Semi-trailer transport vehicle and its monitoring device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a semi-trailer transport vehicle and a monitoring device thereof. The monitoring device includes: a rotating member rotatably connected to a kingpin of the semi-trailer about a first axis; an angle sensor including a sensor body and a rotating shaft portion rotatably connected to the sensor body about a second axis; one of the sensor body and the rotating shaft portion is fixedly connected to the rotating member, and the other of the sensor body and the rotating shaft portion is fixedly connected to the kingpin of the semi-trailer, and the second axis is collinear with the first axis; and a connecting rod, one end of the connecting rod is fixedly connected to the rotating member, and the other end is fixedly connected to a saddle of the tractor. In this way, the rotation of the saddle of the tractor relative to the kingpin of the semi-trailer is transmitted to the angle sensor through the rotating member, that is, the connecting rod is not directly connected to the angle sensor, but indirectly connected through the rotating member. Therefore, it is beneficial to reduce the impact and vibration transmitted from the saddle of the tractor to the angle sensor through the connecting rod, and improve the measurement accuracy of the angle sensor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of trailers, and particularly to a semi-trailer transport vehicle and its monitoring device. Background Art

[0002] In current road freight transportation, with the development of semi-trailer transport vehicle technology, the transportation cost of semi-trailer transport vehicles will be further reduced, and the transportation capacity ratio borne by semi-trailer transport vehicles will continue to increase. In order to improve the driving safety of vehicles, it is necessary to monitor the driving parameters of semi-trailer transport vehicles in various driving scenarios (such as starting, turning, overtaking, lane changing, braking, automatic parking, lane keeping, etc.), especially for autonomous driving vehicles.

[0003] However, currently, the detection accuracy of the rotation angle of the tractor of a semi-trailer transport vehicle relative to the semi-trailer is relatively poor, which cannot meet the requirements of driving safety. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Based on this, in view of the problem that the detection accuracy of the rotation angle of the tractor of a semi-trailer transport vehicle relative to the semi-trailer in the prior art is relatively poor and cannot meet the requirements of driving safety, it is necessary to provide a semi-trailer transport vehicle and its monitoring device that improve the above defects.

[0005] A monitoring device is provided on a semi-trailer transport vehicle, the semi-trailer transport vehicle includes a tractor and a semi-trailer, and the monitoring device includes:

[0006] A rotating member, which is rotatably connected to the kingpin of the semi-trailer around a first axis;

[0007] An angle sensor, including a sensor body and a rotating shaft portion rotatably connected to the sensor body around a second axis; one of the sensor body and the rotating shaft portion is fixedly connected to the rotating member, and the other of the sensor body and the rotating shaft portion is used for fixedly connecting to the kingpin of the semi-trailer; and

[0008] A connecting rod, one end of the connecting rod is fixedly connected to the rotating member, and the other end is used for fixedly connecting to the saddle of the tractor;

[0009] Wherein, the first axis and the second axis are collinear.

[0010] The above-mentioned monitoring device, when the saddle rotates around the towing pin (for example, when a semi-trailer truck steers), the saddle drives the rotating member to rotate around the towing pin through the connecting rod, so that the rotating member drives the sensor body to rotate relative to the rotating shaft portion or drives the rotating shaft portion to rotate relative to the sensor body, and further converts the angle of the saddle rotating around the towing pin into the angle of the sensor body rotating relative to the rotating shaft portion to be measured by the angle sensor. In this way, the rotation of the saddle of the tractor relative to the towing pin of the semi-trailer is transmitted to the angle sensor through the rotating member, that is, the connecting rod is not directly connected to the angle sensor, but is indirectly connected through the rotating member. Therefore, it is beneficial to reduce the impact and vibration transmitted from the saddle of the tractor to the angle sensor through the connecting rod and improve the measurement accuracy of the angle sensor.

[0011] In one embodiment, the rotating member is rotatably connected to the bottom end of the towing pin of the semi-trailer around the first axis. In this way, it is beneficial to reduce the length of the connecting rod, enhance the stiffness of the connecting rod, and further improve the detection accuracy of the angle sensor.

