Description:TECHNICAL FIELD
[001] This disclosure relates generally to automobiles, and more particularly to lift axles used in trucks, or in vehicles designated to carry heavy payloads.
BACKGROUND
[002] Vehicles designated to carry heavy payloads, such as, a truck, or a lorry often use lift axles. A lift axle is assembled in the vehicle chassis, and is a retractable axle deployed on road to haul an overload on the vehicle, especially during transport. Generally, lift axles use a pneumatic suspension including a combination of one or more pneumatic springs such as air bellows. The air bellows are simultaneously inflated and deflated, i.e., one set of air bellows are deflated and the same time, another set of air bellows are inflated to deploy the lift axle on road to haul an overload on the vehicle or raise the lift axle off-road after a successful haul, or while parking the vehicle.
[003] The air bellows are inflated by an air supply from an air source mounted inside the vehicle. The air source includes an air tank configured to store air supplied from an air compressor. Oppositely, when deflating the air bellows, the air present in the air bellows is exhausted to the atmosphere.
[004] However, to inflate the deflated air bellows, air from the air source is resupplied. The amount of air displaced in the air source to inflate the air bellows is compensated by the air supply from the air compressor. However, compensating for the displaced air results in addition of an extra duty cycle on the air compressor, i.e., increased working of the air compressor, which requires extra power consumption from the battery.

SUMMARY
[005] In one embodiment, a lift axle for a vehicle is disclosed. The lift axle may include at least one primary air bellow, and at least one secondary air bellow. The at least one primary air bellow and the at least one secondary air bellow may be connected by a unidirectional valve. The unidirectional valve may be configured to open air passage from the at least one secondary air bellow to the at least one primary air bellow. The passage may be opened in response to a pre-defined condition such as a current load on the vehicle exceeding a pre-determined threshold. After opening of the passage, the unidirectional valve may be configured to redirect air from the at least one secondary air bellow to the at least one primary air bellow.
[006] In another embodiment, a vehicle may be disclosed. The vehicle may include a lift axle, which may further include at least one primary air bellow and at least one secondary air bellow. The vehicle may include a load sensing unit. The load sensing unit may be configured to generate a signal, which may be generated after confirmation of the pre-defined condition. As explained earlier, the load sensing unit may be coupled to the lift axle control valve. The lift axle control valve may be configured to receive the signal from the load sensing unit, and in response to the received signal, the load sensing unit may be configured to generate a lift axle control signal. The vehicle may further include a unidirectional valve that may connect the at least one primary air bellow and the at least one secondary air bellow. The unidirectional valve may be configured to receive the lift axle control signal, and based on the lift axle control signal, may open air passage from the at least one secondary air bellow to the at least one primary air bellow. The unidirectional valve may be further configured to redirect air released from the at least one secondary air bellow to the at least one primary air bellow.
[007] In one embodiment, a method of operation of the lift axle in a vehicle is disclosed. The method may include a first step of receiving the lift axle control signal, by the unidirectional valve, in response to the predefined condition being met. In the next step, the method may include opening of the air passage from the at least one secondary air bellow to the at least one primary air bellow of the lift axle. In the next step, the method may include redirecting the air released from the at least one secondary air bellow to the at least one primary air bellow.
[008] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[009] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and, together with the description, serve to explain the disclosed principles.
[010] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a lift axle, in accordance with some embodiments.
[011] FIG. 2 illustrates a layout of a pneumatic circuit for raising or lowering the lift axle, in accordance with some embodiments.
[012] FIG. 3 illustrates a layout of a connection between the pneumatic circuit of FIG.2 with the lift axle of FIG.1, in accordance with some embodiments.
[013] FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of the vehicle in which the lift axle is lowered, in accordance with some embodiments.
[014] FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of the vehicle in which the lift axle is raised, in accordance with some embodiments.
[015] FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a method for operating the lift axle of the vehicle, in accordance with some embodiments.
[016] FIG. 7 illustrates a method for generating a lift axle control signal based on a current load on the vehicle, in accordance with some embodiment.
[017] FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of a method for completely filling at least one primary air bellow, in accordance with some embodiments.
