PCR sensor for air suspension system
An air spring height sensor has a PCR (Pulsed-Coherent-Radar) sensor encased in a housing attached to an air spring. The housing also provides an integral channel for adding air to an air spring or releasing air. The PCR sensor is aligned with a connector to orient the sensor with respect to the air spring to accurately determine the height of the air spring.
1 . An air spring, comprising: an air spring lower piston, an air spring bellows and an air spring upper cap, where the air spring bellows is crimped to the air spring lower piston and the air spring upper cap, such that at least a portion of the air spring bellows rests inside the air spring lower piston and inside the air spring upper cap, where the air spring upper cap additionally comprises an air connection and a PCR sensor, where the PCR sensor emits a constant stream of electromagnetic waves, where each of the constant stream of electromagnetic waves reflects off the lower piston, where a reflected wave is measured by the PCR sensor, where the PCR sensor calculates the air spring height based on a time element, where the time element is the length of time it takes for a single electromagnetic wave to be emitted from the PCR sensor, reflected off the lower piston, and received by the PCR sensor, the air connection of the air spring upper cap including a pneumatic sensor fitting, the pneumatic sensor fitting housing the PCR sensor, the pneumatic sensor fitting having an air line retention collet configured to fluidly couple the air bellows to an air line.
2 . The air spring according to claim 1 , wherein the pneumatic sensor fitting includes an O-ring seal disposed about the air line within the air line retention collet, the O-ring seal configured to form an air tight seal about the air line.
3 . The air spring according to claim 1 , wherein the pneumatic sensor fitting includes a brass pipe thread, the pneumatic sensor fitted to a threaded aperture defined by the air spring upper cap by the brass pipe thread.
4 . An air spring, comprising: an air spring lower piston, an air spring bellows and an air spring upper cap, where the air spring bellows is crimped to the air spring lower piston and the air spring upper cap, such that at least a portion of the air spring bellows rests inside the air spring lower piston and inside the air spring upper cap, where the air spring upper cap additionally comprises an air connection and a PCR sensor, where the PCR sensor emits a constant stream of electromagnetic waves, where each of the constant stream of electromagnetic waves reflects off the lower piston, where a reflected wave is measured by the PCR sensor, where the PCR sensor calculates the air spring height based on a time element, where the time element is the length of time it takes for a single electromagnetic wave to be emitted from the PCR sensor, reflected off the lower piston, and received by the PCR sensor, the air connection of the air spring upper cap including a pneumatic sensor fitting, the pneumatic sensor fitting comprising a composite body fitting enclosing an electrical connection component, a circuit board, and the PCR sensor, the pneumatic sensor fitting configured to fluidly couple the air bellows to an air line.
5 . An air spring device, where the device comprises: an air spring, an air spring upper cap and an air spring lower cap, where the air spring is connected to the air spring lower cap and the air spring upper cap to form an airtight container, where the air spring upper cap additionally comprises an air connection and a PCR sensor, where the PCR sensor emits a constant stream of electromagnetic waves, where each of the constant stream of electromagnetic waves reflects off the lower cap, where a reflected wave is measured by the PCR sensor, where the PCR sensor calculates the air spring height based on a time element, where the time element is the length of time it takes for a single electromagnetic wave to be emitted from the PCR sensor, reflected off the lower cap, and received by the PCR sensor, the air spring upper cap comprising a threaded aperture, a custom pneumatic sensor fitting is fitted with a brass pipe thread to the threaded aperture, the custom pneumatic sensor fitting comprising a composite fitting body which encloses an air line, an electrical connection component, a circuit board, the PCR sensor, an O-ring seal disposed about the air line within an air line retention collet and configured to form an air tight seal about the air line.
6 . The device of claim 5 , where the air spring is a rolling bellows-type air spring.
7 . The device of claim 5 , where the air spring is an expanding bellows-type air spring.
8 . The device of claim 7 , where the expanding bellows-type air spring is a single bellow air spring.
9 . The device of claim 7 , where the expanding bellows-type air spring is a double bellows air spring.
10 . A method of making an improved air spring, comprising: first, manufacturing an airtight air device, where the device comprises: a bellows, an air spring upper cap and an air spring lower element, second, attaching the air spring bellows to the air spring upper cap and the air spring lower element to form an airtight container, third, connecting an air connection, an electrical connection, and a PCR sensor to the airtight container through a brass pipe thread in the air spring upper cap, fourth, causing electricity to flow such that when the PCR sensor emits a constant stream of electromagnetic waves, where each of the constant stream of electromagnetic waves reflects off the lower element, where a reflected wave is measured by the PCR sensor, where the PCR sensor calculates the air spring height based on a time element, where the time element is the length of time it takes for a single electromagnetic wave to be emitted from the PCR sensor, reflected off the lower element, and received by the PCR sensor, where the air line is connected to a composite fitting body of a custom pneumatic sensor fitting by an air line retention collet, an O-ring seal disposed about the air line within the air line retention collet and configured to form an air tight seal about the air line.
11 . The device of claim 10 , where the air spring is a rolling bellows-type air spring.
12 . The device of claim 10 , where the air spring is an expanding bellows-type air spring.
13 . The device of claim 12 , where the expanding bellows-type air spring is a single bellow air spring.
14 . The device of claim 12 , where the expanding bellows-type air spring is a double bellows air spring.
15 . A sensor fitting for an air spring comprising: a body, a no-contact height sensor encased in said body and sealed from an ambient environment of the body, an electrical connection encased in said body and sealed from an ambient environment of the body and in electrical contact with said no-contact height sensor, a fluid supply connection for receiving a fluid supply line, a fluid port, a fluid channel formed in said body for conducting fluid between said fluid supply connection and said fluid port, and a coupler for connecting said fluid port to the air spring, the fluid supply connection being an air line retention collet, the no-contact height sensor configured to emit a constant stream of electromagnetic waves through the fluid port to calculate the height of the air spring when installed thereon.
16 . A sensor fitting according to claim 15 wherein said no-contact height sensor comprises a PCR.
17 . A sensor according to claim 16 wherein said coupler is threaded.
18 . A sensor according to claim 15 in combination with the air spring.
19 . The sensor fitting according to claim 15 , further comprising an O-ring seal disposed about the fluid supply line within the air line retention collet, the O-ring seal configured to form an air tight seal about the fluid supply line.