Vehicle control integration

• US 20060243506A1
• Filed: 05/02/2005
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shem, LLC
• Original Assignee: Autocar, LLC (GVW Group LLC)
• Inventors: Black, Chris, Dolesh, William L, Engelbrecht, Gerhard, Vit, Robert Gordon, Grubaugh, James Irwin, LaVere, Michael Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 7,445,078 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/89.190
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 37/06 of controls, e.g. controls knobs
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 3/00 Vehicles particularly adapted for collecting refuse vehicles in general B60; driving vehicle equipment or auxiliaries B60K; discharging contents by tilting entire vehicles B65G; wheeled apparatus for emptying sewers or cesspools E03F7/10

Abstract

A vehicle (10) such as a heavy-duty truck (10) has an operator cab and a body section. The truck (10) has controls that control operating parameters associated with the operator cab and controls that control operating parameters associated with the body section. The truck (10) has a control system (12) that integrates the controls for the operator cab and the controls for the body section.

Claims

1. A control system for a vehicle having a cab and a body, the control system comprising:

a cab control having a wire associated with a component of the cab;

a body control having a wire associated with a component of the body; and

a control area within the cab having a body controller, the body controller being operably associated with the cab control, wherein the body controller receives the body control in a predetermined receptor of the body controller such that the cab control is integrated with the body control.

2. The control system of claim 1 wherein the vehicle is a refuse truck.

3. The control system of claim 1 wherein the component of the cab is a throttle.

4. The control system of claim 1 wherein the component of the body is an automatic sweeper.

5. The control system of claim 1 wherein the component of the body is an emergency stop function.

6. The control system of claim 1 wherein the body control area has predetermined actuator locations for operation of the body control.

7. The control system of claim 1 wherein the body control is capable of multiplexing.

8. The control system of claim 1 wherein the cab control and the body control are both capable of multiplexing.

9. An integrated control system for a truck having a cab and a body, the integrated control system comprising:

a plurality of cab controls having a first group of wires associated with components of the cab;

a plurality of body controls having a second group of wires associated with components of the body; and

a body control panel disposed within the cab and having a body controller, wherein the body control panel is connected to the plurality of cab controls and the plurality of body controls, and the connection of the body control panel to the body controls is completed by a single plug-in of the body controls.

10. The integrated control system of claim 9 further comprising a diagnostic device capable of being connected to the body control panel and determining whether a malfunction is caused by the cab controls or the body controls.

11. The integrated control system of claim 9 wherein the body control panel identifies the body based upon the single plug-in of the body controls.

12. The integrated control system of claim 9 the plug-in of the body controls is remote from the cab.

13. The integrated control system of claim 9 wherein the plug-in of the body controls are attached to a chassis.

14. The integrated control system of claim 9 wherein the plug-in of the body controls are attached to a frame.

15. The integrated control system of claim 9 wherein the plug-in of the body controls are attached to a bracket, the bracket being attached to a frame.

16. The integrated control system of claim 9 wherein the body controller is a programmable logic controller.

17. An integrated control system for a truck comprising:

a cab having a tunnel;

a plurality of cab controls having a first group of wires associated with components of the cab; and

a body control panel disposed within the tunnel of the cab and having a body programmable logic controller, wherein the body control panel is connected to the plurality of cab controls and adapted to receive a plurality of body controls by a single plug-in, and wherein the body programmable logic controller controls the body controls.

18. A truck having an integrated control system comprising:

a truck chassis having a frame adapted to receive a truck body;

a cab connected to the truck chassis;

a plurality of cab controls having a first group of wires associated with components of the cab;

a plurality of body controls having a second group of wires associated with components of the truck body; and

a body control panel disposed within the cab, wherein the control panel is connected to the plurality of cab controls and the plurality of body controls, and the connection of the control panel to the body controls is completed by a single plug-in of the body controls attached to the chassis and remote from the cab.

19. The integrated control system of claim 18 wherein the single plug-in has a body programmable logic controller.

20. A truck having an integrated control panel, the truck comprising:

a cab having an operator seat, a passenger seat, a passenger-side mirror, a tunnel, a lower passenger-side window

a plurality of cab controls having a first group of wires associated with components of the cab and a first controller;

and at least one cab feature, the at least one cab feature includes a throttle, wherein the tunnel defines an upper plane;

a chassis having a frame and wheels;

a body having a storage area, the body and the cab being coupled to the chassis;

a plurality of body controls having a second group of wires associated with components of the body and a second controller; and

an integrated body control panel situated within the cab and connected to the plurality of cab controls and the plurality of body controls and having a body programmable logic controller, wherein an upper extent of the integrated body control panel is situated below the upper plane defined by the tunnel.