Device for detecting the position of a first or second vehicle to be coupled together

Abstract

A device for detecting the position of a first or second vehicle to be coupled together, having a sensor device which can be arranged on the first or second vehicle and which detects at least one reference point of the other second or first vehicle using sensors. A device for detecting the position of a first or second vehicle to be coupled together, said device allowing an operationally reliable and precise coupling regardless of present environmental influences. The sensor device has at least one transceiver unit, and the at least one reference point can be equipped with a transponder which reflects a radio signal of the transceiver unit.

Claims

1. A road train on which is mounted a device for detecting the position of a first or second vehicle to be coupled together, wherein the road train comprises a first and at least one second vehicle and the device comprises a sensor device which is arranged on the first or second vehicle and which detects at least one reference point of the other second or first vehicle by measurement techniques, wherein the sensor device has at least one transceiver unit, and on the at least one reference point there can be fastened a transponder, which reflects a radio signal of the transceiver unit, wherein the sensor device comprises an electronic controller, and the transceiver unit is situated on the first vehicle and the at least one transponder is situated on the second vehicle, wherein the electronic controller receives a signal regarding a height condition of an air suspension and calculates from a travel time of the radio signal a direct distance to the at least one transponder.

2. The device road train as claimed in claim 1, wherein multiple reference points are present on the other second or first vehicle, at each of which there can be secured a transponder, and each transponder encodes an echo individually such that it can be distinctly coordinated with the particular transponder.

3. The road train as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor device comprises at least one antenna, which is connected to the respective transceiver unit.

4. The road train as claimed in claim 3, wherein each transceiver unit sends and receives a radar signal via the antenna.

5. The road train as claimed in claim 3, wherein a second transceiver unit with a second antenna is arranged in a vertical height clearance (Δh) from the transceiver unit and is connected to the electronic controller.

6. The road train as claimed in claim 1, wherein an active transponder is situated at the end of the second vehicle facing toward the first vehicle, wherein the active transponder is connected to a height measuring sensor and a measurement signal of the height measuring sensor together with its individual encoding is relayed to the transceiver unit.

7. The road train as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second vehicle comprises a coupling means.

8. The road train as claimed in claim 7, wherein the coupling means is a kingpin fastened to the second vehicle.

9. The road train as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that wherein the kingpin comprises a fastening flange, an upper collar connected to the latter at a bottom, a small-diameter locking section and a lower collar wherein a first recess is made in a bottom side of the lower collar, in which a first transponder is installed.

10. The road train as claimed in claim 1, wherein a trailer plate is formed on a bottom side of the second vehicle, which in a coupled condition is supported on a fifth wheel, wherein a second recess is formed in the trailer plate, in which a second transponder is installed.

11. The road train as claimed in claim 1, at least one support jack is arranged on the second vehicle, to which a third and/or fourth transponder is secured.

12. The road train as claimed in claim 3, wherein a lowest height condition (H.sub.A1min, H.sub.A2min) of the antenna(s) above a road level (GOK) with the air suspension lowered can be entered in the electronic controller.

13. The road train as claimed in claim 12, wherein the electronic controller calculates an actual height (H.sub.A1, H.sub.A2) of the antenna(s) from a lifting distance (H.sub.Luft) of the air suspension and the lowest height condition (H.sub.min).

14. The road train as claimed in claim 7, wherein the coupling means is a drawbar eye situated at an end of a drawbar, while a seventh transponder is situated on the drawbar and/or in a section around the drawbar eye.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) For a better understanding, the invention shall now be explained more closely with the aid of seven figures. There are shown:

(2) FIG. 1: a side view of a device according to a first embodiment, arranged on a tractor, with first and second receiver unit arranged on the rear wall of the driver's cabin;

(3) FIG. 2: a side view of a device according to the first embodiment, arranged on a tractor, with first and second receiver unit arranged in the area of the fifth wheel and rear axle;

(4) FIG. 3: a perspective front view of a semitrailer with transponders fastened to it;

(5) FIG. 4: a side view of a device according to a second embodiment, arranged on a tractor, with a transceiver unit at the tractor vehicle side and a height measuring sensor at the semitrailer side, prior to the coupling;

(6) FIG. 5: a side view of a device according to a third embodiment, arranged on a tractor, with transponders on the tractor and the support jack;

(7) FIG. 6: a top view of a tractor per FIG. 5 and

(8) FIG. 7: a side view of a device according to a fourth embodiment, arranged on an articulated train.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(9) FIG. 1 shows an articulated train formed from a first vehicle 10 and a second vehicle 20 in a side view. The first vehicle 10 is in a still separated position in front of the second vehicle 20, which is standing on its two support jacks 25. The support jacks 25 are arranged on the second vehicle 20 on both sides of the vehicle lengthwise axis X (see FIG. 3) and hold the end of the second vehicle 20 facing toward the first vehicle 10 in the height condition shown, according to their state of extension.