[0012] In one embodiment, the sensor body is fixedly connected to the rotating member, and the rotating shaft portion is fixedly connected to the towing pin of the semi-trailer. In this way, the saddle rotates around the towing pin, so as to drive the sensor body to rotate relative to the towing pin through the connecting rod and the rotating member, while the rotating shaft portion is fixed relative to the towing pin, and further converts the rotation angle of the saddle relative to the towing pin into the rotation angle of the sensor body of the angle sensor relative to the rotating shaft portion to be measured.

[0013] In one embodiment, the sensor body is fixedly connected to the top end of the towing pin of the semi-trailer, and the rotating shaft portion can penetrate from the top end to the bottom end of the towing pin of the semi-trailer and is fixedly connected to the rotating member. In this way, when the saddle of the tractor rotates relative to the towing pin of the semi-trailer, the rotating shaft portion of the angle sensor is driven to rotate through the connecting rod and the rotating member, while the sensor body of the angle sensor is fixed relative to the towing pin, so as to convert the rotation angle of the saddle relative to the towing pin into the rotation angle of the rotating shaft portion of the angle sensor relative to the sensor body to be measured.

[0014] In one embodiment, the monitoring device further includes a bearing, and the bearing includes a rotatable inner ring and outer ring; the rotating member is fixedly connected to the inner ring, and the outer ring is fixedly connected to the towing pin of the semi-trailer. In this way, the rotating member is installed stably by using the bearing and rotates flexibly relative to the towing pin, which is beneficial to further improve the detection accuracy of the angle sensor.

[0015] In one embodiment, the monitoring device further includes an upper limit member, which is fixedly connected to the rotating member and abuts against the top surface of the inner ring. In this way, by using the upper limit member fixedly connected to the rotating member to abut against the top surface of the inner ring, it is possible to prevent the rotating member from falling off and separating from the bearing during use, thereby improving the reliability of the monitoring device.

[0016] In one embodiment, the monitoring device further includes a lower limit member, which is used for fixedly connecting to the kingpin of the semi-trailer and abuts against the bottom surface of the outer ring. In this way, by using the lower limit member fixedly connected to the kingpin of the semi-trailer to abut against the bottom surface of the outer ring, it is possible to prevent the bearing from falling off and separating from the kingpin of the semi-trailer during use, thereby improving the reliability of the monitoring device.

[0017] In one embodiment, the monitoring device further includes a plurality of strain sensors and a calculation module electrically connected to the plurality of strain sensors;

[0018] The plurality of strain sensors are arranged on the slide plate of the semi-trailer and are used for detecting the strain of each area of the slide plate of the semi-trailer;

[0019] The calculation module is configured to obtain the stress distribution of the slide plate of the semi-trailer according to the detection data of the plurality of strain sensors, so as to obtain the components of the resultant force borne by the slide plate of the semi-trailer in the horizontal and vertical directions. In this way, the stress distribution of the slide plate 102 can be obtained through the data detected by the plurality of strain sensors 60, and then the resultant force borne by the slide plate can be obtained through this stress distribution. Then, this resultant force is decomposed into the horizontal and vertical directions to respectively obtain the actual traction force and the actual normal pressure, which is beneficial for vehicle operators or control systems to perform driving operations according to the actual traction force and the actual normal pressure, thereby improving driving safety.

[0020] In one embodiment, the calculation module is further configured to obtain the stress distribution on both sides of the center line parallel to the driving direction of the semi-trailer of the slide plate according to the detection data of the plurality of strain sensors, so as to obtain the difference between the vertical components of the resultant forces borne by the slide plate of the semi-trailer on both sides of the center line respectively. In this way, the difference between the vertical components of the resultant forces borne by the slide plate on both sides of the above center line can be obtained through the detection data of the plurality of strain sensors arranged on the slide plate, which is beneficial for vehicle operators or control systems to evaluate the risk of vehicle rollover according to this difference in components, and is beneficial for improving driving safety.

[0021] In one embodiment, the plurality of strain sensors are arranged in an array on the upper surface of the slide plate of the semi-trailer. In this way, it is beneficial to detect the strain of each area of the slide plate and improve the measurement accuracy.

[0022] In one embodiment, multiple said strain sensors are evenly distributed on the upper surface of the sliding plate of the semi-trailer.

