Overrun Brake Monitoring for Tractor-Trailer Brake Force Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
In combinations of towing vehicles and trailers with overrun brakes, existing methods fail to effectively monitor and adjust braking force distribution, leading to inconsistent braking effects and potential defects in the overrun brake system, which can affect the overall braking performance and safety.
Innovation Solution
A method that determines the total weight of the towing vehicle and trailer using drive torque and acceleration, calculates the trailer braking effect, and adjusts the braking force distribution to optimize the overall braking effect, incorporating sensors for temperature monitoring and wind resistance, and utilizing a control device to implement these calculations and adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the trailer braking effect is not monitored, then the system structure remains simple, but the braking performance becomes inconsistent and safety is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The control device continuously monitors the trailer braking effect by calculating it from the difference between the total vehicle combination braking effect and the towing vehicle braking effect. This feedback mechanism enables real-time detection of overrun brake performance without adding complex hardware, as it utilizes existing sensor data (acceleration, drive torque) to compute braking effects and adjust brake force distribution accordingly.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the towing vehicle's existing sensors and control devices to monitor and adjust the trailer braking effect. The control device leverages data already available from the towing vehicle's acceleration sensors and drive torque measurements to calculate both the total braking effect and the trailer-specific braking effect, eliminating the need for separate dedicated sensors on the trailer.
2Reliability
If the brake force distribution is not adjusted, then the control system remains simple, but the overall braking effect is suboptimal
Solution Approach 1:
The brake force distribution is dynamically adjusted based on real-time monitoring of the trailer braking effect. The control device modifies the brake force distribution on the towing vehicle according to the calculated trailer braking effect, enabling adaptive optimization of overall braking performance. This dynamic adjustment ensures that as the trailer's brake condition changes, the towing vehicle's brake distribution is automatically optimized to maintain optimal total braking effect.
3Reliability
If defects in the overrun brake system are not detected, then the monitoring system remains simple, but the safety is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The control device continuously monitors the trailer braking effect and compares it against expected values to detect defects in the overrun brake system. This feedback mechanism enables real-time identification of brake failures or performance degradation without requiring complex diagnostic hardware, as it utilizes the existing relationship between total braking effect, towing vehicle braking effect, and calculated trailer braking effect to identify anomalies.
4Measurement precision
If the trailer braking effect is calculated without considering total weight, then the calculation process is simpler, but the braking effect determination is inaccurate
Solution Approach 1:
The total weight of the vehicle combination is determined in advance using the drive torque and acceleration of the towing vehicle. This preliminary determination of total weight provides the basis for accurately calculating the total vehicle combination braking effect during braking events. By having the total weight readily available from prior acceleration-phase measurements, the system can accurately compute braking effects without requiring complex real-time weight measurements during braking.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables real-time monitoring and adjustment of braking force distribution, enhancing the overall braking performance and safety by identifying defects in the overrun brake system and optimizing the braking effect, thereby reducing the risk of accidents.
Implementation Method 1
The overrun brake transfers at least a portion of the resulting thrust force to the trailer's wheel brakes, thus slowing the trailer down
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for operating a tractor-trailer combination (106) composed of a tractor vehicle (100) and a trailer (104) with an overrun brake (108), wherein an overall weight of the tractor-trailer combination (106) is obtained using a drive torque (132) of the tractor vehicle (100) and an acceleration of the tractor-trailer combination (106), a trailer-braking effect (136) of the overrun brake (108) is determined using a deceleration of the tractor-trailer combination (106), the total weight and a vehicle-braking effect of the tractor vehicle (100) without the trailer (104), and a braking-force distribution of the tractor vehicle (100) is set using the trailer-braking effect (136).