613results about "Trailer steering" patented technology

A system for controlling motion of an articulated vehicle with one or multiple trailers is described. The system is configured to infer the state of a vehicle, determine a motion path with forward motions and backward motions for the vehicle based on the state, and formulate an optimal control problem for optimizing the motion path. The optimal control problem comprises an integral tracking error function indicating integral tracking error based on motion cusps relating to the motion path. The motion cusps indicate switching between forward motion and backward motion. The motion path is optimized over a prediction horizon based on solving the optimal control problem. A control command is generated for the vehicle based on the optimized motion path and a vehicle model, and the motion of the articulated vehicle is controlled based on the control command thereby changing its state.

A combination vehicle includes a tractor including a steered wheel and a trailer towed by the tractor. A control device for the combination vehicle includes a control unit. The control unit is configured to, when a reverse operation of the combination vehicle is performed, assist a reverse operation of the trailer by causing a controlled variable to follow a target value of reverse control that is set through a specific operation by an operator. The control unit is configured to execute a process of limiting the target value and a process of limiting a time rate of change in the target value from a viewpoint of suppressing occurrence of a jackknife phenomenon.

A zero point estimation device is configured to perform a first acquisition process, a second acquisition process, and a zero point estimation process. The first acquisition process is a process of acquiring a plurality of first detection values of a first sensor sampled at different timings from each other while a vehicle is traveling with a change in a direction of travel. The second acquisition process is a process of acquiring a plurality of second detection values of a second sensor sampled in synchronization with the sampling timings of the first detection values to be acquired by the first acquisition process. The zero point estimation process is a process of estimating a zero point of the second sensor by using, as inputs, the plurality of first detection values acquired by the first acquisition process and the plurality of second detection values acquired by the second acquisition process.

An auxiliary hydraulic system including an accumulator, a control valve, and a hydraulic connector. The accumulator connects to a primary hydraulic system including a hydraulic pump, a brake circuit, and a steering circuit. The control valve selectively allows or prevents flow from an accumulator to at least one of the brake circuit and the steering circuit. The hydraulic connector selectively connects an external source to the accumulator and the control valve.

The vehicle system can include: a set of vehicle couplings (e.g., a tractor interface, a trailer interface, etc.); a chassis, a battery pack, an electric powertrain, a sensor suite, and a controller. The modular vehicle system can optionally include landing gear, a suspension, and any other suitable set of components. The vehicle system functions to structurally support and / or tow a trailer—such as a Class 8 semi-trailer—and / or to augment / supplement a tractor propulsive capability (e.g., via a diesel / combustion engine) with a supplementary electric drive axle(s).

A method for controlling a vehicle in preparation for a maneuver along a first main route direction, the method comprising obtaining a set of entry conditions indicating allowable vehicle states prior to commencing the maneuver, determining a current vehicle state, and initiating the maneuver if the current vehicle state is comprised in the set of entry conditions.

A method of operating a tow vehicle and a trailer includes identifying at least one of transient state of operating characteristics or steady state operating characteristics. A transient state based estimation is performed if the transient state operating characteristics are identified to determine a transient state based effective trailer wheelbase and a towbar length and a steady state based estimation is performed if the steady state operating characteristics are identified to determine a steady state based effective trailer wheelbase. An estimated effective trailer wheelbase is determined relative to the tow vehicle based on at least one of the transient state based effective trailer wheelbase and the steady state based effective trailer wheelbase. The tow vehicle and the trailer are maneuvered based on the estimated effective trailer wheelbase.

A control device is applied to a combination vehicle including a tractor and a trailer that is towed by the tractor. The control device is configured to perform a state quantity acquisition process, a predicted trajectory information calculation process, and a display process. The state quantity acquisition process is a process of acquiring a state quantity of the combination vehicle. The predicted trajectory information calculation process is a process of calculating predicted trajectory information of the trailer according to the state quantity. The display process is a process of displaying the predicted trajectory information by operating a display device.