[0023] Semi-trailer transport vehicle, comprising:

[0024] A tractor, having a saddle;

[0025] A semi-trailer, having a sliding plate and a draw pin fixedly connected to the sliding plate, and the semi-trailer is connected or disconnected from the saddle through the draw pin; and

[0026] The monitoring device as described in any of the above embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the installation structure of the angle sensor and the strain sensor in the monitoring device in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 Is Figure 1 An enlarged view of part A in

[0029] Figure 3 Is Figure 1 The bottom view of

[0030] Figure 4 Is Figure 1 The top view of

[0031] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the installation structure of the angle sensor and the strain sensor in the monitoring device in another embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 6 Is Figure 5 An enlarged view of part B in DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0033] For the convenience of understanding the present invention, the present invention will be described more comprehensively below with reference to the relevant drawings. The preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, the purpose of providing these embodiments is to make the understanding of the disclosure of the present invention more thorough and comprehensive.

[0034] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there may also be an intermediate element. When an element is considered to be "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intermediate element at the same time. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "left", "right" and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only.

[0035] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the technical field to which this invention belongs. The terms used in the description of the present invention herein are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the present invention. The term "and / or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items.

[0036] To better understand the technical solution and technical effect of the present invention, before elaborating on the monitoring device of the semi-trailer truck of the present invention in detail, a brief introduction to the semi-trailer truck is first given.

[0037] Generally, a semi-trailer truck includes a tractor and a semi-trailer. The semi-trailer includes a frame, a sliding plate and a kingpin. The sliding plate is fixedly connected to the lower part of the front end of the frame, and the kingpin is fixedly connected to the sliding plate and extends downward. Specifically in the embodiment, the kingpin can be welded to the sliding plate or other assembly methods can be adopted, which is not limited herein. The semi-trailer is connected to the saddle of the tractor through the kingpin, and the sliding plate is supported on the saddle to support the frame. To reduce the friction between the sliding plate and the saddle, it is generally necessary to coat a lubricant between the two. In this way, the semi-trailer and the tractor jointly carry the load and rely on the tractor to tow and drive.

[0038] To ensure the safety of vehicle driving, it is necessary to monitor in real time the steering angle of relative rotation between the tractor and the semi-trailer (that is, the angle of rotation of the saddle around the kingpin), especially for driverless semi-trailer trucks. In the existing design, an angle sensor is arranged between the kingpin and the saddle for angle measurement. However, in actual applications, due to road surface bumps and vehicle vibrations, the impact and vibration on the angle sensor are relatively large, affecting the measurement accuracy of the angle sensor.

[0039] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a monitoring device that can preferably solve the above problems.

[0040] Figure 1 The schematic installation structure diagram of the angle sensor and the strain sensor in the monitoring device in an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 2 Shown is Figure 1 The enlarged structure at A in. For ease of description, the drawings only show the structures related to the present invention.

[0041] As Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, a monitoring device provided in an embodiment of the present invention is arranged on a semi-trailer truck. The semi-trailer truck includes a tractor and a semi-trailer. The monitoring device includes an angle sensor 10, a rotating member 20 and a connecting rod 30.

[0042] The rotating member 20 is rotatably connected to the kingpin 100 of the semi-trailer about the first axis. The angle sensor 10 includes a sensor body 12 and a rotating shaft portion 14 rotatably connected to the sensor body 12 about the second axis. One of the sensor body 12 and the rotating shaft portion 14 is fixedly connected to the rotating member 20. The other of the sensor body 12 and the rotating shaft portion 14 is fixedly connected to the kingpin 100 of the semi-trailer, and the second axis is collinear with the first axis. That is to say, the rotation axes of the rotating member 20, the sensor body 12 and the rotating shaft portion 14 are collinear, namely the first axis and the second axis). One end of the connecting rod 30 is fixedly connected to the rotating member 20, and the other end is fixedly connected to the saddle 200 of the tractor.

[0043] In the above monitoring device, when the saddle 200 rotates about the kingpin 100 (for example, when the semi-trailer transporter steers), the saddle 200 drives the rotating member 20 to rotate about the kingpin 100 through the connecting rod 30. Thus, the rotating member 20 drives the sensor body 12 to rotate relative to the rotating shaft portion 14 or drives the rotating shaft portion 14 to rotate relative to the sensor body 12, and further converts the angle of rotation of the saddle 200 about the kingpin 100 into the angle of rotation of the sensor body 12 relative to the rotating shaft portion 14 to be measured by the angle sensor 10.

