CAR CONNECTED TO AT LEAST ONE TRAILER AND BACKWARD MOTION CONTROL METHOD

• US 20110160956A1
• Filed: 06/25/2010
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Korea University Research and Business Foundation (Korea University)
• Original Assignee: Korea University Research and Business Foundation (Korea University)
• Inventors: Roh, Jae Il, Park, Myoung Kuk, Chung, Woo Jin, Yoo, Kwang Hyun
• Granted Patent: US 8,321,091 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/00 Steering controls, i.e. means for initiating a change of direction of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 13/06 for backing a normally drawn trailer
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/027 Parking aids, e.g. instruction means

Abstract

A car connected to at least one trailer and backward motion control method are provided. The car includes a driving part controlling a velocity and a direction of the car, a backward-motion control terminal outputting a first backward-motion control signal corresponding to a backward velocity and a backward direction of the last trailer according to a user'"'"'s operation, a control signal converter converting the first backward-motion control signal to a second backward-motion control signal which corresponds to a backward velocity and a backward direction of the car and makes the last trailer move backward as the backward velocity and the backward direction corresponding to the first backward-motion control signal, and a backward-motion controller controlling the driving part on the basis of the second backward-motion control signal so that the last trailer moves backward by the backward velocity and the backward direction corresponding to the first backward-motion controlling signal.

Claims

1. A car connected to at least one trailer comprising:

a driving part controlling a velocity and a direction of the car;

a backward-motion control terminal outputting a first backward-motion control signal corresponding to at least one of a backward velocity and a backward direction of the last trailer according to a user'"'"'s operation;

a control signal converter converting the first backward-motion control signal to a second backward-motion control signal which corresponds to at least one of a backward velocity and a backward direction of the car and makes the last trailer move backward as at least one of the backward velocity and the backward direction corresponding to the first backward-motion control signal; and

a backward-motion controller controlling the driving part on the basis of the second backward-motion control signal so that the last trailer moves backward by at least one of the backward velocity and the backward direction corresponding to the first backward-motion controlling signal.

2. The car connected to at least one trailer according to claim 1, wherein the first backward-motion control signal comprises a first linear velocity and a first angular velocity for the last trailer;

and

wherein the second backward-motion control signal comprises a second linear velocity and a second angular velocity corresponding to a backward-motion of the car.

3. The car connected to at least one trailer according to claim 2, wherein the control signal converter converts the first backward-motion control signal to the second backward-motion control signal by a following equation;

4. The car connected to at least one trailer according to claim 3 further comprising an angle sensor measuring the joint angle;

and

wherein the control signal converter converts the first backward-motion control signal to the second backward-motion control signal on the basis of the joint angle measured by the angle sensor.

5. The car connected to at least one trailer according to claim 4 further comprising:

a camera installed at the last trailer and capturing the rear of the last trailer; and

a display part installed at the car and displaying an image captured by the camera.

6. The car connected to at least one trailer according to claim 4, wherein the backward-motion control terminal transmits the first backward-motion control signal by wireless.

7. The car connected to at least one trailer according to claim 4 further comprising a control mode selecting part selecting one of a backward-motion control mode and a forward-motion control mode;

wherein the backward-motion controller controls the control signal converter to convert the first backward-motion control signal to the second backward-motion control signal and controls the driving part on the basis of the second backward-motion control signal so that the car moves backward, when the backward-motion control mode is selected by the control mode selecting part; and

wherein the backward-motion controller prevents the control signal converter from converting process and controls the driving part on the basis of the first backward-motion control signal so that the car moves forward, when the forward-motion control mode is selected by the control mode selecting part.

8. A backward-motion control method of a car connected to at least one trailer, the method comprising:

(a) inputting a first backward-motion control signal corresponding to at least one of a backward velocity and a backward direction of the last trailer;

(b) converting the first backward-motion control signal to a second backward-motion control signal corresponding to at least one of a backward velocity and a backward direction of the care which makes the last trailer move backward as at least one of the backward velocity and the backward direction corresponding to the first backward-motion control signal; and

(c) controlling the car to move backward on the basis of the second backward-motion control signal so that the last trailer move backward as at least one of the backward velocity and the backward direction corresponding to the first backward-motion control signal.

9. The backward-motion control method according to claim 8, wherein the first backward-motion control signal comprises a first linear velocity and a first angular velocity of the last trailer;

wherein the second backward-motion control signal comprises a second linear velocity and a second angular velocity for the last trailer; and

wherein the first backward-motion control signal is converted to the second backward-motion control signal in said step (b) by a following equation;

10. The backward-motion control method according to claim 8 further comprising:

(d) measuring a joint angle of each trailer; and

wherein the first backward-motion control signal is converted to the second backward-motion control signal in said step (b) on the basis of the measured joint angle.

11. The backward-motion control method according to claim 10 further comprising (e) selecting a backward-motion control mode or a forward-motion control mode;

wherein said step (b) and said step (c) are performed, when the backward-motion control mode is selected in said step (e); and

wherein the car is controlled to move forward on the basis of the first backward-motion control signal in the stat that said step (b) and said step (c) is prevented from being performed, when the forward-motion control mode is selected in said step (e).