[018] FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of a method for completely filling at least one primary air bellow after an expiration of a pre-determined time period, in accordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[019] The foregoing description has broadly outlined the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that the detailed description of the disclosure that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be described hereinafter which forms the subject of the claims of the disclosure. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiments disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying other devices, systems, assemblies and mechanisms for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that, such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristics of the disclosure, to its device or system, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present disclosure.
[020] The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusions, such that a system or a device that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or apparatus.
[021] Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, same numerals have been used to refer to the same or like parts. The following paragraphs describe the present disclosure with reference to FIGs. 1-9.
[022] Presently, vehicles designated for carrying heavy payloads such as a truck or lorry may include a lift axle assembled in a chassis frame. The lift axle may include a pneumatic suspension, such as a combination of one or more pneumatic springs such as air bellows. The air bellows may be alternately inflated and deflated, i.e., one set of air bellows are deflated and the same time, another set of bellows may be inflated with air from an air source, which may result in deploying the lift axle on road to haul an overload on the vehicle or raise the lift axle off-road after a successful haul, or while parking the vehicle. To deflate the set of bellows, the air present in the set of bellows to be deflated may be exhausted to the atmosphere. Further, sourcing air from the air source may deplete the air present therein, and to compensate for the depleted air, there may be an increased extra duty cycle on the air compressor to supply air to the air source. Increase in duty cycle on the air compressor may increase demand of extra power from the battery, which may result in overheating and quick discharge of the battery. Therefore, there is a need of reusing air exhausted from the air bellows to inflate other air bellows, for reducing sourcing of air from the air source as well as duty cycle on the air compressor.
[023] To this end, a lift axle is disclosed. Referring now to FIG. 1, a perspective view 100 of a lift axle 102 is illustrated, in accordance with some embodiments. The lift axle 102 may be assembled in a chassis (not shown in figure) of a vehicle 402 (Refer to FIG. 4). Again, referring to FIG. 1, the lift axle 102 may include a pneumatic suspension unit. The pneumatic suspension unit may include primary air bellows 104a and 104b (hereinafter collectively referred to as at least one primary air bellow 104), and secondary air bellows 106a and 106b (hereinafter collectively referred to as at least one secondary air bellow 106).
[024] As explained earlier, and with continued reference to FIG. 1, the lift axle 102 may be lowered or raised (illustrated by FIG. 4 and FIG. 5) in accordance with a predefined condition. Again, referring to FIG. 1, the mechanism of lowering or raising the lift axle 102 may be implemented by alternately inflating or deflating the at least one primary air bellow 104 and the at least one secondary air bellow 106. By way of an example, to lower the lift axle 102 on road, the at least one secondary air bellow 106 may be deflated, and the at least one primary air bellow 104 may be inflated. Similarly, to raise or lift the lift axle 102 off the road, the at least one secondary air bellow 106 may be inflated and the at least one primary air bellow 104 may be deflated.
[025] The implementation of raising or lowering the lift axle 102 may be realized by a pneumatic circuit. Now, referring to FIG. 2, which illustrates a schematic 200 of a pneumatic circuit configured for raising or lowering the lift axle 102, in accordance with some embodiments. The pneumatic circuit may include a unidirectional valve 202, a lift axle control valve 204, an air source 206, a load sensing unit 208, a pressure regulating valve 210, and quick release valves 212a and 212b (hereinafter collectively referred to as at least one quick release valve 212).
[026] In one embodiment, and with continued reference to FIG. 2, the unidirectional valve 202 may be configured to connect at least one primary air bellow 104 and the at least one secondary air bellow 106. The unidirectional valve 202 may be further connected, electronically, to the lift axle control valve 204. In the same embodiment, the unidirectional valve 202 may be a solenoid valve.
[027] In another embodiment, the unidirectional valve 202 may be configured to receive an electronic signal, , such as a lift axle control signal, from the lift axle control valve 204. As the name suggests, the unidirectional valve 202 may be configured to open air passage from the at least one secondary air bellow 106 to the at least one primary air bellow 104, as a response to identification of a pre-defined condition. The air passage may be a one-way passage, i.e., allowing passage of air in only one direction, from the at least one secondary air bellow 106 to the at least one primary air bellow 104.
