Control system for a vehicle

• US 20050000738A1
• Filed: 05/18/2004
• Published: 01/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Gehring, Ottmar, Spiegelberg, Gernot, Heilmann, Harro, Schwarzhaupt, Andreas, Sulzmann, Armin
• Granted Patent: US 7,225,891 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/14.100
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 13/06 for backing a normally drawn trailer
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/0285 Parking performed automatically

Abstract

In a control system for a train composed of a towing vehicle and a trailer, the towing vehicle is equipped with an electronically actuatable drive train. A trailer steering angle actual value sensor determines a trailer actual steering angle of a wheel axle which steers the trailer. The driver of the vehicle can input a trailer setpoint steering angle via a trailer steering angle setpoint value sensor. A reversing device is provided which determines, from the trailer actual steering angle and the trailer setpoint steering angle, a modified towing vehicle setpoint steering angle of a wheel axle which steers the towing vehicle. In the active state of the reversing device, the modified towing vehicle setpoint steering angle takes the place of the present towing vehicle setpoint steering angle in a modified movement vector; and when the train is moving, it changes the trailer actual steering angle into the trailer setpoint steering angle when the modified movement vector is processed.

Claims

1. A control system for a train, composed of at least a towing vehicle and a towed vehicle, and having an electronically actuatable drive train which includes at least a steering system, a brake system and a drive assembly, said control system comprising:

an operator control device for receiving driver requests input by a vehicle driver, and generating a standardized movement vector based on the drive request;

a controller arranged on the vehicle, which controller generates control signals based on an input movement vector in order to actuate the drive train, and is coupled to the drive train which processes the control signals in order to implement the driver request;

a reversing device which can be switched between an active state and a passive state;

a steering angle actual value sensor for determining a trailer actual steering angle of a wheel axle that steers the trailer, said steering angle actual value sensor being coupled to the reversing device in order to transmit the trailer actual steering angle; and

a trailer steering angle setpoint value sensor by which the driver of the vehicle inputs a trailer setpoint steering angle, and which is coupled to the reversing device in order to transmit the trailer setpoint steering angle;

wherein,

the reversing device determines, from the trailer actual steering angle and the trailer setpoint steering angle, a modified towing vehicle setpoint steering angle for a wheel axle that steers the towing vehicle; and

in the active state of the reversing device, the modified towing vehicle setpoint steering angle takes the place of a present towing vehicle setpoint steering angle in forming a modified movement vector; and

when the train travels, said modified towing vehicle setpoint steering angle causes the trailer actual steering angle to change into the trailer setpoint steering angle when the modified movement vector is processed.

2. The control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the operator control device includes a towing vehicle steering angle setpoint value sensor by which the driver inputs the present towing vehicle setpoint steering angle which is included in a present movement vector, at least in the passive state of the reversing device;

in the active state before the formation of the movement vector, the reversing device replaces the present towing vehicle setpoint steering angle with the modified towing vehicle setpoint steering angle, so that only the modified towing vehicle setpoint steering angle is included in the movement vector;

or

in the active state, the reversing device extracts the present towing vehicle setpoint steering angle from the present movement vector, and instead integrates the modified towing vehicle setpoint steering angle, so that only the movement vector which is modified in this way is generated.

3. The control system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a drive train interface arrangement, to which the operator control device, controller and the reversing device are connected.

4. The control system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a remote control device which is remote from the vehicle, receives driver requests and generates the movement vector based on the driver request;

a transceiver arrangement which connects the remote control device to a drive train interface arrangement to which the operator control device, the reversing device and the controller are also connected;

wherein the remote control device has one of a towing vehicle steering angle setpoint value sensor which the reversing device uses in the active state as a trailer steering angle setpoint value sensor, and a trailer steering angle setpoint value sensor.

5. The control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the trailer steering angle setpoint value sensor is formed, in the active state, by a towing vehicle steering angle setpoint value sensor by which the driver inputs the present towing vehicle setpoint steering angle in the passive state of the reversing device; and

the reversing device uses the towing vehicle setpoint steering angle as a trailer setpoint steering angle in the active state.

6. The control system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the drive train interface arrangement has at least one star connection.

7. The control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the train is an articulated train in which, the wheel axle which steers the trailer has a live ring that is connected to a trailer coupling of the towing vehicle via a shaft, by which the live ring is rotatable;

the trailer steering angle actual value sensor determines the angle between a longitudinal axis of the trailer and a longitudinal axis of the shaft;

a shaft angle actual sensor is provided which determines an actual shaft angle between the longitudinal axis of the shaft and a longitudinal axis of the towing vehicle, and transmits the actual shaft angle to the reversing device; and

the reversing device initially determines a shaft setpoint angle from the trailer actual steering angle and the trailer setpoint steering angle, and then determines the modified towing vehicle setpoint steering angle from the actual shaft angle and the shaft setpoint angle.

8. The control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the train is a semitrailer train in which the trailer rests on the towing vehicle via a fifth wheel; and

the trailer steering angle actual value sensor determines the angle between the longitudinal axis of the trailer and the longitudinal axis of the towing vehicle.

9. The control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the reversing device continuously determines a maximum speed for the train, based on at least one of the actual trailer steering angle and the shaft angle; and

the speed of the train is limited to the maximum speed.

10. The control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

in the active state and the passive state, the reversing device permanently monitors actual values of at least one of the trailer steering angle and the shaft angle, and initiates braking of the train when a maximum permissible trailer steering angle or shaft angle is reached.

11. The control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

an optical path-detection device is provided which detects a driving path mark that leads to a destination of the train and which, in the active state of the reversing device, permanently supplies the trailer setpoint steering angle in such a way that the train follows with reversing the driving path mark as far as the destination; and

a drive train interface arrangement is provided to which the path-detection device, the reversing device, the operator control device and the control device are connected.

12. The control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

an optical destination-detection device is provided which detects a destination of the train from a distance and which, in the active state of the reversing device, permanently supplies the trailer setpoint steering angle in such a way that the train reaches the destination with reversing.

13. A method for controlling a vehicle having an electronically actuatable drive train which includes at least a steering system, a brake system and drive assembly;

an operator control device that generates a movement vector based on a driver request; and

a controller that generates control signals from the movement vector, which control signals are processed by the drive train to implement the driver request;

said method comprising;

a trailer steering angle actual value sensor determining an actual trailer steering angle of a wheel axle that steers the trailer;

inputting a trailer setpoint steering angle via a trailer steering angle setpoint value sensor;

a reversing device determining from the actual trailer steering angle and the trailer setpoint steering angle, a modified towing vehicle setpoint steering angle for a wheel axle that steers the towing vehicle;

in an active state of the reversing device, substituting the modified towing vehicle setpoint steering angle for a present towing vehicle setpoint steering angle in a modified movement vector; and

when the train is moving, changing the trailer actual steering angle into the trailer setpoint steering angle based on the modified movement vector as it is processed.