Information Transmission System for a Commercial Vehicle and a Commercial Vehicle and Commercial Vehicle Combination

Abstract

An information transmission system for at least one commercial vehicle includes at least one information sending module, at least one repeating module and at least one receiving module. The information sending module is configured and arranged to send signals defining a message to the repeating module. The repeating module is configured and arranged to enhance the signals and forward the signals to the receiving module. A commercial vehicle and a commercial vehicle combination utilize the information transmission system.

Claims

1.-18. (canceled)

19. An information transmission system for at least one commercial vehicle, comprising: at least one information sending module; at least one repeating module; and at least one receiving module, wherein the information sending module is configured and arranged to send signals defining a message to the repeating module, and the repeating module is configured and arranged to enhance the signals and forward the signals to the receiving module.

20. The information transmission system according to claim 19, wherein the repeating module is a transceiver and/or part of a transceiver.

21. The information transmission system according to claim 20, wherein the information sending module is a transceiver and/or part of a transceiver.

22. The information transmission system according to claim 21, wherein the receiving module is a transceiver and/or part of a transceiver.

23. The information transmission system according to claim 19, wherein the information sending module is configured and arranged to be mounted on a truck, and the repeating module and the receiving module are not mounted on a truck.

24. The information transmission system according to claim 23, wherein signal transmission between the information sending module and the repeating module is wireless.

25. The information transmission system according to claim 24, wherein signal transmission between the information repeating module and the receiving module is wireless.

26. The information transmission system according to claim 25, wherein signal transmission between the information sending module, the repeating module, and/or the receiving module is in conformity with at least one of the following standards: WiFi, Bluetooth, WAVE, ETSI ITS-G5, IEEE 802.15.4, or C-V2X.

27. The information transmission system according to claim 19, wherein the information transmission system comprises one or more directional antennas with a gain of at least +5 dBi.

28. The information transmission system according to claim 27, wherein one directional antenna has a wired connection to one of the information sending module, the repeating module, or the receiving module.

29. The information transmission system according to claim 28, wherein a respective directional antenna is provided for the information sending module, the repeating module and the receiving module.

30. The information transmission system according to claim 29, wherein each directional antenna has a wired link with an associated module.

31. The information transmission system according to claim 19, wherein the information transmission system comprises one or more built-in and/or integrated antennas.

32. A commercial vehicle comprising the information sending module of the information transmission system according to claim 19.

33. A commercial vehicle combination, comprising: at least one truck; at least two trailers, and an information transmission system according to claim 19, wherein the information sending module is arranged on the truck, the repeating module is arranged on the first trailer and the receiving module is arranged on the second trailer.

34. An information sending module for an information transmission system according to claim 19, wherein the information sending module is configured and arranged to send signals defining a message to the repeating module.

35. A repeating module for an information transmission system according to claim 19, wherein the repeating module is configured and arranged to enhance the signals and forward the signals to the receiving module.

36. A receiving module for an information transmission system according to claim 19, wherein the receiving module is arranged and configured to receive forwarded, enhanced, signals from the repeating module.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] FIG. 1 illustrates the architecture of a tethered vehicle equipped with an information transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0031] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a transceiver (repeating module) according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] FIG. 1 shows an information transmission system 10 for at least one commercial vehicle.

[0033] Here, more commercial vehicles are present, i.e. one truck 12 as towing vehicle and two trailers 14, 16.

[0034] In the shown embodiment, the vehicles, i.e. the truck 12 and two trailers 14, 16, are tethered and form a so-called road-train.

[0035] All the vehicles, i.e. here the truck 12 as towing vehicle and being in the first position of the road-train, the first trailer 14 having the middle position of the road-train, and the second trailer 16 having the last position of the road-train, are each equipped with a wireless transceiver 18, 20, 22.

[0036] The wireless transceiver 18 is mounted on the truck 12, the wireless transceiver 20 is mounted on the first trailer 14 and the wireless transceiver 22 is mounted on the second trailer 16.

[0037] In the truck, there is also an electronic control unit (ECU) 19 provided.

[0038] All used transceivers within the system 10 are identical. This is also possible, when more vehicles are used and then each vehicle may be equipped with an identically made and specified transceiver.

[0039] Each wireless transceiver 18, 20, 22 is capable of transmitting and receiving wireless signals W.

[0040] The wireless transceivers 18, 20, 22 do not do the data processing itself, but forward the data to the processing ECU 19 via regular wired interface.

[0041] The signal transmission between information sending module, here represented by (at least) one of the wireless transceivers 18, 20, 22, and repeating module, here represented by (at least) one of the other wireless transceivers 18, 20, 22, is established so as to be wireless.