[028] In one embodiment, and with continued reference to FIG. 2, the load sensing unit 208 may be positioned between the load on the vehicle and the lift axle 102. Further, the load sensing unit 208 may include axle load sensors and may be connected to the lift axle control valve 204. The load sensing unit 208 may be further configured to determine a current load on the vehicle 402. After determining, the load sensing unit 208 may be configured to compare the current load with a pre-determined threshold. When the current load on the vehicle 402 may exceed the pre-determined threshold, the load sensing unit 208 may confirm identification of the predefined condition. For example, if the current load on the vehicle 402 determined by the load sensing unit 208 may be 9 tons. When the load sensing unit 208 compares the current load (9 tons) against a predetermined threshold of 8 tons, the load sensing unit 208 may identify that the predefined condition has been met. Further, in response to the identification of the predefined condition, the load sensing unit 208 may be configured to generate a signal.
[029] The signal generated by the load sensing unit 208 may be received by the load axle control valve 204, which may be connected to the load sensing unit 208, as illustrated by the previous embodiment. The lift axle control valve 204 may be configured to generate a lift axle control signal, as a response to the received signal, and further may transmit the lift axle control signal to the unidirectional valve 202. In response to the lift axle control signal, the unidirectional valve 202 may be configured to open the air passage between the at least one primary air bellow 104 and the at least one secondary air bellow 106. Further, after opening the air passage, the unidirectional valve 202 may be configured to redirect air from the at least one secondary air bellow 106 to the at least one primary air bellow 104, thereby preventing exhaustion of the air present in the at least one secondary air bellow 106. In some embodiments, the redirected air from the at least one secondary air bellow 106 may partially fill the at least one primary air bellow 104, and may lower the lift axle 102 in a vertically downward direction.
[030] In one embodiment, and with continued reference to FIG. 2, the air source 206 may be an air tank. The air source 206 may be configured to store air. In the same embodiment, the air source 206 may be pneumatically connected to the lift axle control valve 204.When the at least secondary air bellow 106 may be completely deflated, or when the air is completely released from the at least one secondary air bellow 106 into the at least one primary bellow 104, the lift axle control valve 204 may be configured to source air from the air source 206. The sourced air from the air source 206 may be supplied to the at least one primary air bellow 104 to completely fill the at least one primary air bellow 104. In another embodiment, the sourced air may be supplied to the at least one primary air bellow 104 after expiry of a predefined time period. The predefined time period may be started after initiation of air released or redirected from the at least one secondary air bellow 106 into the at least one primary air bellow 104.
[031] Redirecting air from the at least one secondary air bellow 106 to the at least one primary air bellow 104 may reduce sourcing air from the air source 206 by a volume equivalent to the volume of the air redirected. By way of an example, if a requirement to fill the at least one primary air bellow 104 may be 8m3, and the volume of air redirected from the at least one secondary air bellow 106 to the at least one primary air bellow 104 may be 4m3, only the remaining 4m3 of air may be sourced from the air source 206, instead of sourcing complete 8m3 of air from the air source 206. Therefore, sourcing of air from the air source 206 may be reduced.
[032] In one embodiment, and illustrated earlier, the pneumatic circuit may include the pressure regulating valve 210. The pressure regulating valve may be connected to the air source 206. Further, the pressure regulating valve 210 may be configured to maintain a uniform pressure throughout the pneumatic circuit. In another embodiment, the pneumatic circuit may include at least one quick release valve 212. The at least one quick release valve 212 may be configured to release air to deflate the at least one primary air bellow 104.
[033] Now, referring to FIG. 3, which illustrates a layout of connection 300 between the pneumatic circuit of FIG. 2 with the lift axle 102 of FIG. 1, in accordance with some embodiments. As illustrated by FIG. 3, the air source 206 may be connected to an air processing unit 304. The air processing unit 304 may be further connected to an air compressor 302.
[034] In one embodiment, the air processing unit 304 may include an air filter. The air processing unit 304 may be configured to receive air from the air compressor 302. The air processing unit 304 may be configured to filter or remove dust particles from air received from the air compressor 302. The processed air may be supplied and further stored in the air source 206.
[035] In another embodiment, as illustrated earlier, reducing the sourced air from the air source 206 may reduce the duty load on the air compressor 302, as the output air required from the air compressor 302 may be reduced. Reduction in duty load from the air compressor may further decrease demand of extra power from the battery.
