Intelligent hitch control method and system for a semi-trailer tractor

Abstract

The application provides an intelligent traction seat control method and system of a semi-trailer tractor, the control method comprises a traction seat connection control method and a traction seat separation control method, specifically by focusing on multiple technologies based on V2X on the basis of human-computer interaction and unmanned driving system, V2P based on V2X communication realizes off-vehicle operation, the trailer guides the main vehicle action based on V2V, the trailer position is identified based on V2I road end, the main trailer is matched based on V2N cloud, multiple redundant verification enabling conditions are passed, and the safety protection function of the vehicle is improved in combination with the stationary state self-checking of the main vehicle, and separation and connection are started under the premise of absolute safety. The method of the application can improve the safety of personnel and hardware equipment in the control process of the traction seat, and the intelligent degree of human-computer interaction is improved by using a big data platform and V2X technology, which is beneficial to subsequent unmanned operation of heavy trucks and other semi-trailer tractors.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of vehicle technology, and in particular relates to an intelligent towing seat control method and system that can be used in semi-trailer tractors such as heavy trucks. Background Technology

[0002] The towing saddle (or saddle mount) is the connecting device between the semi-trailer tractor and the semi-trailer. It's a load-bearing component used by a cargo tractor to tow the semi-trailer and is a chassis part. The towing saddle on the tractor unit has the function of connecting (also called locking or locking-on) and disconnecting from the semi-trailer's towing pin via a locking mechanism. During use, the towing saddle is covered by the semi-trailer, so it's not an inconspicuous component, but it is a very critical and important one. As a crucial assembly connecting the tractor and semi-trailer, the towing saddle not only tows the semi-trailer and bears its load, but it must also withstand the impacts of the tractor unit's starting, acceleration, deceleration, steering, and braking, as well as the impacts when attaching the semi-trailer. Therefore, the strength and reliability of the towing saddle directly affect the driving safety of the semi-trailer. In Europe, it is defined as a safety connector, meaning that the product quality and operation of the towing saddle are also related to life safety; any mishap could lead to serious traffic accidents or life-threatening situations.

[0003] For example, Chinese patent application number CN201720745194 discloses an aluminum alloy semi-trailer traction device that fixes a linear geared motor to the traction seat plate. The linear geared motor is connected to a motor controller via a communication module, thereby improving the automation level of the traction seat. Furthermore, Chinese patent application number CN202110350382.0 also discloses an electrically controlled automated traction seat attachment and locking device. This device makes certain electronic improvements to the traction seat structure, achieving automatic connection and separation of the traction seat and the traction pin through mechanical structure design, including a push-pull cylinder, a swing arm, a handle lateral movement device, and a locking mechanism. In contrast, JOST's existing products, which only use a wired remote control method, have poor vehicle integration, and their control method does not collect vehicle information, thus failing to achieve safety protection functions.

[0004] Therefore, it can be seen that the controllers of the aforementioned existing towing seats cannot be directly applied to the cab, have weak scalability and information interaction capabilities, cannot provide multiple redundant state detection and safety protection measures under various conditions, do not consider the safety of personnel and equipment during the control operation of the towing seat, have certain safety risks, and cannot meet the needs of intelligent and electric development.

[0005] Therefore, based on the above situation, there is an urgent need to design an intelligent traction seat control method and system for semi-trailer tractors to improve the intelligence and safety of the traction seat during the connection and separation control process. Summary of the Invention

[0006] (a) Technical problems to be solved

[0007] This invention provides an intelligent towing seat control method and system for semi-trailer tractors. While meeting the basic requirements for towing seat connection and disconnection, this method can improve the safety of personnel and hardware equipment during the control process of the towing seat. Furthermore, it utilizes a big data platform and V2X technology to enhance the intelligence of human-machine interaction, which is conducive to the subsequent realization of unmanned operation of semi-trailer tractors such as heavy trucks.

