2221results about "Brake control systems" patented technology

The present invention relates to a system and method for diagnosing and isolating problems and for monitoring operting conditions on an automobile. The system includes a hand held unit and a master station which can operate alone or in unison to accomplish functions such as logging and displaying data on a real-time basis, logging data remotely and displaying the data at a later time, diagnosing fault conditions, monitoring operating parameters, reprogramming on-board vehicle controllers, displaying service manual and service bulletin pages and ordering parts on-line.

A hybrid vehicle includes a powertrain having a retarded diesel engine, an electric machine and energy storage system. The engine and motor are operatively coupled through one or more planetary gearsets and selective coupling paths in accordance with application and release of various torque transfer devices to a drivetrain via an output. Regenerative and retarded engine braking are coordinated to provide priority to energy return to an energy storage system in accordance with predetermined power flow limits.

A vehicle brake device is provided with a hydraulic brake device for boosting by a booster device a braking manipulation force generated upon a braking manipulation, for applying a base fluid pressure generated in dependence on the boosted brake manipulation force, to wheel cylinders of wheels so that a base hydraulic brake force is generated on the wheels, and for driving a pump to generate and apply a controlled fluid pressure to the wheel cylinders so that a controlled hydraulic brake force is generated on the wheels; braking manipulation state detecting means for detecting the braking manipulation state; a regenerative brake device for causing an electric motor to generate a regenerative brake force corresponding to the braking manipulation state on the wheels driven by the electric motor; variation detecting means for detecting the variation of an actual regenerative brake force actually generated by the regeneration braking device; and brake force compensating means for generating the controlled fluid pressure by driving the pump of the hydraulic brake device so that a controlled hydraulic brake force is generated on the wheels to compensate for the lack of the regenerative brake force due to the variation which is detected by the variation detecting means.

Strategies other than immediate elimination of regenerative braking (FIG. 2) are invoked when an incipient wheel lock-up is detected, the ABS becomes active, and / or incipient wheel slip is detected. The strategies include: reducing the regenerative braking torque as a function of the coefficient of friction of a surface on which the vehicle is traveling (FIG. 3); and adjusting regenerative braking in relation to the rate at which wheel slip is changing (FIG. 4). Some of the strategies may be applied on an individual wheel basis (FIG. 5), and some of the strategies may be applied in conjunction with operating friction brakes of the vehicle to apply at least some of the reduction in regenerative braking torque as friction brake torque (FIG. 1).

A method is provided for controlling the braking of a vehicle that has a first set of friction brakes for applying a first apply brake force to a first set of wheels and a second set of friction brakes for applying a second brake apply force to a second set of wheels. A powertrain assembly is coupled to the second set of wheels. The powertrain assembly includes a regenerative braking unit capable of recapturing kinetic energy from the second set of wheels. The vehicle is braked in a first phase of control using regenerative braking to brake the second set of wheels to achieve up to a first value of braking. The vehicle is braked in a second phase of control using the regenerative braking to maintain braking of the second set of wheels at the first value of braking force while selectively applying the first friction brakes to the first set of wheels up to a second value of braking.

A hybrid vehicle is capable of performing regenerative operations of generator-motors disposed adjacently to front wheels and / or rear wheels of the vehicle so as to achieve efficient conversion of kinetic energy of the vehicle into electric energy as much as possible when the vehicle slows down, thereby permitting higher use efficiency of energy. When the vehicle decelerates, a target deceleration force or a target deceleration torque of the vehicle is set, and a permissible maximum value of the braking torque to be imparted to rear wheels from a second generator-motor is set, and the permissible maximum value and the target deceleration torque of the vehicle, whichever is smaller, is set as a target braking torque to be imparted from the second generator-motor to the rear wheels. Furthermore, with the remaining torque of the target deceleration torque being set as an upper limit, a target braking torque to be imparted to front wheels from a first generator-motor is determined, and a friction type braking mechanism compensates a shortfall torque of a total sum of the target braking torques of the two generator-motors to reach the target deceleration torque.

A system and related method for a regenerative braking system on a towed vehicle, such as a trailer or semi-trailer. The system provides power and braking to the respective trailer wheels, as needed, to help stabilize the trailer. Power is regenerated during braking. While batteries may be used to store the energy, the system also may use capacitive storage units, which charge and discharge large amounts of energy at a fast rate. A multiple-axis sensor system in conjunction with wheel sensors, load sensors, and proportional control of the brakes and motor power to the axles and wheels, is used to achieve superior load stabilization. The invention can be easily retrofit into new or used trailers, and is self-contained with low maintenance.

