JP3912499B2 - TRAVEL CONTROL DEVICE FOR TOWED VEHICLE CONNECTED TO TOWED VEHICLE - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for controlling traveling of a towed vehicle such as a tractor to which a towed vehicle such as a trailer is connected.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, the vehicle speed of the tractor is detected by the vehicle speed detection means, the connection angle and the connection angular speed of the tractor are detected by the connection angle detection means, and the control unit responds to the vehicle speed based on each detection output of the vehicle speed detection means and the connection angle detection means. There has been disclosed a vehicle behavior control device configured to calculate a connection angle threshold value corresponding to a connection angle threshold value and a vehicle speed (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-206211).
[0003]
In the vehicle behavior control device configured as described above, when the detected value of the connection angle is equal to or greater than the connection angle threshold value and the detected value of the connection angular velocity is equal to or greater than the connection angular velocity threshold value, the control unit A braking force is applied to the trailer wheel until the release condition is satisfied. As a result, the tractor and trailer are stretched so that the coupling angle becomes zero by being pulled from the rear side by the braking force of the trailer, and it is possible to reestablish a substantially “<” shape and prevent the jackknife phenomenon It can be done.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional vehicle behavior control device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-206211, when the tractor is towing a relatively long trailer, the tractor and the trailer are bent at the connecting portion when turning the intersection. The angle increases, that is, the angle between the tractor and the trailer is increased from 180 degrees to the shape of an approximately "<", and the trailer becomes the running resistance of the tractor, so there is a possibility that the intersection cannot be turned smoothly. It was.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a tow vehicle to which a towed vehicle is connected, by which the distance between the connecting portion and the rear axle of the towed vehicle is estimated by simple measurement and calculation, so that the vehicle motion can be accurately controlled. It is in providing a traveling control device.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In the invention according to claim 1, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the traction vehicle 11 on which the electronic fuel injection device 13 and the electronic automatic transmission 14 are mounted, and the front portion is connected to the rear portion of the traction vehicle 11. The longitudinal acceleration sensor 17 for detecting the longitudinal acceleration of the connecting portion D between the connected towed vehicle 12 and the towed vehicle 12 of the towing vehicle 11, and the vertical acceleration sensor 18 for detecting the vertical acceleration of the connecting portion D. And a stroke sensor 19 that detects the vertical stroke of the rear suspension of the tow vehicle 11, and the connection portion D and the towed vehicle 12 based on the detection outputs of the longitudinal acceleration sensor 17, the vertical acceleration sensor 18, and the stroke sensor 19. This is a traveling control device for a towed vehicle to which a towed vehicle including a controller 22 that calculates a distance from the rear axle 12a is connected.
[0006]
In the traveling control device for a towed vehicle to which the towed vehicle described in claim 1 is connected, when the relatively long towed vehicle 12 is connected to the towed vehicle 11 and travels, the towed vehicle 11 and the towed vehicle 12 are connected. The longitudinal acceleration sensor 17 detects the longitudinal acceleration of the connecting portion D by vibration, the vertical acceleration sensor 18 detects the vertical acceleration of the connecting portion D, and the stroke sensor 19 detects the vertical suspension of the rear suspension of the tow vehicle 11. Since the stroke is detected, the controller 22 estimates the distance L (FIG. 1) between the connecting portion D and the rear axle 12a of the towed vehicle 12 based on the detection outputs of these sensors 17 to 19, and the towed vehicle 12 Is relatively long.
[0007]
When the towing vehicle 11 towing the towed vehicle 12 turns, the controller 22 determines that the running resistance during turning is relatively large based on the distance L between the connecting portion D and the rear axle 12a. Predicting before reaching the maximum, a relatively large amount of fuel is injected from the electronic fuel injection device 13 into the engine 16, and the electronic automatic transmission device 14 is shifted down to increase the traction force. As a result, even if the traveling resistance of the tow vehicle 11 towing the long towed vehicle 12 increases, the tow vehicle 11 can smoothly turn at an intersection or the like while towing the long towed vehicle 12.
[0008]
The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, and further, as shown in FIG. 1, the tow vehicle 11 travels by pulling the towed vehicle 12, and the stroke sensor 19 is the rear of the tow vehicle 11. When it is detected that the vertical stroke of the suspension vibrates at a predetermined amount or more, the vertical acceleration sensor 18 detects the vertical acceleration S _{Y at} the highest point P ₁ of the stroke and the lowest point P _{2 of the} stroke. The longitudinal acceleration sensor _Y detects the longitudinal acceleration S _{X at} the highest point P ₁ of the stroke and the longitudinal acceleration T _X at the lowest point P ₂ of the stroke, The controller 22 calculates an acceleration vector S ₀ = S _Y / S _X at the highest point P ₁ of the stroke from the accelerations S _Y and S _{X, and} from the accelerations T _Y and T _X. After calculating the acceleration vector T ₀ = T _Y / T _X at the lowest point P ₂ of the stroke and further substituting the acceleration vectors S ₀ and T ₀ into the following equations (1) and (2), It is characterized by solving the simultaneous equations 1 and 2 to obtain the coordinates of the intersection.
y = −S ₀ × x + d (1)
y = −T ₀ × x …… ▲ 2 ▼
Here, x is a longitudinal variable, y is a vertical variable, and d is a vertical distance between the highest point P ₁ and the lowest point P ₂ .