The invention relates to a semitrailer traction pin assembly (1) for an articulated vehicle, comprising a traction pin (2) defining an axis of rotation (A) wherein the traction pin (2) has a traction pin flange (3) for directly or indirectly connecting the traction pin (2) to the semitrailer. The traction pin assembly (1) further comprises an angle measuring device (15) at least partially embedded in the traction pin (2), the device having a shaft (17) rotatably mounted about the axis of rotation (A), and a transmission member (18) connected to the shaft (17), the transmission member (18) being pivotable about the axis of rotation (A).

The connected vehicle is provided with a tractor and a trailer towed by the tractor. The linked vehicle is provided with an interface (80) for instructing a target virtual steering angle, which is a target value of the virtual steering angle, by a driver. The virtual steering angle is a variable indicating a traveling direction of a connection portion between the trailer and the tractor. The control device (50) is configured to execute: a process for acquiring a target virtual steering angle; a virtual steering angle control process for operating a steering system (60) of the connected vehicle in order to control the virtual steering angle to the target virtual steering angle; and a process for limiting the absolute value of the vehicle speed of the linked vehicle to a smaller side using the target virtual steering angle as an input during execution of the virtual steering angle control process. The linked vehicle is provided with an interface (80) for instructing a target virtual steering angle, which is a target value of the virtual steering angle, by a driver. The virtual steering angle is a variable indicating a traveling direction of a connection portion between the trailer and the tractor. The control device (50) is configured to execute: a process for acquiring a target virtual steering angle; a virtual steering angle control process for operating a steering system (60) of the connected vehicle in order to control the virtual steering angle to the target virtual steering angle; and a process for limiting the absolute value of the vehicle speed of the linked vehicle to a smaller side using the target virtual steering angle as an input during execution of the virtual steering angle control process.

A system for assisting in aligning a vehicle for hitching with a trailer includes a vehicle steering system, a detection system outputting a signal including scene data of an area to a rear of the vehicle, and a controller that controls the vehicle steering system to maneuver the vehicle according to an initial alignment maneuver that positions the vehicle relative to the trailer, such that the trailer is within the area to the rear of the vehicle. The controller further receives the scene data and identifies the trailer within the area to the rear of the vehicle, derives a backing path to align a hitch ball mounted on the vehicle to a coupler of the trailer, and controls the vehicle steering system to maneuver the vehicle including reversing along the backing path.

A trailer has an elongated body and a plurality of wheeled frames. The frames are pivotable with respect to the elongated body to move their wheels about a respective first vertical axis. Wheels on the frame are also pivotable about a second vertical axis so that movement of the wheels about the second vertical axis moves the wheels with respect to the frame.

A new articulated vehicle control method. The method comprises: S100: calculating a transverse position deviation and a yaw angle deviation on the basis of a current pose and a reference path; S200: calculating a curvature deviation on the basis of the current pose and the reference path; and S300: constructing a kinematic error model to solve for a control quantity.

A self-propelled trailer for towing by a power vehicle, comprising: a frame forming an undercarriage chassis; a tandem wheel assembly positioned under the undercarriage chassis and having a rear wheel assembly and a front wheel assembly, the tandem wheel assembly including at least one steering assembly, and at least one drive assembly, and an extension assembly moving the front wheel assembly between trailing position and a self-propelled position where the rear wheel assembly and the front wheel assembly are positioned to equally support the undercarriage chassis and where the trailer can be moved by operation of the at least one drive assembly; and having an extension device pivotably mounted to the frame at a first end and having a repositionable knuckle and a multi-use mount at a second end of the extension device.

The disclosure relates to a method for determining object information relating to an object in an environment of a multi-part vehicle having at least one towing vehicle and at least one trailer and a control unit and vehicle associated with it, with at least one trailer camera being arranged on the trailer, having at least the following steps: capturing the environment with a trailer camera from a first position and, in dependence thereon, creating a first image having first pixels; changing the position of the trailer camera; capturing the environment with the trailer camera from a second position and creating a second image having second pixels; and, determining object information relating to an object in the captured environment.