[036] In one embodiment, now referring to FIG. 4, which illustrates a side view 400 of the vehicle 402 in which the lift axle 102 is lowered, in accordance with some embodiments. As explained earlier, the load sensing unit 208 may be configured to identify, or confirm a predefined condition of the current load exceeding a pre-determined threshold, and generate the signal. The signal may be received by the lift axle control valve 204, and in response, may generate a lift axle control signal to the unidirectional valve 202. The unidirectional valve 202, in response to the lift axle control signal may configured to open the air passage between the at least one primary air bellow 104 and the at least one secondary air bellow 106. Further, after opening the air passage, the unidirectional valve 202 may be configured to redirect air from the at least one secondary air bellow 106 to the at least one primary air bellow 104, and hence, the lowering of the lift axle 102 in a vertically downward direction may be initiated. The redirected air may partially fill the primary air bellow 104. Further, when the at least secondary air bellow 106 may be completely deflated, or when the air is completely released from the at least one secondary air bellow 106, the lift axle control valve 204 may be configured to transmit air from the air source 206 to the at least one primary air bellow 104. The complete filling of the least one primary air bellow 104 and deflating the at least one secondary air bellow 106 may lower the lift axle 102 vertically downwards on the road.
[037] In another embodiment, now referring to FIG. 5, which illustrates a side view 500 of the vehicle 402 in which the lift axle 102 may be raised, in accordance with some embodiments. When the current load on the vehicle 402 may be reduced below the pre-determined threshold, the air in the at least one primary air bellow 104 may be exhausted by the at least one quick release valve 212. Meanwhile, during the process of exhaustion of the at least one primary air bellow 104, the lift axle control valve may be configured to supply air to the at least one secondary valve 106. Hence, deflating the at least one primary air bellow 104 and inflating the at least one secondary bellow106 may raise the lift axle 102 off-road.
[038] Now, referring to FIG. 6, which illustrates a flowchart of a method 600 for operating the lift axle 102 of the vehicle 402, in accordance with some embodiments. At step 602, a lift axle control signal may be received by the unidirectional valve 202. This has been explained in detail in conjunction with FIG. 2 to FIG. 5.
[039] At step 604, based on the received lift axle control signal , an air passage from at least one secondary air bellow 106 to at least one primary air bellow 104 may be opened using the unidirectional valve 202. The unidirectional valve 202 may be configured to connect the at least one secondary air bellow 106 to the at least one primary air bellow 104. At step 606, the air from the at least one secondary air bellow 106 may be redirected to the at least one primary air bellow 104 by the unidirectional valve 202. The redirection of the air may be done to lower the lift axle 102 on road. The air redirected from the at least one secondary air bellow 106 to the at least one primary air bellow 104 may partially fill the at least one primary air bellow 104. This has been explained in detail in conjunction with FIG. 2 to FIG. 5.
[040] FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of a method 700 for generating a lift axle control signal based on a current load on the vehicle 402, in accordance with some embodiments. As illustrated earlier, the lift axle control signal may be generated by the lift axle control valve 204. At step 702, a current load on the vehicle 402 may be determined, using the load sensing unit 208. At step 704, the current load may be compared with a pre-determined threshold by the load sensing unit 208. In this step, the load sensing unit 208 may be configured to verify that the current load may or may not be greater than a pre-determined threshold. This has been explained in detail in conjunction with FIG. 2 to FIG. 5.
[041] Based on the check performed at step 704, when the current load on the vehicle 402 may be greater than the pre-determined threshold, the load sensing unit 208 may be configured to generate a signal at step 706. Also, when the current load on the vehicle 402 may not exceed the pre-determined threshold, the method 700 may be re-iterated from step 702, until the current load on the vehicle 402 may be greater than the pre-determined threshold. The generated signal may be received by the lift axle control valve 204. Further, in response to the received signal, the lift axle control valve 204 may generate a lift axle control signal, which may be received by the unidirectional valve 202. In an alternative embodiment, the method may be reiterated manually by the driver, or an operator, or automatically within a pre-determined time interval. This has been explained in detail in conjunction with FIG. 2 to FIG. 5.
