Braking system
AssigneeDuplicent, LLC
InventorCurren Krasnoff
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A braking device for a vehicle includes a track, a brake pad, and a bar. The track is configured to couple to an underside of the vehicle. The track includes a stopping feature disposed along a length thereof. The bar has a first end in engagement with the track and an opposing second end coupled to the brake pad. The first end of the bar moves along the track and selectively engages with the stopping feature. The stopping feature permits movement of the first end of the bar in a first direction along the track but inhibits or selectively inhibits movement of the first end of the bar in an opposing second direction along the track.
Claims11
A method of automatically braking a vehicle, the method comprising:
- determining, by an onboard computer of the vehicle, a collision is impending for the vehicle based on data received from onboard sensors of the vehicle;
- and
- in response to a determination that the collision is impending for the vehicle, controlling, by the onboard computer, a force applicator coupled to an underside of the vehicle to cause deployment of a brake assembly from a non-deployed orientation to a deployed orientation, the brake assembly including an arm that pivots relative to the underside of the vehicle and a pad coupled to the arm;
- wherein, when in the non-deployed orientation, the arm is substantially parallel to the underside of the vehicle;
- and
- wherein, when in the deployed orientation, the arm is non-parallel to the underside of the vehicle, the arm configured to position the pad in (i) a first orientation wherein a first end of the pad contacts a driving surface and a second end of the pad opposite the first end of the pad does not contact the driving surface, (ii) a second orientation wherein a surface of the pad that joins the first end of the pad with the second end of the pad contacts the driving surface, and (iii) a third orientation wherein the second end of the pad contacts the driving surface and the first end of the pad does not contact the driving surface, the onboard computer configured to selectively position the pad in one of the first, second, or third orientation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.