DETAILED DESCRIPTION An object of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is to provide an improved device and method, respectively, for stabilizing a combination of a tractor and at least one semitrailer or trailer.
In an exemplary embodiment, a combination of a tractor vehicle and at least one semitrailer or trailer may be stabilized by having the brakes of the at least one semitrailer or trailer be set automatically, as a function of the yaw rate of the tractor and the setpoint yaw rate of the tractor.
Alternatively, the brakes of the at least one semitrailer or trailer are set automatically, depending on the yaw rate of the tractor vehicle, the speed of the combination and the steering angle, the setpoint yaw rate being advantageously ascertained from the speed of the combination and the steering angle.
The calculation of the setpoint yaw rate of the tractor vehicle from the speed of the combination and the steering angle is discussed, for example, in the article, FDR--Die Fahrdynamikreglung von Bosch (FDR--The Vehicle Dynamics Control of Bosch), by A.
van Zanten, R.
Erhardt and G.
Pfaff, ATZ Automobiltechnische Zeitschrift, (Journal of Automobile Technology) 96 (1994), 11, pages 674 to 689, or the article, Vehicle Dynamics Controller for Commercial Vehicles, by F.
Hecker, S.
Hummel, O.
Jundt, K.
-D.
Leimbach, I.
Faye, and H.
Schramm, SAE 973284, 1997, pages 59 to 66.
Measuring the bending angle, as may be required, for example, in the design approach of German Published Patent Application No.
25 47 487, is not believed to be necessary here.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a combination of a tractor vehicle and at least one semitrailer or trailer may be stabilized by setting the brakes of the at least one semitrailer or trailer, in particular automatically, so that the semitrailer or trailer is braked more strongly than the tractor vehicle when the yaw rate of the tractor vehicle is greater, in particular by a tolerance value, than the setpoint value of the yaw rate of the tractor vehicle
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