Description:TECHNICAL FIELD
[001] The present disclosure relates to the field of automobiles. Particularly, the present disclosure discloses a method and system for protecting tractor from rollover or tip over while carrying and pulling heavy loads.
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BACKGROUND
[002] The following description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art. 10
[003] Heavy vehicles and working machines in the form of articulated vehicles are often used at agricultural fields, construction sites or the like. For example, the articulated vehicle comprises a tractor unit over which sitting arrangement for driver or co-driver is provided, and a trailer unit is provided for loading material to be transported. The trailer 15 unit or trolley can be raised and lowered by use of hydraulic tilting cylinders. Many times, it is observed that when the trailer unit or trolley is carrying heavy loads, the tractor requires more power to pull the trailer unit, and in an event of doing so the tractor’s front wheels are raised above the ground and tends to tip off or causes rearward rollover of the tractor. This causes the driver of the tractor to be crushed between the 20 tractor and the trailer unit, which is fatal.
[004] Furthermore, the tractor unit and the trailer unit/ dump body of the articulated vehicles are often pivotally connected to each other by a joint arrangement allowing mutual rotation of the tractor unit and the trailer unit around a geometric axis having a 25 horizontal component in the longitudinal direction of the articulated vehicle. Hereby, the articulated vehicle is able to manage the rough terrain that is often associated to construction sites. However, during some instances, when utilizing an articulated vehicle, e.g., during unloading of material from the trailer unit when the weight of the load in the trailer unit is too heavy and/or there is a large amount of material, in such 30 conditions, there is a risk that the centre of gravity of the tractor is displaced rearwards during the unloading operation such that the tractor unit will be raised above the ground and there is no connection present between the front two wheels and the ground. If the
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tractor unit tips over a certain threshold angle, such situations may be dangerous and may lead to fatal accidents.
[005] There is therefore a need for a system that overcomes the limitations of the existing mechanisms and further enhances safety by overcoming the aforementioned 5 drawbacks.
SUMMARY
[006] The present disclosure overcomes one or more shortcomings of the prior art and 10 provides additional advantages. Embodiments and aspects of the disclosure described in detail herein are considered a part of the claimed disclosure.
[007] In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, an apparatus to determine a rollover condition of a tractor-trailer unit is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a 15 sensing unit configured to sense a tilt angle value based on an orientation of a tractor with respect to ground. An angular sensor configured to sense an angular displacement value based on an angular orientation of a pivot hitch joint connecting the tractor with a trailer Further, the apparatus comprises a processing unit configured to compute a difference between the tilt angle value and the angular displacement value and 20 determine the rearward rollover condition once the difference crosses a predetermined threshold.
[008] In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the sensing unit configured to sense a tilt angle value by at least one of the gyro sensor or tilt sensor or accelerometer. 25
[009] In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the pre-determined threshold value is selected based on the historical or experimental data.
[0010] In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, on determination of the rearward 30 rollover condition, the processing unit is further configured to generate a control signal for an ECU (electronic control unit). The processing unit is configured to reduce the engine’s Revolutions per minute (RPM) of the back wheels of the tractor connected to the engine through axle, to control lifting of front-wheels of the tractor. The processing
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unit is further configured to provide an alert to the driver regarding probability of rearward rollover by giving a prior alarm before the crossing of threshold condition.
[0011] In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the processing unit is further configured to extract roll value, pitch value and yaw value from the tilt angle value. The 5 roll value is used to determine side-wheels rollover condition and pitch value is used to determine front-wheels rollover condition. The processing unit is further configured to decelerate the engine’s Revolutions per minute (RPM) when the roll value exceeds beyond a side-rollover threshold to prevent the side-wheels rollover condition and/or when the pitch value exceeds beyond a front-rollover threshold to prevent the front-10 wheels rollover condition.
[0012] In yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, the sensing unit for sensing the tilt angle value is positioned in accordance with centre of gravity (COG) of tractor with respect to ground and the angular sensor is positioned at the pivot hitch joint connecting 15 the tractor with the trailer.
[0013] In yet another non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for determining a rollover condition of a tractor-trailer unit is disclosed. The method comprising sensing a tilt angle value based on an orientation of a tractor with respect to 20 ground. It further comprises sensing an angular displacement value based on an angular orientation of a pivot hitch connecting the tractor with a trailer. Further, the method comprises computing a difference between the tilt angle value and the angular displacement value and then determining the rollover condition once the difference crosses a predetermined threshold. 25
[0014] In yet another non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further comprises generating a control signal for an engine electronic control unit (ECU). The method further comprises reducing an engine’s revolutions per minute (RPM) of the back wheels of the tractor connected to the engine through axle, to control lifting of 30 front-wheels of the tractor. Furthermore, it provides an alert to driver regarding probability of backward rollover by giving a prior alarm before the crossing of threshold condition.
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[0015] In yet another non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further comprises extracting roll value, pitch value and yaw value from the tilt angle value, wherein roll value is used to determine side-wheel rollover condition and pitch value is used to determine front-wheel rollover condition. It further comprises decelerating the engine’s revolutions per minute (RPM) when the roll value exceeds beyond a side-5 rollover threshold to prevent the side-wheel rollover condition and/or when the pitch value exceeds beyond a front-rollover threshold to prevent the front-wheel rollover condition.
[0016] In yet another non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further 10 comprising the pre-determined threshold is selected based on historical or experimental data.
[0017] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, 15 further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0018] The features, nature, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with 20 the drawings in which like reference characters identify correspondingly throughout. Some embodiments of system and/or methods in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying Figs., in which:
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[0019] Figure 1A depicts an exemplary environment of a tractor 101 with a trailer/trolley unit 102 in normal scenario when there is no rollover, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0020] Figure 1B depicts an exemplary environment to depict front wheels rearward rollover 30 condition of a tractor 101, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0021] Figure 1C depicts an exemplary environment to depict side wheels rollover condition of a tractor 101, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
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[0022] Figure 2 depicts an exemplary block diagram 200 illustrating a system to prevent front wheels or side wheels rollover conditions of the tractor unit, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0023] Figure 3A represents a flowchart 300 of an exemplary method for determining rollover 5 condition, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0024] Figure 3B represents a flowchart 300A of an exemplary method for preventing the front wheel or side wheel rollover of the tractor unit if the rollover condition is determined, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. 10
[0025] It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative systems embodying the principles of the present subject matter. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow charts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudo code, and the like represent various 15 processes which may be substantially represented in a computer readable medium and executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION 20
[0026] The foregoing has broadly outlined the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that the detailed description of the disclosure that follows may be better understood. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. 25
[0027] The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the disclosure, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of 30 the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present disclosure.
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[0028] Tractor unit is often used in various sectors like agricultural fields, construction sites etc for pulling or carrying heavy loads. But it is often observed that while doing so, the front wheels of the tractor unit often rise above the ground which causes rearward rollover of the tractor. This leads to the driver of the tractor to fall back and often get trapped between the tractor and the trailer/trolley unit and is therefore fatal. Similar 5 circumstances also get build up when there is a task of loading/unloading being performed by the trailer/trolley unit in connection with the tractor unit. Here as well, front wheels of the tractor unit are thus raised above the ground such that no connection is present between the wheels and the ground, the tractor unit may rotate and tip over such that the driver may slip through and land on the ground. Likewise, side wheels of 10 the tractor can also rise above the ground and lead to side rollover of the tractor unit again causing fatal damage to the operator or the driver of the tractor unit.
[0029] In order to overcome the above-mentioned challenges, the present disclosure provides a system for preventing the tractor rollover. In particular, the present disclosure 15 employs a combination of gyro/tilt sensor and angular sensor to determine the tractor rollover condition in advance, and if such condition is determined then providing control signals to the Engine Control Unit (ECU) to decelerate the engine RPM in order to bring down the wheels of the tractor unit back to the ground, thus preventing the rollover. A detailed explanation of the proposed solution is disclosed in the forthcoming 20 paragraphs.
[0030] Figure 1A depicts exemplary environment 100A for the reference where the tractor 101 and the trolley unit 102 are pivotally connected to each other through the hitch joint in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. This is the balanced state 25 between the tractor and the trolley unit and is therefore desired. The exemplary environment 100A further depicts a sensing unit placed on the tractor unit in such a way that it coincides with the centre of gravity (COG) 103 of the tractor unit with respect to the ground. In an exemplary embodiment, the sensing unit may be selected from gyro sensor or tilt sensor or accelerometer. Based on the cost and availability, the 30 manufacturer may select the sensor for the sensing unit to determine the angular velocity of the tractor 101 when the load being carried or pulled by it is heavy and the tractor’s 101 wheels start to rise above the ground. For the ease of understanding, the description is explained by taking reference of tilt sensor for the sensing unit. The
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exemplary environment 100A further depicts an angular sensor 104 placed at the hitch joint pivotally connected between the tractor 101 and trolley unit 102. The angular sensor senses the angular orientation of the pivot hitch 104 with respect to the axis of the trolley 102 or ground and determine the angular displacement of the tractor 101 with respect to the trolley 103 or ground. 5
[0031] Figure 1B depicts an exemplary environment 100B where the load being carried or pulled by the trolley 102 which is attached to the tractor unit 101 is so heavy that it causes the front wheels of the tractor 102 to rise above the ground in accordance with the embodiment of the present disclosure. The rising of the front wheels of the tractor 10 unit 101 above the ground leads to the development of the situation where the tractor unit 102 will experience a rearward rollover and the driver sitting on the tractor unit may fall back and get trapped between the tractor 101 and the trolley unit 102. Similar situation will arise while the task of loading/ unloading is being performed by the trolley unit 103 while being attached to the tractor 101. 15
[0032] Figure 1C also depicts an exemplary environment 100C where the tractor unit 101 may experience a sideward rollover where either side. that is, left side or right-side wheels get lifted above the ground due to heavy load being pulled or carried by the tractor unit 101 and thus, may lead to the driver sitting on the tractor unit fall on the ground and get 20 injured. A detailed explanation of the working of each of the components illustrated in Figures 1A-1C is explained in the forthcoming paragraphs in conjunction with Figure 2.
[0033] Figure 2 depicts an exemplary block diagram 200 illustrating a system having sensing 25 unit 202 and angular sensor 204 that are used to provide the tilting or angular position related inputs to an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) 208. The placement of sensing unit 202 and the angular sensor 204 can be understood by referring the figures 1A-1C i.e., at 103 and 104 respectively. The ECU 208 further comprises a processing unit 210, I/O interface 212, and a memory 214 for receiving the sensed angle values and to control 30 the engine speed or RPM to protect the system from rollover.
[0034] Further, in one implementation, the processing unit 210 may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, state machines, logic circuitries, and/or any devices that 35
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manipulate signals based on operational instructions. Among other capabilities, the processing unit 210 may be configured to fetch the pre-determined threshold data stored already in the memory 214 present on the ECU or the data may be fetched through an I/O interface unit and then stored in the memory 214. The pre-determined threshold data may be computed based on historical data collected for the tractor-trolley rollover 5 or it may be computed based on the experiments or simulations performed to judge the conditions of front or side roll-over of tractor-trolley unit. These experiments or simulations are performed by considering various conditions related to loads placed in the trolley unit as well.
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[0035] Now, referring back to Figure 1B, and as described above, when the tractor 101 pulling heavy load placed in the trolley 102 or during loading/unloading of the trolley 102 while being connected to the tractor 101, the front wheels of the tractor start rising above the ground. as illustrated in Figure 2 of the present disclosure. The tilt sensor located at the COG 103 of the tractor with respect to the ground senses the tilt angle value based on 15 an orientation of a tractor 101 with respect to ground. Accordingly, it provides the sensed tilt angle value to the ECU of the tractor 101. Similarly, the angular sensor 204 placed at the hitch joint 104 and pivotally connected between the tractor unit 101 and the trolley 102, senses the angular displacement value based on an angular orientation of a pivot hitch joint (104) with respect to the axis of the trolley/ ground. The angular 20 displacement value is also provided to the ECU of the tractor unit.
[0036] Now these two sensed signals are provided to the processing unit of the ECU 208 through the I/O interface 212. The differentiator present inside the processing unit gets enabled to compute the difference between the tilt angle value and the angular 25 displacement value. This differentiated value is sent to the comparator that compares the difference value with a pre-determined threshold value. As explained above, the pre-determined threshold value is fetched from the memory 214 coupled with the processing unit 210 of the ECU 208. Also, this pre-determined threshold value being fetched from the memory 214 is determined based on either historical or experimental 30 data.
[0037] Now, after comparing the difference value with the pre-determined threshold value, the processing unit 210 determines a rollover condition once the difference crosses a
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predetermined threshold. Further, the processing unit 210 generates a control signal for the ECU 208. Based on the control signal i.e., if the difference value crosses the pre-determined threshold value, the ECU reduces the acceleration of the tractor by controlling the engine Revolutions per Minute (RPM) for back wheels. In other words, this reduction in acceleration by reducing the engine RPM is based on the deviation of 5 the sensed signals difference from the pre-determined threshold value. This reduction in acceleration causes the front wheels of the tractor 101 to drop down and prevents the tractor 101 from further acceleration and backward rollover. Further, an alert or warning signal is provided to the driver/operator of the tractor regarding the probability of the backward rollover by giving a prior alarm before the crossing of threshold 10 condition, such that the driver becomes more vigilant, and accident may be avoided.
[0038] Now, in one non-limiting embodiment, the processing unit 210 of the ECU 208 is further configured to extract the three-dimensional coordinate values from the tilt sensor angle value. These 3D coordinates correspond to roll value, pitch value and yaw 15 value. The pitch value is measured along the vertical axis and is used for determining whether the condition for front wheels rollover exists or not as illustrated in figure 1B. The front wheels rollover condition is determined by comparing the pitch value (i.e., extracted from the tilt angle value) with the pre-determined threshold value. However, for determining the side wheel rollover condition as illustrated in Figure 1C of the 20 present disclosure, the roll value measured by the tilt sensor 202 is considered. The roll value is measured along the longitudinal axis and is used for determining whether the condition for side wheel rollover exists or not by comparing it with the pre-determined threshold value. ECU 208 sends a control signal to the engine control unit (216) to decelerate the engine RPM if the roll value or the pitch value exceeds beyond 25 corresponding threshold. For example, the ECU may send signal to the engine control unit (216) to decelerate the engine’s RPM when the roll value exceeds beyond a side-rollover threshold to prevent the side-wheels rollover condition. Similarly, the ECU may decelerate the engine’s RPM when the pitch value exceeds beyond a front-rollover threshold to prevent the front-wheels rollover condition. 30
[0039] In cases where the tractor 101 along with trolley unit 102 is on the verge of an deep inclined path, where the pivot angle of the hitch joint 104 may naturally cross the threshold value for the angular displacement of the pivotal hitch and may cause the
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ECU 208 to accidentally sense the rearward rollover situation. This may cause the engine control unit (216) to reduce the engine RPM which may pose a risk to the driver of accidental reversing the tractor 101 down the inclined path. The proposed solution also takes care of this situation and same is prevented as the ECU 208 receives the sensed signals from both the sensors i.e., tilt sensor and angular sensor 202, 204 and 5 computes difference of the two signals to give control signal to the engine control unit (216) to control the engine RPM. If any of the two signals is missing, the ECU 208 may not generate the resultant control signal to the engine control unit (216) to control the engine RPM and thus prevent reversing of tractor 101 down the inclined path to save the tractor 101 from reversing down the inclined path. 10
[0040] Similarly, when tractor unit 101 is not attached with the trolley 102, then ECU 208 receives only one signal that is measured by the gyro/ tilt sensor 204 in accordance with the COG 103 of the tractor 101 with respect to the ground. Here, the sensed angle value by angular sensor is missing so in this condition, the ECU 208 may not send any 15 resultant control signal to the engine control unit (216) to reduce engine RPM in turn, the acceleration and thus the tractor 101 will continue moving.
[0041] Figure 3A illustrates a flowchart 300A of an exemplary method for protecting the tractor from rearward or sideward rollover in accordance with an embodiment of the 20 present disclosure. The method 300A may also be described in the general context of computer executable instructions. Generally, computer executable instructions may include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, procedures, modules, and functions, which perform specific functions or implement specific abstract data types. 25
[0042] The order in which the method 300A is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks may be combined in any order to implement the method. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the methods without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter described. 30
[0043] At step 302, the method 300A may include sensing tilt angle value based on orientation of a tractor 101 with respect to the ground. Further, in one non-limiting embodiment, for sensing the tilt angle value, sensing unit (i.e., gyro/ tilt sensor/accelerometer) 202
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may be used which is to be placed at COG 103 of the tractor 101 with respect to the ground.
[0044] At step 304, the method 300A may include sensing the angular displacement value based on an angular orientation of a pivot hitch 104 connecting the tractor with a trolley 5 102. In one non-limiting embodiment, for sensing the angular displacement value, an angular sensor 204 may be used which is to be placed at the pivot hitch joint 104 connecting the tractor 101 and the trolley 102.
[0045] At step 306, the method 300A may include computing a difference between the tilt 10 angular value and angular displacement value. In one non-limiting embodiment, for computing the difference value, the two sensed signals are fed to the ECU 208 of the tractor 101 where the processing unit 210 includes a differentiator to compute the difference value.
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[0046] At step 308, the method 300A may include determining whether the rollover condition exists or not. In one non-limiting embodiment, for determining the existence of the rollover condition, the processing unit 210 is included with a comparator which is used in conjunction with the memory 214 to compare the difference value with the pre-determined threshold value which is fetched from the memory 214. 20
[0047] At step 310, the method 300A may include, encountering the situation where the difference value does not cross the pre-determined threshold value. In this scenario, the method steps from 302 to 308 may continue to repeat.
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[0048] At step 312, the method 300A may include, encountering the situation where the difference value crosses the pre-determined threshold value. The method to be followed after this detection are depicted in flowchart 300B and will be explained in forthcoming paragraphs of the present disclosure.
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[0049] Figure 3B illustrates a flowchart 300B of an exemplary method for protecting the tractor 101 rollover when the rollover condition is determined by the ECU 208 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 300B may also be described in the general context of computer executable instructions. Generally, computer executable instructions may include routines, programs, objects, components, data 35
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structures, procedures, modules, and functions, which perform specific functions or implement specific abstract data types.
[0050] The order in which the method 300B is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks may be combined in any 5 order to implement the method. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the methods without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter described.
[0051] At step 312, the method 300B may include the scenario where the difference value crosses the pre-determined threshold value. In one non-limiting embodiment, for 10 determining the existence of the rollover condition, the processing unit 210 is included with a comparator which is used in conjunction with the memory 214 to compare the difference value with the pre-determined threshold value which is fetched from the memory 214.
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[0052] At step 314, the method 300B may include, generating a control signal for ECU 208. In one non-limiting embodiment, the processing unit 210, generates the control signal for the engine ECU 208 when the difference value crosses the pre-determined threshold value.
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[0053] At step 316, the method 300B may include, reducing the engine’s RPM of the back wheels of the tractor 101 connected to engine through an axle, to control lifting of the front wheels of the tractor. In one non-limiting embodiment, for reducing the engine’s RPM, ECU 208 on receiving the control signal from the processing unit 210 reduces the acceleration of the engine and thus stops the front wheels of the tractor 101 from 25 rising and bring them back to the ground. Further, in another non-limiting embodiment, for reducing the engine’s RPM for protecting the tractor from side rollover, the processor 210 is configured to extract roll value, pitch value and yaw value from the tilt/gyro/accelerometer sensor. ECU 208 on receiving the control signal from the processing unit 210 reduces the acceleration of the engine by sending control signal to 30 the engine control unit (216) thus reducing engine RPM, if roll value exceeds beyond a side-rollover threshold to prevent the side-wheel rollover condition and if the pitch value exceeds beyond a front-rollover threshold to prevent the front-wheel rollover condition.
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[0054] At step 318, the method 300B may include, providing an alert signal to the driver regarding probability of backward rollover by giving a prior alarm before the crossing of threshold condition. In one non-limiting embodiment, for providing an alert to the driver, ECU 208 on receiving the control signal indicating the rollover condition issues an alert to the driver on instrument cluster(s) associated with driver console, indicating 5 the probability of the rearward or sideward rollover of the tractor unit 101 by giving a prior alarm before the crossing of threshold condition.
[0055] The illustrated steps are set out to explain the exemplary embodiments shown, and it should be anticipated that ongoing technological development will change the manner 10 in which particular functions are performed. These examples are presented herein for purposes of illustration, and not limitation. Further, the boundaries of the functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of the description. Alternative boundaries can be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships thereof are appropriately performed. 15
[0056] Alternatives (including equivalents, extensions, variations, deviations, etc., of those described herein) will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein. Such alternatives fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosed embodiments. 20
[0057] Furthermore, one or more computer-readable storage media may be utilized in implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. A computer-readable storage medium refers to any type of physical memory on which information or data readable by a processor may be stored. Thus, a computer-readable storage 25 medium may store instructions for execution by one or more processors, including instructions for causing the processor(s) to perform steps or stages consistent with the embodiments described herein. The term “computer- readable medium” should be understood to include tangible items and exclude carrier waves and transient signals, i.e., are non-transitory. Examples include random access memory (RAM), read-only 30 memory (ROM), volatile memory, non-volatile memory, hard drives, CD ROMs, DVDs, flash drives, disks, and any other known physical storage media.
[0058] Suitable processors include, by way of example, a general-purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a graphic 35
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processing unit (GPU), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) circuits, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), and/or a state machine.
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Advantages of the embodiment of the present disclosure are illustrated herein-
[0059] In an embodiment, the present disclosure provides techniques for providing tractor rollover protection thus avoiding incidents where the driver falls from the cabin and either gets trapped between the tractor and the trolley or gets injured by being crushed beneath the tractor, causing severe fatalities. 10
[0060] In an embodiment, the present disclosure provides techniques to reduce machinery breakdown incidents and help achieve longevity of the tractor and trolley unit by protecting them from rollover.
REFERENCE NUMERALS 15
[0061] Exemplary environments 100A,100B and 100C
[0062] Tractor unit 101
[0063] Trolley unit 102
[0064] Centre of Gravity (COG) of the tractor with respect to ground 103
[0065] Hitch joint connecting tractor and trolley 104 20
[0066] Cabin 105
[0067] Gyro/ tilt sensor/accelerometer 202
[0068] Angular sensor 204
[0069] System 206
[0070] ECU 208 25
[0071] Processing unit 210
[0072] I/O Interface 212
[0073] Memory 214
[0074] Method 300A
[0075] Method steps 302-312 30
[0076] Method 300B
[0077] Method steps 312-318 , Claims:We Claim:
1. An apparatus for determining a rollover condition of a tractor-trolley unit, the apparatus comprising:
a sensing unit (202) configured to sense a tilt angle value based on an orientation of 5 a tractor (101) with respect to ground;
an angular sensor (2040 configured to sense an angular displacement value based on an angular orientation of a pivot hitch joint (104) connecting the tractor (101) with a trolley (102);
a processing unit (210) configured to: 10
compute a difference between the tilt angle value and the angular displacement value; and
determine the rollover condition once the difference crosses a predetermined threshold.
2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensing unit (202) senses the tilt angle 15 value by at least one of: gyro sensor, tilt sensor or accelerometer.
3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predetermined threshold is selected based on historical or experimental data.
4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein on determination of the rollover condition, 20 the processing unit (210) is further configured to:
generate a control signal for an electronic control unit (ECU) (208) and subsequently to the engine control unit (216);
reduce an engine’s Revolutions per minute (RPM) of the back wheels of the tractor (101) connected to the engine through axle, to control lifting of front-wheels of 25 the tractor; and
provide an alert to driver regarding probability of backward rollover.
5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit (210) is further configured to:
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extract roll value, pitch value and yaw value from the tilt angle value, wherein roll value is used to determine side-wheel rollover condition and pitch value is used to determine front-wheel rollover condition; and
decelerate the engine’s Revolutions per minute (RPM):
when the roll value exceeds beyond a side-rollover threshold to prevent 5 the side-wheel rollover condition; and
when the pitch value exceeds beyond a front-rollover threshold to prevent the front-wheel rollover condition.
6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensing unit (202) for sensing the tilt 10 angle value is positioned in accordance with centre of gravity (COG) of tractor with respect to ground and the angular sensor (204) is positioned at the pivot hitch joint connecting the tractor with the trolley.
7. A method (300A) of determining a rollover condition of a tractor-trolley unit, the 15 method comprising:
sensing (302) a tilt angle value based on an orientation of a tractor (101) with respect to ground;
sensing (304) an angular displacement value based on an angular orientation of a pivot hitch (104) connecting the tractor (101) with a trolley (102); 20
computing (306) a difference between the tilt angle value and the angular displacement value; and
determining (308) the rollover condition once the difference crosses a predetermined threshold.
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8. The method (300B) as claimed in claim 7, wherein on the determination of rollover condition, the method further comprising:
generating (312) a control signal for an electronic control unit (ECU) (208) and subsequently to the engine control unit (216);
reducing (314) an engine’s Revolutions per minute (RPM) of the back wheels 30 of the tractor connected to the engine through axle, to control lifting of front-wheels of the tractor; and
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providing (316) an alert to driver regarding probability of backward rollover by giving a prior alarm before the crossing of threshold condition.
9. The method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising:
extracting roll value, pitch value and yaw value from the tilt angle value, 5 wherein roll value is used to determine side-wheel rollover condition and pitch value is used to determine front-wheel rollover condition; and
decelerating the engine’s Revolutions per minute (RPM):
when the roll value exceeds beyond a side-rollover threshold to prevent the side-wheel rollover condition; and 10
when the pitch value exceeds beyond a front-rollover threshold to prevent the front-wheel rollover condition.
10. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the predetermined threshold is selected based on historical or experimental data.