[0009]
In the traveling control apparatus for a towed vehicle to which the towed vehicle described in claim 2 is connected, when the controller 22 obtains the coordinates of the intersection as described above, the x coordinate of the intersection is the connecting portion D and the towed vehicle. This is an approximate value of the distance L between the twelve rear axles 12a. As a result, the controller 22 can accurately control the movement of the vehicle based on the distance L.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, an electronic fuel injection device 13 and an electronic automatic transmission 14 are mounted on the tractor 11, and the front portion of the trailer 12 is connected to the rear portion of the tractor 11. The electronic fuel injection device 13 is a common rail unit injector, a common rail connected to the feed pump, an injection nozzle connected to the common rail, and fuel injection timing and injection from the injection nozzle to the engine 16. And a solenoid valve for adjusting the time. The electronic automatic transmission 14 includes a transmission and an actuator that drives a shift lever of the transmission.
[0011]
A coupler 11a is provided on the rear upper surface of the tractor 11, and a king pin (not shown) projects from the front lower surface of the trailer 12. The trailer 12 is connected to the tractor 11 by engaging the king pin with the coupler 11a. The A rear suspension (not shown) is interposed between the rear wheel axle 11b of the tractor 11 and the chassis frame 11c of the tractor 11.
[0012]
Immediately below the coupler 11a, a longitudinal acceleration sensor 17 for detecting the longitudinal acceleration of the connecting portion D with the trailer 12 of the tractor 11 and a vertical acceleration sensor 18 for detecting the vertical acceleration of the connecting portion D are provided. It is done. In the vicinity of the rear suspension of the tractor 11, a stroke sensor 19 for detecting the vertical stroke of the rear suspension is provided.
[0013]
The detection outputs of the longitudinal acceleration sensor 17, the vertical acceleration sensor 18, and the stroke sensor 19 are connected to the control input of the controller 22, and the control output of the controller 22 is the electromagnetic valve of the electronic fuel injection device 13 and the electronic automatic transmission 14. Connected to each actuator. A rear axle 12a is provided at the rear part of the trailer 12, and the rear axle 12a includes a first axle 12b and a second axle 12c. A center line C in the front-rear direction of the rear axle 12a is a vertical line that passes between the first axle 12b and the second axle 12c.
[0014]
Operation | movement of the traveling control apparatus of the tractor 11 with which the trailer 12 comprised in this way was connected is demonstrated based on FIGS. 1-3.
When a long trailer 12 (FIGS. 2 and 3) is connected to the tractor 11 and travels, the longitudinal acceleration sensor 17 detects the longitudinal acceleration of the connecting portion D due to the vibration of the tractor 11 and the trailer 12, and the vertical acceleration sensor 18 The vertical acceleration of the connecting portion D is detected, and the stroke sensor 19 detects the vertical stroke of the rear suspension of the tractor 11 (FIG. 1). The controller 22 estimates the distance L (FIG. 1) between the connecting portion D and the center line C of the rear axle 12a of the trailer 12 based on the detection outputs of these sensors 17 to 19, and the length of the trailer 12 is relatively long. Judged to be long.
[0015]
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the tractor 11 that pulls the trailer 12 travels, and the stroke sensor 19 indicates that the vertical stroke of the rear suspension of the tractor 11 vibrates with a predetermined amount or more. Upon detection, the vertical acceleration sensor 18 detects the vertical acceleration S _{Y at} the highest point P ₁ of the stroke and the vertical acceleration T _Y at the lowest point _{P 2} of the stroke, and the longitudinal acceleration sensor 17 detects the highest stroke. The longitudinal acceleration S _{X at the} point P _{1 and} the longitudinal acceleration T _X at the lowest point P ₂ of the stroke are detected.