(10) The first vehicle 10 is outfitted with an air suspension 11, which is braced against rear axles 16 and lowers or raises the vehicle chassis 17 by the lifting distance H.sub.Luf shown in FIG. 2. Depending on the lifting distance H.sub.Luft, a fifth wheel 12 located on the first vehicle 10 also changes its height condition together with the vehicle chassis 17. For a coupling of the second vehicle 20 to the first vehicle 10, the latter moves backwards far enough underneath the second vehicle 20 until a coupling means 21 arranged thereon in the form of a downwardly projecting kingpin 22 achieves an operative engagement with the fifth wheel 12.

(11) The kingpin 22 has an upper fastening flange 22a, by which the kingpin 22 is firmly connected to the second vehicle 20, especially being screwed together. Toward the bottom, the fastening flange 22a passes into an upper collar 22b, which adjoins a diameter-reducing locking section 22c. The locking section 22c is bounded at the bottom by a lower collar 22d, whose diameter agrees with that of the upper collar 22b. The locking section 22c engages with a locking mechanism (not shown) of the fifth wheel 12 and in this way holds the kingpin 22 in pivoting manner in the fifth wheel 12. Immediately above the kingpin 22 there stretches a trailer plate 24, fastened to an underside 23 of the second vehicle 20, which lies against the fifth wheel 12 when the first and second vehicles 10, 20 are joined together and slides across the fifth wheel 12 when negotiating curves.

(12) For a secure coupling of the second vehicle 20 to the first vehicle 10, the fifth wheel 12 must be oriented beneath the vertical level of the trailer plate 24, yet at the same time enable a movement of the kingpin 22 into the fifth wheel 12, without moving across the fifth wheel 12 on account of the first vehicle 10 being lowered too much.

(13) Besides the above described detecting of the height condition of the second vehicle 20, the first vehicle 10 must also be properly oriented laterally to the kingpin 22 with its fifth wheel 12. This is especially easily achieved when the position of the kingpin 22 and/or the entire second vehicle 20 can be ascertained with the help of individual reference points 40 defined on it.

(14) For this, the vehicles 10, 20 are provided with a device for position detection. The device comprises, at the first vehicle 10, a sensor device 30, having a transceiver unit 31, a second transceiver unit 34 and an electronic controller 32. The two transceiver units 31, 34 are spaced apart from each other by a constant vertical height clearance Δh. In the present exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, the transceiver units 31, 34 are fastened to the rear wall of a driver's cabin 18 of the first vehicle 10.

(15) On the second vehicle 20 there are arranged multiple transponders 41, 43a, 47a, 48a, 49 at defined reference points 40, each transponder 41, 43a, 47a, 48a, 49 being detected by the transceiver units 31, 34.

(16) The first transponder 41 is integrated in the kingpin 22, which is formed preferably for this purpose on an underside 22e of the lower collar 22d with a first recess 22f. The first recess 22f is open at the bottom and receives the first transponder 41 therein in protected manner. The first transponder 41 is thus constantly arranged in the vehicle lengthwise axis X of the second vehicle 20 and furthermore is located in the swivel axis S running through the kingpin 22 (see FIG. 3). The first transponder 41 thus also especially effectively supports the orienting of a first vehicle 10 approaching the second vehicle 20 at a slant prior to the coupling process.

(17) The support jacks 25, as can be seen especially well in FIG. 3, comprise a stationary section 25a, with which the support jack 25 is secured to the second vehicle 20, and a telescopic section 25b with a support foot 25c at its end. On the stationary sections 25a is secured a third and fourth transponder 43a, 43b, only the third front transponder 43a in the plane of the drawing of FIG. 1 being visible. The third and fourth transponders 43a, 43b arranged on the support jacks 25 are spaced apart from the vehicle lengthwise axis X especially far to the side and assist in performing an especially exact position determination of the second vehicle 20 laterally to the vehicle lengthwise axis X.

(18) On the second vehicle 20 shown in FIG. 1, at its front end 29, there can be seen an add-on unit 29a, which in turn carries the twelfth transponder 49 at its front end 29b. The twelfth transponder 49 in addition to the position determination also serves for detecting the front end 29b of the add-on unit 29a and preventing the add-on unit 29a from hitting the driver's cabin 18.

(19) The transceiver unit 31 has an antenna 33 and the second transceiver unit 34 has a second antenna 35, the antennas 33, 35 respectively putting out a radio signal, which for example arrives at the eighth transponder 47a and is reflected by it. The eighth transponder 47a is arranged at one of the lower corners 27a in the transition area of the front end 29 of the second vehicle 20 to its bodywork floor 27.

