Coil Replacement Load Leveling System with Safe Height Feature.

Abstract

A primary air suspension system with the reliability of a secondary air suspension system by guaranteeing a minimum pressure in the air spring through a simple mechanical residual pressure valve. The residual pressure valve is set to the air spring pressure required to hold the rear of the unloaded pickup truck at the designed ride height if any of the components (compressor, tank, valves, air lines, Schrader valve, or electronic controller) failure.

Claims

1. A Coil Replacement Load Leveling System with Safe Height Feature, consisting of, means to generate a minimum air pressure for the air springs, where the coil replacement load leveling system with safe height feature is retrofittable into a wide variety of vehicles, and additionally provides a safe height feature that keeps the vehicle operational even if there is a failure in the compressor, tank, valves, air lines, Schrader valve, or electronic controller, which additionally provides a cost-effective air spring retrofit package as the user can avoid the expense of buying and installing an electronic air management system by using a simple manual Schrader inflation kit without any concern for being left stranded without a compressed air supply available.

2. A suspension system with a primary air suspension system, a secondary air suspension system, and a safe height feature.

3. The suspension system of claim 2, where the safe height feature comprises a minimum pressure in the air spring, where the minimum pressure in the air spring is created by a residulal pressure valve.

4. The suspension system of claim 2, where the minimum pressure is sufficient to maintain a desinged ride height.

5. The suspension system of claim 2, where the secondary air suspension system comprises a mechanical pressure valve.

6. The suspension system of claim 2, where the secondary air suspension system provides a backup system in the event that the primary air suspension system fails.

7. The suspension system of claim 2, where the residual pressure valve has an air spring pressure, where the air spring pressure is an air pressure required to hold a rear of an unloaded pickup truck at the designed ride height.

8. The suspension system of claim 2, where the residual check valve is placed directly at an air spring fitting.

9. The suspension system of claim 2, where failure of any of the following components will no longer yield an inoperable vehicle: compressor, tank, valves, air lines, Schrader valve, or electronic controller.

10. The suspension system of claim 2, where the residual pressure valve creates a minimum pressure in the air spring.

11. The suspension system of claim 10, where the minimum pressure is sufficient to maintain the desinged ride height.

12. The suspension system of claim 10, where an entire weight of a vehicle can be supported by four air springs.

13. The suspension system of claim 10, where the vehcle additional comprises four leaf springs, with each of the four air springs attached to one of the four leaf springs.

14. A suspension system with a primary air suspension system, a secondary air suspension system, and a safe height feature, where the safe height feature comprises a minimum pressure in the air spring, where the minimum pressure in the air spring is created by the residual pressure valve.

15. The suspension system of claim 14, where the minimum pressure is sufficient to maintain a desinged ride height.

16. The suspensin system of claim 15, where the secondary air suspension system comprises a mechanical pressure valve.

17. The suspension system of claim 16, where the secondary air suspension system provides a backup system in the event that the primary air suspension system fails.

18. The suspension system of claim 17, where the residual pressure valve has an air spring pressure, where the air spring pressure is an air pressure required to hold a rear of an unloaded pickup truck at the designed ride height, where the residual check valve is placed directly at an air spring fitting.

19. The suspension system of claim 18, where failure of any of the following components will no longer yield an inoperable vehicle: compressor, tank, valves, air lines, Schrader valve, or electronic controller, where the residulal pressure valve creates a minimum pressure in the air spring.

20. The suspension system of claim 19, where the minimum pressure is sufficient to maintain the desinged ride height, where an entire weight of a vehicle can be supported by four air springs, where the vehcle additionally comprises four leaf springs, with each of the four air springs attached to one of the four leaf springs.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0019] One preferred form of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art rear suspension system utilizing coil springs.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another prior art rear suspension system utilizing air springs and a 5-Link system.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a side view of a traditional suspension system using leaf springs and an air spring as a secondary source of suspension.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0024] The present invention is a uniquely designed extendable piston assembly, utilizing unique and effective/efficient technologies to create an air spring with improved vertical travel in a package small enough to be installed in a wide variety of vehicles. The various advantages provided by this invention are described more fully with respect to the drawings that have been provided.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art air spring in a traditional pickup truck rear. Conventional pickup truck rear suspension has commonly utilized leaf spring style suspension. Recent generations of RAM pickup trucks have changed the rear suspension design to coil springs 5 with a 5-link system 6 as illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0026] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another prior art rear suspension system utilizing air springs and a 5-Link system. The coil springs on the RAM rear suspension can easily be replaced with air springs to add load leveling and ride quality benefits as illustrated in FIG. 2.

[0027] FIG. 2 illustrates what is referred to as a “primary air suspension system” because the weight of the vehicle is supported only with the air springs. These systems are typically controlled by an electronic air management system (compressor, tank, valves, ECU) which automatically increases or decreases the amount of air in the air springs as required. One known drawback to this type of system is that if any one of these air management system components fail, the air springs will no longer support the weight of the vehicle leaving the vehicle inoperable.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a side view of a traditional suspension system using leaf springs and an air spring as a secondary source of suspension FIG. 3 illustrates a “secondary air suspension system” where the air spring is assisting the factory leaf spring to support the weight of the vehicle. The amount of pressure in the air spring can be controlled manually by adding air through a Schrader valve or automatically through an electronic air management system (compressor, tank, valves, air lines, and electronic controller). One benefit to a secondary air suspension system is that if any of the air management components fail, the vehicle is still operable because the factory leaf spring suspension is still present.

[0029] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention. The novel invention described herein yields a primary air suspension system with the reliability of a secondary air suspension system by guaranteeing a minimum pressure in the air spring through a simple mechanical residual pressure valve. The residual pressure valve is set to the air spring pressure required to hold the rear of the unloaded pickup truck at the designed ride height. With this residual check valve placed directly at the air spring fitting, failure of any of the following components will no longer yield an inoperable vehicle: compressor, tank, valves, air lines, Schrader valve, or electronic controller.

[0030] To summarize the advantages the current invention provides over the prior art and products currently on the market, by guaranteeing a minimum air pressure for the air springs, this invention is a) easily retrofittable into a wide variety of vehicles, b) provides a safe heigh feature that keeps the vehicle operational even if there is a failure in the compressor, tank, valves, air lines, Schrader valve, or electronic controller, c) provides a cost-effective air spring retrofit package as the user can avoid the expense of buying and installing an electronic air management system by using a simple manual Schrader inflation kit without any concern for being left stranded without a compressed air supply available.

[0031] As has been mentioned previously, even if the user later wants to lower the vehicle, he/she can easily do so by simply removing the residual pressure valve.

[0032] While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above-described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention.

[0033] Many aspects of the invention can be better understood with references made to the drawings as attached. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Instead, emphasis is placed upon clearly illustrating the components of the present invention. Moreover, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts through the several views in the drawings. Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention are not limited in their application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The embodiments of the invention are capable of being practiced and carried out in various ways. In addition, the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

[0034] It should be understood that while the preferred embodiments of the invention are described in some detail herein, the present disclosure is made by way of example only and that variations and changes thereto are possible without departing from the subject matter coming within the scope of the following claims, and a reasonable equivalency thereof, which claims I regard as my invention.

[0035] All of the material in this patent document is subject to copyright protection under the copyright laws of the United States and other countries. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in official governmental records but, otherwise, all other copyright rights whatsoever are reserved.

[0036] Reference Numbers Used: [0037] 1. Air Spring [0038] 2. Vehicle Frame [0039] 3. Leaf Spring [0040] 4. Axle [0041] 5. Coil Springs [0042] 6. 5-Link [0043] 7. Residual Pressure Valves