[0008] (II) Technical Solution

[0009] This invention also discloses an intelligent traction seat control method for a semi-trailer tractor, including a traction seat engagement control method, which includes the following steps:

[0010] Step A1: Receive the control command to engage the traction seat;

[0011] Step A2: After receiving the control command, the matching and verification between the tractor and trailer is achieved through V2N technology based on a cloud platform;

[0012] Step A3: The host vehicle obtains the trailer position and / or outrigger height information of the matched trailer through V2V technology in order to control the host vehicle to perform position calibration with the trailer;

[0013] Step A4: Verify the main vehicle status to ensure that the main vehicle is stationary. The main vehicle status includes vehicle speed, handbrake, and throttle.

[0014] Step A5: Initiate the traction seat engagement procedure;

[0015] Step A6: Verify the status of the traction seat. Once the traction seat is confirmed to be in the engaged state, the procedure ends.

[0016] Preferably, the method further includes a traction seat separation control method, which includes the following steps:

[0017] Step B1: Receive the control command to separate the traction seat;

[0018] Step B2: Verify the status of the traction seat. After confirming that the traction seat is in the engaged state, proceed to the next step.

[0019] Step B3: The tractor obtains the trailer position and / or outrigger height information of the matched trailer through V2V technology, and controls the tractor when necessary to achieve position calibration between the tractor and the trailer;

[0020] Step B4: Verify the main vehicle status to ensure that the vehicle is stationary. The main vehicle status includes vehicle speed, handbrake, and accelerator.

[0021] Step B5: Initiate the traction seat separation procedure;

[0022] Step B6: De-match between the tractor and trailer using V2N technology on a cloud platform and end the process.

[0023] Preferably, the control commands in step A1 and / or step B1 are obtained through one or more of the following communication methods: 1) issued through the human-machine interface with a soft switch on the vehicle's infotainment system; 2) issued from outside the vehicle via V2P technology; 3) issued through a remote intelligent driving system.

[0024] Preferably, the verification of the traction seat status in step A6 and / or step B2 specifically includes: performing a self-check of the traction seat status using a position sensor in the traction seat to confirm whether the traction seat is in a state where the engagement or disengagement operation has been completed after the locking mechanism and the main vehicle have performed their coordinated actions.

[0025] Preferably, step A3 and / or step B3 further includes: the tractor unit obtains the trailer position and outrigger height information of the trailer through V2V technology, so that the height difference between the tractor unit and the trailer towing pin and the centerline difference in the length direction are within a certain error range.

[0026] Preferably, the trailer position is detected and identified using V2I technology.

[0027] Preferably, step A4 and / or step B4 further includes: the vehicle speed, handbrake, and accelerator are specifically collected by the vehicle controller. When the vehicle speed is zero, the handbrake is engaged, and the accelerator pedal is not depressed, it indicates that the vehicle is stationary; otherwise, an alarm is issued.

[0028] Preferably, the traction seat is an electric traction seat.

[0029] Preferably, step A2 and / or step B6 further includes: completing the matching verification and de-matching of the main vehicle and trailer online using a pre-given IP address.

[0030] In a second aspect, the present invention also discloses an intelligent towing seat control system for a semi-trailer tractor, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory communicatively connected to the processor, wherein: the memory stores program instructions executable by the processor, and the processor can execute the intelligent towing seat control method for a semi-trailer tractor as described in any of the preceding claims by calling the program instructions.

[0031] In a third aspect, the present invention also discloses a semi-trailer tractor, wherein the tractor and trailer include an intelligent traction seat control system for a semi-trailer tractor as described above.

[0032] (III) Beneficial Effects

[0033] The intelligent traction seat control method and system for semi-trailer tractors of the present invention have the following advantages:

[0034] 1) The intelligent traction seat control method of the present invention has designed a safety protection function in the process of verifying the status of the main vehicle. It collects signals such as vehicle speed, handbrake, and throttle to judge the vehicle status. In order to ensure that the vehicle is in an absolutely safe stationary state before starting the safe connection and separation operation of the traction pin, so as not to cause damage to personnel and equipment, the present invention not only uses the self-check of the main vehicle status, but also adds multiple redundant checks such as trailer inspection and roadside equipment verification, which effectively ensures the reliability and safety of the connection / separation status.