(20) The respective transceiver unit 31, 34 identifies the corresponding radio signal reflected from the eighth transponder 47a and provides it to the electronic controller 32, which calculates from it a distance to the eighth transponder 47a. The eighth transponder 47a, shown as an example, lies at the intersection of the distance measurements of the two transceiver units 31, 34.

(21) The electronic controller 32 also communicates with a vehicle controller 36, which influences the indicated air suspension 11 and the components of the first vehicle 10 represented in FIG. 5, especially the engine and transmission 14, the vehicle steering 15 and/or the brake 19. The vehicle controller 36 provides data to the electronic controller 32 as to the current actual status, such as the lifting distance H.sub.Luft of the air suspension 11, so that the electronic controller 32 can correct the lowest height condition H.sub.A1min of the antenna 33 and the lowest height condition H.sub.A2min of the second antenna 35 by the lifting distance H.sub.Luft and thus calculate an actual height H.sub.A1 of the antenna 33 and an actual height H.sub.A2 of the second antenna 35 with respect to the road level GOK.

(22) Given the actual heights H.sub.A1, H.sub.A2 of the antennas 33, 35, a determination is made for the absolute height of the eighth transponder 47a and, if its height does not allow a proper driving of the first vehicle 10 underneath the second vehicle 20, the air suspension 11 will be further regulated.

(23) FIG. 2 shows another exemplary embodiment of the invention, in which the transceiver units 31, 34 are offset at the rear end and now are secured in the area of the rear axle 16 and on a stationary part of the fifth wheel 12. By a stationary part of the fifth wheel 12 is meant first of all one of the bearing blocks 12a, there being two blocks present, which hold the fifth wheel 12 relative to the vehicle chassis 17. Oftentimes a supporting crossarm extends between the bearing blocks 12a and engages with them, and the second transceiver unit 34 can also be fastened on this. In another embodiment of the fifth wheel 12, the bearing blocks 12a can also be fastened on a bearing plate 12b, which is usually mounted from above on a vehicle frame and/or auxiliary vehicle frame, not shown here.

(24) As long as the transceiver unit 31 is fastened to the rear axle 16 of the first vehicle 10, no height correction by the lifting distance H.sub.Luft needs to be undertaken, since the rear axles 16 roll along the ground surface GOK and are not raised during the coupling process.

(25) FIG. 3 shows in a perspective view the second vehicle 20 and the transponders 47a, 47b, 48a, 48b arranged at the front end 29. The eighth and ninth transponder 47a, 47b are located in the lower corners 27a of the front end 29 of the second vehicle 20, bordering on the bodywork floor 27. A tenth and eleventh transponder 48a, 48b are likewise arranged in upper corners 28a on the front end 29 of the second vehicle 20, adjoining a roof wall 28. With the aid of the eighth to eleventh transponders 47a, 47b, 48a, 48b, the sensor device 30 can reconstruct an image of the end face of the second vehicle 20, so that the first vehicle 10 can then approach the second vehicle 20 targeted exactly for the coupling process.

(26) FIG. 4 shows a further embodiment in a side view, in which the sensor device 30 comprises only the single transceiver unit 31. For the precise detecting of the height condition of the second vehicle 20, an active transponder 50 is secured on its front end 29 immediately at a joint with the bodywork floor 27, being situated at first in the active zone of the transceiver unit 31 and serving the purpose of the distance measurement.

(27) The active transponder 50 is additionally connected to a height measuring sensor 51, which measures without contact the vertical distance between the trailer plate 24 and the ground surface GOK. This metered value of the height measuring sensor 51 is continuously transmitted to the active transponder 50 and read out together with its encoding by the transceiver unit 31.

(28) The active transponder 50 may be installed in a second recess 24a formed for this purpose in the trailer plate 24, as well as a second transponder 42 shown for example.

(29) FIGS. 5 and 6 show a further exemplary embodiment of the invention, in which the sensor device 30 is arranged on the second vehicle 20. The transceiver unit 31 with the antenna 33 formed on it is installed in the area of the front end 29 of the second vehicle 20 in the trailer plate 24 and emits a radar signal, which is reflected by two fifth transponders 44 arranged on the first vehicle 10. The fifth transponder(s) 44 are fixed stationary on the rear wall of the driver's cabin 18 and enable a position detection of the first vehicle 10 backing up, by means of a distance measurement.

(30) The distance of the trailer plate 24 of the second vehicle 20 above the ground surface GOK is an intrinsic feature of the system and it is calculated by a distance measurement from the antenna 33 of the transceiver unit 31 to a sixth transponder 45 situated on the telescopic section 25b of the support jack 25. The sixth transponder 45 is preferably arranged as far below as possible on the telescopic section 25, especially preferably on the support foot 25c of the telescopic section 25b.

