# US 10,870,416 B2 · Brake controller, brake control method and brake control system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,870,416 B2 - Document ID: US10870416B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/954,957 - Filed: 2018-04-17 - Published: 2018-11-01 - Granted: 2020-12-22 - Earliest claimed: 2017-04-27 - Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Yasushi Murayama - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10870416B2 ## CPC - B60T 8/172: Determining control parameters used in the regulation, e.g. by calculations involving measured or detected parameters {(B60T8/17551 takes precedence)} - B60T 1/065: {employing disc (B60T1/062 takes precedence)} - B60T 8/171: Detecting parameters used in the regulation; Measuring values used in the regulation - B60T 8/1766: Proportioning of brake forces according to vehicle axle loads, e.g. front to rear of vehicle - B60T 13/662: {characterised by specified functions of the control system components} - B60T 17/22: Devices for monitoring or checking brake systems; Signal devices - F16D 65/0006: {Noise or vibration control} - B60T 8/00: Arrangements for adjusting wheel-braking force to meet varying vehicular or ground-surface conditions, e.g. limiting or varying distribution of braking force (by changing number of effective brake cylinders in power brake systems B60T17/10) - B61H 1/00: Applications or arrangements of brakes with a braking member or members co-operating with the periphery of the wheel rim, a drum or the like - B60T: VEHICLE BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF; BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF, IN GENERAL (electrodynamic brake systems for vehicle, in general B60L; brakes per se, i.e. devices where braking effect occurs, including ultimate brake actuators, F16D); ARRANGEMENT OF BRAKING ELEMENTS ON VEHICLES IN GENERAL; PORTABLE DEVICES FOR PREVENTING UNWANTED MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES; VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS TO FACILITATE COOLING OF BRAKES - F16D: COUPLINGS FOR TRANSMITTING ROTATION; CLUTCHES; BRAKES - B61H: BRAKES OR OTHER RETARDING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR RAIL VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR DISPOSITION THEREOF IN RAIL VEHICLES (arrangements in rail vehicles for adjusting wheel-braking force to meet varying vehicular or permanent-way conditions B60T8/00; transmitting braking action from initiating means to ultimate brake actuator with power assistance or drive, brake systems incorporating such transmitting means, e.g. air-pressure brake systems, B60T13/00; construction, arrangement or operation of valves incorporated in power brake systems B60T15/00; component parts, details or accessories of brake systems B60T17/00) ## Abstract A brake controller is configured to control a brake device. The brake device applies a braking force to each of wheels by moving a pad toward a rotor provided for each of the wheels and pressing the pad against the rotor. The brake controller includes: a pressing force detection section configured to detect a pressing force information corresponding to a pressing force by which the pad is pressed against the rotor during braking; a stroke detection section configured to detect a stroke information corresponding to a stroke amount of the pad toward the rotor during braking, wherein the brake controller distributes the braking force to each of the wheels such that the pressing force is in a range other than a predetermined range, and sets the predetermined range based on the pressing force information and the stroke information. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A brake controller configured to control a brake device, the brake device applying a braking force to each of wheels by moving a pad toward a rotor provided for each of the wheels and pressing the pad against the rotor, the brake controller configured to distribute the braking force to each of the wheels such that a pressing force by which the pad is pressed against the rotor during braking is in a range other than a predetermined range, the brake controller comprising: a pressing force detection section configured to detect a pressing force information corresponding to the pressing force; a stroke detection section configured to detect a stroke information corresponding to a stroke amount of the pad toward the rotor during braking, wherein the brake controller sets the predetermined range based on the pressing force information and the stroke information; and a contact rigidity derivation section configured to derive, based on the pressing force information and the stroke information, a contact rigidity of the pad which comes into contact with the rotor, wherein the brake controller drives the predetermined range in accordance with the contact rigidity. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The brake controller according to claim 1, wherein the brake controller derives the predetermined range as a noise region corresponding to a range of the pressing force where brake noise is generated. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The brake controller according to claim 1, wherein the brake controller adjusts the predetermined range such that the pressing force is reduced as the contact rigidity is increased. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The brake controller according to claim 1, wherein: the brake controller derives a first predetermined range as the predetermined range such that the pressing force is reduced from a predetermined region in a case where the contact rigidity is equal to or higher than a specified value; and the brake controller derives a second predetermined range as the predetermined range such that the pressing force is increased from the first predetermined range in a case where the contact rigidity is lower than the specified value. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The brake controller according to claim 1, wherein: the pad is stroked toward the rotor by driving a motor; the pressing force detection section detects the pressing force information based on an output of a load sensor that detects the pressing force or an output of a current value acquisition section that acquires a current value supplied to the motor; and the stroke detection section detects the stroke information based on an output of a stroke sensor that detects the stroke amount of the pad or an output of a rotation angle detection section that detects a rotation angle of the motor. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The brake controller according to claim 1, wherein the brake controller distributes the braking force for each of the wheels so as not to apply the pressing force equal to or smaller than a specified pressing force to the rotor of at least one of a front wheel and a rear wheel. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The brake controller according to claim 1, further comprising a braking force computation section configured to compute a total braking force for a vehicle, wherein the brake controller distributes the braking force only to a front wheel or only to a rear wheel in a case where the total braking force that is computed by the braking force computation section is smaller than a specified value. ### Claim 8 A brake control method for controlling a brake device, the brake control method setting a pressing force by which a pad of the brake device is pressed against a rotor of the brake device during braking such that the pressing force is in a range other than a predetermined range, the brake control method comprising: detecting a pressing force information corresponding to the pressing force; detecting a stroke information corresponding to a stroke amount of the pad toward the rotor during braking; setting the predetermined range based on the pressing force information and the stroke information; and deriving, based on the pressing force information and the stoke information, a contact rigidity of the pad which comes into contact with the rotor, wherein the brake control method derives the predetermined range in accordance with the contact rigidity. ### Claim 9 A brake control system comprising: a brake device including a pad and a rotor, the brake device applying a braking force to each of wheels by moving the pad toward the rotor provided for each of the wheels and pressing the pad against the rotor; and a brake controller configured to: detect a pressing force information corresponding to a pressing force by which the pad is pressed against the rotor during braking; detect a stroke information corresponding to a stroke amount of the pad toward the rotor during braking; distribute the braking force to each of the wheels such that the pressing force is in a range other than a predetermined range; set the predetermined range based on the pressing force information and the stroke information; and derive, based on the pressing force information and the stroke information, a contact rigidity of the pad which comes into contact with the rotor, wherein the brake controller derives the predetermined range in accordance with the contact rigidity.