[0016]
Next, the controller 22 calculates the acceleration vector S ₀ = S _Y / S _X at the highest point P ₁ of the stroke from the S _Y and S _X, and the acceleration at the lowest point P ₂ of the stroke from the T _Y and T _X. The vector T ₀ = T _Y / T _X is calculated. Further, after substituting the acceleration vectors S ₀ and T ₀ into the following equations (1) and (2), the controller solves the simultaneous equations of the equations (1) and (2) and determines the intersection (the rear of the trailer 12). The coordinates of a point passing through the center line C of the axle 12a are obtained.
y = −S ₀ × x + d (1)
y = −T ₀ × x …… ▲ 2 ▼
In Equations (1) and (2), x is a variable in the front-rear direction (x coordinate), y is a variable in the vertical direction (y coordinate), and d is the highest point P ₁ and the lowest point P ₂ . The distance in the vertical direction. As a result, the x coordinate of the intersection becomes an approximate value of the distance L (FIG. 1) between the connecting portion D and the rear axle 12a of the trailer 12.
[0017]
The controller 22 predicts a running resistance during turning based on the distance L between the connecting portion D and the center line C of the rear axle 12a, and injects a relatively large amount of fuel from the electronic fuel injection device 13 into the engine 16. The electronic automatic transmission 14 is shifted down by one step to increase the traction force. As a result, even if the traveling resistance of the tractor 11 that pulls the long trailer 12 increases, the tractor 11 can smoothly turn right at the intersection while pulling the long trailer 12 (FIGS. 2 and 3).
[0018]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, when a towed vehicle having a predetermined length is connected to a towed vehicle and travels, the longitudinal acceleration sensor moves in the front-rear direction of the connecting part due to vibrations of the towed vehicle and the towed vehicle. The vertical acceleration sensor detects the vertical acceleration of the connecting portion, and the stroke sensor detects the vertical stroke of the rear suspension of the tow vehicle. Therefore, the controller is based on the detection outputs of these sensors. Thus, the distance between the connecting portion and the rear axle of the towed vehicle is estimated. As a result, the controller can accurately control the movement of the vehicle based on the distance between the connecting portion and the rear axle of the towed vehicle, so that even if the running resistance of the towed vehicle towing a long towed vehicle increases. The tow vehicle can smoothly turn at intersections while towing the long towed vehicle.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a travel control device including a tractor to which a trailer according to an embodiment of the present invention is connected.
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state where a tractor pulling a long trailer is turning right at an intersection.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of a part A in FIG. 2;
[Explanation of symbols]
11 Tractor (towing vehicle)
12 Trailer (towed vehicle)
12a Rear Axle 13 Electronic Fuel Injection Device 14 Electronic Automatic Transmission 17 Longitudinal Acceleration Sensor 18 Vertical Acceleration Sensor 19 Stroke Sensor 22 Controller C Trailer Rear Axle Centerline D Tractor and Trailer Connection L L Connection and Trailer Rear Axle Center Distance to line

Claims (2)

A tow vehicle (11) equipped with an electronic fuel injection device (13) and an electronic automatic transmission (14);
A towed vehicle (12) having a front connected to the rear of the towed vehicle (11);
A longitudinal acceleration sensor (17) for detecting an acceleration in the longitudinal direction of the connecting portion (D) of the towed vehicle (11) with the towed vehicle (12);
A vertical acceleration sensor (18) for detecting the vertical acceleration of the connecting portion (D);
A stroke sensor (19) for detecting the vertical stroke of the rear suspension of the tow vehicle (11);
Based on the detection outputs of the longitudinal acceleration sensor (17), the vertical acceleration sensor (18), and the stroke sensor (19), the connection portion (D) and the rear axle (12a) of the towed vehicle (12). A traveling control device for a towed vehicle, to which a towed vehicle is connected, which includes a controller (22) for calculating a distance (L). The tow vehicle (11) travels by towing the towed vehicle (12), and the stroke sensor (19) confirms that the vertical stroke of the rear suspension of the tow vehicle (11) vibrates with a predetermined amount or more. When detected, the vertical acceleration sensor 18 detects the vertical acceleration S _{Y at} the highest point P ₁ of the stroke and the vertical acceleration T _Y at the lowest point P ₂ of the stroke. 17) detects the longitudinal acceleration S _{X at} the highest point P ₁ of the stroke and the longitudinal acceleration T _X at the lowest point P ₂ of the stroke;
The controller (22) calculates an acceleration vector S ₀ = S _Y / S _X at the highest point P ₁ of the stroke from the accelerations S _Y and S _X, and the lowest point P of the stroke from the accelerations T _Y and T _{X. After} calculating the acceleration vector T ₀ = T _Y / T _X in FIG. 2 and substituting the acceleration vectors S ₀ and T ₀ into the following equations (1) and (2), equations (1) and (2) 2. A traveling control apparatus for a towed vehicle to which a towed vehicle is connected according to claim 1, wherein the coordinates of the intersection are obtained by solving the simultaneous equations of.
y = −S ₀ × x + d (1)
y = −T ₀ × x …… ▲ 2 ▼
Here, x is a longitudinal variable, y is a vertical variable, and d is a vertical distance between the highest point P ₁ and the lowest point P ₂ .

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