System and method for controlling braking functions in an autonomous vehicle

A method for allowing failover between an autonomously controlled braking system and a human controlled braking system in a truck having pneumatic brake lines comprising the steps of:

• providing a cab-mounted brake actuator that is handled by the human operator, and thereby selectively delivering pressurized air to truck brakes and a trailer brake air supply;
• performing autonomous braking operations in response to control inputs, including, sensing when a human operator handles the actuator;
• providing a pressure circuit with a plurality of valves, interconnected between a pressurized air source on the truck, the actuator, the truck brakes and the trailer brake air supply, responsive to the autonomous braking operations, and overriding selective delivery of pressurized air to the truck brakes and the trailer brake air supply in response to the autonomous braking operations in favor of selective delivery of pressurized air via the actuator;
• operating a tank monitor to determine whether tank pressure falls below a predetermined threshold, and in response thereto, operating the valves to apply at least one of the service brakes and the parking brakes;
• and
• operating the tank monitor to ignore predetermined sensors and switches within the pressure circuit.

A controller that performs autonomous braking operations in response to control inputs and that senses when a human operator is handling the actuator to allow failover between an autonomously controlled braking system and a human controlled braking system in a truck having a pressure circuit with pneumatic brake lines comprising:

• an interface to a cab-mounted brake actuator arranged to be handled by the human operator and arranged to selectively deliver pressurized air to truck brakes and a trailer brake air supply;
• an interface for performing emergency stop braking settings, when entering an emergency stop mode, to the valves in response to predetermined conditions;
• an interface to a plurality of valves, interconnected in a pressure circuit between a pressurized air source on the truck, the actuator, the truck brakes and the trailer brake air supply, responsive to the controller, and arranged to override selective delivery of pressurized air to the truck brakes and the trailer brake air supply in response to the autonomous braking operations in favor of selective delivery of pressurized air via the actuator,
• wherein the plurality of valves, responsive to the controller, are configured to override based in part upon a greater of a pressure in a valve associated with the cab-mounted brake actuator and a pressure in at least one valve of the plurality of valves, and
• wherein the controller is adapted to prevent exiting the emergency stop mode upon detection of critical errors in the pressure circuit.