[042] Now, referring to FIG. 8, which illustrates a flowchart of a method 800 for completely filling at least one primary air bellow 104, in accordance with some embodiments. At step 802, it may be determined that the at least one primary air bellow 104 is partially filled by the air completely released from the at least one secondary air bellow 106.
[043] When the at least one primary air bellow 104 may be partially filled based on air completely released from the at least one secondary air bellow 106, air may be sourced from the air source 206 to completely fill the at least one primary air bellow 104, at step 804. The air may be sourced from the air source 206 by the lift axle control valve 204 that may be pneumatically connected to the air source 206. However, when the air may not be completely released from the at least one secondary air bellow 106, the control may move back to step 802, until the air may be completely released from the at least one secondary air bellow 106. At step 806, the air sourced from the air source 206 may be supplied to the at least one primary air bellow 104 using the lift axle control valve 204. The supplied air to the at least one primary air bellow 104 may completely fill the at least one primary air bellow 104, and as a result, the lift axle 102 may thus be lowered. This has been explained in detail in conjunction with FIG. 2 to FIG. 5.
[044] FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of a method 900 for completely filling at least one primary air bellow after expiration of a predefined time period, in accordance with some embodiments. At step 902, it is determined whether a predefined time period has expired. The predefined time period may start after initiation of redirection of air released from the at least one secondary air bellow 106 to the at least one primary air bellow 104. When the predefined time has expired, the lift axle control valve 204 may be configured to supply the sourced air from the air source 206 to the at least one primary air bellow 104 in order to completely fill the at least one primary air bellow 104. As a result, the lift axle 102 may accordingly be lowered.
[045] With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.
[046] It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”
[047] In addition, where features or aspects of the disclosure are described in terms of Markush groups, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure is also thereby described in terms of any individual member or subgroup of members of the Markush group.
[048] While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.
, Claims:CLAIMS

We claim:
1. A lift axle (102) for a vehicle (402) comprising:
at least one primary air bellow (104);
at least one secondary air bellow (106); and
a unidirectional valve (202) connecting the at least one secondary air bellow (106) with the at least one primary air bellow (104), wherein the unidirectional valve (202) is configured to:
open air passage from the at least one secondary air bellow (106) to the at least one primary air bellow (104), in response to a predefined condition being identified; and
redirect air released from the at least one secondary air bellow (106) to the at least one primary air bellow (104).
2. The lift axle (102) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the unidirectional valve (202) is configured to redirect air from the at least one secondary air bellow (106) to the at least one primary air bellow (104), to lower the lift axle (102) in a vertically downward direction.
3. The lift axle (102) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the unidirectional valve (202) is:
a solenoid valve, and wherein the solenoid valve is electronically connected to a lift axle control valve (204) and configured to receive a lift axle control signal therefrom, wherein the lift axle control signal received from the lift axle control valve (204) is an electronic signal.

4. The lift axle (102) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the lift axle control valve (204) is configured to:
source air from a pneumatically connected air source (206); and
supply the sourced air to the at least one primary air bellow (104) to completely fill the at least one primary air bellow (104), wherein the lift axle control valve (204) supplies air from the pneumatically connected air source (206), after the at least one primary air bellow (104) is partially filled by the redirected air completely released from the at least one secondary air bellow (106).
5. The lift axle (102) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the sourced air is supplied to the at least one primary air bellow (104) after expiry of a predefined time period, and wherein the predefined time period starts after initiation of redirection of air released from the at least one secondary air bellow (106).
6. The lift axle (102) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predefined condition comprises a current load on the vehicle (402) exceeding a pre-determined threshold.
7. The lift axle (102) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the predefined condition is identified by a load sensing unit (208), wherein the load sensing unit (208) is configured to:
determine the current load on the vehicle (402);
compare the current load with the pre-determined threshold; and
generate a signal confirming identification of the predefined condition, when the current load is greater than the pre-determined threshold.
