Components and methods for vehicles

Abstract

An assembly comprising: a vehicle (13, 13a-13c) having a plurality of wheels (2), each of the wheels (2) being arranged to support the weight of the vehicle (13) against an underlying surface (5); a sensor (10) operable to measure forces between one of the wheels (2) and the vehicle body of the vehicle (13, 13a-13c); and a processor (15) configured to receive measurement data from the sensor (10). A method for measuring a condition of a driving surface (5) and a method of operating a vehicle (13, 13a-13d) on a road (5) are also provided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an assembly and a method for operating a vehicle or vehicles. Background Art

[0002] In road traffic and various other applications, such as at airports, it is useful for both safety and operational efficiency to have knowledge of various environmental aspects related to roads, runways, sidewalks, etc. For example, energy consumption, noise, air pollution, actual rolling resistance and other performance may be relevant. These factors and others may apply to all types of wheels of a vehicle moving on a road surface.

[0003] Documents that may be useful for understanding the background art include US 4,958,512, US 4,098,111 and US 6,923,038.

[0004] For example, the rolling resistance generated during driving and braking is the result of very complex mechanisms that are influenced by many factors, such as the surface of the ground, the speed of the vehicle, the air temperature, the design of the tires, the quality of the tires and, in particular, whether there is water, mud, snow or ice on the ground. Even in apparently similar situations, the rolling resistance may vary significantly, for example, it can be mentioned that water stirred with air has very different properties compared to water not mixed with air. This last situation is a situation that has not been traditionally recognized and has not been taken into account.

[0005] Therefore, it is desirable to provide new systems and techniques for measuring rolling resistance or other parameters associated with a vehicle and / or a driving surface with greater accuracy. Summary of the invention

[0006] In one embodiment, a component is provided, comprising: a vehicle having a plurality of wheels, each of the wheels being arranged to support the weight of the vehicle against a lower surface; a sensor operable to measure a force between one of the wheels of the vehicle and a body of the vehicle; and a processor configured to receive measurement data from the sensor.

[0007] In one embodiment, there is provided a method for measuring the condition of a driving surface, the method comprising: driving a vehicle having an assembly according to any preceding claim over the surface; recording a series of force measurements from a sensor.

[0008] In one embodiment, a method of operating a vehicle on a road is provided, the method comprising: obtaining a road condition parameter from a sensor at a first vehicle; and transmitting the road condition parameter and a geographic location parameter to a central computing system, the geographic location parameter indicating a location where the road condition parameter was obtained.

[0009] The attached dependent claims and the following detailed description outline further embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The above-mentioned and other characteristics will become clear from the following description of illustrative embodiments given as non-limiting examples with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0011] Figure 1 The device according to the invention arranged on a device carrying a wheel is shown, viewed from the side,

[0012] Figure 2 Shown from the front Figure 1 The device,

[0013] Figure 3 Shown from above Figure 1 The device,

[0014] Figure 4 Shown is the installation at the front of the vehicle Figure 1 The device,

[0015] Figure 5 The diagram shows rolling resistance.

[0016] Figure 6 The components of the embodiment are shown in the figure.

[0017] Figure 7 The components of the embodiment are shown, and

[0018] Figure 8 A method according to an embodiment is illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Various parameters related to a vehicle or a driving surface, such as a road, may be relevant for capture, analysis, and use by the systems and methods as described herein.

[0020] With regard to the measurement of rolling resistance, the way in which water affects the measuring device can have large deviations. During sampling, falling water, such as rainwater, is very different from water that rests on the road statically. Likewise, the amount (depth) of water is also important for rolling resistance. The use of the present invention makes it possible to eliminate many of the normally occurring uncertainties, since the values ​​can be read directly on the monitor without the need to convert external data related to road conditions, tires, water density, etc.

[0021] Figure 1 The device according to an embodiment is shown mounted in a device carrying a wheel, viewed from the side.The device can be attached to the front of a vehicle. Figure 2shows a front view of the same device, and Figure 3 A top view of the same device is shown. Figure 4 The device is shown arranged on a vehicle 13. The device comprises a bracket or fastening plate 1, on one side of which the device is fixed, and the other side of the plate 1 is fixed to the vehicle 13. Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1 , the device is located at the front of the vehicle 13 .

[0022] The device comprises at least one wheel 2, which is preferably in close contact with the ground 5 by means of its own weight. In the wheel 2 is a hub 4. The wheel 2 can rotate freely around the hub 4 without brakes.

[0023] The suspension of the wheel 2 comprises a vertical holder 3 which is supported in the upper edge and can pivot in the manner of a pendulum about the fulcrum 7. The arm 8 is also movable about its support point 9 which is attached in a plate 1 fixed to the vehicle 13.