[0035] 2) Furthermore, to enhance the intelligence and safety of the towing seat, this invention also develops a V2X interactive system, designing an intelligent towing seat control system that includes V2N cloud platform communication, V2I roadside communication, V2P vehicle-to-human communication, and V2V communication between the tractor and trailer. This expands the system to comprehensively assess trailer position, outrigger height, saddle status, and safety protection functions based on V2X. It can also alert pedestrians and vehicles via V2X, improving safety protection and enabling V2N cloud-based matching and control of the tractor and trailer. The design utilizes conventional V2X sub-interactive systems such as sensors, controllers, actuators, and wiring harnesses, and establishes specific connection and disconnection control procedures for the towing seat. In addition, it possesses the capability to expand to include remote control and other functions, with an interactive scheme and system designed, including hard switches, instruments and individual indicator lights, soft switches and multimedia displays, a mobile app, remote control, and an unmanned driving interface.

[0036] 3) The traction seat of the present invention solves the need for automatic separation and connection of the traction seat, which is of great significance to the overall design of assisted driving, unmanned driving and big data scheduling of electric drive tractor vehicles; it can also be selected to eliminate the need for air source and use the existing electric control method driven by motor to realize the connection and separation of the traction seat and the traction pin, thereby directly integrating the controller into other mature controllers of the whole vehicle in the cab, so as to facilitate the realization of remote or unmanned traction seat control. Attached Figure Description

[0037] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in this invention or the prior art, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort:

[0038] Figure 1 This is a system framework diagram of the intelligent traction seat control system in this invention;

[0039] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of the traction seat connection control method of the intelligent traction seat control method in this invention;

[0040] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of the traction seat separation control method of the intelligent traction seat control method in this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0041] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the technical solutions of this invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0042] To effectively ensure the reliability and safety of the towing seat engagement and disengagement, this invention designs an intelligent towing seat control system for a semi-trailer tractor. Its system architecture diagram can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 1 As shown, the intelligent traction seat control system includes an HMI system, a V2X system, a vehicle system, a control system, an intelligent driving system, and a saddle system. The control system communicates with the HMI system, V2X system, vehicle system, control system, intelligent driving system, and traction seat system. The functions of each subsystem (1)-(6) are described below:

[0043] (1) The HMI system includes a rocker switch, instrument panel, multimedia module, and APP client. The multimedia module and APP client in the vehicle are both human-machine interfaces with soft switches. The rocker switch, instrument panel, and individual indicator lights, as well as the soft switches and multimedia display, are located in the driver's cab. The APP client can be set on a mobile phone or the vehicle's infotainment system, thereby enabling interaction through remote driving and autonomous driving systems. This can meet the interaction needs of different vehicle platforms and autonomous driving systems.

[0044] (2) V2X (Vehicle to Everything) system. The V2X system enables communication between vehicles, between vehicles and base stations, and between base stations. By exchanging information about the main vehicle (i.e., the tractor), trailer, and people, it can realize a variety of extended functions, thereby obtaining a series of traffic information such as real-time road conditions, road information, and pedestrian information, improving driving safety, reducing congestion, improving traffic efficiency, and providing in-vehicle entertainment information.

[0045] See Figure 1 As shown, the V2X system of the present invention includes a V2N (vehicle-to-network) module, a V2I (vehicle-to-infrastructure) module, a V2P (vehicle-to-pedestrian) module, and a V2V (vehicle-to-vehicle) module, and each module of the present invention is used to implement at least the following functions:

[0046] a. The V2N module, based on a cloud platform, enables matching and de-matching between the tractor and trailer. For example, it can match tractors and trailers online using pre-defined IP addresses to form a semi-trailer tractor queue, which is then used in the control process for tractor engagement and disengagement. Figure 2-3 The intelligent towing control method shown uses the V2N module, which can reduce the mismatch and repeated confirmation between the tractor and trailer. This function is especially important when there are multiple tractors and trailers on the same site.

[0047] b. The V2I module identifies the trailer's position through roadside equipment. This roadside equipment is not limited to sensing devices such as cameras and radar. Preferably, the V2I module can also be used to identify the outrigger height, the tractor's position, and the towing seat height.

