Method and device for actuating an electrical drive of a trailer vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11904702-B2
Application number	US-202217573397-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 11, 2022
Priority date	Jul 22, 2019
Publication date	Feb 20, 2024
Grant date	Feb 20, 2024

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a method for actuating an electrical drive of a trailer vehicle with a towing vehicle. According to an embodiment, the method include the steps of: determining a current mass of the towing vehicle; determining a current drive force of the towing vehicle; determining an acceleration demand in dependence upon the current mass and the current drive force; and, actuating the electric drive via an actuating signal in dependence upon the acceleration demand. The disclosure also relates to a control device for executing the method, a towing vehicle, a trailer vehicle and a semi-trailer truck.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for actuating an electric drive of a trailer vehicle with a towing vehicle equipped with air springs, the method comprising:
determining a current mass of the towing vehicle in dependence upon air pressure in the air springs of the towing vehicle;
determining a current drive force of the towing vehicle;
determining an acceleration demand in dependence upon the current mass of the towing vehicle and the current drive force; and,
actuating the electric drive via an actuating signal in dependence upon the acceleration demand.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the acceleration demand is additionally determined in dependence upon a current trailer mass of the trailer vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
determining a current trailer mass of the trailer vehicle; and,
wherein the acceleration demand is additionally determined in dependence upon the current trailer mass of the trailer vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the acceleration demand at least one of:
corresponds to or includes a maximum value for a desired drive force or a drive force to be generated by the electric drive; and,
is conveyed by a brake control unit of the towing vehicle to a trailer brake control unit of the trailer vehicle via a CAN-ISO 11992-2 bus.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electric drive is configured to generate a drive force in dependence upon an actuating signal and the actuating signal is generated in dependence upon at least one of:
the acceleration demand and a charge status of an energy store of the electric drive; and,
the actuating signal is generated in dependence upon at least a current speed of at least one electric motor of the electric drive.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein a motor speed-torque map is specified; and, the actuating signal is generated such that the electric drive generates a drive torque which lies within the motor speed-torque map at a current speed of the electric motor.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the motor speed-torque map is adjustable in dependence upon a charge status of an energy store of the electric drive.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the drive torque generated by the electric drive lies within an optimum range of the motor speed-torque map at the current speed of the electric motor.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electric drive sends a status signal to the towing vehicle, wherein the signal includes the current drive force generated by the electric drive and a current trailer mass of the trailer vehicle.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the status signal includes a current slip of at least one driven wheel of the trailer vehicle; and, the acceleration demand is determined additionally in dependence upon the current slip of the trailer vehicle.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is executed by at least one of a brake control unit of the towing vehicle and a trailer brake control unit of the trailer vehicle.

12. A method for actuating an electric drive of a trailer vehicle with a towing vehicle equipped with air springs, the method comprising:
determining a current mass of the towing vehicle in dependence upon air pressure in the air springs of the towing vehicle;
determining a current drive force of the towing vehicle;
determining an acceleration demand in dependence upon the current mass of the towing vehicle and the current drive force;

actuating the electric drive via an actuating signal in dependence upon the acceleration demand;
wherein the acceleration demand comprises a value for a desired drive force of the electric drive, the method further comprising:
determining the value of the desired drive force in that a current acceleration of the towing vehicle is first determined in dependence upon the current drive force of the towing vehicle and the current mass of the towing vehicle;
determining a desired acceleration of the trailer vehicle in dependence upon the current acceleration of the towing vehicle; and,
wherein the value of the desired drive force of the electric drive is determined in dependence upon the desired acceleration and a current trailer mass of the trailer vehicle.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the desired acceleration of the trailer vehicle is less than or equal to the current acceleration of the towing vehicle.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the current acceleration of the towing vehicle is determined in dependence upon a result of a division of the current drive force of the towing vehicle by the current mass of the towing vehicle or corresponds to this result.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the value of the desired drive force of the trailer vehicle is determined in dependence upon a result of a product of the current mass of the trailer vehicle and the desired acceleration of the trailer vehicle.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the current acceleration of the towing vehicle is additionally determined in dependence upon a current slip of at least one driven wheel of the towing vehicle.

17. A control unit comprising:
a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program code stored thereon;
a processor;
said program code being configured, when executed by the processor, to:
determine a current mass of a towing vehicle equipped with air springs in dependence upon air pressure in the air springs;
determine a current drive force of the towing vehicle;
determine an acceleration demand in dependence upon the current mass of the towing vehicle and the current drive force; and,
actuate the electric drive via an actuating signal in dependence upon the acceleration demand.

18. The control unit as claimed in claim 17 , wherein said control unit is a brake control unit.

19. The control unit as claimed in claim 17 , wherein said control unit is a trailer brake control unit.

20. A vehicle combination comprising:
a towing vehicle equipped with air springs and including a towing brake control unit;
a trailer vehicle including a trailer brake control unit;
said brake control unit and said trailer brake control unit having a processor, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and program code stored on said non-transitory computer readable storage medium;
said program code being, when executed by the processor, configured to:
determine a current mass of a towing vehicle in dependence upon air pressure in said air springs of said towing vehicle;
determine a current drive force of said towing vehicle;
determine an acceleration demand in dependence upon the current mass and the current drive force; and,
actuate the electric drive via an actuating signal in dependence upon the acceleration demand.

21. A method for actuating an electric drive of a trailer vehicle with a towing vehicle, the method comprising:
determining a current mass of the towing vehicle;
determining a current mass of the trailer vehicle;
determining a current drive force of the towing vehicle;
determining an acceleration demand in dependence upon the current mass of the towing vehicle, the current mass of the trailer vehicle and the current drive force; and,
actuating the electric drive via an actuating signal in dependence upon the acceleration demand.

Assignees

• Zf Cv Systems Global Gmbh

Inventors

• Flaum Nikolai
• Heseding Johannes
• Ricke Janik
• Wallbaum Torsten

Classifications

• B60L15/38 Primary

  with automatic control · CPC title

• B60L15/2009

  for braking · CPC title

• B62D59/04

  driven from propulsion unit on trailer · CPC title

• B60L2200/28

  Trailers · CPC title

• B60L2240/12

  Speed · CPC title