Tow Bar Force Feedback for Stable Self-Propelled Trailer Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manually or semi-manually propelled vehicles, such as bicycles, face difficulties in towing heavy or powerful trailers due to the need for excessive force, especially under varying conditions like uphill or downhill terrain, and struggle to maintain control, especially when trailers have their own motors or are heavily loaded.
Innovation Solution
A tow bar arrangement equipped with a control device that includes a force sensor to measure instantaneous pulling or pushing force, an electric motor to counteract this force, a low-pass filter to smooth the force measurements, and a regulator to produce a control signal for the motor, ensuring a consistent and safe towing experience by maintaining a small pulling force relative to the trailer's weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a manually or semi-manually propelled vehicle tows a heavy or powerful trailer, then the cargo transport capacity is improved, but the force required from the user increases excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The electric motor in the trailer acts as an active counterweight system by generating force that opposes the pulling force. The motor controller continuously adjusts the motor output to counteract the measured pulling force, effectively compensating for the trailer's weight and reducing the force burden on the user.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the purely mechanical towing system with an electromechanical system. A force sensor measures the pulling force, and an electric motor with controller substitutes for the user's muscular effort by actively counteracting the measured force, transforming manual mechanical towing into an assisted electromechanical process.
2Quantity of substance
If a heavy or powerful trailer is towed by a manually or semi-manually propelled vehicle, then the cargo transport capacity is improved, but the control stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements continuous feedback control through the force sensor that measures the instantaneous pulling force between the vehicle and trailer. The controller uses this feedback signal to dynamically adjust the electric motor's output, creating a closed-loop control system that maintains stable towing by constantly adapting to changing conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the static towing connection into a dynamic adaptive system. The electric motor continuously adjusts its force output in real-time based on the measured pulling force, allowing the system to adapt to varying terrain, speeds, and load conditions, thereby maintaining control stability.
3Ease of operation
If the electric motor continuously adjusts to counteract pulling force, then the ease of operation is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The towing system becomes self-regulating through the force sensor and motor controller combination. The system automatically measures the pulling force, calculates the required counteracting force, and adjusts the motor output without user intervention, making the complex control transparent to the user and maintaining ease of operation.
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 solution allows users to tow heavy or powerful trailers with reduced effort and improved safety, maintaining control and comfort regardless of terrain, by dynamically adjusting the motor's power to counteract the force between the vehicle and trailer, thus reducing the risk of accidents and enhancing user experience.
Implementation Method 1
a force sensor arranged to sense an instantaneous pulling or pushing force with respect to the vehicle in relation to the trailer
Implementation Method 2
an electric motor arranged to propel the trailer so that a force developed by said motor counter-acts said measured force
Data Source
AI summary
Tow bar arrangement (100) for interconnection of a pulling vehicle (10) and a pulled trailer (20). The arrangement (100) comprises a control device (110) with a force sensor (111) arranged to sense an instantaneous relative force between vehicle (10) and trailer (20). The control device (110) is arranged to produce a control signal for an electric motor (21) arranged to propel the trailer (20) so that a motor force counter-acts said measured force. The invention is characterised in that the control device (110) is arranged to a first time series of force measurements, in that the control device (110) comprises a low-pass filter (112) producing a second low-pass filtered time series, and in that a regulator (113) is arranged to regulate said second time series to produce said control signal.