Vehicle leveling assembly

A method for analyzing the attitude of a structure relative to two axes;

• the method comprising the steps of:
• providing a structure to be leveled, the structure including a first set of at least two levelers and a second set of at least two levelers actuable to level the structure relative to a calibrated reference attitude;
• providing a leveling assembly including a tilt sensor on the structure to be leveled;
• determining whether the structure is in an initial attitude that is within an initial allowable range of attitudes from which the levelers will be able to level the structure;
• retracting the levelers;
• extending one of the first and second sets of levelers until the one set of levelers contacts the ground;
• extending the other of the first and second sets of levelers until the other set contacts the ground;
• extending the individual levelers in a predetermined order until each leveler is applying a predetermined minimum force value to the ground;
• determining a first of the two axes about which the structure is most out of level;
• extending the individual levelers in a predetermined order until the structure is level about the first axis;
• and extending the individual levelers in a predetermined order until the structure is level about the other of the two axes.

A method for maintaining a structure in a desired attitude;

• the structure including jacks actuable to change the attitude of the structure;
• the method including the steps of:
• providing an attitude correction assembly on the structure, the attitude correction assembly including a tilt sensor;
• monitoring the attitude of the structure by monitoring signals from the tilt sensor;
• and
• correcting the attitude of the structure by actuating the jacks in response to signals from the tilt sensor, which indicate that a difference between desired and actual attitude of greater than a predetermined magnitude has existed for longer than a predetermined period of time.

A method for analyzing the attitude of a structure relative to two axes;

• the method comprising the steps of:
• providing a structure to be leveled, the structure including first and second sets of levelers actuable to change the attitude of the structure relative to a calibrated reference attitude;
• providing a leveling assembly on the structure;
• determining whether the structure is in an initial attitude that is within an initial allowable range of attitudes from which the levelers will be able to level the structure;
• retracting the levelers;
• extending one of the first and second sets of levelers until the one set of levelers contacts the ground;
• extending the other of the first and second sets of levelers until the other set contacts the ground;
• extending the individual levelers in a predetermined order until each leveler is applying a predetermined minimum force value to the ground;
• determining which of the two axes need to be leveled;
• indicating to an operator the axes about which the structure is out-of-level;
• determining about which of the two axes the structure is most out-of-level;
• indicating to an operator a first axis about which the structure is most out-of-level;
• leveling the structure about the first axis by operating appropriate levelers in response to an operator input;
• and
• where the structure is out-of-level about the remaining axis, leveling the structure about the remaining axis by operating appropriate levelers in response to an operator input.

A method for calibrating an attitude correction assembly to recognize when a selected portion of a structure the assembly is installed on is in a desired attitude relative to gravity;

• the method comprising the steps of:
• providing a structure including jacks actuable to change the attitude of the structure;
• providing an attitude correction assembly on the structure, the assembly including a controller and a tilt sensor, the controller programmed to include a zero mode in which the controller is ready to receive a signal that will instruct the controller to recognize signal values being received from the tilt sensor as indicating that a selected portion of the structure is in a desired attitude;
• providing an attitude indicator on the selected portion of the structure, the attitude indicator configured to indicate attitude relative to gravity;
• actuating the jacks until the attitude indicator indicates that the selected portion of the structure is in a desired attitude relative to gravity;
• and
• providing an input to the controller indicating that the current set of signals being received from the tilt sensor is the set of signal values that will represent the correct attitude for the controller to reference in future attitude correction operations.

A method for analyzing the attitude of a structure relative to two axes;

• the method comprising the steps of:
• providing a structure including jacks actuable to change the attitude of the structure;
• providing a tilt sensor on the structure;
• extending one or more jacks until one or more of the jacks contact the ground;
• and
• detecting jack ground contact through tilt sensor indications of a change in the attitude of the structure resulting from jack ground contact.