Skip to main content

Continental sensor adjusts vehicle height

German manufacturer Continental says its Ultrasonic Height and Pressure Sensor (UHPS) can adjust the height of commercial vehicles electronically to improve the efficiency of urban buses. The company says UHPS allows drivers to control the air springs when lowering one side of the bus at bus stops - rather than having to let the air out from the spring completely. UHPS uses ultrasound to measure the height and pressure in the air spring and sends the value to the electronic control unit, which automatica
October 15, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

German manufacturer 260 Continental says its Ultrasonic Height and Pressure Sensor (UHPS) can adjust the height of commercial vehicles electronically to improve the efficiency of urban buses.

The company says UHPS allows drivers to control the air springs when lowering one side of the bus at bus stops - rather than having to let the air out from the spring completely.

UHPS uses ultrasound to measure the height and pressure in the air spring and sends the value to the electronic control unit, which automatically opens or closes the air spring valves. Drivers can pre-select target values in the control unit before starting their journey depending on whether they are travelling through a city or freeway.

The interaction between the control unit and air spring maintains the appropriate height and is also expected to prevent energy from being lost when the bus is lowered or raised.

Continental has also developed a heat-resistant material to protect the air springs from the extreme temperatures from exhaust systems of the engines and other heat sources.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Syracuse models post-industrial revival for US cities
    August 13, 2015
    A connective corridor in Syracuse, New York State, could be a model for other post-industrial cities, as David Crawford discovers. The aim of the city of Syracuse’ 5.6km-long Connective Corridor in Onandaga County in upstate New York is to create a model ‘complete street’ for use in wider regeneration schemes. Key transport-sector components are traffic calming, high-quality transit with accessible passenger information, plus walkability and bike-friendliness.
  • Opinion: Have we missed our moment to reinvent mass transport?
    September 16, 2020
    We need to focus on providing better mass transportation services during the COVID-19 pandemic - and work out how to help travellers to rapidly regain confidence in using them as lockdowns end
  • Apps help passengers avoided overcrowded public transport
    May 30, 2013
    David Crawford reviews innovations in the comfort zone. Anyone who rides public transport knows that, perhaps second only to delays, overcrowding is a critical part of the passenger experience,” says Nir Erez, CEO of Moovit, the Israel-based social transportation app developer. The app is aimed at taking real-time user feedback on transit and making it available to a wider audience of travellers. Currently available on iPhone and Android, it plans to add Windows 8 and other platforms in the future. Moovit i
  • New solutions for catching texting drivers
    October 28, 2016
    Many countries have laws prohibiting texting while driving but enforcement is proving difficult – David Crawford looks at some new approaches being tried by authorities. Finding definitive solutions – technological, regulatory and educational - to the potentially lethal practice of people driving while using mobile phones is proving elusive, while the stakes grow higher.