System for driverless operation of utility vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10994709-B2
Application number	US-201716329556-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 16, 2017
Priority date	Sep 8, 2016
Publication date	May 4, 2021
Grant date	May 4, 2021

Abstract

A system for providing driverless operation of a utility vehicle in a limited area, including: a control module to output a valid autonomous control signal to an electropneumatic parking brake system and to control the utility vehicle in a driverless manner, wherein the utility vehicle allows an autonomous operating mode and includes the electropneumatic parking brake system which is configured to release the parking brake system when the valid autonomous control signal is present and to initiate automatic emergency braking when no valid autonomous control signal is applied; and a transfer module to transfer control of the utility vehicle from the driver to the control module. Also described are a related method and computer readable medium.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for providing driverless operation of a utility vehicle in a limited area, comprising:
a control module to output a valid autonomous control signal to an electropneumatic parking brake system and to control the utility vehicle in a driverless manner, wherein the utility vehicle allows an autonomous operating mode and includes the electropneumatic parking brake system which is configured to release the parking brake system when the valid autonomous control signal is present and to initiate automatic emergency braking when no valid autonomous control signal is applied; and
a transfer module to transfer control of the utility vehicle from the driver to the control module;
wherein the electropneumatic parking brake system includes a bistable valve which is activatable in the autonomous operating mode and a monostable valve which, in the stable state, automatically initiates emergency braking when the valid autonomous control signal has not been applied, wherein the transfer module is coupled to the bistable valve to switch the bistable valve in the autonomous operating mode when the control of the utility vehicle is transferred from the driver to the control module, and wherein the control module is configured to transmit the valid autonomous control signal to the monostable valve to move the monostable valve into a non-stable state, which prevents the emergency braking of the utility vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a checking module to establish whether a driver is present in the utility vehicle;
wherein the transfer module is configured to transfer the control of the utility vehicle to the control module only when the checking module has established that no driver is present in the utility vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the transfer module provides an interface for a driver of the utility vehicle to trigger the transfer.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the utility vehicle includes at least one of the following components: a torque-controlled steering device, a communication control device, a position determining device, an environment sensor device, an electronic trailer brake system,
wherein the control module is configured to check functional readiness of the components and, based on the check, to take over the control of the utility vehicle to control the utility vehicle in a driverless manner.

5. A utility vehicle, comprising:
an electropneumatic parking brake system, which is configured to release the parking brake system when a valid autonomous control signal is present and to initiate automatic emergency braking when no valid autonomous control signal is applied;
a system for providing driverless operation of the utility vehicle in a limited area, including:
a control module to output a valid autonomous control signal to the electropneumatic parking brake system and to control the utility vehicle in a driverless manner, wherein the utility vehicle allows an autonomous operating mode and includes the electropneumatic parking brake system which is configured to release the parking brake system when the valid autonomous control signal is present and to initiate automatic emergency braking when no valid autonomous control signal is applied; and
a transfer module to transfer control of the utility vehicle from the driver to the control module;

wherein the electropneumatic parking brake system includes a bistable valve which is activatable in the autonomous operating mode and a monostable valve which, in the stable state, automatically initiates emergency braking when the valid autonomous control signal has not been applied, wherein the transfer module is coupled to the bistable valve to switch the bistable valve in the autonomous operating mode when the control of the utility vehicle is transferred from the driver to the control module, and wherein the control module is configured to transmit the valid autonomous control signal to the monostable valve to move the monostable valve into a non-stable state, which prevents the emergency braking of the utility vehicle.

6. A method for providing driverless operation of a utility vehicle in a limited area, the method comprising:
transferring control of the utility vehicle from a driver of the utility vehicle to a control module, wherein the utility vehicle allows an autonomous operating mode and includes an electropneumatic parking brake system configured to release the parking brake system when a valid autonomous control signal is present and to initiate automatic emergency braking when no valid autonomous control signal is applied;
outputting the valid autonomous control signal to the electropneumatic parking brake system; and
moving the utility vehicle without a driver;
wherein the electropneumatic parking brake system includes a bistable valve which is activatable in the autonomous operating mode and a monostable valve which, in the stable state, automatically initiates emergency braking when the valid autonomous control signal has not been applied, wherein the transfer module is coupled to the bistable valve to switch the bistable valve in the autonomous operating mode when the control of the utility vehicle is transferred from the driver to the control module, and wherein the control module is configured to transmit the valid autonomous control signal to the monostable valve to move the monostable valve into a non-stable state, which prevents the emergency braking of the utility vehicle.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer program, which is executable by a processor, comprising:
a program code arrangement having program code for providing driverless operation of a utility vehicle in a limited area, by performing the following:
transferring control of the utility vehicle from a driver of the utility vehicle to a control module, wherein the utility vehicle allows an autonomous operating mode and includes an electropneumatic parking brake system configured to release the parking brake system when a valid autonomous control signal is present and to initiate automatic emergency braking when no valid autonomous control signal is applied;
outputting the valid autonomous control signal to the electropneumatic parking brake system; and
moving the utility vehicle without a driver;

wherein the electropneumatic parking brake system includes a bistable valve which is activatable in the autonomous operating mode and a monostable valve which, in the stable state, automatically initiates emergency braking when the valid autonomous control signal has not been applied, wherein the transfer module is coupled to the bistable valve to switch the bistable valve in the autonomous operating mode when the control of the utility vehicle is transferred from the driver to the control module, and wherein the control module is configured to transmit the valid autonomous control signal to the monostable valve to move the monostable valve into a non-stable state, which prevents the emergency braking of the utility vehicle.

Assignees

• Knorr Bremse Systeme Fuer Nutzfahrzeuge Gmbh

Inventors

• Nemeth Huba
• Frank Peter
• Horvath Csaba

Classifications

• B60T7/20

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

• B60T2260/02

  Active Steering, Steer-by-Wire · CPC title

• B60T17/22

  Devices for monitoring or checking brake systems; Signal devices · CPC title

• B60T7/22 Primary

  initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle {, or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle} · CPC title

• B60T13/662

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