Control system for a tractor trailer

• US 20070027581A1
• Filed: 02/23/2005
• Published: 02/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Spiegelberg, Gernot, Schwarzhaupt, Andreas, Mayer, Christian, Bauer, Wolf-Dietrich
• Application Number:
  US10/546,782
• Publication Number:
  US 20070027581A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2230/08 Driving in reverse
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1708 for lorries or tractor-trailer combinations
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/06 Automatic manoeuvring for parking
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/08 Active safety systems predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision or attempting to minimise its consequences
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/12 related to parameters of the vehicle itself , e.g. tyre models
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 13/06 for backing a normally drawn trailer
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/027 Parking aids, e.g. instruction means
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/028 Guided parking by providing commands to the driver, e.g. acoustically or optically
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0285 Parking performed automatically

Abstract

The present invention relates to a control system (7) for a vehicle combination composed of a towing vehicle and a trailer for picking up, transporting and setting down a frame which can be positioned on supports and have a payload loaded onto it, wherein a path computer (8) is provided which calculates a path which, in order to pick up the frame (4) calculates a path which leads the trailer backward under the frame.

A particularly reliable system is obtained if a first input device (10) is provided, by means of which an actual position and an actual orientation of the frame can be input into the path computer (8), and if a second input device (11) is provided by means of which an actual position and an actual orientation of the trailer can be input into the path computer (8). The path computer (8) is then configured in such a way that it calculates, from the actual position and the actual orientation of the frame, a reference position and a reference orientation for the trailer in which the trailer is located under the frame in order to pick it up, and in that said path computer (8) calculates, from the actual values and the reference values of the position and orientation of the trailer, the path which leads the trailer backward under the frame.

Claims

1-14. -14. (canceled)

15. A control system for a vehicle combination composed of a towing vehicle and a trailer for picking up, transporting and setting down a frame which can be positioned on supports and have a payload loaded onto it, said control system comprising:

a path computer which, for picking up the frame, calculates a path that leads the trailer backward under the frame;

a first input device via which an actual position and orientation of the frame can be input into the path computer; and

a second input device via which an actual position and orientation of the trailer can be input into the path computer;

wherein

the path computer is configured in such a way that it calculates, from the actual position and orientation of the frame, a reference position and orientation for the trailer in which the trailer is located under the frame in order to pick it up; and

said path computer calculates the path which lads the trailer backward under the frame, based on the actual values and the reference values for the position and orientation of the trailer.

16. The control system as claimed in claim 15, wherein

actual values for position and orientation of the frame are stored electronically in a frame memory of the frame in such a way that they can be read out;

and

the first input device or a central memory of a dispatch or logistics center can be connected to the frame memory in order to transmit data.

17. The control system as claimed in claim 16, wherein:

the frame memory is permanently arranged on the frame; and

the first input device or the central memory can be connected to the frame memory to form a telemetric data transmission means.

18. The control system as claimed in claim 16, wherein:

the frame memory is arranged on the frame in a removable fashion; and

the first input device or the central memory is equipped with a suitable interface via which the frame memory can be connected to the first input device or to the central memory in order to transmit data.

19. The control system as claimed in claim 17, wherein:

a dispatch or logistics center contains, in its central memory, the actual positions and actual orientations for all frames positioned on its premises; and

in order to read in the actual position and orientation of the frame to be picked up, the first input device is connectable to the central memory in order to transmit data.

20. The control system as claimed in claim 19, wherein freight information is also stored in the frame memory.

21. The control system as claimed in claim 20, wherein, when the frame is set down, the path computer calculates the actual orientation and position of the frame from the actual position and orientation of the trailer, and stores them in the frame memory.

22. The control system as claimed in claim 21, wherein the second input device has a satellite-supported navigation device and at least one compass which can be read out and which is used to acquire the actual position and orientation of the trailer.

23. The control system as claimed in claim 21, wherein a dispatch or logistics center has a position and orientation determining device which acquires actual values for the orientation and position of the towing vehicle or of the trailer, and can be connected to the second input device in a wire bound or wireless fashion to transmit data.

24. The control system as claimed in claim 22, wherein the second input device has one of a shaft angle sensor and a bending angle sensor, and uses it to determine actual position and orientation of the trailer.

25. The control system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the trailer is embodied as one of a semitrailer, a trailer which can be steered with a steering shaft, and a trailer which is permanently connected to a rigid shaft.

26. The control system as claimed in claim 25, wherein:

the path is composed of a sequence of movement vectors each of which has at least one steering instruction for a steering system of the towing vehicle; and

the path computer calculates the steering instructions in such a way that when the trailer moves backward and follows the steering instructions, it moves under the frame.

27. The control system as claimed in claim 26, wherein a display device that indicates the steering instructions to a driver of the vehicle in one of a visual and an audible fashion, is provided in a cockpit of a towing vehicle.

28. The control system as claimed in claim 27, wherein:

the towing vehicle has a drive train that can be actuated electronically, and comprises at least one steering system that can be activated electronically; and

a control device is provided which generates output control signals based on input movement vectors, and actuates the drive train in such a way that during a reverse movement to pick up the frame, the steering system follows the steering instructions automatically.

29. The control system as claimed in claim 28, wherein:

the drive train also comprises an electrically activatable brake and drive unit;

the movement vector includes braking instructions, and acceleration or velocity instructions; and

control signals of the control device actuate the drive train in such a way that it automatically implements the reverse movement to pick up the frame.

30. The control system as claimed in claim 29, wherein the trailer is equipped with a distance sensor system which, when the trailer approaches the frame determines distance values which can be used by the path computer to correct the path or which are taken into account by the control device or by the path computer in such a way that the control device or the path computer generates a prioritized braking instruction if an acute risk of collision is present.