Vehicle regenerative braking system with system monitor and redundant control capability
AssigneeFord Motor Company
InventorPeter F. Worrel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for providing regenerative and friction braking in a vehicle includes a brake controller for determining a desired rate of deceleration from sensor outputs which are responsive to inputs from an operator of a vehicle and a regenerative braking system operatively connected with the brake controller. A brake monitor receives the sensor inputs from the operator of the vehicle and determines an audit range of deceleration for the vehicle. If the audit range of deceleration of the vehicle is not subsequently sensed, the vehicle's driver will be alerted.
Claims11
A system for providing regenerative and friction braking in a vehicle, comprising:
- a brake controller for determining a desired rate of deceleration from sensor outputs which are responsive to inputs from an operator of the vehicle;
- a regenerative braking system operatively connected with said brake controller and with one or more roadwheels of said vehicle, with said regenerative braking system being commanded by said brake controller to produce a braking torque corresponding to the desired rate of deceleration;
- a primary speed sensing system, operatively connected with said brake controller, for determining the speed and deceleration of said vehicle;
- a primary comparator, operatively connected with said brake controller, for comparing the desired rate of deceleration with the rate of deceleration determined by said primary speed sensing system;
- a brake monitor for receiving said sensor inputs from the operator of the vehicle, and for determining an audit range of deceleration of the vehicle;
- a redundant deceleration sensor, operatively connected with said brake monitor, for determining the vehicle's deceleration;
- a secondary comparator, operatively connected with said brake monitor, for comparing the audit range of deceleration with the output from said redundant deceleration sensor;
- and
- a friction braking system, operatively connected with both said brake controller and with said brake monitor, for providing additional braking in the event that the comparison results from either the primary comparator or the secondary comparator indicate that said regenerative braking system is not producing the commanded rate of deceleration.
A method for operating a vehicle regenerative braking system with a system monitor and redundant control capability, comprising the steps of:
- determining a desired rate of deceleration from sensor outputs which are responsive to inputs from an operator of the vehicle;
- commanding a regenerative braking system to produce a braking torque corresponding to the desired rate of deceleration;
- measuring the speed and deceleration of said vehicle by means of a primary speed sensor;
- comparing the desired rate of deceleration with the measured rate of deceleration, by means of a primary comparator;
- determining an audit range of acceptable deceleration of the vehicle from said sensor outputs which are responsive to inputs from an operator of the vehicle;
- measuring the vehicle's deceleration by means of a redundant deceleration sensor;
- comparing the audit range of deceleration with the output from said redundant deceleration sensor, by means of a redundant comparator;
- and
- providing additional braking by means of a friction braking system, in the event that the comparison results from either the primary comparator or the redundant comparator indicate that said regenerative braking system is not producing the commanded range of deceleration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.