[0042] Also, the signal transmission between information repeating module, e.g. represented by the transceiver 20 on the first trailer 14, and the receiving module, here represented by the transceiver 22 on the second trailer 16, is wireless.

[0043] The signal transmission between the transceivers 18, 20, 22 can be a WiFi connection. It is also possible that another standard is chosen, e.g. a standard such as Bluetooth, WAVE, ETSI ITS-G5, IEEE 802.15.4, C-V2X or the like.

[0044] Furthermore, the information transmission system 10 comprises one or more directional antenna(s) 18a, 18b, 20a, 20b, 22a, 22b.

[0045] The antennas 18a, 18b, 20a, 20b, 22a, 22b are integrated into the transceivers 18, 20, 22. In the shown embodiment, each transceiver 18, 20, 22 has two integrated antennas 18a, 18b, 20a, 20b, 22a, 22b.

[0046] All antennas 18a, 18b, 20a, 20b, 22a, 22b have a gain of at least +5 dBi.

[0047] Moreover, all antennas 18a, 18b, 20a, 20b, 22a, 22b have a wired connection to the respective transceiver 18, 20, 22.

[0048] FIG. 2 shows the block diagram of a transceiver 18, 20, 22 according to the present invention, here with the middle transceiver 20.

[0049] The transceiver 20 has an antenna 20a and an antenna 20b.

[0050] Furthermore, the transceiver 20 has a first wireless communication module 24, a second wireless communication module 26, a controller unit 28, a power supply 30, a wired connection 32 that carries the power voltage and a wired connection 34 that carries the signal of other sensors of the vehicle.

[0051] The antenna 20a is connected with a wired link 21a with the first wireless communication module 24.

[0052] The antenna 20b is connected with a wired link 21b with the second wireless communication module 26.

[0053] The controller unit 28 is connected via high speed communication links 36, 38 to the communication module 24, 26.

[0054] The functionality of the information transmission system 10 can be described as follows.

[0055] The information transmission system 10 comprises with the first transceiver 18 as information sending module, with the middle transceiver 20 as repeating module and with the endmost transceiver 22 as receiving module.

[0056] The first transceiver 18 sends signals defining a message to the middle transceiver 20 acting as repeating module, wherein the middle transceiver 20 enhances the signals and forwards the signals to the endmost transceiver 22 acting as receiving module.

[0057] When the endmost trailer 16 wants to send messages to the truck 12 (or vice versa), this does not happen directly.

[0058] Instead, the transceiver 22 of the endmost trailer 16 sends it to the middle transceiver 20 mounted on the trailer 14 in the middle via a wireless link L1.

[0059] The middle transceiver 20 mounted on the trailer 14 in the middle enhances the signals and then forwards the message to the first transceiver 18 mounted on the truck 12 via another wireless link L2. The two wireless links L1, L2 may operate on different channels or even use different wireless technologies.

[0060] In one embodiment the used wireless technology is compliant with the Wi-Fi standards. The backwards facing radios R1 are configured to behave as clients CL, while the forwards facing radios R2 are configured as access points AP. The access points AP may work on different channels and therefore they do not have to share the bandwidth of the channel.

[0061] Within the transceiver 20, the controller unit 28 plays a gateway role between the two wireless communication modules 24, 26 and its wired interface 34.

[0062] The controller unit 28 forwards the data from one wireless module 24 to the other wireless module 26 (or vice versa, as this is a bi-directional communication line) and sends the data of the sensor of the vehicle received via its wired interface 34 and wireless interfaces 24, 26.

REFERENCES

[0063] 10 Information transmission system [0064] 12 Truck [0065] 14 Trailer [0066] 16 Trailer [0067] 19 Electronic control unit (ECU) [0068] 18 Information sending module [0069] 18a Directional antenna [0070] 18b Directional antenna [0071] 20 Repeating module [0072] 20a Directional antenna [0073] 20b Directional antenna [0074] 21a Wired link [0075] 21b Wired link [0076] 22 Receiving module [0077] 22a Directional antenna [0078] 22b Directional antenna [0079] 24 Wireless communication module [0080] 26 Wireless communication module [0081] 28 Controller unit [0082] 30 Power supply [0083] 32 Wired connection [0084] 34 Wired connection [0085] 36 Communication link [0086] 38 Communication link [0087] AP Access Point [0088] CL Client [0089] L1 Wireless link [0090] L2 Wireless link [0091] R1 Facing Radio [0092] R2 Facing Radio [0093] W Signals