CLAIMS
1. Electronic load sensing device (100) for a pneumatic suspension arrange¬
ment (500) of a commercial vehicle (800), the electronic load sensing device (100)
comprising:
a housing (102) having a chassis connector (104) for connecting the hous¬ing (102) to a chassis (802) of the vehicle (800);
an actuator (106) having an axle connector (108) for connecting the actua¬tor (106) to an axle (804) of the vehicle (800), wherein a distance amount (D) between the axle (804) and the chassis (802) is variable as a function of a load amount (L) actuating on the chassis (802) of the vehicle (800) and a change of said distance amount (D) causes the actuator (108) to move in dependence on said load amount (L);
an electronic position determination unit (110) configured to generate an electrical load signal (LS) that is correlated to the current load amount (L) and to provide said electrical load signal via an electrical output interface (112),
characterized by a position determination arrangement (114) comprising a mechanical indicator (116) and the electronic position determination unit (110),
wherein the actuator (108) is adapted to change an indicator position (P) of the mechanical indicator (116) as a function of the load amount (L), the indicator position (P) being electrically transformable to an electrical position signal (PS) in¬dicative thereof at an input interface (118) of the electronic position determination unit (110),
wherein the electronic position determination unit (110) is configured to transform the indicator position (P) into the electrical position signal (PS) and to provide the electrical load signal (LS) in dependence on said electrical position sig¬nal (PS).
2. The electronic load sensing device (100) of claim 1, wherein the actuator
(106) is configured as a lever (120), and wherein the axle connector (108) is ar¬
ranged at a distal end (120a) of the lever (120), the lever (120) further comprising

a housing connector (122) arranged at a proximal end (120b) of the lever (120) for fixing the proximal end (120b) of the lever (120) relative to the housing (102).
3. The electronic load sensing device (100) of claim 2, wherein the electronic position determination unit (110) is configured to monitor an angular position (a) of the lever (120) and to transform said angular position into the electrical position signal indicative thereof.
4. The electronic load sensing device of any of the preceding claims, wherein the input interface (118) of the electronic position determination unit (110) is an electromechanical input interface (118a, 118b) that comprises an electrical ele¬ment (119a, 119b) operatively coupled to the mechanical indicator (116), together forming an electrical circuit element (119), wherein any given indicator position (P) of the mechanical indicator (116) results in a corresponding electrical value (R, C) associated to said electrical circuit element (119), and wherein the electrical posi¬tion signal (PS) is indicative of the electrical value (R, C).
5. The electronic load sensing device of any of the preceding claims, wherein the input interface (118) of the electronic position determination unit (110) is an opto-electrical input interface (118c) comprising an optical element (119c) opera¬tively coupled to the mechanical indicator (116), wherein any given indicator posi¬tion (P) of the mechanical indicator (116) results in a corresponding opto-electrical value (V), and wherein the electrical position signal (PS) is indicative of the opto-electrical value (V).
6. A pneumatic suspension arrangement (500) for a commercial vehicle (800), comprising:
an electronic load sensing device (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the housing (102) of the electronic load sensing device (100) is configured to be attached, via the chassis connector (104), to the chassis (802) of the vehicle (800) and the actuator (104) of the electronic

load sensing device (100) is configured to be attached, via the axle con¬nector (108), to the axle (804) of the vehicle (800), wherein a distance amount (D) between the axle (804) and the chassis (802) is variable as a function of a load amount (L) actuating on the chassis (802) of the vehicle (800) and a change of said distance amount (D) causes the actuator (108) to move in dependence on said load amount (L); a compressed air supply unit (502) for providing compressed air (A); a pneumatic unit (504) connected to the chassis (802) and to the axle (804) and configured to move the axle (804) with respect to the chassis (802) us¬ing compressed air (CA) received from the compressed air supply unit (502); and
an electronic control unit (506) configured to receive, from the electronic load sensing device (100), the electrical load signal (LS) and to control op¬eration of the compressed air supply unit (502) and/or of the pneumatic unit (504) in dependence on said electric load signal (LS).
7. The pneumatic suspension arrangement of claim 6, configured as a lift-axle control system, wherein the axle (804) is a lift axle (804), and wherein the pneu¬matic unit is lift-bellow configured to control the distance amount (D) between the lift axle and the chassis.
8. A commercial vehicle (800) comprising a pneumatic suspension arrange¬ment (500) according to claim 6 or 7 for controlling a distance amount (D) between an axle (804), in particular a lift axle (804) of the vehicle (800) and a chassis (802) of the vehicle (800).
9. Method (600) for controlling operation of an electronic load sensing device (100) for a pneumatic suspension arrangement (500) of a commercial vehicle (800), wherein the electronic load sensing device (100) comprises a housing hav¬ing (102) a chassis connector (104) connecting the housing (102) to a chassis (802) of the vehicle (800), an actuator (106) having an axle connector (108) con¬necting the actuator (106) to an axle (804) of the vehicle (800), wherein a distance

amount (D) between the axle (804) and the chassis (802) is variable as a function of a load amount (L) actuating on the chassis (802) of the vehicle (800) and a change of said distance amount (D) causes the actuator (108) to move in depend¬ence on said load amount (L), and wherein the actuator (108) is adapted to change an indicator position (P) of a mechanical indicator (116) as a function of the load amount (L), the method comprising:
transforming (602) the indicator position of the mechanical indicator into an electrical position signal; and
generating and providing (604), in dependence on the electrical position sig¬nal (PS), an electrical load signal (LS) that is correlated to the current load amount (l_).
10. Method (700) for controlling operation of a pneumatic suspension arrange¬
ment (500, 500a), the method comprising:
performing the method (600) for controlling operation of an electronic load sensing device (100) of claim 9, wherein the electric load signal (LS) corre¬lated to the current load amount (L) is provided to an electronic control unit (503); and
controlling (702) a compressed air supply unit configured to provide com-pressed air, and a pneumatic unit configured to move an axle (804) with re-spect to a chassis (802) using compressed air (CA) received from the com-pressed air supply unit (502) for controlling a distance amount (D) between the chassis (802) and the axle (804).
11. Computer program comprising instructions, which, when executed by an
electronic load sensing device or by an electronic control unit, cause the electronic
load sensing device or the electronic control unit to perform the method of claim 9
or the method of claim 10, respectively.