[0044] In this way, the rotation of the saddle 200 of the tractor relative to the kingpin 100 of the semi-trailer is transmitted to the angle sensor 10 through the rotating member 20. That is, the connecting rod 30 is not directly connected to the angle sensor 10, but is indirectly connected through the rotating member 20. Therefore, it is beneficial to reduce the impact and vibration transmitted from the saddle 200 of the tractor to the angle sensor 10 through the connecting rod 30 and improve the measurement accuracy of the angle sensor 10. Optionally, the rotating member may be in a disc shape.

[0045] It can be understood that the rotation axis of the rotating member 20 (i.e., the above-mentioned first axis) is collinear with the rotation axis of the kingpin 100 of the semi-trailer.

[0046] In an embodiment of the present invention, the rotating member 20 is rotatably connected to the bottom end of the kingpin 100 of the semi-trailer about the first axis. In this way, it is beneficial to reduce the length of the connecting rod 30, enhance the stiffness of the connecting rod 30, and further improve the detection accuracy of the angle sensor 10.

[0047] It should be noted that when the rotating member 20 is installed at the bottom end of the kingpin 100 of the semi-trailer, in order to avoid interference of the rotating member 20 with the components on the tractor, in one embodiment, a section is removed from the bottom end of the kingpin 100 to reduce the length of the kingpin 100, and the reduced length dimension of the kingpin 100 is equal to or greater than the thickness dimension of the rotating member 20, thereby effectively avoiding interference of the rotating member 20 with the components on the tractor.

[0048] Preferably, the reduced length dimension of the draw pin 100 is equal to the thickness dimension of the rotating member 20. In this way, on the one hand, interference of the rotating member 20 with the components on the tractor is avoided; on the other hand, the reduction amount of the length dimension of the draw pin 100 is minimized as much as possible, weakening the impact on the performance of the draw pin 100. Specifically, in an example, the thickness dimension of the rotating member 20 is 4 mm. Therefore, 4 mm of the length can be removed from the bottom end of the draw pin 100, so that after installing the rotating member 20, the overall length dimension of the draw pin 100 and the rotating member 20 is equal to the length dimension of the draw pin 100 before removal.

[0049] It can be understood that the thickness dimension of the rotating member 20 refers to the dimension in the direction of the rotation axis (i.e., the first axis) of the rotating member 20.

[0050] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, specifically in an embodiment, the sensor body 12 is fixedly connected to the rotating member 20, and the rotating shaft portion 14 is fixedly connected to the draw pin 100 of the semi-trailer. In this way, the saddle 200 rotates around the draw pin 100, so that the sensor body 12 is driven to rotate relative to the draw pin 100 through the connecting rod 30 and the rotating member 20, while the rotating shaft portion 14 is fixed relative to the draw pin 100. Furthermore, the rotation angle of the saddle 200 relative to the draw pin 100 is converted into the rotation angle of the sensor body 12 of the angle sensor 10 relative to the rotating shaft portion 14 and is measured.

[0051] It can be understood that in this embodiment, the sensor body 12 is mounted on the rotating member 20 instead of directly on the draw pin 100, which is beneficial to reducing the impact and vibration transmitted from the draw pin 100 to the sensor body 12 and improving the measurement accuracy and service life of the sensor body 12.

[0052] Furthermore, the rotating member 20 is provided with a connection hole, and the sensor body 12 is fixedly connected to the connection hole to be fixedly connected to the rotating member 20. Optionally, the sensor body 12 can be threadedly connected into the connection hole. It should be noted that in other embodiments, other fixed connection methods can also be used to fixedly connect the sensor body 12 into the connection hole, such as tight fitting, adhesive bonding, snap connection, etc., which are not limited herein.

[0053] Furthermore, the bottom end of the draw pin 100 of the semi-trailer has a fixing hole, and the rotating shaft portion 14 of the angle sensor 10 is fixedly connected to the fixing hole so that the rotating shaft portion 14 can rotate synchronously with the draw pin 100. It can be understood that the rotating shaft portion 14 can be fixedly connected to the fixing hole by means such as bonding and snap connection, which are not limited herein.