(31) The stationary section 25a extends downward in its axial direction at a right angle α to the trailer plate 24, exactly like the telescopic section 25b which is guided therein solely in translatory motion. The stationary section 25a after the mounting of the device according to the invention is spaced apart at a constant distance b, parallel to the extension of the trailer plate 24, from the antenna 33 of the transceiver unit 31. The direct distance between the antenna 33 and the sixth transponder 45 is measured by the transceiver unit 31 and corresponds to a measured distance c. The electronic controller 32 calculates from the constant distance b stored in its memory and the measured distance c a vertical distance a corresponding to the extension status of the support jack 25.

(32) The metered values of the distance measurements to the transponders 44 and the calculated value of the distance a are relayed by the electronic controller 32 via a data radio transmitter 60 arranged on the second vehicle 20 as a data signal 62 to the first vehicle 10, still at a distance from yet approaching the first vehicle 10 prior to the coupling process, which has a data radio antenna 61 for receiving the data signal 62, being connected to the vehicle controller 36. The vehicle controller 36 may also comprise a plurality of vehicle controllers networked together. The vehicle controller 36 exerts influence on the control of engine and/or transmission 14, the vehicle steering 15 and the brake 19 of the autonomous driving first vehicle 10.

(33) FIG. 7 deals with a road train in the form of an articulated train. The first vehicle has at its rear end a pin or jaw coupling 13, in which the coupling means 21 of the second vehicle 20 is introduced and locked after coupling on the second vehicle 20. The coupling means 21 of the second vehicle 20 is a drawbar 26, which is designed as a rigid drawbar in the exemplary embodiment shown. At its distal end, a drawbar eye 26a is formed on the drawbar 26, through which a coupling pin (not shown) of the pin coupling 13 is inserted after the coupling process.

(34) The first vehicle 10 furthermore has a transceiver unit 31 with an antenna 33, which is likewise arranged at the rear of the first vehicle 10, close to the pin coupling 13. In the area of the drawbar eye 26a, the drawbar 26 has a third recess 26b, in which a seventh transponder 46 is installed in protected manner. Basically, it is also possible to apply the seventh transponder 46 directly to the surface of the drawbar 26. In this way, the seventh transponder 46 will be identified even better by the transceiver unit 31, however it is exposed to a greater risk of damage during driving operation.

(35) The contour of the front end 29 of the second vehicle 20 is bounded by an eighth and ninth transponder 47a, 47b located at the lower corners 27a and by a tenth and eleventh transponder 48a, 48b located at the upper corners 28a and their position can be detected by the transceiver unit 31. In the representation of FIG. 7, only the eighth and tenth transponders 47a, 48a lying in front in the plane of the drawing can be seen.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

(36) 10 First vehicle 11 Air suspension 12 Fifth wheel 12a Bearing block 12b Bearing plate 13 Pin coupling 14 Engine and transmission 15 Vehicle steering 16 Rear axle 17 Vehicle chassis 18 Driver's cabin 19 Brake 20 Second vehicle 21 Coupling means 22 Kingpin 22a Fastening flange 22b Upper collar 22c Locking section 22d Lower collar 22e Bottom of lower collar 22f First recess 23 Bottom side of second vehicle 24 Trailer plate 24a Second recess 25 Support jack 25a Stationary section of support jack 25b Telescopic section of support jack 25c Support foot 26 Drawbar 26a Drawbar eye 26b Third recess 27 Bodywork floor 27a Lower corners 28 Roof wall 28a Upper corners 29 Front end of second vehicle 29a Add-on unit 29b Front end of add-on unit 30 Sensor device 31 Transceiver unit 32 Electronic controller 33 Antenna 34 Second transceiver unit 35 Second antenna 36 Vehicle controller 40 Reference point 41 First transponder (kingpin) 42 Second transponder (trailer plate) 43a Third transponder (support jack) 43b Fourth transponder (support jack) 44 Fifth transponder (first vehicle) 45 Sixth transponder (support jack extended) 46 Seventh transponder (drawbar eye) 47a Eighth transponder (lower corner) 47b Ninth transponder (lower corner) 48a Tenth transponder (upper corner) 48b Eleventh transponder (upper corner) 49 Twelfth transponder (add-on unit) 50 Active transponder (front edge of second vehicle) 51 Height measuring sensor 60 Data radio transmitter 61 Data radio antenna 62 Data signal α a Support jack/trailer plate angle a Trailer plate/GOK spacing b Transceiver unit/support jack spacing c Support jack measuring distance GOK Road level, ground surface Δh Vertical height clearance H.sub.A1min Lowest height, antenna H.sub.A2min Lowest height, second antenna H.sub.Luft Lifting distance, air suspension H.sub.A1 Actual height, antenna H.sub.A2 Actual height, second antenna S Swivel axis, kingpin X Vehicle lengthwise axis