A vehicle control device according to an embodiment includes a lateral position acquisition unit configured to acquire a lateral position of the vehicle, a feedforward control unit configured to determine a feedforward steering angle corresponding to the target yaw rate, a feedback control unit configured to determine a feedback steering angle, a steering angle determination unit configured to determine a steering angle of the vehicle, a wobble determination unit configured to detect a wobble of the vehicle based on a temporal change in the lateral position of the vehicle, and a correction unit configured to correct the feedback steering angle so that a variation amount with respect to an average value of the feedback steering angle in a most recent certain period becomes small when the wobble of the vehicle is detected by the wobble determination unit.

Visual trailer tracking for vehicle-trailer angle estimation is performed by: receiving image data from cameras positioned on a tow vehicle and rearwardly facing to capture a rearward environment of the tow vehicle that includes a connected trailer; detecting a representation of the trailer in the received image data from each of the cameras; based upon the trailer representation in the image data from each camera, selecting at least one camera from the plurality of cameras; detecting a feature of the trailer representation and a location of the trailer representation feature in the image data from the selected at least one camera; estimating a distance associated with the detected feature of the trailer representation; determining a trailer dimension based upon the estimated distance of the detected feature; and initiating a trailer-assist operation for the tow vehicle based upon the determined trailer dimension.

The invention discloses an auxiliary supporting follow-up steering type center shaft trailer, and relates to the technical field of trailers. A driving mechanism is arranged in the middle of the bottom surface of the trailer bearing frame, and the driving mechanism comprises a driving top plate; a steering mechanism is arranged in the middle of the bottom face of the driving mechanism and comprises a steering sector plate, and a steering driving shaft is slidably arranged in the steering sector plate. Wherein supporting mechanisms are arranged on the front side and the rear side of the bottom face of the driving mechanism correspondingly, and each supporting mechanism comprises a supporting frame. According to the follow-up steering type center shaft trailer with the auxiliary supporting function, the driving mechanism below the trailer bearing frame is connected with the driving trailer body, so that the whole trailer has driving force, a steering positioning disc of the steering mechanism drives a driving top plate to rotate, and a supporting mechanism is linked to reduce side inclination during steering; meanwhile, the pressure water tank and the cooling spraying pipe are driven to dissipate heat for the damping plate spring, and the supporting effect is prevented from being reduced due to high temperature.

A control device and method for controlling a tag axle steering system, configured to steer tag axle wheels of a tag axle, are provided. The method comprises, when the steering angle of the tag axle wheels is offset from a steering angle of a neutral position of the tag axle wheels and in response to a fault signal indicating malfunction of the tag axle steering system, locking the position of the tag axle wheels at a current steering angle of the tag axle wheels. A computer program and a computer-readable medium, as well as a vehicle, are also disclosed.

A reverse control device starts reversing a combination vehicle by autonomous driving only when conditions for appropriately performing the autonomous driving are satisfied, and stably reverses the combination vehicle by the autonomous driving. The autonomous driving functions as a reverse control device and is installed in a towing vehicle of a combination vehicle in which a towed vehicle is connected to the towing vehicle, and controls the towing vehicle during autonomous reverse driving for reversing the combination vehicle by autonomous driving. The autonomous driving starts the autonomous reverse driving when towing reverse start conditions are satisfied, the towing reverse start conditions including that the speed of the towing vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and that steering torque of the towing vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

A vehicular trailering assist system of a vehicle includes a camera. The system determines a reference point at the vehicle that corresponds to a pivot axis of a trailer hitched to the vehicle. The system, using the camera, (i) determines location of a first target at the trailer and (ii) determines location of a second target at the trailer. The system, during a calibration maneuver, (i) determines a first offset based on the reference point and the location of the first target and (ii) determines a second offset based on the reference point and the location of the second target. The system determines a triangle based on (i) the reference point at the vehicle, (ii) the location of the first target and (iii) the location of the second target. The system, after completion of the calibration maneuver, determines a trailer angle of the trailer relative to the vehicle.

