Braking arrangement for heavy duty vehicles
AssigneeVolvo Truck Corporation
InventorsUlf Stenbratt, Leo Laine, Hamid Yhr
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A braking arrangement for decelerating a heavy duty vehicle, the arrangement including a control unit, at least one electric machine arranged for regenerative braking, an electrical energy absorption device, an eddy current braking device, and a power distribution network arranged to connect the electric machine to the energy absorption device and to the eddy current braking device, wherein the control unit is configured to distribute regenerated electrical power from the electric machine between the energy absorption device and the eddy current braking device by the power distribution network in dependence of a target deceleration value of the heavy duty vehicle.
Claims14
A braking arrangement for decelerating a heavy duty vehicle, the arrangement comprising a control unit, at least one electric machine arranged for regenerative braking, an electrical energy absorption device, an eddy current braking device, and a power distribution network arranged to connect the electric machine to the energy absorption device and to the eddy current braking device, wherein the control unit is configured to distribute regenerated electrical power from the electric machine between the energy absorption device and the eddy current braking device by the power distribution network in dependence of a target deceleration value of the heavy duty vehicle, wherein the control unit is also configured to control the distribution of regenerated electrical power from the electric machine between the energy absorption device and the eddy current braking device in dependence of an energy absorption capability of the energy absorption device, and wherein the control unit is additionally configured to control the distribution of regenerated electrical power from the electric machine between the energy absorption device and the eddy current braking device such that a constant baseline torque level is generated by the eddy current braking device, the torque applied by the electric machine being modulated to control wheel slip at a desired wheel slip level.
A method performed by a control unit for decelerating a heavy duty vehicle, the method comprising:
- obtaining a deceleration request indicative of a desired braking torque,
- determining if regenerative braking by an electric machine associated with a braking torque capability is sufficient to meet the deceleration request, applying braking torque by a combination of the electric machine and an eddy current braking device powered by the electric machine if the regenerative braking capability of the electric machine is not sufficient to meet the deceleration request, and
- distributing the regenerated electrical power produced by the regenerative braking capability between an energy absorption device and the eddy current braking device such that a constant baseline torque level is generated by the eddy current braking device, the torque applied by the electric machine being modulated to control wheel slip at a desired wheel slip level.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.