[0048] c. V2P module: The driver can issue operation commands for engaging or disengaging the tow seat from outside the vehicle via V2P. In addition, it can issue safety prompts to remind people and non-motorized vehicles to give way or provide warnings when engaging or disengaging the tow seat.

[0049] d. The V2V module is used to exchange trailer position and outrigger height information with the tractor unit, allowing the driver to adjust the tractor unit's position to ensure that the height difference and centerline difference between the trailer and tractor unit are within a certain error range. The trailer's towing plate should be 1-3 cm lower than the center of the tractor unit's towing seat; it should not be too high, otherwise it will not only fail to connect but also damage the towing seat, towing pin, and related parts. When the tractor unit reverses, the centerlines of the tractor unit and trailer should be kept aligned, with a centerline offset of less than 40 mm. After aligning the tractor unit's towing seat with the towing pin, slowly reverse until a "click" sound is heard or the towing seat's position sensor detects the locking block returning to its original position; then the tractor unit and semi-trailer are successfully towing. It is worth noting that the trailer position and outrigger height information can be obtained from the trailer's own towing seat information collection system or identified through the V2I module.

[0050] (3) The vehicle system is used to receive signals such as vehicle speed, handbrake, and throttle to determine the vehicle status, thereby ensuring that the vehicle starts subsequent towing and disengagement operations while stationary. In addition, the vehicle system can also send fault signals to the control system and the vehicle to alert them to vehicle abnormalities.

[0051] (4) Control system, including communication module, diagnostic module, safety protection module, drive module, signal acquisition module, etc. The control system achieves bidirectional communication with other systems such as HMI system, V2X system, vehicle system, control system, intelligent driving system, and towing system, thereby realizing... Figure 2-3 The traction seat control method is shown.

[0052] (5) Intelligent driving system, including a connection module and a separation module that issue control commands for the traction seat, a fault module, etc., to issue connection or separation commands to inform the control system to execute the traction seat control method.

[0053] (6) The towing seat system includes components such as a motor, transmission mechanism, locking mechanism, and position sensor. The towing seat system can control the towing seat switch and locking mechanism, and enable the tractor to make predetermined micro-movements to achieve safe connection or disconnection with the trailer. In addition, the towing seat system can also perform self-checks on the towing seat status through the position sensor to confirm whether the towing seat is in the state of completed connection or disconnection after the locking mechanism and the vehicle have cooperated.

[0054] It should be noted that the intelligent traction seat control system for the semi-trailer tractor of the present invention is not limited to... Figure 1 The division of various sub-modules in the system is due to the continuous development of technologies such as vehicle infotainment systems and domain controllers, which often lead to overlap or integration between various functional modules and subsystems.

[0055] This invention also discloses an intelligent traction seat control method for a semi-trailer tractor, which can... Figure 1 It can be executed in the control system shown, or it can be executed in other conventional systems.

[0056] For details, see Figure 2-3 As shown, the intelligent traction seat control method for semi-trailer tractors in this invention includes a traction seat engagement control method and a traction seat disengagement control method.

[0057] See details Figure 2 The traction seat connection control method includes:

[0058] Step A1: Receive the control command to engage the traction seat.

[0059] Preferably, the control command for engaging the tow seat can be obtained through one or more communication methods in the prior art. For example, it can be issued through the human-machine interface (HMI) with a soft switch on the vehicle, or by the driver outside the vehicle through V2P technology, or by a remote intelligent driving system, thereby achieving remote or unmanned safety control of the tow seat.

[0060] Step A2: After receiving the control command, the matching and verification between the tractor and trailer is realized through V2N technology based on the cloud platform.

[0061] Preferably, the master vehicle (i.e., tractor) and trailer can be matched online using pre-given IP addresses to form a semi-trailer tractor queue for subsequent docking operations. If online matching of master and trailer cannot be completed, the method exits and an alarm is triggered.

[0062] Step A3: The master vehicle obtains the trailer position and / or outrigger height information of the matched trailer through V2V technology in order to control the master vehicle to perform position calibration between the master vehicle and the trailer.