An electrically powered brake system capable of performing a self-diagnosis of elements of the electrically brake system to diagnose a failure before a vehicle is driven is provided. The electrically powered brake system having a parking brake having a conversion mechanism 6 converting a rotary motion of a motor 2 into a linear motion, propelling a piston 7 according to the rotation of a rotor 2A of the motor 2 by the conversion mechanism, pressing brake pads 3 and 4 against a disc rotor 5 by the piston to generate a braking force, and retaining the braking force by a locking mechanism 10 has a control unit 20 performing a diagnosis of elements constituting the system during actuation of the parking brake. The control unit performs a diagnosis of a fail safe relay 26 receiving the supply of electric power of the motor, and performs diagnoses of a braking force sensor 8, a rotation angle detecting sensor 9 and a current sensor.

A braking regeneration and propulsion system for a passive trailer including wheels with axles includes a gear box to be operatively coupled to the axle; a motor / generator operatively coupled to the gear box; an energy storage system for storing captured energy and supplying energy; and a control computer to assist deceleration of the passive trailer by causing the axle to drive the motor / generator via the gear box and supply energy to the energy storage system during deceleration, and, assist acceleration of the passive trailer by causing the motor / generator to draw energy from the energy storage system and drive the wheels via the gear box and axle during acceleration.

An independent wheel torque control algorithm is disclosed for controlling motor torques applied to individual electric motors coupled to vehicle wheels in an electric vehicle. In a first range of vehicle states, vehicle steerability is favored so that the operator of the vehicle suffers little or no longitudinal propulsion loss while steering is enhanced. In a second range of vehicle states, vehicle stability is favored. According to embodiments of the disclosure, a desired yaw moment is computed and then may be reduced in magnitude due to system limitations, electrical or friction limits, which prevents the desired yaw moment from being fully realized.

Towed vehicles can be extremely heavy. Accordingly, it is too much of a burden to the braking system of a towing vehicle to not have brakes on the towed vehicle. Controlling the brakes of the towed vehicle must be accurately applied otherwise undesirable conditions can be created. There is a need for a method for controlling braking of a towed vehicle. This method comprises receiving a first signal via a communication bus of a towing vehicle, the first signal relating to at least one operating condition of at least one the towing vehicle and a towed vehicle, sending a second signal to brakes of the towed vehicle, the second signal based on said first signal.

Method, system and non-transitory computer-readable medium for fail-safe performance of a lane centering system. An electrical power steering (EPS) system of a vehicle is monitored for a failure and operation of the lane centering system is switched to a differential braking controller to output differential braking commands to a differential breaking system upon determining that a failure of the EPS system has occurred, where the output braking commands direct the differential braking system to apply force a brake for a wheel of vehicle, such by the applied braking force the vehicle follows a desired path determined for a lane centering operation.

A roll control device of a vehicle for executing a roll suppress braking according to a detection of a rolling condition of the vehicle so that the braking is executed when the rolling condition increases beyond a first threshold value and the braking is canceled according to a normal brake ending schedule when the rolling condition subsides below a second threshold value lower than the first threshold value, wherein when an abnormal condition occurs about the detection of the rolling condition, the braking is canceled according to an abnormal brake ending schedule at a less quickness than according to the normal brake ending schedule, even before the rolling condition subsides below the second threshold value.

A brake apparatus for a vehicle controls braking force acting on front wheels by hydraulic braking force (front-wheel-side vacuum-booster hydraulic pressure fraction+linear-valve differential pressure fraction), which is frictional braking force, and regenerative braking force, and controls braking force acting on rear wheels by hydraulic braking force (rear-wheel-side vacuum-booster hydraulic pressure fraction) only, to thereby perform regeneration-coordinative brake control. During performance of ABS control, the apparatus sets the limit regenerative braking force to a force under which locking of the front wheels does not occur in a case in which the force acts on the front wheels, which are wheels undergoing regenerative braking, and adjusts the regenerative braking force such that the regenerative braking force does not exceed the limit regenerative braking force.

A module for managing power in an electrical system of a vehicle is disclosed. The module includes a first interface configured for coupling to a first power source. The first power source is configured to power a plurality of loads of the electrical system. The module also includes a second interface configured for coupling to a second power source. The second power source is configured for charging the first power source. The module also includes a device configured for disconnecting the first power source from the plurality of loads. The device is also configured for disconnecting the second power source from the first power source.