[0024] In order to prevent the vertical holder from moving out of its precise position during driving, the vertical holder is equipped with an adjustment screw 6, which is located on a cantilever arm 11, which ensures that the adjustment screw 6 does not loosen. The vertical holder can be moved upward and downward to a certain extent, so that the wheel 2 is always in contact with the road surface by downward pressure. The downward pressure can be provided by the weight of the wheel 2 and the holder 3. The wheel 2 can also be provided with a spring, which keeps the wheel towards the road surface with a constant pressure.

[0025] When the vehicle 13 moves forward, a force will be generated from the wheel 2 towards the vehicle 13, which force is shown by the arrow 14. This force is received and measured by a measuring unit 10, which is mounted on a permanently suspended beam 12 starting from the carriage 1.

[0026] Figure 5 The diagram shows the rolling resistance of a wheel 2 moving on a surface 5. The wheel 2 rotates as indicated by the arrow 2'. Part of the rolling resistance is the deformation of the surface and the wheel. In addition, as the wheel 2 moves on the surface 5, the wheel 2 will displace a certain amount of liquid 21, such as water or mud, thereby generating a hydraulic force 23 in the direction of the hub 4. The resistance to forward movement generates a force on the hub 4, which has a horizontal force component Fx 20, a vertical force component Fy 22 and a vertical force component Fz, which is not shown. The horizontal force component Fx is shown by the arrow 20 pointing backwards. The force acting on the hub 4 can be measured by a load cell 10 (see Figure 1 ) to measure.

[0027] There is a wired or wireless connection from the sensor 10 to a processor 15 inside the cab which displays the force on a monitoring display.

[0028] In one embodiment, the measured force may be stored on a computer system and / or transmitted to a remote location. The measured force may be transmitted in real time. The force may be calibrated relative to the measured speed of the vehicle 13. The speed of the vehicle 13 may be measured by a tachometer associated with the wheel 2 and / or within the vehicle 13.

[0029] The measurements may be performed by setting a fixed, substantially constant speed for the vehicle 13 or by obtaining measurements at different speeds of the vehicle 13. Taking measurements at different speeds may provide a more complete knowledge of the road conditions, since certain aspects associated with the measured parameters may be highly non-linear in nature. Therefore, obtaining readings at different measurement points may provide greater accuracy.

[0030] To obtain the data, the vehicle 13 is driven on the road surface and the rolling resistance can be read on a display, or measurements on the rolling resistance can be recorded locally or remotely. Alternatively, other parameters such as acceleration can be measured. Data related to rolling resistance, noise emissions, sliding resistance, surface texture, other safety issues, energy consumption or other aspects can then be displayed and / or stored.

[0031] The device may be located in front of the vehicle 13. This allows the device to measure conditions on a surface that has not been disturbed by the vehicle 13 and avoids other influences of the vehicle 13 on the measured values.

[0032] The data obtained can be coordinated and converted into units that can be compared from time to time or continuously. Then, the measurements from different times can be compared to identify, for example, degradation of the surface 5.

[0033] The wheels 2 and associated components may be secured to the carriage 1 by quick release couplings to facilitate use of the device. Alternatively, the carriage 1 can be released from the vehicle 13 in the same manner.

[0034] As mentioned above, the wheel 2 is suspended in a link which can pivot to a certain extent in the vertical plane in order to absorb slight irregularities in the road surface.

[0035] In one embodiment, the sensor 10 may be arranged on at least one of the conventional wheels of the vehicle 13, each of the wheels 2 being arranged to support the weight of the vehicle 13 against the lower surface 5. Having the sensor 10 located on any of the front wheels of the vehicle 13 allows the device to measure the condition of a surface that has not been disturbed by the vehicle 13. The sensor 10 may then measure the following: a horizontal force component Fx acting between the wheel 2 of the vehicle 13 and the body of the vehicle, for example a force representing the rolling resistance of the road or lower surface 5 when the vehicle 13 is travelling; a vertical force component Fy acting between the wheel 2 of the vehicle 13 and the body of the vehicle; a perpendicular force component Fz acting between the wheel 2 of the vehicle 13 and the body of the vehicle; a combination of these forces; and / or forces acting in different directions.

[0036] The processor 15 can receive the measured values ​​and store them, process them, further transmit them, etc.

[0037] The sensor 10 may be a load cell configured to measure the force acting on the vehicle 13 from the wheel 2 in the direction of travel of the vehicle, ie horizontally, vertically or in other directions. Figure 6 An example of a sensor 10 suitable for use with the embodiments described herein is shown. In this embodiment, the sensor 10 is arranged around a support 40 that supports one of the wheels 2 of a vehicle 13. The sensor 10 measures a force Fx in a horizontal direction and a force Fy in a vertical direction acting between the wheel 2 and the body of the vehicle 13. Alternatively or in addition, the sensor 10 may measure other forces, i.e. forces acting in a direction different from the horizontal or vertical direction.

