Measuring and testing – Brake testing – Vehicle installation
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-13
2001-12-11
Raevis, Robert (Department: 2856)
Measuring and testing
Brake testing
Vehicle installation
Reexamination Certificate
active
06327903
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
German Patent No. 39 23 677 describes an angle sensor for detecting the angle formed by the longitudinal axes of a tractor and a trailer or semitrailer. This angle sensor is equipped with a potentiometer arranged on the drive vehicle or tractor, whose actuating shaft can be coupled to the trailer. The problem in measuring the angle between the trailer and the tractor with such a conventional potentiometer sensor is that this sensor must be attached to both the tractor and the trailer or semitrailer, and must be detached/re-attached each time the tractor is unhitched from/hitched to the trailer or semitrailer, and a corresponding recorder must be present on the trailer or semitrailer which necessitates that both the tractor and the trailer or semitrailer be modified for the angle sensor to be installed. Therefore this method is inconvenient and not very practical.
German Patent No. 41 14 921 describes a data storage device integrated in an electric plug having a plurality of pins for a device, which is connected to pins that are separate from those transmitting the signals, and in which characteristic data of the device and the transmitted signals are stored.
German Patent No. 196 02 879 shows a method of detecting the hazard of a vehicle overturning. For this purpose, a low-intensity braking action compared to the maximum possible braking force is initiated when the transverse acceleration exceeds a specific threshold value. This braking action is used to determine whether the wheels of the vehicle are lifted off the ground. If the wheels are lifted off the ground, the ABS system, in particular that of the trailer, steps in. For this reason, the response of the ABS system is monitored. The current supply is measured at the plug of the tractor or on the ABS valve for monitoring purposes. To perform this measurement, a current measuring instrument is connected to the trailer ABS. The disadvantage of this method is that the current measuring instrument is connected to the trailer ABS. However, this means that older existing trailers, which at present are not so equipped, must be retrofitted, resulting in extra costs to the end user. German Patent No. 196 02 879 contains no indication for integrating the instrument in the plug of the tractor, which would result in that only already existing tractors would have to be retrofitted.
An object of the present invention is to provide a device for detecting measured quantities of a drive vehicle, in particular a tractor, and/or measured quantities of a trailer or semitrailer, which results in no additional or excessive retrofitting costs to the end user for the sensors used. In particular, no additional retrofitting costs should arise with regard to the trailer or semitrailer. Furthermore, all trailers and semitrailers, in particular those having ABS systems installed, should be able to utilize this additional option provided by these sensors.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The device according to the present invention is a device for detecting measured quantities of a drive vehicle, in particular a tractor, and/or measured quantities of a trailer or semitrailer operatively connected to the drive vehicle. In addition to a hitching device for transmission of force between a drive vehicle and a trailer or semitrailer, at least one connecting device must be available.
This connecting device advantageously includes, as a minimum, a connecting cable or a connecting line. Since a vehicle combination made up of a drive vehicle, i.e., a tractor, and a trailer or semitrailer usually has a connecting cable or connecting lines, no additional connecting devices are needed, i.e., the connecting devices already present in the vehicle combination can be used.
Based on the connecting cables already present in a vehicle combination, different options are available. The connecting cable may advantageously be a connecting cable
for supplying the trailer or semitrailer-side lighting system with power from the drive vehicle;
for supplying a trailer or semitrailer-side control device with power; in particular, this may be an ABS connecting cable;
for connecting a drive vehicle-side control device with a trailer or semitrailer-side control device; in particular, data may be exchanged via this connecting cable.
The connecting line may be a connecting line for transporting braking medium into the trailer or semitrailer-side brake system. The braking medium is transported via this connecting line to the trailer or semitrailer-side brake system for pre-storage or control.
The connecting device has at least on the trailer or semitrailer side a mounting device for mounting on the trailer or semitrailer, with which the connecting device can be reproducibly mounted on the trailer or semitrailer. This means that the connecting device is always mounted at the same location on the trailer or semitrailer, i.e., it always assumes the same position with respect to the trailer or semitrailer. For this purpose advantageously there is only one way to mount the device on the trailer or semitrailer. This is achieved, for example, by designing the mounting device with a projection or recess. This provides only one possible way to introduce the mounting device in the respective mating piece on the trailer or semitrailer. The trailer- or semitrailer-side mounting device is designed as a plug or a socket or coupling.
The connecting device also has on the trailer or semitrailer side a mounting device to mount the connecting device onto the drive vehicle. Like in the case of the trailer- or semitrailer-side mounting device, mounting on the drive vehicle is reproducible using the drive vehicle side mounting device. Also in this case, only one possibility should be available for mounting with respect to the drive vehicle. Like in the case of the trailer- or semitrailer-side mounting device, the drive vehicle side mounting device is also designed as a plug or a socket or coupling.
If a vehicle combination made up of a drive vehicle and a trailer or semitrailer is to be stabilized using an appropriate control mechanism, normally the measured quantities of both the drive vehicle and the trailer or semitrailer must be determined for this purpose. As an example for such a control, reference is made to the control mechanism described in SAE Paper 973284 “Vehicle Dynamics Control for Commercial Vehicles.”
For an owner not to have to retrofit an existing trailer or semitrailer, according to the present invention at least one detection means for detecting a measured quantity of the trailer or semitrailer is inserted in the connecting device. For the same reason, at least one detection means for detecting a measured quantity of the drive vehicle is advantageously inserted in the connecting device. This advantage concerning retrofitting costs is very important in view of the considerably larger number of existing trailers and semitrailers. Hereinafter, the detection means for detecting a measured quantity of the drive vehicle is referred to as the first detection means, and the detection means for detecting a measured quantity of the trailer or semitrailer is referred to as the second detection means.
These measured quantities are, for the trailer or semitrailer, the quantities that describe the motion characteristics of the trailer or semitrailer, for example, the yaw rate of the trailer or semitrailer and/or the transverse acceleration acting on the trailer or semitrailer. It may also be the angle between the longitudinal axes of the drive vehicle and the trailer or semitrailer.
The second detection means is introduced in the connecting device mainly because the connecting device remains connected to the drive vehicle when the trailer or semitrailer is unhitched. This means that the connecting device remains on the drive vehicle even when a different trailer or semitrailer is used. Thus, with respect to the trailer or semitrailer, only the drive vehicle, but not the trailer or semitrailer, must be retrofitted.
For the second detection means to be capable of detecting a measured
Hecker Falk
Jundt Oliver
Raevis Robert
Robert & Bosch GmbH
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