IP Library Granted Patent US 11,691,610
Granted Patent B2
US 11,691,610 · App. 17/727,845 · Granted Jul 4, 2023

Electropneumatic trailer control-valve unit

Inventor: Julian Van Thiel (Grossburgwedel, DE)
Assignee: ZF CV SYSTEMS EUROPE BV
B60T13/683B60T8/1701B60T8/3605B60T13/36B60T2270/413
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,691,610
App. No.
17/727,845
Granted
Jul 4, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

An electropneumatic trailer control-valve unit for a vehicle, including a storage port for coupling a store of compressed air for a trailer, a brake-pressure port, a brake-pressure pilot-control unit configured to output at least one first control pressure, a brake-pressure main-valve unit configured to receive the at least one first control pressure and to output a brake pressure at a brake-pressure port, a trailer operating-pressure port configured to receive a trailer operating pressure, and a pneumatically switched trailer protection valve with a protection-valve control port which is connected to the trailer operating-pressure port for receiving the trailer operating pressure, wherein the trailer protection valve switches from a first switching position into a second switching position if the trailer operating pressure exceeds a predetermined first threshold value, and wherein the trailer operating pressure is a supply control pressure.

Claims (50)

1. An electropneumatic trailer control-valve unit for a vehicle, comprising:

a storage port for coupling a store of compressed air for a trailer;

a brake-pressure port;

a brake-pressure pilot-control unit configured to output at least one first control pressure;

a brake-pressure main-valve unit configured to receive the at least one first control pressure and to output a brake pressure at the brake-pressure port;

a trailer operating-pressure port configured to receive a trailer operating pressure;

a pneumatically switched trailer protection valve with a protection-valve control port which is connected to the trailer operating-pressure port for receiving the trailer operating pressure; and

a redundancy port at which a redundancy pressure is capable of being output,

wherein the trailer protection valve switches from a first switching position into a second switching position if the trailer operating pressure exceeds a predetermined first threshold value,

wherein the redundancy pressure is connected to the trailer protection valve in such a manner that in the second switching position of the trailer protection valve the redundancy pressure is capable of being transmitted to the brake-pressure main-valve unit, and

wherein the trailer operating pressure is a supply control pressure.

2. An electropneumatic trailer control module for a vehicle, comprising:

a trailer supply unit with a trailer supply-pressure port, a supply pilot-control unit, and a supply main-valve unit; and

an electropneumatic trailer control-valve unit, connected to the trailer supply unit, as claimed in claim 1 ,

wherein the trailer supply unit outputs the trailer operating pressure at the trailer operating-pressure port.

3. The electropneumatic trailer control module as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the supply pilot-control unit is configured to output the supply control pressure at the supply main-valve unit, and the supply main-valve unit is configured to output a trailer supply pressure at the trailer supply-pressure port on the basis of receiving a third control pressure.

4. The electropneumatic trailer control module as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the trailer supply unit is configured to output the supply control pressure as trailer operating pressure at the trailer operating-pressure port.

5. The electropneumatic trailer control module as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the supply main-valve unit comprises a pneumatically controllable supply main valve with a pneumatic control port which is connected to the supply pilot-control unit via a supply control-pressure line, and wherein the trailer operating-pressure port is connected to the supply control-pressure line.

6. The electropneumatic trailer control module as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the supply main-valve unit is connected to the trailer supply-pressure port via a trailer supply-pressure line, and wherein the trailer operating-pressure port is connected to the trailer supply-pressure line.

7. The electropneumatic trailer control module as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising:

a parking-brake unit with a spring-actuator port, a parking-brake pilot-control unit, and a parking-brake main-valve unit configured to output a spring-actuator pressure at the spring-actuator port, and

an electronic control unit, at least for controlling the brake-pressure pilot-control unit.

8. The electropneumatic trailer control-valve unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the supply control pressure is provided via a supply control pressure line from a trailer supply unit.

9. The electropneumatic trailer control-valve unit as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the supply control pressure is provided by a supply-pressure control line from a pilot valve of the trailer supply unit, the pilot valve configured to receive a storage pressure from the store of compressed air.

10. The electropneumatic trailer control-valve unit as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the electropneumatic trailer control-valve unit is configured such that a rise of the supply control pressure occurs more rapidly than a rise of a trailer supply pressure, the trailer supply pressure being a pressure which is supplied to a trailer.

11. The electropneumatic trailer control-valve unit as claimed in claim 8 , wherein a cross-section of the supply-pressure control line is smaller than a cross-section of a trailer supply pressure line.

12. The electropneumatic trailer control-valve unit as claimed in claim 8 , wherein a cross-section of the supply-pressure control line is smaller than a cross-section of a brake-pressure line from the pressure main-valve unit to the brake-pressure port.

13. The electropneumatic trailer control-valve unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the trailer protection valve is configured to permit output of the brake pressure in the second switching position.

14. The electropneumatic trailer control-valve unit as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the trailer protection valve is configured to permit, in the second switching position, a direct output of the brake pressure or an output of a second control pressure at the brake-pressure main-valve unit to induce an output of the brake pressure.

15. The electropneumatic trailer control-valve unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the brake-pressure pilot-control unit comprises an electromagnetically switchable redundancy valve, and the trailer protection valve is connected to the redundancy valve.

16. The electropneumatic trailer control-valve unit as claimed in claim 15 , comprising a brake-pressure sensor configured to register the brake pressure, and wherein the trailer protection valve and the redundancy valve are integrated into a joint combined valve.

17. The electropneumatic trailer control-valve unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the pneumatically switched trailer protection valve is connected between the brake-pressure main-valve unit and the brake-pressure port.

18. A utility vehicle with an electronically controllable pneumatic braking system having an electropneumatic trailer control-valve unit as claimed in claim 1 .

19. A method for controlling an electropneumatic trailer control-valve unit the method comprising:

receiving a supply control pressure at a protection-valve control port of a pneumatically switched trailer protection valve of the electropneumatic trailer control-valve unit, the trailer protection valve being configured to switch from a first switching position into a second switching position if the trailer operating pressure exceeds a predetermined first threshold value; and

switching the trailer protection valve from the first switching position into the second switching position,

wherein the electropneumatic trailer control-valve unit comprises:

a storage port for coupling a store of compressed air for a trailer;

a brake-pressure port;

a brake-pressure pilot-control unit configured to output at least one first control pressure;

a brake-pressure main-valve unit configured to receive the at least one first control pressure and to output a brake pressure at the brake-pressure port;

a trailer operating-pressure port configured to receive a trailer operating pressure, and

a redundancy port at which a redundancy pressure is capable of being output,

wherein the protection-valve control port is connected to the trailer operating-pressure port for receiving the trailer operating pressure,

wherein the redundancy pressure is connected to the trailer protection valve in such a manner that in the second switching position of the trailer protection valve the redundancy pressure is capable of being transmitted to the brake-pressure main-valve unit, and

wherein the trailer operating pressure is the supply control pressure.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the supply control pressure is output by a supply pilot-control unit.

21. The method as claimed in claim 19 , further comprising:

registering a pressure at the brake-pressure port; and

ascertaining whether a trailer has been attached to the brake-pressure port.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 13, 2022
From: ZF CV SYSTEMS HANNOVER GMBH
To: ZF CV SYSTEMS EUROPE BV
Reel/Frame 059897/0149 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded May 4, 2022
From: WABCO GMBH
To: ZF CV SYSTEMS HANNOVER GMBH
Reel/Frame 059851/0260 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 2, 2022
From: VAN THIEL, JULIAN
To: WABCO GMBH
Reel/Frame 059756/0281 →
Priority Claims (2)
DE 10 2018 122 551.2 · Sep 14, 2018 · national
DE 10 2018 123 750.2 · Sep 26, 2018 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation 16571230 · Sep 16, 2019
Related Publication 20220250599A1 · Aug 11, 2022