[0038] The sensor 10 may be a single sensor that measures multiple forces, directions and magnitudes acting on the wheel hub 4. The sensor 10 may be composed of multiple independent sensor units, each sensor unit measuring a force in a specific direction.

[0039] The readings from the sensor 10 may be sent to a display on the processor 15 for display to the driver or another operator in the vehicle 13, and / or the readings from the sensor 10 may be transmitted to a location outside the vehicle 13 via a data transmitter 41. The data transmitter 41 may be, for example, a wireless communication device such as a GSM device, a WLAN device, or a dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) device. The wireless communication device may be, for example, an intelligent transportation system (ITS) device.

[0040] In one embodiment, the processor 15 is operable to determine that the vehicle is about to experience a loss of traction condition and display a warning to the driver or another operator of the vehicle. In one example, the processor may determine that the vertical force component Fy is about to exceed the weight of the wheel 2 due to liquid on the surface 5, a condition known as hydroplaning or hydroplaning.

[0041] In one embodiment, the processor 15 is operable to transmit the measurement data from the sensor 10 to a receiver 30 outside the vehicle 13. The receiver may be, for example, a central computing system 30 located at a remote location, such as a data center, with which the processor 15 is connected via wireless data transmission. In this way, the measurement data may be transmitted, for example, to the "cloud" for further processing or use by others. The transmission of the measurement data may be performed in real time. This is Figure 7 and Figure 8 5 , where arrows indicate the transmission of data to and / or from a plurality of vehicles 13 a to 13 d traveling on the road 5 .

[0042] Alternatively, a series of geographic coordinates, such as GPS readings, may be transmitted along with the measurement data, so that each geographic coordinate corresponds to a corresponding force measurement. In this way, a map of road conditions (e.g., rolling resistance or friction) over the length of the road or surface 5 may be obtained. The map may be used by others to analyze road conditions for operational planning (e.g., road maintenance), or the map may be used to provide safety-related data to the vehicle 13 and / or other vehicles 13a to 13d.

[0043] In an embodiment, measurement data from several vehicles 13a to 13d may be transmitted to a central computing system 30. This may provide more complete information about road conditions and more accurate information with higher clarity, as individual measurements are available and can be used directly or for example for trending / forecasting.

[0044] In an embodiment, the method according to the present invention can be used to transmit data returned from the central processing system 30 to one or more of the vehicles 13a to 13d. For example, a surface condition parameter can be calculated, which is determined based on a number of force measurements and represents the rolling resistance of the road or surface 5 at different locations. This can include or be supplemented by corresponding geographic location data. In this way, the vehicles 13a to 13d can receive information about the road conditions ahead, which may be related to safety or energy consumption. For example, in this case, the electric vehicle can provide a more accurate prediction of the available mileage by taking into account the actual road conditions. Alternatively, specific road locations where safety risks increase can be identified, and information related to these road locations where safety risks increase can be provided to vehicles 13a to 13d close to these road locations. An example of such a road location where safety risks increase can be the location of a slippery road where the risk of skidding increases. By providing information related to such road locations where safety risks increase to vehicles 13a to 13d and / or drivers, the risk of accidents can be reduced.

[0045] Embodiments of the present invention may be particularly useful in cold climates, such as in areas with snow, ice, and mud-covered roads. In these situations, vehicle energy usage may vary significantly depending on road conditions, and the need for road maintenance (e.g., snow removal) may also increase. However, the embodiments described herein may be useful in any location.

[0046] The road friction can be measured, for example, in the same way as described in US Pat. No. 6,923,038 B2 by measuring the maximum horizontal force Fx obtained during driving.

[0047] In one embodiment, a method of operating a vehicle 13a to 13d on a road 5 is provided, the method comprising: obtaining a road condition parameter from a sensor 10 at one of the vehicles 13a to 13d; and transmitting the road condition parameter and a geographic location parameter to a central computing system 30. The geographic location parameter indicates the location where the road condition parameter was obtained. Thus, the central computing system 30 is provided with actual and current information about the road condition at that location.

[0048] The road condition may be the friction measured between the wheels 2 and the road 5, the rolling resistance of the wheels 2 on the road 5, the identified damage to the road 5, such as damage to the asphalt, or an indicator for the need for road maintenance. The latter may be, for example, the level of snow or ice that requires snow to be cleared from the road 5 or that requires graveling on the road 5. This information may be provided to a central location where road management personnel monitor the state of the road 5 and can take action if necessary. With the aid of this method, a more accurate maintenance of the road 5 is achieved by making the response time of personnel taking action when necessary shorter and / or avoiding, for example, unnecessary graveling.

