Method for controlling a brake device in a traction vehicle-trailer combination and brake device controlled according to said method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10029660-B2
Application number	US-201415110086-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2014
Priority date	Jan 7, 2014
Publication date	Jul 24, 2018
Grant date	Jul 24, 2018

Abstract

A method/device for controlling a traction vehicle-trailer brake device, a trailer with an unactivated service brake is detected, and when a predetermined pushing effect is reached/exceeded a trailer brake system is activated to generate a braking force when the service brake is unactivated, in which the first parameter is a) consumption of an operating medium, and/or b) torque generated by a drive machine/driven wheel, and/or c) signal representing the traction vehicle/trailer's longitudinal deceleration, and/or d) the speed/acceleration at which an activation element is activated toward lower velocities, and/or e) a difference/quotient of a target traction vehicle speed, and an actual traction vehicle speed is used if the traction vehicle having an infinitely variable transmission, and provides infinitely variable adjustment of the transmission ratio, and f) the control device detects that the predetermined pushing effect of the trailer is reached/exceeded if a first parameter predetermined limiting value is reached/exceeded.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for controlling a brake device in a traction vehicle-trailer combination, the method comprising:
detecting, by an electronic control device, the trailer which pushes onto the traction vehicle in a driving state with an unactivated service brake; and
automatically activating, by the control device, when a predetermined pushing effect of the trailer on the traction vehicle is reached or exceeded, a brake system of the trailer, so as to apply a braking force when the service brake of the traction vehicle is not activated;
wherein a first parameter that the control device uses for detecting the pushing of the trailer onto the traction vehicle includes at least one of:
a) a consumption of an operating medium for operating a drive machine of the traction vehicle,
b) at least one of a driving torque generated by the drive machine of the traction vehicle and an output torque at least one driven wheel of the traction vehicle,
c) at least one of a signal representing a longitudinal deceleration of the traction vehicle and a signal representing a longitudinal deceleration of the trailer,
d) at least one of a speed and an acceleration at which an activation element for setting a velocity of the traction vehicle is activated toward velocities which are lower than a current velocity,
e) a difference or a quotient of a target traction vehicle speed, which is predefined via an actuation element which can be actuated by a driver and which has the purpose of infinitely variable adjustment of a transmission ratio and is recorded by the control device, and an actual traction vehicle speed which is recorded by the control device is used in an event of the traction vehicle having an infinitely variable transmission with the actuation element which can be activated by the driver and which has the purpose of infinitely variable adjustment of the transmission ratio, and
f) the control device detects that the predetermined pushing effect of the trailer is reached or exceeded when, depending on the first parameter, the first parameter has reached, exceeded or undershot a predetermined limiting value assigned to the first parameter;

wherein, in addition to the predetermined pushing effect of the trailer being reached or exceeded as the precondition for automatic braking of the trailer when the service brake of the traction vehicle is not activated, an additional vehicle movement dynamic situation occurs with respect to the pushing of the trailer onto the traction vehicle and must also be detected by the control device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein as a consequence of the automatic activation of the trailer brake by the control device the braking force of the trailer is open-loop or closed-loop controlled as a function of a value or absolute value of the first parameter or of a difference or quotient of the first parameter and of the predefined limiting value assigned to the first parameter.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined limiting value, assigned to the first parameter, is varied by the control device as a function of at least one driving operation condition.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the at least one driving operation condition includes at least one of
a steering angle of the traction vehicle,
a negative gradient angle or an inclination angle of a route being traveled on by the traction vehicle-trailer combination,
a state of load of at least one of the traction vehicle and the trailer, and
a roadway coefficient of friction of the route being traveled on.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of a fuel and an electric energy of an electric energy source is used as the operating medium of the drive machine of the traction vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control device detects that the predetermined pushing effect of the trailer is reached or exceeded when the consumption of the operating medium of the drive machine of the traction vehicle has undershot an assigned predetermined limiting value.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control device detects that the predetermined pushing effect of the trailer is reached or exceeded when at least one of the speed and the acceleration, with which the activation element for adjusting the velocity of the traction vehicle is activated toward velocities which are lower compared to the current velocity, exceeds an assigned predetermined limiting value.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein in the event of the traction vehicle having the infinitely variable transmission with the actuation element which can be activated by the driver and has the purpose of infinitely variable adjustment of the transmission ratio, said actuation element is used as the activation element for adjusting the velocity of the traction vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control device detects that the predetermined pushing effect of the trailer is reached or exceeded when at least one of the driving torque generated by the drive machine of the traction vehicle and the output torque at the at least one driven wheel of the traction vehicle undershoots an assigned predetermined limiting value.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control device detects that the predetermined pushing effect of the trailer is reached or exceeded when at least one of the signal representing the longitudinal deceleration of the traction vehicle and the signal representing the longitudinal deceleration of the trailer undershoots an assigned predetermined limiting value.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein at least one of a longitudinal acceleration sensor for generating the signal representing the longitudinal deceleration of the trailer is arranged in or on the trailer, and a longitudinal acceleration sensor for generating the signal representing the longitudinal deceleration of the traction vehicle is arranged in or on the traction vehicle.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least one of the signal representing the longitudinal deceleration of the traction vehicle and the signal representing the longitudinal deceleration of the trailer are generated on the basis of signals of wheel speed sensors on at least one of wheels of the traction vehicle and of the trailer.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of a brake system of the traction vehicle and the brake system of the trailer is activated electrically, hydraulically, pneumatically, electro-hydraulically or electro-pneumatically.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the traction vehicle is an agricultural vehicle, and the brake system of the traction vehicle is activated hydraulically, and the brake system of the trailer is activated pneumatically, wherein a hydraulic-pneumatic interface is provided between the brake system of the traction vehicle and the brake system of the trailer, which interface converts, when service braking operations occur, a hydraulic pressure generated for the hydraulic brake system of the traction vehicle into a pneumatic pressure for the pneumatic brake system of the trailer.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the traction vehicle is an all-wheel drive traction vehicle, and in that after the control device has detected that the predetermined pushing effect of the trailer has been reached or exceeded, an all-wheel drive which has not been activated until then is activated.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the all-wheel drive of the traction vehicle is activated, and the brake system of the trailer is then activated, or in that the all-wheel drive of the traction vehicle is activated and the brake system of the trailer

Assignees

• Knorr Bremse Systeme Fuer Nutzfahrzeuge Gmbh

Inventors

• Buchner Hermann
• Alter Wolfgang
• Finkl Florian
• Arens Kai

Classifications

• B60T13/662

  characterised by specified functions of the control system components · CPC title

• B60T13/683

  in pneumatic systems or parts thereof (in vacuum systems B60T13/72) · CPC title

• B60T8/1708

  for lorries or tractor-trailer combinations · CPC title

• B60T2260/04

  Automatic transmission · CPC title

• B60T7/20 Primary

  specially for trailers, e.g. in case of uncoupling of {or overrunning by} trailer (inertia-actuated overrun brakes B60T13/08) · CPC title