SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TOWING A TRAILER
First Claim
1. A system for towing a trailer by a towing vehicle, said trailer comprising a first side containing at least one wheel and a second side containing at least one wheel, said system comprising:
- at least one electric hub motor, said each electric hub motor being adapted for turning one wheel of the trailer, said electric hub motor being powered by at least one battery disposed in the trailer;
a towing arm assembly engaged with the trailer at one end and the towing vehicle at another end, said towing arm assembly being adapted for transmitting a mechanical load from the towing vehicle to the trailer;
a brake system adapted for applying a breaking force to said wheel;
a closed-loop controller disposed on the trailer, said controller being adapted for receiving and processing signals, said closed-loop controller comprising a summing junction, a logic control unit and a process controller; and
a load measuring device mounted on the towing arm assembly, said load measuring device being adapted for measuring and summing mechanical forces, said load measuring device also being adapted for transmitting a voltage proportional to a mechanical force to the logic control unit.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Systems for towing a trailer by a towing vehicle and a method for controlling such a system are disclosed. The systems and method are configured to maintain a constant towing load on the towing vehicle as well as optimizing other performance criteria such as fuel efficiency. The system comprises a closed loop controller, a towing arm assembly, a load measuring device, an electric hub motor, brakes, a motor controller and a brake controller disposed on the trailer. In another embodiment, two separate systems are installed, one on each side of the trailer. A load force feeds into a PID controller programmed with preset proportional, differential and integral parameters. The PID controller generates a command signal to either modulate the brakes or motor up or down depending on the sign of the command signal. A process output updates the system which continuously adjusts based on driving conditions.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system for towing a trailer by a towing vehicle, said trailer comprising a first side containing at least one wheel and a second side containing at least one wheel, said system comprising:
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at least one electric hub motor, said each electric hub motor being adapted for turning one wheel of the trailer, said electric hub motor being powered by at least one battery disposed in the trailer; a towing arm assembly engaged with the trailer at one end and the towing vehicle at another end, said towing arm assembly being adapted for transmitting a mechanical load from the towing vehicle to the trailer; a brake system adapted for applying a breaking force to said wheel; a closed-loop controller disposed on the trailer, said controller being adapted for receiving and processing signals, said closed-loop controller comprising a summing junction, a logic control unit and a process controller; and a load measuring device mounted on the towing arm assembly, said load measuring device being adapted for measuring and summing mechanical forces, said load measuring device also being adapted for transmitting a voltage proportional to a mechanical force to the logic control unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A system for towing a trailer by a towing vehicle, said trailer comprising a first side and a second side, each of the first side and of the second side of the trailer comprising:
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at least one wheel; at least one electric hub motor, each electric hub motor being adapted for turning one wheel of the trailer, said electric hub motor being powered by at least one battery disposed in the trailer; a load measuring device support assembly having a front arm and a rear arm, said rear arm of the load measuring device support assembly being engaged with the trailer, said load measuring device support assembly being adapted for containing a load measuring device, said rear arm being positioned at a higher elevation relative to the front arm; a brake system adapted for receiving command signals and for applying a breaking force to said wheel; a closed-loop controller, said controller being adapted for receiving and processing signals, said closed-loop controller comprising a summing junction, a logic control unit and a process controller; a load measuring device mounted on the load measuring device support assembly, said load measuring device being adapted for measuring and summing mechanical loads, said load measuring device also being adapted for transmitting a mechanical force to the logic control unit; said system also comprising a joining bar attached at one end to the front arm of the load measuring device support assembly of the first side of the trailer, said joining bar being attached at another end to the front arm of the load measuring device support assembly of the second side of the trailer, said system also containing a hitch bar attached at one end to the joining bar and to the towing vehicle at another end. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for controlling the operation of a system for towing a trailer by a towing vehicle, said trailer containing at least two wheels, said method comprising:
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obtaining a towing load force; generating a command signal from said towing load force and computing a sign for the command signal; if the sign of the command signal is negative, transmitting an increasing brake modulation signal; if the sign of the command signal is positive, transmitting an increasing motor throttle modulation signal; generating a process output, said process output being in a form of torque; converting said torque into a linear mechanical force; combining said linear mechanical force with the towing load force; and generating a revised command signal. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification