Brake control system and method
AssigneeEaton Corporation
InventorsMark W. Sullivan, Thomas A. Gee
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle braking control system is provided for sensing (76) the magnitude of the vehicle operator's demand for braking effort and for distributing the braking effort between the individually controllable vehicle (22) brake sites to achieve balanced braking (12) if relatively low braking effort demand (0% to A%) is sensed and to achieve proportional braking (14) if relatively high braking effort demand (B% to 100%) is sensed.
Claims30
A brake control system for a vehicle system euipped with multiple individually controllable brake sites, said system comprising sensing means to provide input signals indicative of (1) at least one of the braking force at each brake site and the load carried by each brake site and of the ratio of braking force to load carried at each brake site, and (2) of the level of braking effort demanded by the vehicle operator, a control unit having means for receiving said input signals and for processing said signals in accordance with predetermined logic rules to issue command output signals and actuators responsive to said command output signals for modulating a controlled parameter at each brake site related to the brake force at the brake site, said system characterized by:
- means for defining logic rules, said logic rules comprising:
- logic rules for comparing said demand input signal to a first reference value and to a second reference value equal to or greater than said first reference value, and
- if said demand signal is less than said first reference signal, logic rules for issuing command output signals for causing each of the brake sites to exert a brake force dependent upon the value of the demand input signal and independent of load, and
- if said demand signal is equal to or greater than said second reference value, logic rules for issuing commanded output signals for causing each of the brake sites to exert a brake force direclty related to the value of the demand input signal and to the load at the brake site.
A control method for a brake control system for controlling the distribution braking effort between the brake sites of a vehicle system equipped with multiple individually controllable brake sites, said system comprising sensing means to provide input signals indicative of (1) at least one of the braking force at each brake site and the load carried by each brake site and of the ratio of braking force to load carried at each brake site, and (2) of the level of braking effort demanded by the vehicle operator, a control unit having means receiving said input signals and for processing said signals in accordance with predetermined logic rules to issue command output signals and actuates responsive to said command output signals for modulating a controlled parameter at each brake site related to the brake force at the brake site, said control method characterized by:
- comparing said demand input signal to a first reference value and to a second reference value equal to or greater than said first reference value, and
- if said demand signal is less than said first reference signal causing said braking effort to be distributed between the brake sites to achieve balanced braking between said brake sites, and
- if said demand signal is equal to or greater than said second reference value, causing the braking effort to be distributed between the brake sites to achieve proportional braking between the brake sites.
A control method for a brake control system for a vehicle system equipped with multiple individually controllable brake sites, said system comprising sensing means to provide input signals indicative of (1) at least one of the braking force at each brake site and the load carried by each brake site and of the ratio of braking force to load carried at each brke site, and (2) of the level of braking effort demanded by the vehicle operator, a control unit having means for receiving said input signals and for processing said signals in accordance with predetermined logic rules to issue command output signals and actuators responsive to said command output signals for modulating a controlled parameter at each brake site related to the brake force at the brake site, said control method characterized by:
- comparing said demand input signal to a first reference value and to a second reference value equal to or greater than said first reference value, and
- if said demand signal is less than said first reference signal, causing each of the brake sites to exert a brake force dependent upon the value of the demand input signal and independent of load at the brake site, and
- if said demand signal is equal to or greater than said second reference value, causing each of the brake sites to exert a brake force directly related to the value of the demand input signal and to the load at the brake site.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.