-side wheel on another side after a stop. Thus, when vehicle height adjustment of the air suspension for the supply/discharge-side wheel is finished, the stopped vehicle height of the air suspension for the stop-side wheel can be adjusted to the vicinity of a target value and the precision in the vehicle height adjustment can be increased.