Method and device for recognizing a trailer or semitrailer of a motor vehicle

• US 20010040455A1
• Filed: 05/09/2001
• Published: 11/15/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Knorr-Bremse Systeme Fur Nutzfahrzeuge GMBH (Estate of Heinz Hermann Thiele)
• Original Assignee: Knorr-Bremse Systeme Fur Nutzfahrzeuge GMBH (Estate of Heinz Hermann Thiele)
• Inventors: Hecker, Falk, Schramm, Herbert, Arlt, Andreas
• Granted Patent: US 6,636,047 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/504
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/305 Indicating devices for towed vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/44 for indicating braking action or preparation for braking, e.g. by detection of the foot approaching the brake pedal
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/20 specially for trailers, e.g. in case of uncoupling of or overrunning by trailer inertia-actuated overrun brakes B60T13/08
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/323 Systems specially adapted for tractor-trailer combinations

Abstract

A method for recognizing a trailer or semitrailer of a motor vehicle includes the following steps:

activating at least one brake light of the trailer or semitrailer, independently of the driver;

measuring a current flowing in a line assigned to the brake light of the trailer or the semitrailer; and

ascertaining the presence or the absence of a trailer or semitrailer on the basis of the measured current.

Claims

1. A method for recognizing one of a trailer and a semitrailer of a motor vehicle, comprising the steps of:

activating at least one brake light of the one of the trailer and the semitrailer, independently of a driver of the vehicle;

measuring a current flowing in a line assigned to the at least one brake light; and

ascertaining one of a presence and an absence of the one of the trailer and the semitrailer as a function of the measured current.

2. The method according to

claim 1

, wherein the steps are performed during a start-up procedure of the vehicle.

3. The method according to

claim 1

, wherein the steps are performed cyclically.

4. The method according to

claim 1

, wherein the activation of the brake light takes place over a predefined time interval.

5. The method according to

claim 4

, wherein the predefined time interval is about 50 msec.

6. The method according to

claim 1

, wherein the ascertaining step includes the steps of:

comparing the measured current with a threshold value; and

ascertaining the one of the presence and the absence of the one of the trailer and the semitrailer as a function of the comparison.

7. The method according to

claim 1

, further comprising the step of providing a signal representing the one of the presence and the absence of the one of the trailer and the semitrailer to at least one of (a) a control device of an electronic brake system and (b) the driver of the vehicle.

8. A device for recognizing one of a trailer and a semitrailer of a motor vehicle, comprising:

means for activating at least one brake light of the one of the trailer and the semitrailer, independently of a driver of the vehicle;

means for measuring a current flowing in a line assigned to the at least one brake light; and

means for ascertaining one of a presence and an absence of the one of the trailer and the semitrailer as a function of the measured current.