Method and system for aligning a stationary vehicle with an artificial horizon

A vehicle alignment system comprising:

• a plurality of fluid suspension members adapted to be disposed between one or more associated axles and one or more associated chassis components, wherein the plurality of fluid suspension members are adapted to be selectively operated to raise and lower the one or more associated chassis components;
• an alignment sensor configured to provide at least a one-axis measurement of the alignment of an associated vehicle;
• and
• an electronic controller configured to
• determine if the angular orientation of the associated vehicle can be at least approximately aligned with the reference plane by only lowering one or more of the plurality of fluid suspension members;
• only selectively lower one or more of the plurality of fluid suspension members if the angular orientation of the associated vehicle can be at least approximately aligned with the reference plane by only lowering one or more of the plurality of fluid suspension members;
• and
• selectively raise, or selectively raise and lower, one or more of the plurality of fluid suspension members to at least approximately align the associated vehicle with the reference plane, if the angular orientation of the vehicle cannot be at least approximately aligned with the reference plane by only lowering one or more of the plurality of fluid suspension members.

A method of aligning a vehicle including an electronic height control system in communication with a plurality of fluid suspension members disposed between at least one axle and at least one chassis component, the method comprising:

• measuring a two-axes angular orientation of a vehicle relative to a substantially horizontal plane;
• communicating the two-axes angular orientation information to an electronic controller;
• processing the two-axes angular orientation information with the electronic controller to generate vehicle alignment program instructions to be executed by the electronic controller;
• the electronic controller, selectively controlling at least one of the plurality of fluid suspension members, based on the vehicle alignment program instructions, to change the distance between the at least one axle and the at least one chassis component, wherein the two-axes angular orientation of the vehicle is changed, and the electronic controller selectively controls one or more of the plurality of fluid suspension members to only exhaust fluid to at least one of substantially align the two-axes angular orientation of the vehicle relative to the substantially horizontal plane, and partially align the two-axes angular orientation of the vehicle relative to the substantially horizontal plane;
• and
• outputting the two-axes angular orientation information to inform an operator of at least one of whether or not the two-axes angular orientation of the vehicle is aligned to a substantially horizontal plane, whether or not the two-axes angular orientation of the vehicle is being aligned to the substantially horizontal plane, whether or not the two-axes angular orientation of the vehicle is within a range of angular orientations relative to the substantially horizontal plane to enable the alignment of the vehicle relative to the substantially horizontal plane, and whether or not the two-axes angular orientation of the vehicle is partially aligned relative to the substantially horizontal plane.