[0054] Please refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, it should be noted that the sensor body 10 is not limited to being fixedly connected to the rotating member 20. In other embodiments, the sensor body 12 of the angle sensor 10 can also be fixedly connected to the kingpin 100 of the semi-trailer and is located at the top of the kingpin 100. The rotating shaft portion 14 of the angle sensor 10 penetrates from the top of the kingpin 100 to the bottom of the kingpin 100 and is fixedly connected to the rotating member 20 located at the bottom of the kingpin 100. In this way, when the saddle 200 of the tractor rotates relative to the kingpin 100 of the semi-trailer, the rotating shaft portion 14 of the angle sensor 10 is driven to rotate through the connecting rod 30 and the rotating member 20, while the sensor body 12 of the angle sensor 10 is fixed relative to the kingpin 100. Thus, the angle of rotation of the saddle 200 relative to the kingpin 100 is converted into the angle of rotation of the rotating shaft portion 14 of the angle sensor 10 relative to the sensor body 12 and is measured.

[0055] In this embodiment, the rotating member 20 has a mating hole, and one end of the rotating shaft portion 14 is connected to the mating hole so that the rotating shaft portion 14 rotates synchronously with the rotating member 20. Optionally, the connection between the rotating shaft portion 14 and the mating hole can be achieved by bonding, clamping, tight fitting, etc., and is not limited herein.

[0056] In this embodiment, the monitoring device further includes a mounting bracket 80. The mounting bracket 80 is fixedly connected to the top of the kingpin 100, and the sensor body 12 of the angle sensor 10 is fixedly connected to the mounting bracket 80. That is, the sensor body 12 is fixedly connected to the top of the kingpin 100 through the mounting bracket 80. In this way, it is convenient to install the sensor body 12 and makes the installation of the sensor body 12 more stable. It can be understood that the mounting bracket 80 is not necessary. In one embodiment, the sensor body 12 can also be directly fixedly connected to the top of the kingpin 100.

[0057] In the embodiment of the present invention, the rotating member 20 can be installed on the kingpin 100 of the semi-trailer through a bearing 50 so that the rotating member 20 is rotatably connected to the kingpin 100 about a first axis. In this way, installing the rotating member 20 with the bearing 50 makes the installation of the rotating member 20 stable and the rotation relative to the kingpin 100 flexible, which is beneficial to further improving the detection accuracy of the angle sensor 10.

[0058] Please continue to refer to Figure 2As shown, in some embodiments, the bearing 50 includes an inner ring 54 and an outer ring 52 that are rotatable relative to each other. The inner ring 54 is fixedly connected to the rotating member 20 so that the inner ring 54 and the rotating member 20 can rotate synchronously. The outer ring 52 is used to be fixedly connected to the kingpin 100 of the semi-trailer so that the outer ring 52 and the kingpin 100 of the semi-trailer can rotate synchronously. Further, the bottom end of the kingpin 100 of the semi-trailer has a mounting hole for mounting the bearing 50. The outer ring 52 is tightly fitted with the above mounting hole so that the outer ring 52 can rotate synchronously with the kingpin 100. The inner ring 54 is tightly fitted with the annular flange 22 on one side of the rotating member 20 so that the inner ring 54 can rotate synchronously with the rotating member 20.

[0059] Specifically in the embodiment, the monitoring device further includes an upper limit member 74. The upper limit member 74 is fixedly connected to the rotating member 20 and abuts against the top surface of the inner ring 54. In this way, by using the upper limit member 74 fixedly connected to the rotating member 20 to abut against the top surface of the inner ring 54, it is possible to prevent the rotating member 20 from falling off and separating from the bearing 50 during use, which is beneficial to improving the reliability of the monitoring device. Further, the upper limit member 74 is fixedly connected to the top of the annular flange 22.

[0060] Optionally, the upper limit member 74 can be fixedly connected to the rotating member 20 through a threaded fastener such as a screw.

[0061] Specifically in the embodiment, the monitoring device further includes a lower limit member 72. The lower limit member 72 is used to be fixedly connected to the kingpin 100 of the semi-trailer and abuts against the bottom surface of the outer ring 52. In this way, by using the lower limit member 72 fixedly connected to the kingpin 100 of the semi-trailer to abut against the bottom surface of the outer ring 52, it is possible to prevent the bearing 50 from falling off and separating from the kingpin 100 of the semi-trailer during use, which is beneficial to improving the reliability of the monitoring device. Further, the lower limit member 72 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the kingpin 100 of the semi-trailer and is located between the rotating member 20 and the kingpin 100 of the semi-trailer.

