Patent ID: 8219262

Claim:
A pneumatic level control system ( 12 ) in a motor vehicle ( 10 ) having a vehicle battery ( 44 ) and a generator ( 46 ) supplying the vehicle battery ( 44 ), and an electrically operated compressor ( 18 ) with an electric motor ( 16 ), which compressor is assigned to the level control system ( 12 ), the electric motor ( 16 ) of the compressor ( 18 ) being supplied with power by the vehicle battery ( 44 ) and/or the generator ( 46 ) only under certain conditions, wherein a controller controls operation of the level control system ( 12 ) based on an energy requirement of the level control system ( 12 ) for at least one pending operation is estimated in advance, wherein the at least one pending operation is performed by the pneumatic level control system ( 12 ) only when the present energy status of the vehicle battery ( 44 ) exceeds the energy requirement of the at least one pending operation by at least a first threshold value and a level of the vehicle is adjusted to an intermediate level, lying between a desired set level and the present vehicle level, such that the energy status of the vehicle battery ( 44 ) exceeds the first threshold value once the intermediate level has been reached in response to a determination that the at least pending operation exceeds the first threshold value.