[0063] Preferably, after the semi-trailer tractor queue matching is completed, the master vehicle in the same queue will obtain the trailer position and / or outrigger height information of the trailer through V2V technology, thereby controlling the master vehicle to align with the trailer position, so as to facilitate the subsequent safe locking connection between the locking mechanism and the master vehicle. If the master vehicle and the trailer are not in the correct position for locking, a prompt will be continuously issued to the driver until the position calibration of the master vehicle and the trailer is finally completed, so that the height difference between the master vehicle's towing seat and the trailer's towing pin and the difference in the center line in the length direction are within a certain error range.

[0064] In addition, the trailer position (including the centerline position) can be specifically sensed and identified through V2I technology, as can the tractor position (including the centerline position) and the height of the tow seat. The trailer outrigger height can be specifically obtained through the outrigger controller.

[0065] Step A4: Verify the status of the main vehicle to ensure that the main vehicle is stationary. The status of the main vehicle includes vehicle speed, handbrake, and accelerator.

[0066] Preferably, the vehicle speed, handbrake, and accelerator pedal can be collected by the vehicle controller in the vehicle system. When the vehicle speed is zero, the handbrake is engaged (i.e., in P gear), and the accelerator pedal is not depressed, it indicates that the main vehicle is stationary, so as to ensure that the predetermined locking operation between the vehicle and the towing vehicle can be carried out with absolute safety. Otherwise, an alarm will be issued.

[0067] Step A5: Start the traction seat connection procedure.

[0068] It should be noted that the towing unit engagement procedure is generally a pre-defined process or operation that requires the towing unit and the tractor vehicle to cooperate. First, the locking mechanism of the towing unit is controlled, causing the locking block to open and become free. Then, the tractor vehicle is controlled to perform a series of micro-control operations, such as slightly reversing and advancing, until the towing pin is engaged in the corresponding locking position of the towing unit. Similarly, Figure 3 The traction seat separation procedure in step B5 is also based on a similar existing method to achieve effective separation of the traction seat and the traction pin.

[0069] Preferably, the towing seat of the present invention can be an electric towing seat. The electric towing seat eliminates the need for an air source and can realize remote automated operation by including a drive motor and mechanical structures such as threaded screws. In addition, by optimizing the layout of the controller, it can be placed in the cab or integrated into other indoor controllers, making the system simple in structure and cost-effective, which meets the electrification and intelligentization requirements of semi-trailers such as heavy trucks.

[0070] Step A6: Verify the status of the traction seat. Once the traction seat is confirmed to be in the engaged state, the procedure ends.

[0071] Preferably, verifying the status of the towing seat specifically includes: performing a self-check of the towing seat status using a position sensor in the towing seat to confirm whether the towing seat is in a state of engagement or disengagement completed after the locking mechanism and the main vehicle have engaged. The position sensor can specifically be a limit switch. If the towing seat and the towing pin are still not engaged at this time, an alarm is triggered. If it is confirmed that the towing seat is engaged, the entire towing seat engagement control method is terminated.

[0072] Similarly, with Figure 2 Some of the processes are reversed; see details below. Figure 3 The traction seat separation control method includes:

[0073] Step B1: Receive the control command to separate the traction seat.

[0074] Similar to step A1 above, the control command to separate the tow seat can be obtained through one or more communication methods in the prior art. For example, it can be issued through the human-machine interface (HMI) with soft switches on the vehicle, or by the driver outside the vehicle through V2P technology, or by a remote intelligent driving system, thereby realizing remote or unmanned tow seat safety control.

[0075] Step B2: Verify the status of the traction seat. After confirming that the traction seat is in the engaged state, proceed to the next step.

[0076] Similar to step A6 above, verifying the towing seat status specifically includes: performing a self-check of the towing seat status using a position sensor within the towing seat to confirm whether the towing seat is in a engaged or disengaged state after the locking mechanism and the main vehicle have engaged. The position sensor can be a limit switch. If the towing seat and the towing pin are still not engaged at this point, an alarm is triggered. If the towing seat is confirmed to be engaged, proceed to the next step, B3.

[0077] Step B3: The tractor obtains the trailer position and / or outrigger height information of the matched trailer through V2V technology, and controls the tractor when necessary to achieve position calibration between the tractor and the trailer.