The present application relates to the technical field of tunnel construction, and solves the problem in the art of the deviation of a rear trailer. Provided are a rear trailer, a steering method for a rear trailer, and a shield machine. The rear trailer comprises a trailer, a rubber-coated-wheel traveling mechanism, a main controller and a sub-controller, wherein the sub-controller is configured to acquire the value of the tilt angle of the trailer when the trailer tilts, and the sub-controller is further configured to determine the magnitudes of the value of the tilt angle of the trailer and the actual deviation value of the trailer, and adjusts the value of the tilt angle of the trailer, such that the value is less than or equal to a target deviation correction value. The present application can perform deviation correction on a rear trailer in real time, thereby avoiding the problem of the deviation of the rear trailer, and ensuring that the rear trailer moves forward along a preset route. Moreover, the apparatus in the present application is applicable to direction adjustment of rear trailers in different types of tunnels.

A vehicular trailer guidance system includes an electronic control unit (ECU) and a rear backup camera disposed at a vehicle. A human machine interface (HMI) is operable in (i) a trailer left-backup mode, (i) a trailer straight-backup mode and (iii) a trailer right-backup mode. Responsive to selection by the driver of the trailer left-backup mode or trailer right-backup mode, the ECU sets a desired trailer angle of the trailer tongue leftward or rightward to an angle that is commensurate with a driver-selected setting of an input device. Responsive to selection by the driver of the trailer straight-backup mode, the ECU sets the desired trailer angle to a zero degree angle. The ECU, while the vehicle is backing up the trailer, controls the power steering system of the vehicle to steer the vehicle to back up the trailer to have the determined trailer angle coincide with the set desired trailer angle.

A vehicle employs a method of towing a trailer. A speedometer measures a current velocity of the vehicle. A hitch length sensor obtains a current trailer length of the trailer. A steering angle sensor measures a steering wheel angle of a steering wheel of the vehicle. A processor determines a velocity difference between the current velocity of the vehicle and a nominal velocity of the vehicle, determines a length difference between the current trailer length and a nominal trailer length, calculates a dynamic steering ratio based on the length difference and the velocity difference, determines a road wheel angle for the vehicle from the steering wheel angle and the dynamic steering ratio, and controls a road wheel actuator to obtain the road wheel angle to steer the vehicle.

A trailer platform system with independent propulsion and control includes a steerable first axle connected to a pair of first wheels, a second axle connected to a pair of second wheels, and at least one electric traction motor configured to drive the steerable first axle and / or the second axle. A high voltage battery system is configured to power the at least one electric traction motor. A load platform is supported by a chassis and a suspension, wherein the load platform is a wagon-style platform with the first and second wheels located at the four corners of the load platform. A lead vehicle hitch connection is configured to removably couple to a lead vehicle.

A method for determining a trailer detection parameter of a trailer including receiving an image from at least one camera at a controller. The at least one camera defines a field of view including at least a portion of a vehicle trailer. The method determines a trailer angle of the vehicle trailer relative to a tractor, identifies at least one feature in an image of the trailer, determines a two-dimensional distance from the at least one feature to a predefined position on the image, and converts the two-dimensional distance to a three-dimensional distance based at least in part on the determined angle. The three-dimensional distance is a trailer detection parameter of the trailer.

An articulated vehicle includes a tractor and a trailer that is towed by the tractor. The articulated vehicle is provided with an interface (80) for a driver to instruct a target virtual steering angle which is a target value of a virtual steering angle. The virtual steering angle is a variable that indicates a direction of travel of a linking point between the trailer and the tractor. The control device (50) is configured to execute processing of acquiring the target virtual steering angle, virtual steering angle control processing of operating a steering system (60) of the articulated vehicle to control the virtual steering angle to the target virtual steering angle, and processing of restricting an absolute value of vehicle speed of the articulated vehicle to a small side with the target virtual steering angle as input during execution of the virtual steering angle control processing.