Method for dynamically monitoring a trailer lighting system from a traction vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11712993-B2
Application number	US-202016950554-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2020
Priority date	May 17, 2018
Publication date	Aug 1, 2023
Grant date	Aug 1, 2023

Abstract

A method for monitoring, from a traction vehicle, a lighting system of a trailer with first lights having at least one brake light, at least one right tail light, at least one left tail light, at least one rear fog light and/or at least one reversing light, wherein the first lights are supplied with electricity from the traction vehicle via electric circuits, and wherein during the monitoring of the lighting system of the trailer, each of the first lights is periodically checked with a first waiting time, the check determining whether the electric circuit having the first light to be checked is closed or not, wherein the first waiting time between two checks of one of the first lights is extended incrementally starting from an initial value for each individual first light if the electric circuit through this first light is not interrupted.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for monitoring a lighting of a trailer with first lights from a towing vehicle, the first lights including at least one brake light, at least one right tail light, at least one left tail light, at least one rear fog light, and/or at least one backup light, the method comprising:
supplying first lights with power via circuits from the towing vehicle;
during the monitoring of the lighting of the trailer, each of the first lights is periodically checked with a first waiting time, for which purpose it is checked whether the circuit with the first light to be tested is closed or not; and
extending gradually the first waiting time between two checks of one of the first lights for each individual first light starting from an initial value, if the circuit with this first light does not have a circuit interruption.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the gradual extension occurs up to a maximum duration of the first waiting time.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first waiting time between two checks of one of the first lights is reset to the initial value if, instead of a closed circuit with this first light, a circuit interruption is detected.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein if, a circuit interruption is detected instead of a closed circuit with this one first light, the monitoring of the lighting is interrupted and the monitoring of the trailer decoupling is carried out.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein during the trailer decoupling monitoring, it is checked periodically with a second waiting time whether one of the circuits with one of the first lights is closed or not.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the second waiting time is shorter than the initial value for the first waiting time.

7. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the trailer decoupling monitoring is terminated and the monitoring of the lighting is continued if a check when the trailer decoupling monitoring is carried out reveals that one of the circuits with one of the first lights is uninterrupted.

8. The method according to claim 5 , wherein after the check of the first lights has revealed that all circuits with the first lights are interrupted, the trailer decoupling monitoring is continued by also checking whether circuits with lights in the direction indicators of the trailer are interrupted or not.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the trailer decoupling monitoring is terminated and the monitoring of the lighting is continued if the check of the circuit of one of the lights of the direction indicators of the trailer reveals that the circuit is not interrupted.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the trailer decoupling monitoring starts again with the monitoring of the first lights, if the circuits with the lights of the direction indicators of the trailer for displaying the direction of travel are also interrupted.

Assignees

• Hella Gmbh & Co Kgaa

Inventors

• Caesar Felix
• Deichsel Matthias
• Schmaeling Jan

Classifications

• B60Q1/305 Primary

  Indicating devices for towed vehicles · CPC title

• B60D1/62

  involving supply lines, electric circuits or the like · CPC title

• B60Q11/005

  for lighting devices, e.g. indicating if lamps are burning or not · CPC title

• H05B45/50

  responsive to malfunctions or undesirable behaviour of LEDs; responsive to LED life; Protective circuits · CPC title

• H05B45/58

  involving end of life detection of LEDs · CPC title