[0078] Similar to step A3 above, the tractor unit will obtain the trailer's position and / or outrigger height information via V2V technology to confirm whether the tractor unit and trailer are aligned, facilitating the subsequent safe unlocking and connection of the locking mechanism and the tractor unit. Generally, if the height difference and the centerline difference in the length direction between the tractor unit's tow hitch and the trailer's tow pin are within a certain error range, the tow hitch is confirmed to be in a stress-free state, indicating that the initial separation requirements of the tow hitch have been met. If the tractor unit and trailer are not in the correct position for separation and unlocking (this is rare), a continuous prompt will be issued to the driver, and the tractor unit will be controlled to calibrate the position between the tractor unit and trailer until the centerline position and height calibration of the tractor unit and trailer are finally completed.

[0079] In addition, the trailer position (including the centerline position) can be specifically sensed and identified through V2I technology, as can the tractor position (including the centerline position) and the height of the tow seat. The trailer outrigger height can be specifically obtained through the outrigger controller.

[0080] Step B4: Verify the status of the main vehicle to ensure that the main vehicle is stationary. The status of the main vehicle includes vehicle speed, handbrake, and throttle.

[0081] Similar to step A4 above, the vehicle speed, handbrake, and accelerator can be collected by the vehicle controller in the vehicle system. When the vehicle speed is zero, the handbrake is engaged (i.e., in P gear), and the accelerator pedal is not depressed, it indicates that the main vehicle is stationary to ensure the safe separation of the vehicle and the towing vehicle. Otherwise, an alarm will be issued.

[0082] Step B5: Initiate the traction seat separation procedure.

[0083] Similar to step A5 above, this towing seat separation procedure is generally a pre-defined program or operation that requires the towing seat and the tractor unit to cooperate in execution. First, the locking mechanism of the towing seat is controlled, causing the locking block to open and become free. Then, the tractor unit is controlled to perform a series of micro-control operations, such as slightly moving forward, until the towing pin is disengaged from the towing seat. Preferably, the towing seat can be an electric towing seat, and the semi-trailer can be an electric heavy-duty truck. Furthermore, a position sensor can be used to verify whether the towing seat is in a separated state.

[0084] Since the towing seat separation procedure is generally simple and unlikely to malfunction, it can be bypassed without redundancy after completing the procedure. Figure 1 The position sensor in the middle verifies the separation status of the traction seat and directly executes the next step B6.

[0085] Step B6: De-match between the tractor and trailer using V2N technology on a cloud platform and end the process.

[0086] Similar to step A2 above, the matching and unmatching of the tractor unit (i.e., the tractor) and trailer can be completed online using a pre-provided IP address. This allows the tractor unit and trailer to be re-marked as independent entities on the cloud platform, facilitating subsequent regrouping and matching. If online unmatching of the tractor and trailer cannot be completed, the program will exit and an alarm will be triggered.

[0087] In summary, this invention focuses on multiple technologies based on V2X, building upon human-computer interaction and autonomous driving systems. It utilizes V2P communication for under-vehicle operation, V2V for trailer guidance of the main vehicle's actions, V2I for roadside trailer location identification, and V2N for cloud-based matching of the main and trailer vehicles. Through multiple redundancy checks of enable conditions and combined with self-checks of the main vehicle's stationary state, the invention enhances vehicle safety protection functions. This ensures absolute safety during initiation of separation and connection, enabling accurate and safe connection and disconnection between the traction device and the towing pin.

[0088] In addition, Figure 1Based on the system architecture, this invention also claims an intelligent traction seat control system for a semi-trailer tractor, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory communicatively connected to the processor, wherein: the memory stores program instructions executable by the processor, and the processor can execute the intelligent traction seat control method for the semi-trailer tractor as described in any of the above claims by calling the program instructions.

