Device and method for stabilizing a combination of a tractor vehicle and at least one semitrailer or trailer

• US 6,516,260 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2000
• Issued: 02/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Hecker, Falk, Faye, Ian, Jundt, Oliver, Wetzel, Gabriel, Leimbach, Klaus-Dieter
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US09/751,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20010032043A1
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/29, 701/38, 701/50, 701/70, 701/71, 701/72, 701/36, 701/37, 701/39
• US Class Current: 701/50
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2230/06 Tractor-trailer swaying
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1708 for lorries or tractor-trailer combinations
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1755 Brake regulation specially adapted to control the stability of the vehicle, e.g. taking into account yaw rate or transverse acceleration in a curve road vehicle drive control systems for control of driving stability otherwise than by controlling a particular sub-unit B60W30/02
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/246 Change of direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/248 Trailer sway, e.g. for preventing jackknifing
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 53/0871 with stabilising means, e.g. to prevent jack-knifing, pitching, rolling, buck jumping stabilising in general B62D37/00; tractors B62D49/08

Abstract

A device and method for stabilizing a combination of a tractor vehicle and least one semitrailer or trailer, the brakes of at least one semitrailer or trailer being set automatically as a function of the yaw rate of the tractor vehicle and the setpoint yaw rate of the tractor vehicle, or as a function of the yaw rate of the tractor vehicle, the speed of the combination and the steering angle.

Claims

1. A stabilizing device for stabilizing a vehicle combination of a tractor vehicle and at least one of a semitrailer and a trailer, the stabilizing device comprising:

a braking calculating arrangement for automatically setting brakes of the at least one of the semitrailer and the trailer as a function of one of;

a yaw rate of the tractor vehicle and a setpoint yaw rate of the tractor vehicle; and

the yaw rate of the tractor vehicle, a speed of the vehicle combination and a steering angle.

2. The stabilizing device of claim 1, wherein the braking calculating arrangement automatically sets the brakes of the at least one of the semitrailer and the trailer so that the at least one of the semitrailer and the trailer is braked more strongly than the tractor vehicle when the yaw rate of the tractor vehicle exceeds the setpoint yaw rate of the tractor vehicle by a tolerance value.

3. The stabilizing device of claim 1, wherein the braking calculating arrangement automatically sets the brakes of the at least one of the semitrailer and the trailer so that the at least one of the semitrailer and the trailer is braked more strongly than the tractor vehicle when the following applies:

4. The stabilizing device of claim 1, wherein the braking calculating arrangement automatically sets the brakes of the at least one of the semitrailer and the trailer so that the at least one of the semitrailer and the trailer is braked more strongly than the tractor vehicle when the following applies:

$\mathrm{sign}<br><br>\left(\frac{<br><br>\mathrm{\Delta <br><br>}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\mathrm{\omega <br><br>}}{<br><br>t}\right)=\mathrm{sign}<br><br>\left(\mathrm{\Delta <br><br>}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\mathrm{\omega <br><br>}\right),$

where Δ

ω

=ω

*−

ω

, and

where ω

is the yaw rate of the tractor vehicle and ω

* is the setpoint yaw rate of the tractor vehicle.

5. The stabilizing device of claim 1, wherein the braking calculating arrangement automatically sets the brakes of the at least one of the semitrailer and the trailer so that the at least one of the semitrailer and the trailer is braked more strongly than the tractor vehicle when the following applies:

$<br><br>\frac{<br><br>\mathrm{\Delta <br><br>\omega <br><br>}}{<br><br>t}<br><br>\ge <br><br>\mathrm{c2}$

with

Δ

ω

=ω

*−

ω

, where c2 is a further tolerance value, ω

is the yaw rate of the tractor vehicle and ω

* is the setpoint yaw rate of the tractor vehicle.

6. The stabilizing device of claim 1, wherein the braking calculating arrangement slows down the at least one of the semitrailer and the trailer essentially equally on both sides.

7. The stabilizing device of claim 1, wherein:

the braking calculating arrangement aborts the setting of the brakes of the at least one of the semitrailer and the trailer as a function of one of;

the yaw rate of the tractor vehicle and the setpoint yaw rate of the tractor vehicle; and

the yaw rate of the tractor vehicle, the speed of the vehicle combination and the steering angle;

the aborting of the setting occurs immediately after a change in an algebraic sign of a yaw acceleration.

8. A method for stabilizing a vehicle combination of a tractor vehicle and at least one of a semitrailer and a trailer by using a stabilizing device having a braking calculating arrangement, the method comprising the step of:

automatically setting brakes of the at least one of the semitrailer and the trailer as a function of one of;

a function of a yaw rate of the tractor vehicle and a setpoint yaw rate of the tractor vehicle; and

the yaw rate of the tractor vehicle, a speed of the vehicle combination and a steering angle.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the brakes of the at least one of the semitrailer and the trailer are automatically set so that the at least one of the semitrailer and the trailer is braked more strongly than the tractor vehicle when the yaw rate of the tractor vehicle is greater by a tolerance value than the setpoint yaw rate of the tractor vehicle.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one of the semitrailer and the trailer is decelerated essentially equally on both sides.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of:

aborting the setting of the brakes of the at least one of the semitrailer and the trailer as a function of one of;

the yaw rate of the tractor vehicle and the setpoint yaw rate of the tractor vehicle; and

the yaw rate of the tractor vehicle, the speed of the vehicle combination and the steering angle;

wherein the step of aborting occurs immediately after a change in an algebraic sign of a yaw acceleration.