# US 12,214,812 B2 · Vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,214,812 B2 - Document ID: US12214812B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/418,939 - Filed: 2019-11-28 - Published: 2022-04-21 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2018-12-28 - Assignees: Siemens Mobility GmbH - Applicants: Siemens Mobility GmbH - Inventors: Gerald Amler; Wolfgang Kluth; Stefan Reinicke; Dieter Schiefer - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12214812B2 ## CPC - B61L 15/0058: {On-board optimisation of vehicle or vehicle train operation} - B60L 3/0076: {relating to braking} - B60L 3/12: Recording operating variables {; Monitoring of operating variables} - B60L 15/2009: {for braking} - B60T 13/662: {characterised by specified functions of the control system components} - B60T 13/665: {the systems being specially adapted for transferring two or more command signals, e.g. railway systems (B60T13/662 takes precedence)} - B60T 17/228: {for railway vehicles} - B60L 2200/26: Rail vehicles - B60L 2240/427: Voltage - B60L 2240/429: Current - Y02T 10/64: Electric machine technologies in electromobility - Y02T 10/72: Electric energy management in electromobility - B61L: GUIDING RAILWAY TRAFFIC; ENSURING THE SAFETY OF RAILWAY TRAFFIC (brakes or auxiliary equipment B61H, B61K; point or crossing construction E01B) - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - 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 - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A vehicle, in particular to a rail vehicle, has at least one drive motor and a brake control device. A monitoring device measures, in the braking mode of the vehicle, at least one drive current which flows through the drive motor, and at least one drive voltage which is applied to the drive motor, to form measured values, and to generate operational information which specifies the mode of operation of the drive motor, in particular braking information which specifies a braking effect of the drive motor, on the basis of the measured values. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle, comprising: at least one drive motor; a brake control device; and a monitoring device configured to measure, in a braking mode of the vehicle, at least one drive current flowing through said drive motor and at least one drive voltage applied to said drive motor, to form measurement values, and to generate operational information specifying a mode of operation of said drive motor on a basis of the measurement values. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1 being a rail vehicle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the operational information is braking information specifying a braking effect of said at least one drive motor. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The vehicle according to claim 3, wherein: the vehicle has a friction-based brake; said brake control device is configured for actuating said friction-based brake; and said brake control device is configured to control said friction-based brake by taking into account the braking information of said monitoring device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein said brake control device is configured, in the braking mode of the vehicle, to determine a required braking effect of the friction-based brake by calculating a difference between a predefined desired braking value and the braking information of the monitoring device and to generate a control signal for said friction-based brake on a basis of the required braking effect of said friction-based brake. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: said at least one drive motor is a two-phase or multi-phase drive motor; and said monitoring device comprises a current sensor per each phase for measuring a phase current flowing through said drive motor to form a current measurement value, and a voltage sensor per each phase for measuring a phase voltage applied to said drive motor to form a voltage measurement value. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: said at least one drive motor is a three-phase drive motor; and said monitoring device comprises three current sensors for measuring three current measurement values and three voltage sensors for measuring three voltage measurement values. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The vehicle according to claim 7, wherein said monitoring device is configured to add up the current measurement values to form a current sum and/or to add up the voltage measurement values to form a voltage sum. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The vehicle according to claim 8, wherein said monitoring device is configured to generate a fault signal when a value of the current sum exceeds a current-based threshold value and/or when a value of the voltage sum exceeds a voltage-based threshold value. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The vehicle according to claim 9, wherein said brake control device is configured, in the braking mode of the vehicle and in a presence of the fault signal, to actuate said friction-based brake without taking into account the braking information. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said monitoring device is configured, in the braking mode, to switch off a drive current if the drive current flowing through the drive motor and the drive voltage applied to the drive motor indicate a traction mode of the drive. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said monitoring device is configured, upon an issuance of an emergency brake command, to switch off a drive current if the drive current flowing through the drive motor and the drive voltage applied to the drive motor indicate a traction mode of the drive. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a drive control device and a power converter connected downstream of said drive control device and actuated by said drive control device, said power converter, in a driving mode, supplying the drive motor with driving energy and, in the braking mode of said drive motor, removing braking energy from said drive motor. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The vehicle according to claim 13, further comprising a switch connected between said power converter and an energy supply, and wherein: said switch having a switched-on state connecting the energy supply with said power converter and a switched-off state separating the energy supply from said power converter; said monitoring device is configured to switch off said switch if, in the braking mode of the vehicle, a fault signal is present and/or, in the presence of an emergency brake command, the measurement values indicate an active driving mode of said drive motor. ### Claim 15 (depends on 4) The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the friction-based brake is an electropneumatic brake. ### Claim 16 (depends on 4) The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the friction-based brake is configured for stepless actuation and/or for generating continuously adjustable braking force. ### Claim 17 (depends on 3) The vehicle according to claim 3, wherein said brake control device is connected to a drive control device and said brake control device is configured to process braking information determined by said drive control device in addition to the braking information of said monitoring device. ### Claim 18 A method for braking a vehicle, which has at least one drive motor and at least one braking control device, the method comprising: in a braking mode of the vehicle, measuring at least one drive current flowing through the drive motor and at least one drive voltage applied to the drive motor to form measurement values; and generating operational information specifying a mode of operation of the drive motor on a basis of the measurement values. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method according to claim 18, wherein the generating step comprises generating braking information specifying a braking effect of the drive motor. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The method according to claim 17, wherein the vehicle is a rail vehicle.