Patent ID: 7607672
Filing Date: 2009-10-27
Classification: B60G

Abstract:
1. A vehicle height adjusting apparatus for adjusting a height of a vehicle, comprising: air spring means provided at each of wheels of a vehicle and including a main air chamber and a sub air chamber; an air supply source including a compressor, the air supply source pressurizing and outputting air at a time the compressor is driven and discharging air at a time the compressor is non-driven; an adjusting valve selectively opening and closing a first passage connecting between the air supply source and the main air chamber; a switching valve selectively opening and closing a second passage connecting between the main air chamber and the sub air chamber, the switching valve causing a total air volume of the air spring means to be constituted either by only the main air chamber or by a sum of the main air chamber and the sub air chamber; the switching valve and the adjusting valve being controlled in response to a height lowering command and a height rising command; an auxiliary valve selectively opening and closing a third passage connecting between the sub air chamber and the air supply source; operating state determining means for determining an operating state of the vehicle including a driving state, a stopped state and a transition state from the driving state to the stopped state; and controlling means for controlling the adjusting valve and the switching valve to shift to closed positions so as to close the first and second passages, respectively, and controlling the auxiliary valve to shift to an open position so as to open the third passage and to discharge air in the sub air chamber by a predetermined amount through the air supply source and then controlling the auxiliary valve to shift to a closed position so as to close the third passage in a case that the operating state determining means determines that the vehicle is in one of the transition state and the stopped state.