DEVICE FOR DETECTING DEADWEIGHT AND VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH THE SAME

• Main Author: KAWACHI KOJI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 18.01.2007
• Subjects: BLASTING; ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVEFUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; HEATING; LIGHTING; MEANS FOR DAMPING VIBRATION; MEASURING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; SHOCK-ABSORBERS; SPRINGS; TESTING; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL; TRANSPORTING; VEHICLE SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENTS; VEHICLES IN GENERAL; WEAPONS; WEIGHING

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device for detecting a deadweight, which can detect the deadweight based on the length of a buffering member disposed on each wheel, by mounting a sensor hardly affected by disturbances while preventing cost increase; and to provide a vehicle equipped with the device. SOLUTION: The device for detecting the deadweight detects the deadweight of the vehicle equipped with a plurality of wheels and suspension units varying their buffering members in length in response to loads applied on respective wheels. Each buffering member comprises: an inner cylinder filled up with an operating fluid; an outer cylinder which forms an air chamber between itself and the inner cylinder; a piston which can move relative to the inner cylinder; an orifice which introduces the operating fluid from the inner cylinder to the air chamber by using the motion of the piston; and a thermistor disposed in the air chamber. In the device, length variation values of respective buffering members are detected based on electric quantities related to the thermistors, and loads of respective wheels are estimated based on the length variation values of the buffering members, and the deadweight is calculated based on the estimated loads. If the calculated deadweight is larger than a prescribed value, a signal indicating above state is output to the outside. COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT