digital trailer control

Kässbohrer Integration Protection Device wins 2nd place in Trailer Innovation 2023

Posted on by Tırsan Admin

Kässbohrer has proudly received the most prestigious Trailer Innovation Award 5 times in the past 3 consecutive terms. Continuing its tradition, in Trailer Innovation 2023 Awards, Kässbohrer won 2nd place in the category ‘Safety’ with its Integration Protection Device.

Kässbohrer analyzing TAPA’s risk of theft in international freight transportation, irregular migration, and human trafficking data and conducting field intelligence based on interviews with companies of various sizes, associations, and general stakeholders has developed an in-house safety notification system ‘Integrity Protection Device’, for the inner area specified detection and immediate notification of unauthorized entries to the trailer by any means, a low-cost practical device with 2 years battery life that can be installed on any trailer in aftersales workshops within the hour.

Kässbohrer’s patented Integrity Protection Device detects any unauthorized entry from the side, roof, floor, or door as soon as the interior space integrity is breached.  Integrity Protection Device notifies the location of the exact breach point and inner area to as many designated groups as necessary via SMS,  emails, and its optional web portal while at the same time sounding audio and visual alarms.

Kässbohrer conducted extensive R&D tests and confirmed with international transport companies’ road tests to confirm the functionality of the Integrity Protection Device in any environmental conditions such as dust resistance, water seal, electrical noise or vibration, and extreme temperature conditions from  +70 degrees to -20 degrees.

‘Integrity Protection Device’ contrasts the already in market expensive, hard to maintain, complicated, and new trailer installation requiring alternatives that are often economically not feasible for transport companies to use and solves the problem of theft and unauthorized passengers, as well as conventional solution systems’ problems.

In the ‘Safety’ category, Kässbohrer previously won the Trailer Innovation 2017 Awards with Safety Bitumen Tanker and was nominated with K.SSK Safety Tipping Silo with Smart Control

Trailer Innovation Award 2021 2nd Place, K-ADAS right direction towards autonomous driving

Posted on by Tırsan Admin

Kässbohrer has taken the second place in Trailer Innovatıon Awards 2021, the category ‘Smart Trailer’ with K-ADAS, Kässbohrer Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. 

Kässbohrer’s Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (K-ADAS) has taken the second place in the “Smart Trailer” category. K-ADAS makes difference with its 4 features composed of 7 technologies of which more than 50% is new to the trailer industry and are compatible with existing truck ADAS systems, contributing to the development of the smart trailer that will be necessary when fully autonomous driving becomes standard

Kässbohrer Advanced Driver Assistance Systems’s  2 out of total 4 features and the 5 out of total 7 technology behind them have never been used on trailers.  K-ADAS’s 2 features that are readily used in the trailers are augmentation of the existing technology. While K-ADAS’s 3 features are used in trucks hence making it compatible with all makes of trucks and their systems, 1 feature that is new can easily be integrated into existing systems. Kässbohrer Advanced Driver Assistance Systems has the following 4 features: Park Assist with reverse parking technology ( not used in trailers,  featuring not used in trucks technology and augmentation on existing park assists), Blind spot detection and brake with night support ( augmentation on both trailer and truck systems with night vision a novelty for trailers), Overtaking Assistance ( novel to trailers and could be categorized novelty for trucks) and 360 degree view ( augmentation on both trailer and truck systems). The hardware employed in K-ADAS is optimally placed cameras, various sensors including radars while the software for precise measurement and novel driver assist and instruction systems via user friendly in- cabin screen is developed by Kässbohrer. Kässbohrer Advanced Driver Assistance Systems with its design and software are patented in their entirety apart from 360 and blind spot detection, their augmentation not constituting a patent earning difference.

Digital Trailer Control to increase safety for curtainsider operators

Posted on by caganorhon

The project was born with Kässbohrer engineers deciding to increase the safety of drivers and operators during the usage of mechanical controls of a curtainsider. As an innovation project, the main challenge was to revolutionize the very traditional manual control into a centralized digital control.

After the Kässbohrer R&D team first initiated the concept development phase to define project objectives, OTAM has developed the software needed for the electronic control system. The software then used by Kässbohrer in the application of the DTC unit into the curtainsider semi-trailer. The test phase was carried out by two parties.

DTC’s user-friendly interface accelerates the operations without compromising operator’s safety.  DTC has alternative user interfaces. “Touchscreen”, can be customized according to each customer demand according to standard equipment in his/her fleet, while comparable to smart key applications in the automotive industry, “Wireless Smart Key,” is also acts as an immobilizer, in addition to system controls.

The main value of DTC is minimizing occupational injury risks which generate a substantial cost in terms of healthcare, productivity and administrative costs. Furthermore, deteriorated quality of life of the injured and his/her family is the most important cost which requires the immediate attention. As European Agency for Safety and Health at Work suggests outdoor workplaces have to be arranged to avoid injury risks, DTC can be implemented as an accident prevention tool and assist the user for a safe ride.

Regarding operational and driving safety;

  • DTC eliminates the risk of unauthorized use of parking brake mechanism. According to pre-sets, parking brakes can only be activated on remote control unit by entering a password.
  • The electromechanical landing gear can be controlled from DTC from a safe distance. DTC will either set the parking brake automatically as soon as the landing gears are fully extracted, or warn the user until the landing gears has been fully extracted.
  • DTC will automatically check loads on the king pin and the axles and load distributions. If there is an overloading or a wrong distribution of loads between king pin and axles, DTC will prevent trailer to move or warn driver according to pre-sets.
  • DTC can set the bumper (Rear Underrun Protection) position – folded or unfolded. If user forgets to set the bumper, e.g. for driving purposes; DTC will set automatically the bumper for driving position, or warn the user for the risky situation.
  • DTC will warn the user for improper condition of customs security cable (TIR), which might need to be reworked (cut and weld).
  • DTC have additional blank ports which can used to control/monitor other digital functions of trailer e.g. according to status of door sensor (if exist), DTC can warn driver if the door is open.