Control system, vehicle and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10503153-B2
Application number	US-201615735555-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 10, 2016
Priority date	Jun 12, 2015
Publication date	Dec 10, 2019
Grant date	Dec 10, 2019

Abstract

A central tire inflation system for a vehicle having a plurality of inflation control valves for controlling inflation of a respective tire, a first gas source for supplying pressurized gas to the inflation control valves, a first gas inlet valve for controlling the supply of gas from the first gas source to a fluid gallery, and a plurality of gallery outlet valves each arranged to control gas flow between the fluid gallery and a respective tire supply line that supplies gas from the fluid gallery to the inflation control valve. The gallery has two gallery pressure sensors for measuring a pressure of gas in the gallery. An electronic controller performs a gallery pressure sensor check that involves, with the gallery outlet valves and first gas inlet valve closed, causing the gallery exhaust valve to open and monitoring the pressure in the gallery according to each of the gallery pressure sensors.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A central tire inflation system for a vehicle comprising:
a plurality of inflation control valves for controlling inflation of a respective tire; and
a first gas source for supplying pressurized gas to the inflation control valves,
the system further comprising a first gas inlet valve for controlling the supply of gas from the first gas source to a fluid gallery, the system comprising a plurality of gallery outlet valves each arranged to control gas flow between the fluid gallery and a respective tire supply line, each tire supply line being provided in fluid communication with the inflation control valve of a respective tire and arranged to supply gas from the fluid gallery to the inflation control valve, the gallery being provided with an exhaust valve for exhausting gas therein and at least two gallery pressure sensors for measuring a pressure of gas in the gallery,
at least one electronic controller being configured to perform at least one system check comprising a gallery pressure sensor check, the gallery pressure sensor check comprising, with the gallery outlet valves and first gas inlet valve closed, causing the gallery exhaust valve to open and monitoring the pressure in the gallery according to each of the at least two gallery pressure sensors, wherein if the pressure in the gallery according to the at least two gallery pressure sensors does not correspond to a predetermined datum pressure, the electronic controller determines that the system has failed the system check, wherein if the control means determines that the system has failed a system check the electronic controller is configured not to permit inflation or deflation of one or more tires by the system,
wherein the first gas source comprises a pressure sensor for measuring a pressure of gas supplied by the first gas source, the electronic controller being configured to perform a system check comprising a first gas source pressure sensor check, wherein the first gas source pressure sensor check comprises, with the gallery pressure equal to the datum pressure value, the gallery exhaust valve closed and the gallery outlet valves closed, opening the first gas inlet valve to the gallery wherein the first gas source is in fluid communication with the gallery, and comparing a pressure of gas measured by the first gas source pressure sensor with a pressure in the gallery according to each of the at least two gallery pressure sensors, the system being configured to determine that the system has failed the first gas source pressure sensor check in dependence on the comparison.

2. The central tire inflation system according to claim 1 wherein the electronic controller comprises:
an electronic processor having an electrical input for receiving one or more signals each indicative of a value of pressure measured by the at least two gallery pressure sensors; and
an electronic memory device electrically coupled to the electronic processor and having instructions stored therein,
and wherein said electronic controller determining that the system has failed the system check comprises the processor being configured to access the memory device and execute the instructions stored therein such that it is operable to detect that the pressure in the gallery according to the at least two gallery pressure sensors does not correspond to a predetermined datum pressure.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the predetermined datum pressure corresponds to ambient atmospheric pressure.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein the gallery pressure sensor check further comprises the electronic controller determining whether the gallery pressure values according to the at least two gallery pressure sensors are within a predetermined amount of one another.

5. The system according to claim 1 wherein the electronic controller is configured to perform a system check comprising an inflation valve check, the inflation valve check comprising, with the gallery exhaust valve closed and the gallery pressure equal to the predetermined datum pressure, opening at least one gallery outlet valve and verifying that the pressure of the gallery according to the at least two gallery pressure sensors corresponds to the predetermined datum pressure.

6. The system according to claim 5 wherein the inflation valve check further comprises opening each of the gallery outlet valves and verifying that the pressure of the gallery according to the at least two gallery pressure sensors corresponds to the predetermined datum pressure once each gallery outlet valve is open.

7. The system according to claim 5 configured to, once the inflation valve check is complete, open the gallery exhaust valve to establish a pressure within the gallery equal to the datum pressure value, and subsequently close the exhaust valve.

8. The system according to claim 1 configured to determine that the system has failed the first compressed gas source pressure sensor check if the electronic controller determines that a difference in pressure between that measured by the first compressed gas source pressure sensor and that measured by one or both of the at least two gallery pressure sensors exceeds a predetermined amount.

9. The system according to claim 8 configured wherein if the difference between the pressure measured by the first compressed gas source pressure sensor and the pressure measured by each of the at least two gallery pressure sensors does not exceed the predetermined amount, the electronic controller is configured to perform a system check comprising a tire supply line check in which, with the first gas inlet valve closed, the control means causes the at least one gallery outlet valve to open and monitors a pressure indicated by the at least two gallery pressure sensors, the control means being configured to determine that the system has failed the tire supply line check in dependence on the pressure indicated by the at least two gallery pressure sensors.

10. The system according to claim 9 wherein the control means is configured to, after opening the gallery outlet valves during the tire supply line check, close the gallery outlet valves and set a pressure of gas in the gallery equal to the datum pressure value, the control means being configured, with the gallery exhaust valve closed, to open the at least one gallery outlet valve and monitor a pressure indicated by the at least two gallery pressure sensors, the system being configured to determine that the system has failed the tire supply line check in dependence on the pressure indicated by the at least two gallery pressure sensors.

11. The system according to claim 9 configured wherein, when the gallery exhaust valve is closed, to open each of the plurality of gallery outlet valve and to monitor a pressure indicated by the at least two gallery pressure sensors.

12. The system according to claim 1 further comprising a second gas source having a pressure sensor for measuring pressure of gas supplied by the second gas source, the electronic controller being configured to perform a system check comprising a second gas source pressure sensor check, wherein the second gas source pressure sensor check comprises, with the gallery pressure equal to the datum pressure value, the gallery exhaust valve closed and the gallery outlet valves closed, opening the second gas inlet valve to the gallery, and comparing a pressure of gas measured by the second gas source pressure sensor with a pressure in the gallery according to each of the at least two gallery pressure sensors, the electronic controller being configured to determine that the system has failed the second gas source pressure sensor check if it deter

Assignees

• Jaguar Land Rover Ltd

Inventors

• Ciovnicu Roxana
• Woodley Jonathan
• King Paul

Classifications

• G05B2219/37371

  Flow · CPC title

• B60C23/00

  Devices for measuring, signalling, controlling, or distributing tyre pressure or temperature, specially adapted for mounting on vehicles; Arrangement of tyre inflating devices on vehicles, e.g. of pumps or of tanks; Tyre cooling arrangements · CPC title

• G05B19/4166 Primary

  Controlling feed or in-feed (G05B19/4163 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60C23/04 Primary

  mounted on the wheel or tyre · CPC title

• G05B2219/37399

  Pressure · CPC title