Quote:
Originally posted by Rick Bernotas
Wow.
I shot offroadonly an email about their system and just got a reply back from one of their engineers.
I'll say this... what an unbelievable operation that place must be. Some of the products I was told they are developing are just way beyond the imagination. Just insanely great, to borrow a phrase.
You guys should shoot them email about the work they are doing. Way cool stuff. Way beyond any of this.
I'm in awe.
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Hi Rick, I have been aware of the work Steve and his partner are doing over at ORO as I have the AiROCK system installed in my Jeep.
I could not honestly, or with any level of integrity, share anything they had shared with me in confidence, but now I have the ok from Steve to do so. I fully expect to have the upgrades installed in my Jeep in a week or two.
The system will have a microprocessor to manage the data streams coming in from three arenas; The accelerometers, The Speed sensor and four Potentiometers.
Data management will result in active and automatic management of the air suspension based on the speed of the vehicle and predefined user preferences.
Below 20 MPH both the driver and the automation will have operational control of the suspension.
Individual air springs can be adjusted via the drivers seat, as today, but there is a lot more. A driver can set up "Pre-programmed Profiles" that with one punch of a button will cause the AiROCK system to execute on. For example; Leaning the entire Jeep to the left, or raising the rear while lowering the front, ect.
Or you will be able to set the angle of your choice and have the system maintain that angle through the management of air pressure in the springs. Of course any angle includes "Maintaining Level" to within a certain degree.
Once over 20 MPH the system will automagically return to (user defined) ride height and maintain that ride height, adjusting as needed to compensate for cornering and breaking.
Over 50 MPH the system will remain at ride height but will apply "no dynamic" management of the air bags.
What ORO does not have is a display that would feed me exactly where my C of G is at in a simple graphic way easy to digest. (Now you know the source of my interest in this!)
I am waiting for Steve's ok to post some pictures of the new system components and a bit more of it's function. I expect that tomorrow.
Thank you for your very thoughtful response, you have many valid points. Something does indeed need to be done to address the unsprung weight issue as that weight does not follow the sprung weight in a 1 to 1 ratio, but is rather relative to some unknown ratio of angle-to weight-to spring rate.
My thoughts are similar to yours on the "red zone" I figured while working with angles I would use a 10% conservative alarm setting. I can tell you I have tested the C of R and ROA calculations out for real by employing a fork lift and a strap for safety to see how close they were on my actual Jeep. It was within 1/2 degree. However, this isn't the whole story becuase it did not account for the dynamic movement on the x or y axis, nor the effects of mass and momentum if and when a moving tire with unspring weight hits a rock with any kind of force.
I think the end result here is not going to be a perfect solution, but rather one in which a "relative Indicator" can be presented to a driver.
I really like your idea of a Palm Pilot becuase of it's small size. As I am sure you know real estate in a Jeep is somewhat limited. Yet I have no idea what the processing power of the Palm would be. Increasing data point over time would be great for accuracy, but the processing may have to be done in the Basic Stamp and then just the end result presented to the Palm for User display. Don't know. You're much more qualified then I am here.
Perhaps the gravitational patch could be color coded with a green, yellow and red bands. Then as the C of G moves between bands, and the track width and length change a driver could see a "relative indicator" of it's position in relationship to a roll over.
Just a thought.
Frank
I have a post on here with some notes from the install of the Generation I AiROCK system. If you have an interest it can be found here.
http://www.jeepbbs.net/forums/showth...hlight=project
I will update the Project Air Spring post with new info once I get my hands on the new hardware and firmware.