Control system for a vehicle combination

• US 20070090688A1
• Filed: 02/22/2005
• Published: 04/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Heilmann, Harro, Schwarzhaupt, Andreas, Sulzmann, Armin, Haemmerling, Carsten, Renner, Frank, Spiegelberg, Genot
• Application Number:
  US10/547,466
• Publication Number:
  US 20070090688A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 303/7
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 13/06 for backing a normally drawn trailer

Abstract

A control system for a vehicle combination comprises a towing vehicle and a trailer, with an electronically activatable drive train. A manual operator control device, which is fixed on the towing vehicle, can be used by the vehicle driver to input a driving request for manual operation of the vehicle combination, from which request a standardized movement vector is generated. A control device (19), which is fixed on the towing vehicle, outputs control signals for activating the drive train based on an input movement vector. For the transmission of the control signals, the control device is coupled to the drive train, which processes the control signals to implement the driving request. To improve the functionality of the control system, a trailer coordination device, which is mounted on the towing vehicle, can be used to read in at least one trailer-specific actual value and pass on the actual value to the control device. The control device generates the control signals based on the at least one trailer-specific actual value.

Claims

1-18. -18. (canceled)

19. A control system for a vehicle combination comprising a towing vehicle and a trailer, with an electronically activatable drive train that includes at least a steering system, a braking system and a drive unit;

wherein;

a manual operator control device which is fixed on the vehicle can be used by the vehicle driver to input a driving request for manual operation of the vehicle combination, and generates a standardized movement vector from the driving request;

a control device which is fixed on the towing vehicle, outputs control signals for activating the drive train, based on a movement vector on the input side and, for the transmission of the control signals, is coupled to the drive train, which processes the control signals to implement the driving request;

a trailer coordination device, which is fixed on the towing vehicle, reads in at least one trailer-specific actual value, which it passes on to the control device; and

the control device generates the control signals based on the at least one trailer-specific actual value.

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

an articulating angle sensor senses, as a trailer-specific actual value, a current actual articulating angle between the towing vehicle and a steering towbar of a trailer that can be steered by the steering towbar, a trailer formed as a semitrailer or a trailer rigidly connected to a rigid towbar, and generates an articulating angle signal correlated thereto; and

the articulating angle sensor is fixed on one of the towing vehicle and the trailer.

21. The control system as claimed in claim 20, wherein a towbar angle sensor, which is fixed on the trailer, senses as a trailer-specific actual value, a current actual towbar angle between the towbar and the trailer, and generates a towbar angle signal correlated with it.

22. The control system as claimed in claim 21, wherein for transmission of the articulating angle signal or the towbar angle signal, at least one of the articulating angle sensor and the towbar angle sensor is coupled to the trailer coordination device.

23. The control system as claimed in claim 22, wherein a trailer control device, which is fixed on the trailer, can be used to record a trailer-specific actual value, and passes on the actual value IW to the trailer coordination device.

24. The control system as claimed in claim 23, wherein for transmission of the articulating angle signal or the towbar angle signal, at least one of the articulating angle sensor and the towbar angle sensor is coupled to the trailer control device.

25. The control system as claimed in claim 24, wherein the trailer coordination device is implemented in the form of hardware or software, in the control device.

26. The control system as claimed in claims 25, wherein during reversing of the vehicle combination, a reverse assisting device, which is fixed on the towing vehicle, transforms an input movement vector into an output reversing movement vector, based on the at least one trailer-specific actual value, and makes it available to the control device.

27. The control system as claimed in claim 26, wherein, during reversing of the vehicle combination, the reverse assisting device makes it possible to input the driving requests in the same way as when reversing a single-element forward control vehicle.

28. The control system as claimed in claim 26, wherein the reverse assisting device is implemented in the control device, in the form of hardware or software.

29. The control system as claimed in claim 28, wherein at least one autonomous operator control device is provided independently of the vehicle combination, which device can be used to input a driving request for autonomous operation of the vehicle combination and generates a standardized movement vector from the driving request.

30. The control system as claimed in claim 29, wherein the steering system is designed as a steer-by-wire system.

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

the steering system has a longitudinal column for at least one of mechanical and hydraulic coupling of a manual steering device to steerable wheels of the towing vehicle;

the steering system also has an electronically activatable steering actuator, which is drive-connected to the steering column and can be activated by the control signals of the steering device, at least during autonomous operation of the vehicle combination.

32. The control system at least as claimed in claim 29, wherein at least one autonomous operator control device has a path computer, which, based on input actual values and setpoint values for the orientation and position of the towing vehicle and the trailer, calculates a path of movement which comprises a sequence of movement vectors that move the vehicle combination from the actual orientation and the actual position into the setpoint orientation and setpoint position when the movement vectors of the path of movement are processed.

33. The steering system as claimed in claim 32, wherein at least one of the autonomous operator control device and the path computer is a component part of an automated freight forwarding yard, operations yard, or logistics center for vehicles which can be driven autonomously.

34. The control system as claimed in claim 33, wherein the control device and the autonomous operator control device have wireless communication capability.

35. The control system as claimed in claim 34, wherein in autonomous operation, the control device reduces a maximum speed of the vehicle combination.

36. The control system as claimed in claims 35, wherein:

in autonomous operation, the control device allows entry of movement vectors of the manual operator control device; and

, in the event of a conflict of movement vectors of the manual operator control device with movement vectors of the autonomous operator control device, the control device prioritizes steering commands and acceleration commands of the autonomous operator control device and prioritizes braking commands of the manual operator control device.