8. A vehicle (402) comprising:
a load sensing unit (208) configured to generate a signal confirming identification of a predefined condition;
a lift axle control valve (204) coupled to the load sensing unit (208), wherein the lift axle control valve is configured to:
receive the signal from the load sensing unit (208); and
generate a lift axle control signal in response to receiving the signal;
a lift axle (102) comprising:
at least one primary air bellow (104);
at least one secondary air bellow (106); and
a unidirectional valve (202) connecting the at least one secondary air bellow (106) with the at least one primary air bellow (104), wherein the unidirectional valve (202) is configured to:
receive the lift axle control signal;
open air passage from the at least one secondary air bellow (106) to the at least one primary air bellow (104), in response to receiving the lift axle control signal; and
redirect air released from the at least one secondary air bellow (106) to the at least one primary air bellow (104).
9. The vehicle (402) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the unidirectional valve (202) is configured to redirect air from the at least one secondary air bellow (106) to the at least one primary air bellow (104), to lower the lift axle (102) in a vertically downward direction.
10. The vehicle (402) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the unidirectional valve (202) is a solenoid valve, and wherein the solenoid valve is electronically connected to the lift axle control valve (204), wherein the lift axle control signal received from the lift axle control valve (204) is an electronic signal.
11. The vehicle (402) as claimed in claim 8, comprising:
an air source (206), wherein the lift axle control valve (204) is pneumatically connected to the air source (206); and
wherein the lift axle control valve (204) is further configured to:
determine if the at least one primary air bellow (104) is partially filled by the redirected air completely released from the at least one secondary air bellow (106);
source air from the air source (206) in response to determining that the at least one primary air bellow (104) is partially filled by the redirected air completely released from the at least one secondary air bellow (106); and
supply the sourced air to the at least one primary air bellow (104) to completely fill the at least one primary air bellow (104).
12. The vehicle (402) as claimed in claim 11, wherein the lift axle control valve (204) is further configured to:
determine if a predefined time period has expired, wherein the predefined time period starts after initiation of redirection of air released from the at least one secondary air bellow (106); and
supply the sourced air to the at least one primary air bellow (104) after expiry of the predefined time period.
13. The vehicle (402) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the predefined condition is a current load on the vehicle exceeding a pre-determined threshold.
14. The vehicle (402) as claimed in claim 13, wherein the load sensing unit (208) is further configured to:
determine the current load on the vehicle (402);
compare the current load with the pre-determined threshold; and
generate the signal confirming identification of the predefined condition, when the current load is greater than the pre-determined threshold.
15. A method (600) of operating a lift axle (102) in a vehicle (402), comprising:
receiving (602), by a unidirectional valve (202), a lift axle control signal in response to a signal generated upon a predefined condition being met;
opening (604), by the unidirectional valve (202), air passage from at least one secondary air bellow (106) to at least one primary air bellow (104), in response to receiving the lift axle control signal, wherein the lift axle (102) comprises the at least one primary air bellow (104) and the at least one secondary air bellow (106); and
redirecting, by the unidirectional valve (202), air released from the at least one secondary air bellow (106) to the at least one primary air bellow (104), wherein the redirected air at least partially fills the at least one primary air bellow (104).
16. The method (800) as claimed in claim 15, wherein the lift axle control signal is generated by a lift axle control valve (204), and wherein the method (600) comprises:
determining (802) if the at least one primary air bellow (104) is partially filled by the redirected air completely released from the at least one secondary air bellow (106);
sourcing (804) air from a pneumatically connected air source (206) in response to determining that the at least one primary air bellow (104) is partially filled by the redirected air completely released from the at least one secondary air bellow (106); and
supplying (806) the sourced air to the at least one primary air bellow (104) to completely fill the at least one primary air bellow (104).
17. The method (900) as claimed in claim 16, comprising:
determining (902) if a predefined time period has expired, wherein the predefined time period starts after initiation of redirection of air released from the at least one secondary air bellow (106); and
supplying (904) the sourced air to the at least one primary air bellow (104) after expiry of the predefined time period.

18. The method (600) as claimed in claim 15, wherein the predefined condition is a current load on the vehicle (402) exceeding a pre-determined threshold.
19. The method (700) as claimed in claim 18, comprising:
determining (702) the current load on the vehicle;
comparing (704) the current load with the pre-determined threshold; and
generating (706) the signal confirming the predefined condition being met, when the current load is greater than the pre-determined threshold.
20. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the unidirectional valve (202) is a solenoid valve.