Daimler Chrysler Ag

Daimler Ag

Knorr-bremse Systeme Fuer Nutzfahrzeuge Gmbh

Schenck Final Assembly Products Gmbh

Harro Heilmann

Gernot Spiegelberg

Armin Sulzmann

Andreas Schwarzhaupt

Ottmar Gehring

Frederic Holzmann

Wolfgang Stahl

Rainer Konzmann

Klaus-Dieter Holloh

Oliver Rooks

Gerhard Frey

Christian Quinger

Ansgar Maisch

Michael Armbruster

Carsten Haemmerling

Thomas Tentrup

Jan Schenk

Eilert Martens

Andrewas Schwarzhaupt

Erik Sieglin

Christof M Weber

The present invention discloses a method for energy management, by means of which significant fluctuations in the power consumption in the on-board electrical system are reduced, in particular, current consumption peaks arising due to a very high start-up current of electrical actuators and solenoid valves, are more evenly distributed over time. To achieve this, the method for energy management according to the invention operates predictively, i.e. it determines both the energy available in the subsequent time interval and the energy required on the basis of activation requests, and selects consumers to be activated according to their priority and a prevailing tolerance time within which a consumer must be activated following the submission of its activation request. The tolerance time is thereby continuously adapted.

Method for energy management

An axle arrangement of a trailer or semi-trailer comprises an axle modulator having an axle control unit in which one valve, respectively, is arranged for the service brake and for the air suspension. Such an integrated arrangement simplifies the construction and the mounting of the trailer.

Trailer and semi-trailer brake valve with an integrated control of the air suspension

An array of control devices having a plurality of control devices (--) which are interconnected via a first data bus (), in a means of transportation, control devices (--) which are of redundant configuration with respect to a control function being provided, and in each case a data bus isolating switch () being assigned to the control devices (--) which are of redundant configuration, the data bus isolating switch(s) connecting or disconnecting the data bus () as a function of an evaluation signal. In order to optimize the redundant array, each of these data bus isolating switches () is connected to a signal line of at least one further redundant control device (--), a further redundant control device () transmits an evaluation signal to the data bus isolating switch () which is assigned to a first redundant control device ().

Redundant array of control devices

Many day-to-day driving situations require that an operator of a motor vehicle guide the motor vehicle along a specific course and bring the vehicle to a stop at a specific location, for example in a parking bay or at a loading platform. To assist a vehicle operator in such situations, a method and a suitable device for implementing this method, include detecting the potential target objects in the image data of an image sensor and identifying the potential target objects as potential destinations in a multi-stage exclusionary method, whereupon a trajectory describing an optimized travel path is computed at least in relation to the most proximate destination. By using the multi-stage exclusionary method according to the present invention, it is possible to reliably identify potential destinations in complex image scenarios solely on the basis of their geometric form, even when the destinations have not been encoded by specific symbols.

Docking assistant

A system for coupling a trailer () to a motor vehicle (), in particular a trailer () to a motor tractor (), is provided with an image sensor (), which is located in the coupling area. The coupling process involves connecting a trailer coupler () of the motor vehicle () and a tow bar () of the trailer (), which is detected by an image sensor () detecting a movement of a locking element () associated with the trailer coupling (). Thereupon a process of braking of the motor vehicle () is initiated.

System for hitching a trailer to a motor vehicle

In a control system for a train composed of a towing vehicle and a trailer, the towing vehicle is equipped with an electronically actuatable drive train. A trailer steering angle actual value sensor determines a trailer actual steering angle of a wheel axle which steers the trailer. The driver of the vehicle can input a trailer setpoint steering angle via a trailer steering angle setpoint value sensor. A reversing device is provided which determines, from the trailer actual steering angle and the trailer setpoint steering angle, a modified towing vehicle setpoint steering angle of a wheel axle which steers the towing vehicle. In the active state of the reversing device, the modified towing vehicle setpoint steering angle takes the place of the present towing vehicle setpoint steering angle in a modified movement vector; and when the train is moving, it changes the trailer actual steering angle into the trailer setpoint steering angle when the modified movement vector is processed.

Control system for a vehicle

In the case of a method for hitching a trailer () to a motor vehicle (), in particular a semitrailer to a semitrailer towing machine, an image sensor () is provided which is arranged in a hitching region () in such a manner that image data of the hitching region () are recorded. During the approach of the motor vehicle () to the trailer (), stored model data of the hitching region () of the trailer () are segmented in the image data recorded by the image sensor () and are in each case placed in the correct position in the image data. A target zone () for the hitching is determined therefrom. The arrangement of the target zone () in the image data is used as a measurement for a steering operation of the motor vehicle () during hitching.

Process for coupling a trailer to a motor vehicle

A transport () or an associated trailer () with a loadable swap body () having a support frame and support legs () attached to the frame and moveable between a resting position and a support position wherein that the swap body () can be set on the ground without the transport/trailer. At least one support leg () is allocated an element () for automatically moving the support leg () from the resting position into the support position and/or vice versa. A control device () disposed on the transport/trailer () transmits a control signal to an actuating element (), secured to the transport/trailer (), that cooperates with the support leg () to move the leg into the support or resting position, and the control device () is connected to at least one further locking actuator for determining whether the swap body () is secured to the transport during travel.

Transport for swap body

In a module for detecting the docking of a vehicle, changes of vehicle engine torque and rotational wheel speed of the vehicle are determined as a function of time. It is checked whether the change of the engine torque is &#x3e;&#x3e;0 and the change of the rotational wheel speed is &#x3c;&#x3c;0. If both of these conditions are met, docking is detected and the vehicle can be braked. The module may be implemented in the form of software.

Method of detecting the docking of vehicles

The invention relates to a vehicle test stand including a device for fixing a motor vehicle on the test stand. A loading machine is adapted to be coupled to the drive train of the motor vehicle, whereby the loading machine can both drive and brake the drive train. In accordance with the invention, the loading machine is directly or indirectly connectable to a rim of a motor vehicle wheel in force-locking manner.

Vehicle test stand

A control system for a vehicle having an electronically actuated drive train includes a coordination level which is assigned to a system control device, and in which setpoint values are generated from state variables (ZG) of the vehicle and from driver's requests. Actuation signals for actuating actuators are generated from the latter. An execution level, which is subordinate to the coordination level, has actuators for executing the actuation signals. An axle electronic module for activating at least one brake actuator which is assigned to the chassis is arranged in the region of the steerable vehicle axle. The axle electronic module is connected to the coordination level in order to receive transmittal setpoint values, and determines actuation signals for actuating the respective axle actuator from the setpoint values. The axle electronic module is connected to an electronically actuated steering system for transmitting the actuation signals.

In a method of controlling at least one autonomously driven vehicle, such a vehicle is driven on a restricted traffic surface. For this purpose, the autonomous vehicle has a driving device for implementing driving commands on the basis of fed signals. The driving commands relate to the driving direction as well as to the driving speed. The vehicle detects its actual position by means of a position indicating device, and transmits its position to an operations management center. In the operations management center, a route profile to be driven is determined from position signals by means of definable criteria and is transmitted to the driving device of the vehicle. Driving commands required for driving the route profile are generated in the vehicle by the driving device.

Growing community of inventors

Ostfildern, Germany

Harro Heilmann