[0049] Advantageously, one can use this method to obtain road condition parameters from multiple sensors 10 arranged at different vehicles 13a to 13d. This improves accuracy and clarity. In an ideal scenario, one can imagine that a large number of vehicles, or even substantially all vehicles traveling on a particular road 5 obtain road condition parameters and transmit these road condition parameters to the central computing system 30.

[0050] Having information about road conditions at a given location, the method may also include performing a road maintenance action at that location.

[0051] In one embodiment, the method comprises transmitting road condition data from the central computing system 30 to the second vehicle 13a to 13d, wherein the road condition data comprises information about road conditions at at least one location of the road 5. This may be, for example, a location with an icy road surface that poses a safety risk. The information about the location from the central computing system 30 may then be transmitted to the vehicle 13a to 13d approaching the location as a warning to the driver or the vehicle driving system.

[0052] The arrangement of sensors on the vehicles 13a to 13d (or each vehicle 13a to 13d) may be as described above and in Figures 1 to 6 For example, the sensor 10 may be arranged between the wheel 2 and the wheel suspension 3, 12 of the vehicle 13a to 13d, similar to Figure 1 As shown in , or arranged between the support member 40 and the body of the vehicle 13a to 13d, as shown in Figure 6 In another example, the sensor 10 is incorporated into one of the conventional components of the vehicles 13a to 13d. Alternatively, different types of sensors may be used, such as vision sensors, cameras, acceleration sensors that record vehicle dynamics, wheel rotation sensors that record traction loss or differences between different wheels of the vehicles 13a to 13d, or other types of sensors.

[0053] According to the embodiments described herein, rolling resistance data or other data can be recorded in a reliable, easy and safe manner. According to given requirements, other relevant data can be, for example, noise emission, sliding resistance, surface texture, other safety issues, energy consumption, etc. Data can be converted and displayed on a monitor in, for example, the cab of a vehicle or transmitted to a remote location. In this way, the correct numerical value can be read and the correct numerical value will give the actual parameters of the lane. Then, this can be, for example, used in a plan for road maintenance. In some embodiments, the device and method can be used to improve safety.

[0054] The present invention is not limited by the above-described embodiments; reference should be made to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for measuring the condition of a running surface (5), the method using a vehicle (13) having an assembly for measuring one or more forces acting on a wheel of the vehicle, the assembly comprising: - a vehicle (13, 13a-13c) having at least one wheel (2) arranged to support the weight of the vehicle (13) against a lower surface (5), - a force sensor (10) configured to measure the force (14) between the wheel (2) and the body of the vehicle (13, 13a-13c) when the vehicle is moving; as well as - a processor (15) configured to receive measurement data from the force sensor (10); It is characterized in that - the force sensor (10) is arranged to measure forces acting on the hub (4) of the wheel (2) and is configured to measure forces (Fx) acting from the wheel (2) on the vehicle (13) in a substantially horizontal direction, forces (Fy) acting from the wheel (2) on the vehicle (13) in a substantially vertical direction, and forces (Fy) acting from the wheel (2) on the vehicle (13) in a direction different from the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, The method comprises: driving the vehicle (13) on the surface (5); recording a series of force measurements from the force sensor (10) at a plurality of different vehicle speeds; recording the vehicle speed; and The rolling resistance of the surface (5) is determined by calculating a road condition parameter which is a function of at least the force measurement and the vehicle speed.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The processor (15) is configured to display the measurement data to a driver of the vehicle (13).

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The force sensor (10) is a load cell (10).

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The processor (15) comprises a data transmitter (41) operable to transmit the measurement data from the force sensor (10) to a receiver (30) external to the vehicle (13).

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, comprising: The series of force measurements are transmitted to a receiver (30) external to the vehicle (13).

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: A series of geographic coordinates is transmitted, each geographic coordinate in the series of geographic coordinates corresponding to a respective force measurement in the series of force measurements.

7. The method according to claim 5, comprising: Force measurements from a plurality of vehicles (13, 13a-13d) are transmitted to the receiver (30).

8. The method according to claim 7, comprising: determining a surface condition parameter, the surface condition parameter being a function of the force measurement and representing a condition of the surface (5); and The surface condition parameters are transmitted from the receiver (30) to a plurality of vehicles (13, 13a-13d).

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The receiver (30) outside the vehicle (13, 13a-13d) is a central computing system, and the method includes The road condition parameter and the geographical coordinates corresponding to the respective force measurement values ​​in the series of force measurements are transmitted to the central computing system (30).

10. The method according to claim 9, comprising: Road condition parameters are obtained from a plurality of force sensors (10) arranged at different vehicles (13, 13a-13d).

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, comprising transmitting road condition data from the central computing system to a second vehicle (13, 13a-13d), the road condition data comprising information about road conditions at at least one location.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising performing a road maintenance action at the location.

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