[0062] Optionally, the lower limit member 72 can be fixedly connected to the kingpin 100 of the semi-trailer through a threaded fastener such as a screw. It should be noted that in order to facilitate locking the threaded fastener, the rotating member 20 is provided with an avoidance hole 24. In this way, the threaded fastener can be locked through the avoidance hole 24.

[0063] It should be noted that in other embodiments, the rotating member 20 is not limited to being connected to the kingpin 100 through the bearing 50, and other forms can also be adopted as long as the rotating member 20 can rotate relative to the kingpin 100 about the first axis, which is not limited herein.

[0064] Please refer to Figure 3As shown in the figure, specifically in the embodiment, the monitoring device further includes a U-shaped spring piece 40. The U-shaped spring piece 40 is clamped in the opening 202 of the saddle 200 of the tractor, and the bottom of the U-shaped spring piece 40 is fixedly connected to the end of the connecting rod 30 away from the rotating member 20. In this way, when the semi-trailer truck turns, the saddle 200 rotates around the kingpin 100, driving the U-shaped spring piece 40 and the connecting rod 30 to rotate around the kingpin 100, thereby driving the rotating member 20 to rotate, and further causing the sensor body 12 and the rotating shaft portion 14 to rotate relative to each other. The setting of the U-shaped spring piece 40 plays a buffering role on the one hand, which is beneficial to reducing the impact and vibration transmitted to the sensor body 12; on the other hand, the U-shaped spring piece 40 is clamped in the opening 202 of the saddle 200 of the tractor, and the installation and disassembly are convenient and fast, so as to facilitate the connection and disconnection of the semi-trailer and the tractor.

[0065] It should be noted that the opening 202 of the saddle 200 is V-shaped or trumpet-shaped. The opening width of the U-shaped spring piece 40 in the natural state is greater than the width of the opening 202 of the saddle 200, so as to facilitate the U-shaped spring piece 40 to be clamped in the opening 202 of the saddle 200.

[0066] Specifically in the embodiment, the U-shaped spring piece 40 and the connecting rod 30 can be locked and fixed by bolts and nuts. Further, the monitoring device further includes a backing plate 42 (see Figure 1 ), the backing plate 42 has a through hole, the bolt passes through the backing plate 42, and the backing plate 42 is located between the nut and the U-shaped spring piece 40. In this way, the setting of the backing plate 42 increases the force-bearing area, makes the connection between the connecting rod 30 and the U-shaped spring piece 40 more stable, and is beneficial to further improving the detection accuracy of the angle sensor 10.

[0067] It should be noted that the connection between the U-shaped spring piece 40 and the connecting rod 30 can also be in other ways, such as welding, etc., which is not limited here.

[0068] In order to ensure the safety of vehicle driving, it is not only necessary to monitor the steering angle of the relative rotation between the tractor and the semi-trailer, but also necessary to monitor the actual traction force borne by the semi-trailer, the positive pressure borne by the skid plate, and the tilting force borne by the semi-trailer, etc., so as to facilitate the vehicle operator or the control system to perform safe driving operations. Among them, the actual traction force borne by the semi-trailer is the component force of the resultant force borne by the skid plate in the horizontal direction (i.e., the driving direction of the semi-trailer). The positive pressure borne by the skid plate is the component force of the resultant force borne by the skid plate in the vertical direction (i.e., the direction perpendicular to the skid plate). The tilting force borne by the semi-trailer is the difference between the component forces of the resultant forces borne on both sides of the center line of the skid plate in the vertical direction, and this center line is parallel to the driving direction of the semi-trailer.

[0069] Please refer to Figure 1 、 Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, in an embodiment of the present invention, the monitoring device further includes a plurality of strain sensors 60 and a calculation module (not shown in the figure) electrically connected to the plurality of strain sensors 60. The plurality of strain sensors 60 are disposed on the sliding plate 102 of the semi-trailer and are used to detect the strain of each area of the sliding plate 102 of the semi-trailer.