Vehicle motion control devices and methods systematically treat a conditions of each wheel to acquire and maintain the vehicle behavior stability together with anti wheel lock and wheel spin processing, braking forces distribution. Device for controlling a running behavior of a vehicle estimates a road reaction force on each wheel, calculates a yaw moment around a centroid of the vehicle body generated by the road reaction force on each wheel, and controls driving and braking forces on each wheel based upon the yaw moments so as to stabilize a running of the vehicle. Spin and Drift conditions are detected through presently generated yaw moments and critical yaw moments which can be generated by a road reaction force assumed to be maximized. Physical parameters of each wheels, required for detecting and controlling the behavior of the vehicle are estimated with a theoretical tire model.

The present invention provides a slip rate estimating device measuring a slip ratio without the need for a body speed and a slip ratio control device using the slip ratio estimating device. A motor torque measured by a torque measuring instrument is input to each of a vehicle model (601) and an SRE (602) that performs calculations including time differentiation of the slip ratio. The vehicle model (601) derives a wheel rotation speed, a wheel rotation acceleration, and a body speed. The vehicle model (601) outputs the wheel rotation speed and the wheel rotation acceleration to the SRE (602). The SRE (602) outputs the slip ratio based on the motor torque, the wheel rotation speed, and the wheel rotation acceleration.

A system and related method for a regenerative braking system on a towed vehicle, such as a trailer or semi-trailer. The system provides power and braking to the respective trailer wheels, as needed, to help stabilize the trailer. Power is regenerated during braking. While batteries may be used to store the energy, the system also may use capacitive storage units, which charge and discharge large amounts of energy at a fast rate. A multiple-axis sensor system in conjunction with wheel sensors, load sensors, and proportional control of the brakes and motor power to the axles and wheels, is used to achieve superior load stabilization. The invention can be easily retrofit into new or used trailers, and is self-contained with low maintenance.

A vehicle powertrain with mechanically independent sets of front and rear traction wheels has separate motive power units. An electronic control system including traction wheel slip control is electronically coupled to a first motive power unit and to a second motive power unit to separately establish maximum rear wheel traction and maximum front wheel traction. Independent requests are made for an increase or a decrease in wheel torque for one set of traction wheels and an increase or decrease in wheel torque for the other set of traction wheels thereby improving acceleration performance and enhancing vehicle stability.

A method includes receiving an input brake command that indicates a desired amount of braking for a vehicle. A brake control signal is then derived from the input brake command to facilitate applying a braking force to a wheel of the vehicle, and the braking force facilitates achieving the desired amount of braking for the vehicle. The method further comprises determining that data from a sensor associated with the wheel is unavailable, and then modifying the brake control signal in response to determining that the data is unavailable. The modification may be based on sensor data or controller output associated with a second wheel where data is available. Such modification facilitates the desired amount of braking for the vehicle.

Vehicle behavior learning apparatuses, methods, and programs acquire image information of an area around a vehicle and perform image recognition of a particular feature included in the image information. The apparatuses, methods, and programs detect a behavior of the vehicle and acquire relation information indicating the relationship between the detected behavior of the and the recognized particular feature before the recognition of the behavior. The apparatuses, methods, and programs store detected behavior information including behavior property information indicating a property of the detected behavior of the vehicle and the acquired relation information associated with the behavior in a memory and produce learned behavior information indicating a result of learning of the behavior related to the particular feature on the basis of the stored detected behavior information.

A fluid drive system that can be used to drive a vehicle and has energy regeneration and storage capabilities. The fluid drive system includes an electrical energy supply source mounted on the vehicle, at least one electrical motor electrically connected to the electrical supply source, and a hydraulic pump driven that may be of the variable displacement type by the electrical motor. The fluid drive system may also include a low pressure hydraulic fluid supply tank supplying fluid to the hydraulic pump, at least one pneumatically charged accumulator tank for storing pressurized hydraulic fluid, a combination hydraulic motor and pump that may also be of the variable displacement type being alternately driven by the hydraulic pump and the pneumatically charged accumulator tank; and an electrical regeneration system for regenerating the electrical energy supply. The electrical regeneration system may be powered by hydraulic fluid from the combination electrical motor and pump. The combination hydraulic motor and pump propels the vehicle during acceleration and speed maintaining operations and may also serves as a braking mechanism during deceleration of the vehicle. The combination hydraulic motor and pump may also pump hydraulic fluid into the pneumatically charged accumulator tank during at least a portion of the time that the vehicle is decelerating. The combination hydraulic motor and pump may further pump hydraulic fluid for powering the electrical regeneration system when the pneumatically charged accumulator tank is fully pressurized. The electrical regeneration system also has the ability to recharge the electrical energy supply while the vehicle is stopped using stored recovered kinetic energy.

