# US 2014/0156141 A1 · Electric parking brake control device

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- Number: US 2014/0156141 A1
- Document ID: US20140156141A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/094,876
- Filed: 2013-12-03
- Published: 2014-06-05
- Earliest claimed: 2012-12-04
- Assignees: Omron Automotive Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Michisada Yabuguchi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140156141A1

## CPC

- B60T 7/02: for personal initiation
- B60T 7/12: for automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger {(limiting speed of vehicles other than rail vehicles B60K31/00)}
- B60T 13/74: with electrical assistance or drive
- B60T: VEHICLE BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF; BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF, IN GENERAL (electrodynamic brake systems for vehicle, in general B60L; brakes per se, i.e. devices where braking effect occurs, including ultimate brake actuators, F16D); ARRANGEMENT OF BRAKING ELEMENTS ON VEHICLES IN GENERAL; PORTABLE DEVICES FOR PREVENTING UNWANTED MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES; VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS TO FACILITATE COOLING OF BRAKES

## Abstract

An electric parking brake control device has an actuator that drives a motor configured to operate or release an electric parking brake, a control unit that controls the actuator, a storage unit that stores a state of the parking brake, a determining unit that determines the state of the parking brake based on current that flows into the motor, and a detecting unit that detects an ON/OFF state of an ignition switch. When the detecting unit detects that the ignition switch is in the ON state, the actuator sends current in a direction which causes the parking brake to be operated to the motor, and the determining unit determines whether the parking brake is in an operation state or a release state based on the current which flows to the motor.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electric parking brake control device comprising:
an actuator that drives a motor configured to operate or release an electric parking brake;
a control unit that controls the actuator;
a storage unit that stores a state of the parking brake;
a determining unit that determines the state of the parking brake based on current that flows into the motor; and
a detecting unit that detects an ON/OFF state of an ignition switch,
wherein, when the detecting unit detects that the ignition switch is in the ON state, the actuator sends current in a direction which causes the parking brake to be operated to the motor, and the determining unit determines whether the parking brake is in an operation state or a release state based on the current which flows to the motor,
wherein the control unit compares a state of the parking brake determined by the determining unit with a state of the parking brake stored in the storage unit and the state of the parking brake determined by the determining unit, and
wherein, when the state of the parking brake stored in the storage unit are in agreement with each other, the control unit controls the actuator such that the parking brake maintains the states which are in agreement with each other.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The electric parking brake control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit updates the state of the parking brake stored in the storage unit whenever the actuator is controlled such that the parking brake is operated or released.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The electric parking brake control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the actuator such that the state of the parking brake becomes the state stored in the storage unit when the state of the parking brake determined by the determining unit and the state of the parking brake stored in the storage unit are not in agreement.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The electric parking brake control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the actuator such that the parking brake enters the operation state when the state of the parking brake determined by the determining unit and the state of the parking brake stored in the storage unit are not in agreement.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The electric parking brake control device according to claim 1,
wherein the parking brake includes two parking brakes for left and right sides,
wherein the motor includes two motors for the left and right side,
wherein the actuator includes two actuators for the left and right side,
wherein the determining unit determines whether the parking brakes for the left and right sides are operated or released, and
wherein the control unit controls the actuators such that the parking brakes enter the operation state when the determining units determine that the states of the parking brakes for the left and right sides differ from each other.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The electric parking brake control device according to claim 1,
wherein the control unit determines whether a vehicle is traveling based on vehicle speed information which is externally inputted, and
wherein, when the control unit determines that the vehicle is traveling, the current is not sent to the motor by the actuator and the state of the parking brake is not determined by the determination, even when the detecting unit detects that the ignition switch is in an ON state.