[0070] The calculation module is configured to obtain the stress distribution of the sliding plate 102 of the semi-trailer according to the detection data of the plurality of strain sensors 60, so as to obtain the components of the resultant force borne by the sliding plate 102 of the semi-trailer in the horizontal and vertical directions.

[0071] It can be understood that due to the self-weight or load of the semi-trailer, the sliding plate 102 bears the acting force exerted by the saddle 200. Moreover, the traction force provided by the tractor acts on the kingpin 100. Since the kingpin 100 is fixedly connected to the sliding plate 102, therefore, the acting force exerted by the saddle 200 on the sliding plate 102 and the traction force provided by the tractor form a bending moment acting on the sliding plate 102, causing different deformations, that is, different strains, in each area of the sliding plate 102.

[0072] In the parked state, the tractor does not provide traction force, and the sliding plate 102 of the semi-trailer only bears the vertically upward acting force exerted by the saddle 200. That is to say, the component of the resultant force borne by the sliding plate 102 in the horizontal direction is zero. At this time, the stress distribution of the sliding plate 102 calculated according to the strain of each area of the sliding plate 102 is a uniform distribution. The resultant force borne by the sliding plate 102 calculated according to the stress distribution of the sliding plate 102 is the vertically upward acting force exerted by the saddle 200.

[0073] During driving, the tractor provides a traction force to the kingpin 100, causing the sliding plate 102 to bear a bending moment. At this time, the stress distribution of the sliding plate 102 calculated according to the strain of each area of the sliding plate 102 is non-uniform. The resultant force borne by the sliding plate 102 is calculated according to the stress distribution of the sliding plate 102, and then the resultant force is decomposed into the horizontal and vertical directions. The component in the horizontal direction is the actual traction force borne by the semi-trailer, and the component in the vertical direction is the actual normal pressure borne by the sliding plate 102.

[0074] In this way, the stress distribution of the sliding plate 102 can be obtained through the data detected by the plurality of strain sensors 60, and then the resultant force borne by the sliding plate 102 can be obtained through this stress distribution. Then the resultant force is decomposed into the horizontal and vertical directions to obtain the actual traction force and the actual normal pressure respectively, which is beneficial for vehicle operators or control systems to perform driving operations according to the actual traction force and the actual normal pressure, and improve driving safety.

[0075] It should be noted that the specific calculation process of obtaining the stress distribution of the skateboard 102 based on the strain calculation of each area of the skateboard 102 and calculating the resultant force borne by the skateboard 102 based on the stress distribution of the skateboard 102 can be realized according to the stress-strain theory in the field of mechanics, and will not be elaborated here.

[0076] Specifically in the embodiment, the calculation module is further configured to obtain the stress distribution on both sides of the midline of the skateboard 102 parallel to the driving direction of the semi-trailer according to the detection data of the plurality of strain sensors 60, and further obtain the difference between the vertical components of the resultant forces borne by the skateboard 102 on both sides of the midline respectively.

[0077] When the vehicle is tilted or turning, the resultant forces borne by the skateboard 102 on both sides of the above midline are different, and the risk of vehicle rollover can be measured by the difference between the vertical components of the resultant forces borne by the skateboard 102 on both sides of the above midline. The greater the difference between the vertical components, the greater the risk of vehicle rollover.

[0078] In this way, the difference between the vertical components of the resultant forces borne by the skateboard 102 on both sides of the above midline can be obtained according to the detection data of the plurality of strain sensors 60 provided on the skateboard 102, which is beneficial for the vehicle operator or the control system to evaluate the vehicle rollover risk according to the difference between the vertical components, and is beneficial to improving the driving safety.

[0079] Specifically in the embodiment, the plurality of strain sensors 60 are arranged in an array on the upper surface of the skateboard 102 of the semi-trailer. In this way, it is beneficial to detect the strain of each area of the skateboard 102 and improve the measurement accuracy.

[0080] Specifically in the embodiment, the plurality of strain sensors 60 are evenly distributed on the upper surface of the skateboard 102 of the semi-trailer. In this way, it is beneficial to detect the strain of each area of the skateboard 102 and improve the measurement accuracy.