A system, apparatus and method provide a means for testing operation of vehicle brake system. More particularly, a brake actuator is automatically commanded to engage a brake disk stack while the vehicle is in a benign state. An engagement force applied to the brake-disk stack by the actuator then is determined, and the engagement force is compared to a first threshold value. If the engagement force is within a predetermined range of the first threshold value, it is concluded that the brake system is operating normally, otherwise it is concluded that the brake system is operating abnormally.

Vehicle motion control devices and methods systematically treat a conditions of each wheel to acquire and maintain the vehicle behavior stability together with anti wheel lock and wheel spin processing, braking forces distribution. Device for controlling a running behavior of a vehicle comprises means for estimating a road reaction force on each wheel, means for calculating a yaw moment around a centroid of the vehicle body generated by the road reaction force on each wheel, and means for controlling driving and braking forces on each wheel based upon the yaw moments so as to stabilize a running of the vehicle. Spin and Drift conditions are detected through presently generated yaw moments and critical yaw moments which can be generated by a road reaction force assumed to be maximized. Physical parameters of each wheels, required for detecting and controlling the behavior of the vehicle are estimated with a theoretical tire model.

A regenerative braking system has a generator connected to at least one wheel set to apply regenerative brake torque to it by generating electricity, a regenerative braking control means controlling a regenerative braking amount, an actual wheel speed variation calculating means calculating an actual wheel speed variation between actual outer-wheel speed of an outer wheel of steerable wheels and actual inner-wheel speed of at least one wheel of front and rear wheel sets, a correspondent wheel speed variation calculating means calculating a correspondent wheel speed variation corresponding to an outer-to-inner wheel speed variation of the steerable wheels with road grip, a steer characteristic judging means judging strength of a steer characteristic based on the correspondent wheel speed variation and the actual wheel speed variation, and a regenerative braking amount compensating means compensating the amount to be more decreased as the steer characteristic becomes stronger.

A brake system control unit controls one of first and second portions of a wheel brakes electric brake actuators to activate one of the first and second portions of the actuators and deactivate the other during an inhibited braking mode. The control unit controls the activated portion of the brake actuators to generate a braking force greater than the commanded braking force of the brake pedal command, such as twice the commanded braking force, to compensate for the deactivated portion of the brake actuators. The inhibited braking mode is discontinued during emergency braking when the commanded braking force is greater than or equal to a predetermined braking force. The inhibited braking mode is also discontinued when failure of one or more brake actuators is detected.

A vehicle braking control system is provided that controls at least three braking devices including a regenerative braking device, a hydraulic braking device and an electric braking device. The vehicle braking control system basically comprises a braking mode selecting section, a required braking force determining section and a target braking force setting section. The braking mode selecting section sets one of a plurality of braking modes having a different braking control priority for each of the target braking forces. The required braking force determining section determines a required braking force for an entire vehicle. The target braking force setting section sets each of the target braking forces based on the braking control priority of the selected braking mode to produce the required braking force for the entire vehicle. Preferably, the braking mode selecting section set at least an electric power maintenance priority mode and a braking response priority mode.

A braking apparatus for a vehicle includes a hydraulic brake apparatus generating a basic hydraulic pressure so that a basic hydraulic braking force is generated at wheels, the hydraulic brake apparatus generating a controlled hydraulic pressure so that a controlled hydraulic braking force is generated at the wheels, a regenerative brake apparatus causing a regenerative braking force to be generated at any of the wheels, and braking force replacement controlling means for gradually replacing the regenerative braking force with the controlled hydraulic braking force while braking during which at least the regenerative braking force is applied for a purpose of achieving a braking force replacement control to ensure a total braking force required for the wheels by decreasing the regenerative braking force at a gradient within a predetermined range and by increasing the controlled hydraulic braking force in response to the decrease of the regenerative braking force.

According to the present invention, an electromechanical braking system is provided. The braking system includes at least one brake system control unit (BSCU) for converting an input brake command signal into a brake clamp force command signal. In addition, the braking system includes a first electromechanical actuator controller (EMAC) and a second electromechanical actuator controller (EMAC) configured to receive the brake clamp force command signal from the at least one BSCU and to convert the brake clamp force command signal to at least one electromechanical actuator drive control signal. Further, the braking system includes at least one electromechanical actuator configured to receive the at least one drive control signal and to apply a brake clamp force to at least one wheel to be braked in response to the at least one drive control signal. Moreover, the first EMAC and the second EMAC are configured to perform antiskid control in relation to the at least one wheel to be braked.