Apparatus for detecting an overturning moment in a moving vehicle, and jackknifing in a trailer-truck combination

• US 4,592,565 A
• Filed: 10/17/1984
• Issued: 06/03/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Leo Eagle
• Original Assignee: Leo Eagle
• Inventors: Eagle, Leo
• Primary Examiner(s): Love, John J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): McGiehan, Donn
• Application Number:
  US06/661,814
• Time in Patent Office: 594 Days
• Field of Search: 280/432, 280/755, 280/446 R, 280/446 B, 180/282, 180/284, 180/285, 180/290
• US Class Current: 280/432
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/12 for automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger limiting speed of vehicles other than rail vehicles B60K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/00 Arrangements for adjusting wheel-braking force to meet varying vehicular or ground-surface conditions, e.g. limiting or varying distribution of braking force by changing number of effective brake cylinders in power brake systems B60T17/10

Abstract

In an apparatus for detecting an incipient overturning moment acting on a vehicle, detection is accomplished by means of a sensing arrangement, which measures the centrifugal force to which the vehicle is subjected to, along a generally lateral direction transverse to the direction of movement of the vehicle. The sensing arrangement operates in cooperation with a force-amplifying device which, in turn, amplifies the measured force, and transmits the amplified force to the brake, and/or the acceleration pedal, and/or the steering wheel of the vehicle so as to act thereon in a sense to eliminate or at least reduce the incipient overturning moment.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detecting an incipient overturning moment in a truck-trailer combination travelling in a movement direction, said truck trailer combination being equipped with a brake pedal member, an acceleration pedal member, and a steering member, comprising in combination,

position-controlling servomechanism means,

centrifugal force measuring means for generating a pressure-indicating signal in dependence of a centrifugal force acting on said vehicle in a generally lateral direction transverse to said movement direction, including

road-curvature indicating means for operatively measuring the curvature of a road travelled on by said truck-trailer combination,

speed-indicating means for measuring the speed of said truck-trailer combination, said overturning moment being a function of said road curvature, and of said speed,

combining means for determining from the measured road curvature, and from the measured speed a parameter indicating-signal indicative of said incipient overturning moment, and

parameter indicating-signal to error signal conversion means for generating an error signal, and being arranged to transmit said error signal to said servomechanism means,

said servomechanism means amplifying said error signal, and being adapted to transmit a position-controlling force to at least one of said members so as to act thereon in a sense to reduce said incipient overturning moment, whereby turning over of said vehicle is prevented.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said road curvature indicating means comprises

position-indicating means disposed on the rear of said truck, having two extremities, and predetermined properties gradually varying from one characteristic near one of said extremities to another characteristic near the other of said extremities, one extremity being indicative of a straight road, the other extremity being indicative of a maximum road curvature,

illuminating means located on said trailer, and positioned so as to transmit a light beam impinging onto said position-indicating means, and

detecting means for detecting light reflected from said position-indicating means, said reflected light indicating a position of said beam on said position-indicating means substantially proportional to the road curvature travelled on by said truck-trailer combination.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said illuminating means is a light source emitting a light beam which is at least very narrow horizontally, wherein said position indicating means includes a mirror, and wherein said detecting means comprises a plurality of light detectors spaced at regular intervals along a row transverse to the direction of movement so that the light beam is intercepted by no more than two detectors, and further comprising comparator means for comparing the output of said light detectors, whereby the position of the light detector providing the strongest output is a measure of said road curvature.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein predetermined properties include

a plurality of upright and sequentially alternating light and dark strips,

wherein said illuminating means is operatively oscillating along a substantially horizontal direction at a relatively high frequency compared to a rate-of-change of said road curvature,

wherein said one characteristic includes said strips being spaced relatively close to one another near said one of said extremities, and being progressively spaced further apart along said position indicating means along a path up to the other of said extremities,

wherein said other characteristic includes said strips being spaced relatively relatively far from one one another, and

whereby said detecting means provide an oscillating output having an average high frequency substantially proportional to the distance between said one of said extremities, and said position of said beam on said position indicating means, said position being defined by an impingement center of oscillations of said beam occurring on said position-indicating means.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a frequency discriminator postcoupled to said detecting means, so that the output of said frequency discriminator provides a measure of said road curvature.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pressure-to-electrical signal transducer includes an A.C. amplifier connected to said conversion means, and a rectifier converting an A.C. output of said amplifier into D.C. for feeding the input of said servomechanism.

7. An apparatus for detecting an incipient overturning moment in a vehicle travelling in a movement direction, said vehicle being equipped with a brake pedal member, an acceleration pedal member, and a steering member, comprising in combination,

position-controlling servomechanism means,

centrifugal force measuring means, including a pressure-to-electrical signal transducer for generating a pressure-indicating signal in dependence of a centrifugal force acting on said vehicle in a generally lateral direction transverse to said movement direction,

pressure-indicating-signal to error-signal conversion means coupled to an output of said pressure-to-electrical signal transducer, and providing an error signal at its output,

said servomechanism means accepting and amplifying said error signal, and being adapted to transmit a position-controlling force related to said error signal to at least one of said members, so as to act thereon in a sense to reduce said incipient overturning moment, whereby turning over of said vehicle is prevented.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein said centrifugal force measuring means comprises a normally horizontally disposed longitudinal container, positioned in a plane of said movement direction with its longitudinal direction approximately at right angles to said movement direction, and along a direction along which the centrifugal force is expected to be exerted, said container having two end regions,

pressure-exerting means movable in said container along said longitudinal direction, and being capable of exerting a pressure on one of said end regions in dependence of, said centrifugal force, and

pressure to pressure-indicating signal conversion means disposed in each end region, generating said pressure-indicating signal, and being arranged to transmit said pressure-indicating signal to said pressure-indicating-signal to error-signal conversion means.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said pressure-exerting means is a liquid.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said pressure-exerting means is solid member.