[0081] It can be understood that the more the number of strain sensors 60, the more accurate the calculated data, but the greater the amount of calculation and the longer the calculation time. Therefore, the number of strain sensors 60 can be reasonably set according to vehicle specifications, etc., and will not be limited here.

[0082] Specifically in the embodiment, the calculation module can be a single-chip microcomputer or a chip, etc., and will not be limited here.

[0083] Based on the above monitoring device, the present invention also provides a semi-trailer transport vehicle. The semi-trailer transport vehicle includes a tractor, a semi-trailer and the monitoring device described in any one of the above embodiments.

[0084] The tractor has a saddle 200. The semi-trailer has a skid plate 102 and a kingpin 100 fixedly connected to the skid plate 102. The semi-trailer can be connected or disconnected from the saddle 200 through the kingpin 100. When the semi-trailer is connected to the saddle 200 through the kingpin 100, the skid plate 102 is supported on the saddle 200.

[0085] It should be noted that the structures and installation methods of the skid plate 102, the kingpin 100 and the saddle 200 are relatively mature technologies and will not be elaborated here.

[0086] The technical features of the above-described embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of brevity of description, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, it should be considered as the scope described in this specification.

[0087] The above-described embodiments only represent several implementation manners of the present invention. The description is relatively specific and detailed, but it should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of the invention patent. It should be pointed out that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of the present invention, several modifications and improvements can still be made, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention patent shall be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A monitoring device is provided on a semi-trailer truck, and the semi-trailer truck includes a tractor and a semi-trailer, characterized in that, The monitoring device includes: a rotating member rotatably connected to the kingpin of the semi-trailer about a first axis; an angle sensor including a sensor body and a rotating shaft portion rotatably connected to the sensor body about a second axis; one of the sensor body and the rotating shaft portion is fixedly connected to the rotating member, and the other of the sensor body and the rotating shaft portion is for fixedly connecting to the kingpin of the semi-trailer; and a connecting rod, one end of the connecting rod is fixedly connected to the rotating member, and the other end is for fixedly connecting to the saddle of the tractor; wherein, the first axis and the second axis are collinear; wherein, the sensor body of the angle sensor is fixedly connected to the kingpin of the semi-trailer and is located at the top end of the kingpin; the rotating shaft portion of the angle sensor penetrates from the top end of the kingpin to the bottom end of the kingpin and is fixedly connected to the rotating member located at the bottom end of the kingpin; the monitoring device further includes a bearing, the bearing includes a relatively rotatable inner ring and outer ring; the rotating member is fixedly connected to the inner ring, and the inner ring is in interference fit with an annular flange on one side of the rotating member; the outer ring is for fixedly connecting to the kingpin of the semi-trailer; the monitoring device further includes an upper limit member fixedly connected to the rotating member and abutted against the top surface of the inner ring; the monitoring device further includes a lower limit member for fixedly connecting to the kingpin of the semi-trailer and abutted against the bottom surface of the outer ring.

2. The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein The rotating member is for rotatably connecting to the bottom end of the kingpin of the semi-trailer about the first axis.

3. The monitoring device according to claims 1 to 2, characterized in that, The monitoring device further includes a plurality of strain sensors and a calculation module electrically connected to the plurality of strain sensors; the plurality of strain sensors are arranged on the skid plate of the semi-trailer for detecting the strain of each area of the skid plate of the semi-trailer; the calculation module is configured to obtain the stress distribution of the skid plate of the semi-trailer according to the detection data of the plurality of strain sensors, so as to obtain the horizontal and vertical component forces of the resultant force borne by the skid plate of the semi-trailer.

4. The monitoring device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The calculation module is further configured to obtain the stress distribution of the skid plate of the semi-trailer on both sides of the center line parallel to the driving direction of the semi-trailer according to the detection data of the plurality of strain sensors, so as to obtain the difference between the vertical component forces of the resultant forces borne by the skid plate of the semi-trailer on both sides of the center line respectively.

5. The monitoring device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The plurality of strain sensors are arranged in an array on the upper surface of the skid plate of the semi-trailer.

6. Semi-trailer transport vehicle, characterized in that, including: a tractor with a saddle; a semi-trailer with a skid plate and a kingpin fixedly connected to the skid plate, the semi-trailer is connected or disconnected from the saddle through the kingpin; and the monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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