System and Method for Brake Pre-Charging
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsJu Chen, Gerald Engelman, Levasseur Tellis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for brake pre-charging includes pre-filling brakes, based on proximity information from a forward-looking sensor, to reduce the initial delays associated with braking. By reducing the initial delay in converting driver brake pressure requests into actual brake torque to the wheels, the stopping distance required for braking is reduced.
Claims34
A vehicle braking system having a wheel coupled to a vehicle, a brake coupled to the wheel, wherein the wheel includes a friction component for inhibiting rotation of the wheel, the brake having a first state wherein said friction component is positioned a first distance from said wheel, and a second state, wherein said friction component is positioned a second distance from said wheel closer than said first distance, the vehicle braking system comprising:
- a proximity sensor coupled to the vehicle and sensing an object along a direction of travel of the vehicle and generating a proximity signal therefrom;
- and
- a controller receiving said proximity signal and generating therefrom a threat of collision prediction signal, said controller moving the friction component from the first state to the second state as a function of a high threat of collision determined from the threat of collision prediction signal, wherein movement of the friction component is halted through throttle pedal activation.
(canceled)
A vehicle braking system having a wheel having a rotor coupled to a vehicle, a brake coupled to the wheel, wherein the wheel includes a friction component for inhibiting rotation of the wheel, the brake having a first state wherein said friction component is positioned a first distance from the wheel rotor, and a second state, wherein the friction component is positioned a second distance from the wheel rotor closer than the first distance, the brake further including a third state, wherein the friction component is positioned a third distance from the wheel rotor, the vehicle braking system comprising:
- a proximity sensor coupled to the vehicle and sensing an object along a direction of travel of the vehicle and generating a proximity signal therefrom;
- a vehicle speed sensor coupled to the vehicle and sensing a speed of the vehicle and generating a vehicle speed signal therefrom;
- a brake pressure sensor coupled to the vehicle and sensing a current brake pressure and generating a current brake pressure signal therefrom;
- and
- a controller receiving said proximity signal, said vehicle speed signal, and said current brake pressure signal, said controller generating therefrom a threat of collision prediction signal as a function of an analysis of a closing velocity between the vehicle and said object above a threshold and within a close proximity of the vehicle, said controller moving the friction component from the first state to the second state in response to a high threat of collision within said threat of collision prediction signal, wherein said controller moving the friction component from the first state or the second state to the third stage as a function of said high threat of collision determined from the threat of collision prediction signal and a signal indicating that a throttle pedal has been released.
(canceled)
A method for pre-charging brakes for a vehicle, said method comprising:
- sensing an object in a near vicinity of the vehicle;
- generating a proximity signal;
- predicting a threat of collision between said object and the vehicle in response to said proximity signal;
- determining whether said threat of collision is high;
- engaging a second stage pre-charge short of engaging the brakes as a function of a high threat of collision and a signal indicating that a throttle Pedal has been released;
- and
- pre-charging the brakes in response to a high threat of collision prediction.
(canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.