[0089] Finally, the control method of the present invention described above can be executed as a software program or computer instructions in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or in a control system with memory and processor, and its calculation program is simple and runs quickly. The functional units in the various embodiments of the present invention can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or in a combination of hardware and software functional units. The integrated unit implemented as a software functional unit can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The software functional unit stored in a storage medium includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or processor to execute some steps of the method described in the various embodiments of the present invention. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0090] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. An intelligent traction seat control method for a semi-trailer tractor, characterized in that, The method includes a traction seat engagement control method, which comprises the following steps: Step A1: Receive the control command to engage the traction seat; Step A2: After receiving the control command, the matching and verification between the master vehicle and the trailer are realized through V2N technology based on the cloud platform. If the verification is successful, proceed to the next step; otherwise, exit the method and trigger an alarm. Step A3: The master vehicle obtains the trailer position and outrigger height information of the matched trailer through V2V technology to control the master vehicle to perform position calibration between the master vehicle and the trailer, so that the height difference between the master vehicle's towing seat and the trailer's towing pin and the centerline difference in the length direction are within a certain error range; otherwise, calibration continues. Step A4: Verify the main vehicle status to ensure that the main vehicle is stationary. The main vehicle status includes vehicle speed, handbrake, and accelerator. When the vehicle speed is zero, the handbrake is engaged, and the accelerator pedal is not depressed, it indicates that the main vehicle is stationary and proceeds to the next step; otherwise, an alarm will be issued. Step A5: Initiate the traction seat engagement procedure; Step A6: Verify the status of the traction seat. Once the traction seat is confirmed to be in the engaged state, the procedure ends. It also includes a traction seat separation control method, which includes the following steps: Step B1: Receive a control command to separate the traction seat; Step B2: Verify the status of the traction seat. After confirming that the traction seat is in the engaged state, proceed to the next step. Step B3: The master vehicle obtains the trailer position and / or outrigger height information of the matched trailer through V2V technology to control the master vehicle to perform position calibration between the master vehicle and the trailer, so that the height difference between the master vehicle's towing seat and the trailer's towing pin and the centerline difference in the length direction are within a certain error range; otherwise, calibration continues. Step B4: Verify the main vehicle status to ensure the vehicle is stationary. The main vehicle status includes vehicle speed, handbrake, and accelerator. When the vehicle speed is zero, the handbrake is engaged, and the accelerator pedal is not depressed, it indicates that the main vehicle is stationary and proceeds to the next step. Otherwise, an alarm will be issued. Step B5: Initiate the traction seat separation procedure; Step B6: De-match between the tractor and trailer using V2N technology on a cloud platform and end the process.

2. The intelligent traction seat control method for a semi-trailer tractor according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control commands in step A1 and / or step B1 are obtained through one or more of the following communication methods: 1) issued through the human-machine interface with a soft switch on the vehicle's infotainment system; 2) issued from outside the vehicle via V2P technology; 3) issued through a remote intelligent driving system.

3. The intelligent traction seat control method for a semi-trailer tractor according to claim 1, characterized in that, The verification of the traction seat status in step A6 and / or step B2 specifically includes: performing a self-check of the traction seat status using a position sensor in the traction seat to confirm whether the traction seat is in a state of completed engagement or disengagement after the locking mechanism and the main vehicle have performed their coordinated actions.

4. The intelligent traction seat control method for a semi-trailer tractor according to any one of claims 1, characterized in that, The trailer's location is identified using V2I technology.

5. The intelligent traction seat control method for a semi-trailer tractor according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step A4 and / or step B4 further include: the vehicle speed, handbrake braking and throttle are specifically collected by the vehicle controller.

6. The intelligent traction seat control method for a semi-trailer tractor according to claim 1, characterized in that, The traction seat is specifically an electric traction seat.

7. The intelligent traction seat control method for a semi-trailer tractor according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step A2 and / or step B6 further include: completing the matching verification and de-matching of the main vehicle and trailer online using a pre-given IP address.

8. An intelligent towing seat control system for a semi-trailer tractor, characterized in that, include: At least one processor; And at least one memory communicatively connected to the processor, wherein: the memory stores program instructions executable by the processor, and the processor can execute the intelligent traction seat control method for a semi-trailer tractor as described in any one of claims 1-7 by calling the program instructions.

9. A semi-trailer tractor, characterized in that, Including the intelligent towing seat control system for a semi-trailer tractor as described in claim 8.

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