Method of and apparatus for braking a tractor-trailer combination
First Claim
1. A method of controlling the braking of a coupled tractor-trailer combination in which the tractor includes a drive train having an engine and at least one ground-engaging member driveably connected thereto via an adjustable-ratio transmission;
- at least one ground-engaging member of the tractor includes at least one tractor brake; and
at least one ground-engaging member of the trailer includes at least one further, trailer brake, the method comprising;
determining a reference deceleration value AX_REF derived from (i) the deceleration of the tractor, when considered alone, resulting from braking effort applied via the tractor brake and/or (ii) the deceleration of the tractor, when considered alone, resulting from engine braking;
determining from the reference deceleration value, in accordance with a predetermined relation, a target value of the braking effort of the trailer brake, wherein the reference deceleration value is calculated in accordance with the expression
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of controlling the braking of a tractor-trailer combination (10) in which the tractor (11) includes a drive train having an engine and at least one ground-engaging member (14, 16) driveably connected thereto via an adjustable-ratio transmission; at least one ground-engaging member (14, 16) of the tractor includes at least one tractor brake; and at least one ground-engaging member (17) of the trailer (12) includes at least one further, trailer brake, comprises the steps of determining (i) the deceleration of the tractor-trailer combination (10) resulting from braking effort applied via the tractor brake and/or (ii) the deceleration of the tractor-trailer combination resulting from engine braking. The method also includes establishing from one or both the said, determined decelerations as a target value in a control system a braking effort of the trailer brake that approximates the braking of the tractor-trailer combination (10) to the braking of the tractor (11) when considered alone.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method of controlling the braking of a coupled tractor-trailer combination in which the tractor includes a drive train having an engine and at least one ground-engaging member driveably connected thereto via an adjustable-ratio transmission;
- at least one ground-engaging member of the tractor includes at least one tractor brake; and
at least one ground-engaging member of the trailer includes at least one further, trailer brake, the method comprising;determining a reference deceleration value AX_REF derived from (i) the deceleration of the tractor, when considered alone, resulting from braking effort applied via the tractor brake and/or (ii) the deceleration of the tractor, when considered alone, resulting from engine braking; determining from the reference deceleration value, in accordance with a predetermined relation, a target value of the braking effort of the trailer brake, wherein the reference deceleration value is calculated in accordance with the expression - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
- at least one ground-engaging member of the tractor includes at least one tractor brake; and
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10. A method of controlling the braking of a coupled tractor-trailer combination in which the tractor includes a drive train having an engine and at least one ground-engaging member driveably connected thereto via an adjustable-ratio transmission;
- at least one ground-engaging member of the tractor includes at least one tractor brake; and
at least one ground-engaging member of the trailer includes at least one further, trailer brake, the method comprising;determining a reference deceleration value AX_REF derived from (i) the deceleration of the tractor, when considered alone, resulting from braking effort applied via the tractor brake and/or (ii) the deceleration of the tractor, when considered alone, resulting from engine braking; using the reference value as a control input in an open-loop control to control the braking effort of the trailer brake so that the braking of the tractor-trailer combination approximates to the braking of the tractor when considered alone; wherein the reference deceleration value calculated during deceleration resulting from the braking effort applied via the tractor brake is calculated at least in part in proportion to a measurable setting of the tractor brake;
wherein the tractor brake includes at least one fluid line; and
wherein the measurable setting of the tractor brake is or is proportional to the pressure of fluid in the fluid line. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
- at least one ground-engaging member of the tractor includes at least one tractor brake; and
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14. An apparatus, comprising:
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a) a tractor having a drive train including an engine and at least one ground-engaging member driveably connected thereto via an adjustable-ratio transmission, at least one ground-engaging member of the tractor including at least one tractor brake; b) a trailer having at least one ground-engaging member that includes at least one further, trailer brake; c) an activator for the at least one tractor brake; d) at least one sensor for sensing one or more variables giving rise to deceleration of the tractor-trailer combination resulting from braking effort applied via the tractor brake; e) at least one sensor for sensing one or more variables giving rise to deceleration of the tractor-trailer combination resulting from engine braking; f) an open control loop to which the sensed values of the variables giving rise to deceleration of the tractor-trailer combination resulting from engine braking and/or pedal braking are input; and g) at least one preferably programmable control device for establishing from the outputs of one or more said the said sensor devices a target value in a control system corresponding to a braking effort of the trailer brake that approximates the braking of the tractor-trailer combination to the braking of the tractor when considered alone, wherein the activator for the trailer brake is connected to operate in dependence on the target value.
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15. An apparatus, comprising:
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a) a tractor having a drive train including an engine and at least one ground-engaging member driveably connected thereto via an adjustable-ratio transmission, at least one ground-engaging member of the tractor including at least one tractor brake; b) a trailer having at least one ground-engaging member that includes at least one further, trailer brake; c) an activator for the at least one tractor brake; d) at least one sensor for sensing one or more variables giving rise to deceleration of the tractor-trailer combination resulting from braking effort applied via the tractor brake; e) at least one sensor for sensing one or more variables giving rise to deceleration of the tractor-trailer combination resulting from engine braking; and g) at least one preferably programmable control device for establishing from the outputs of one or more said the said sensor devices a target value in a control system corresponding to a braking effort of the trailer brake that approximates the braking of the tractor-trailer combination to the braking of the tractor when considered alone, wherein the activator for the trailer brake is connected to operate in dependence on the target value, wherein the control device is programmable and includes programmed therein a function that maps the target braking effort of the trailer brake to a value of brake fluid pressure in the activator for the at least one trailer brake.
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Specification