Method of recognizing trailer of tractor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9403412-B2
Application number	US-201414531954-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 3, 2014
Priority date	Dec 31, 2013
Publication date	Aug 2, 2016
Grant date	Aug 2, 2016

Abstract

A method of recognizing a trailer of a tractor vehicle by an electronic control unit (ECU) includes determining whether a parking switch is in an on state and a transmission gear state is a parking state. Whether a stop lamp switch is in an on state and a state of a current flowing in the stop lamp of the trailer is in an on state are determined. A load current quantity of a load lamp is recognized, and whether the stop lamp is in an open state is determined. A mode to a trailer non-connection mode when the stop lamp is in an off state is determined.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of recognizing a trailer of a tractor vehicle by an electronic control unit (ECU), the method comprising steps of:
determining whether a parking switch is in an on state, and a transmission gear state is a parking state;
determining whether a stop lamp switch of the trailer is in an on state, and a state of a current flowing in a stop lamp of the trailer to determine whether the stop lamp is in an on state when it is determined that the transmission gear state is not the parking state;
releasing a hold state of a diagnosis of whether the trailer is connected when the stop lamp switch of the trailer is in the on state and the stop lamp is in the on state;
recognizing a load current quantity of a load lamp and determining whether the stop lamp is in an open state; and
determining a mode as a trailer non-connection mode when the stop lamp is in an off state.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the steps of recognizing the load current quantity of the load lamp by the ECU includes recognizing the load current quantity flowing in the load lamp, including the stop lamp and a left side turn signal lamp of the trailer by using an intelligent power switch (IPS) element mounted in a smart junction box (SJB) of the tractor.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the step of recognizing the load current quantity of the load lamp by the ECU includes monitoring, by the ECU, a current quantity of a load for every 10 ms when the load lamp is in the on state, and determining that the load lamp is disconnected when a current sensing value of the load lamp continuously indicates a disconnection by three times or more.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the disconnection means open.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the SJB displays flickering information about the left side turn signal lamp of the trailer and diagnosis information about the left side turn signal lamp and the stop lamp of the trailer on an instrument panel of the tractor, and the SJB is connected to the ECU.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the IPS element is a power control semiconductor device.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the ECU is connected with the IPS element, a sensing resistor is installed between an output side of the ECU and an input side of the IPS element.

8. The method of claim 2 , wherein the left side turn signal lamp and the stop lamp of the trailer are connected to an output side of the IPS element.

9. The method of claim 1 , after the step of determining the mode, further comprising steps of:
recognizing whether a stop switch of the trailer is in an on state during the driving of a turn signal lamp of the trailer, and the load current quantity of the load lamp to determine whether all of the stop lamp and the turn signal lamp of the trailer are in an open state; and
determining the mode as the trailer non-connection mode when the stop switch of the trailer is in the on state, and all of the stop lamp and the turn signal lamp of the trailer are in the open state.

10. The method of claim 9 , after the step of determining whether the parking switch is in the on state, further comprising a step of determining the mode as a trailer connection mode when the stop switch of the trailer is in the on state, and any one of the stop lamp and the turn signal lamp of the trailer is not in an open state.

11. The method of claim 9 , after the step of recognizing whether the stop switch of the trailer is in the on state, further comprising a step of maintaining the hold state of the diagnosis of whether the trailer is connected until the stop switch is in the on state to maintain a value indicating whether the trailer is connected to the tractor, which is previously diagnosed, when the parking switch is in the on state and the transmission gear state is the parking state.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the open state means a disconnection state.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions execution of which causes a controller to perform the steps of claim 1 .

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Jin-Gi
• Lee Hyuk

Classifications

• G01R31/007

  using microprocessors or computers · CPC title

• G01R19/15

  Indicating the presence of current · CPC title

• B60D1/24 Primary

  characterised by arrangements for particular functions · CPC title

• G01R31/006

  on road vehicles, e.g. automobiles or trucks (testing of ignition installations peculiar to internal combustion engines F02P17/00) · CPC title

• G01R19/0092

  Measuring current only · CPC title