DE102012003293A1 - Automatic device for semitrailers of lorry, has power circuit operated by power source battery that is automatically recharged when using torch lights, where device is available in period in which daylight of vehicle is automatically active - Google Patents

Abstract

The device has an independent power circuit operated by a small separate power source battery that is automatically recharged when using torch lights, where the device is available in a period in which daylight of a vehicle is automatically active. The active time of the light is delivered by the LED depending on capacity of an accumulator.

Description

State of the art

Semi-trailers of trucks are inevitably uncoupled from the tractors, while the power supply for the semitrailers is also cut, which in turn eliminates the possibility to warn the other road users by an optical signal on the trailer before this.

Removes the tractor from the trailer is in the current state of the art not the ability to make the trailer through the existing taillights visible at a distance, since the car battery of the tractor is not connected on site and not to the trailer. So parked semi-trailers form an unexpectedly large, unlit traffic obstacle and an accident hotspot.

Taillights consist of the tail light, the brake light, the turn signal, the license plate lights, the rear fog light, the reverse light, but none of these possible light sources at the moment in which the tractor is disconnected.

The complete absence of the possibility to make the uncoupled and stand-alone semi-trailers actively visible in the event of poor visibility for subsequent traffic is eliminated with the aid of the device described in this application. The device and visual warning begins to act at the exact moment it is needed, in contrast to all known parts of the standard taillights, which in turn fail at this time.

The device offers additional advantages over the standard passive rear reflectors mounted on the back of the trailers, since an active visual warning is issued without the need to illuminate passive reflectors on the vehicle or trailer, which increases safety especially when a trailer is in use a curve is left, or has been turned off, or an approaching vehicle on the not equipped with reflectors side of the parked and unlit Auffliegers.

If the light cone of the following traffic does not hit the passive reflectors directly, or the reflectors are not illuminated at the correct angle, an obstacle can not be detected in time, there is a risk of accidents. By the device, the optical warning signal is detected at an earlier time by the next driver, this is warned accordingly earlier, thus has more time to reduce the speed and initiate a corresponding maneuver.

The novelty of this device is characterized in that it is achieved that previously parked, not illuminated and therefore less visible semitrailers are prepared with little effort, so they warn the following traffic automatically and thus reliably already from the date to which the driver turns off the daylight and tractor and semi-trailer are still connected to each other, but in particular also beyond when the driver disconnects the tractor and leaves.

Furthermore, this device does not equalize the fact that in trailers of trucks and trailers of agricultural machines, no energy source is installed, therefore, the device described in this application is necessary. Especially for semi-trailers with dangerous goods it is important to have another possibility of warning available.

The optically continuous warning on the trailer left behind is maintained for a safety-related period, which can last up to several days depending on the previous charge and thus the road users at night, in poor visibility and fog until the return of the tractor, in addition to the otherwise possibly not in time visible, as not lit, obstacle warns.

The described device works by the separate power supply - a battery that supplies LEDs with power, regardless of a car battery, even with complete failure of the car battery. On the car battery is used for the supply of the diodes with electricity at any time. The battery of the device is automatically charged during the active use of the daylight of a vehicle, the device during the regular driving with daylight, automatically not active and consumes no electricity.

The powerful diodes have a high range, low energy consumption and let the following traffic already remotely recognize that there is an obstacle on the track, or to the left, or right, without dazzling, even before the actual headlights of the own vehicle to the obstacle and possibly to the passive reflectors shine.

functionality

The device is supplied with the power of the live line when the daylight of a vehicle is turned on. At the moment of the switch of the first circuit current flows through the coil of the relay and closes the relay, whereby the accumulator is charged. The first circuit is used to charge the accumulator by a voltage regulator, which controls the charging current.

The second circuit consists of a rechargeable battery and high power LEDs. At the time of turning off the daylight, a breakdown of the electrical system of a tractor, or when decoupling a trailer, the circuit is opened to charge and closes the circuit to power the diodes.

The active time of the light output by the diodes depends on the capacity of the accumulator, the previous charging time during the operation of the daylight and the power consumption by the, as well as the number of, high power LEDs.

scope of application

Primarily, the use of the device is intended for all types of trailers to increase safety for subsequent traffic by alerting traffic to the optical signal of the device.

Especially for professional drivers safety is increased and rear-end collisions with the trailers can be avoided by an early warning of subsequent traffic. Often the professional drivers are scheduled to load or unload stations by your carrier, on which the way and often rural roads at night are inadequate, or not lit, or have to wait away from completely unlighted roads and paths.

It is not always possible for a driver to drive to the next sufficiently well-lit stop or motorway service area. On highways are off the route unlit parking bays and emergency-stop facilities, which are used in these cases, unusually by trucks including trailers. The device allows a safer parking of the vehicle on these non-illuminated holding options as car drivers usually do not expect trucks on these emergency holding options and can be surprised due to the width of a tractor and its trailer, as a part of the vehicle due to this width in the lane could be the subsequent traffic.

Also in the urban area, a semi-trailer may partially tower over the own stand track and be in the lane of the following traffic due to the width. Likewise, agricultural utility vehicles parked in the vicinity of or on unlit field roads, due to their dimensions, provide a source of danger for accidents.

It is also conceivable use in passenger cars and their trailers.

Claims (1)

When stopping a vehicle engine when decoupling a resting trailer from a tractor, or in the case of an unforeseen defect of the vehicle and a voltage drop, thereby immediately self-activating, generated by LEDs persistent active optical warning for subsequent traffic. This is particularly important in order to warn against night-time and poor visibility in front of the vehicle, or especially in front of the left-behind trailer, as an obstacle and thus to increase overall road safety. The device described in this application is equipped with an independent power circuit, is powered by a small separate power source battery, which recharges itself when using the daylight. The device automatically emits no light in this period in which the daylight of the vehicle is active.

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