Brake control apparatus for a vehicle train and methods therefor
AssigneeBendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC
InventorsKonstantinos Vilaetis, Nicholas A. Broyles, Andrew J. Pilkington
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A brake control apparatus is provided for a vehicle train having a tractor and one or more towed vehicles coupled to the tractor. The brake control apparatus comprises a tractor controller arranged to detect a pressure change in at least one brake line of the vehicle train in response to a brake trigger signal. The tractor controller is also arranged to process the detected pressure change to estimate a combination of the number of the towed vehicles and a total length of the number of towed vehicles coupled to the tractor.
Claims18
A brake control apparatus for a vehicle train having a tractor and one or more towed vehicles coupled to the tractor, the brake control apparatus comprising:
- an actuatable first solenoid valve for, when actuated in response to a brake trigger signal, providing a first applied pressure change in at least one brake line of the vehicle train;
- a first pressure sensor for sensing a first reflected pressure change in the at least one brake line after the first solenoid valve is actuated to provide the first applied pressure change in the at least one brake line;
- and
- a tractor controller arranged to (i) detect the first applied pressure change and the first reflected pressure change in the at least one brake line of the vehicle train in response to the brake trigger signal, and (ii) process a pressure difference between the first applied pressure change and the first reflected pressure change to estimate a combination of a number of the one or more towed vehicles and a total length of the number of one or more towed vehicles coupled to the tractor.
A brake control apparatus for a vehicle train having a tractor and one or more towed vehicles coupled to the tractor, the brake control apparatus comprising:
- a brake line extending between the tractor and the one or more towed vehicles;
- and
- a tractor controller arranged to (i) apply an applied pressure pulse in the brake line, (ii) detect a reflected pressure pulse in the brake line in response to the applied pressure pulse, and (iii) determine a number of the one or more towed vehicles coupled to the tractor based upon a difference between the reflected pressure pulse and the applied pressure pulse detected in the brake line.
A method of operating a vehicle train having a tractor and one or more towed vehicles coupled to the tractor, the method comprising:
- providing a pressure change in a brake line that extends between the tractor and the one or more towed vehicles coupled to the tractor, including applying an applied pressure pulse in the brake line;
- detecting the pressure change provided in the brake line, including detecting a reflected pressure pulse in the brake line after the applied pressure pulse has been applied in the brake line;
- comparing the applied pressure pulse and the reflected pressure pulse to determine a pressure difference between the pressure pulse and the reflected pressure pulse;
- and
- determining a combination of towed vehicle length and a number of the one or more towed vehicles coupled to the tractor based upon the pressure difference.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.