Ultrasonic Ride Height Control for Self-Levelling Air Suspension Systems

Many of the components in modern air suspension systems have improved since the technology’s inception. One component that has not improved since the introduction of height-based management is the ride height sensor, a single-jointed potentiometer that frequently breaks. The goal of this project was to reimagine how height-based air suspensions operate, replacing the fragile single-jointed potentiometer with an ultrasonic distance sensor. This ultrasonic rangefinder would work in tandem with an Arduino UNO and a high-pressure pneumatic system to control the shape of the air bag, subsequently determining the ride height of a vehicle. This project investigates whether or not an ultrasonic sensor is a better alternative to current methods of ride height measurement.