Method and parking brake apparatus for an autonomously drivable vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11407394-B2
Application number	US-202016812723-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 9, 2020
Priority date	Mar 9, 2020
Publication date	Aug 9, 2022
Grant date	Aug 9, 2022

Abstract

A parking brake apparatus is provided for an autonomously drivable vehicle having components of a parking brake system for applying a parking brake. The parking brake apparatus comprises a first controller arranged to provide one or more control signals to be applied to components of the parking brake system to apply the parking brake in response to a signal requesting the parking brake to be applied. The parking brake apparatus also comprises a second controller arranged to provide one or more control signals to be applied to other components of the parking brake system to apply the parking brake in response to unavailability of the first controller to cause the parking brake to be applied.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A parking brake apparatus for an autonomously drivable vehicle having components of a parking brake system for applying a parking brake, the parking brake apparatus comprising:
a first controller arranged to provide one or more control signals to be applied to components of the parking brake system to apply the parking brake in response to a signal requesting the parking brake to be applied;
a second controller arranged to provide one or more control signals to be applied to other components of the parking brake system to apply the parking brake in response to unavailability of the first controller to cause the parking brake to be applied;
a parking brake valve controllable by the first controller;
a first 3/2 normally-open solenoid valve disposed between a primary compressed air supply and the parking brake valve; and
a second 3/2 normally-open solenoid valve disposed between a secondary compressed air supply and the parking brake valve; wherein the second controller is arranged to provide a first control signal to the first normally-open 3/2 solenoid valve, and a second control signal to the second normally-open 3/2 solenoid valve.

2. A parking brake apparatus for an autonomously drivable vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein (i) the first controller is arranged to execute program instructions of a primary parking brake control algorithm to apply the parking brake in response to the signal requesting the parking brake to be applied, and (ii) the second controller is arranged to execute program instructions of a secondary parking brake control algorithm to apply the parking brake in response to unavailability of the first controller to execute program instructions of the primary parking brake control algorithm to apply the parking brake in response to the signal requesting the parking brake to be applied.

3. A parking brake apparatus for an autonomously drivable vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein (i) the first controller is arranged to execute program instructions of a primary parking brake control algorithm to apply the parking brake in response to the signal requesting the parking brake to be applied, and (ii) the second controller is arranged to execute program instructions of a secondary parking brake control algorithm to apply the parking brake in response to inability of the one or more control signals from the first controller to reach components of the parking brake system.

4. A parking brake apparatus for an autonomously drivable vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein (i) the first controller is arranged to execute program instructions of a primary parking brake control algorithm to apply the parking brake in response to the signal requesting the parking brake to be applied, and (ii) the second controller is arranged to execute program instructions of a secondary parking brake control algorithm to apply the parking brake in response to unresponsiveness of a parking brake valve of the parking brake system.

5. A parking brake apparatus for an autonomously drivable vehicle according to claim 1 further comprising:
a first relay valve disposed between the first 3/2 normally-open solenoid valve and the parking brake valve; and
a second relay valve disposed between the second 3/2 normally-open solenoid valve and the parking brake valve.

6. A parking brake apparatus for an autonomously drivable vehicle according to claim 1 further comprising:
a third controller arranged to (i) monitor the first controller, (ii) detect unavailability of the first controller to cause the parking brake to be applied, and (iii) activate the second controller to provide one or more control signals to be applied to components of the parking brake system to apply the parking brake in response to detecting unavailability of the first controller to cause the parking brake to be applied.

7. A parking brake apparatus for an autonomously drivable vehicle according to claim 6 , wherein the second controller and the third controller comprise a single controller.

8. A parking brake apparatus for an autonomously drivable vehicle according to claim 6 further comprising:
a controller area network (CAN) bus that enables the first, second, and third controllers to communicate with each other.

9. A parking brake apparatus for an autonomously drivable vehicle according to claim 1 further comprising:
one or more pressure-to-voltage transducers coupled to corresponding one or more components of the parking brake system, wherein each pressure-to-voltage transducer provides a voltage indicative of pressure associated with the corresponding component of the parking brake system.

10. A parking brake apparatus for an autonomously drivable vehicle having components of a parking brake system for applying a parking brake, the parking apparatus comprising:
a primary parking brake controller arranged to control one or more parking brake valves to enable one or more parking brake springs to apply the parking brake in response to a signal requesting the parking brake to be applied;
means for, when the vehicle is autonomously driven and without requiring any manual action from an occupant of the autonomously driven vehicle, controlling the one or more parking brake valves to enable the one or more parking brake springs to apply the parking brake when the primary parking brake controller is unable to cause the parking brake to be applied;
a first 3/2 normally-open solenoid valve disposed between a primary compressed air supply and the one or more parking brake valves; and
a second 3/2 normally-open solenoid valve disposed between a secondary compressed air supply and the one or more parking brake valves; wherein the means for controlling the one or more parking brake valves to enable the one or more parking brake springs to apply the parking brake when the primary parking brake controller is unable to cause the parking brake to be applied is arranged to provide a first control signal to the first normally-open 3/2 solenoid valve, and a second control signal to the second normally-open 3/2 solenoid valve.

11. A parking brake apparatus for an autonomously drivable vehicle according to claim 10 , wherein the means includes a redundant parking brake controller arranged to control the one or more parking brake valves to enable the one or more parking brake springs to apply the parking brake when the primary parking brake controller is unable to cause the parking brake to be applied.

12. A parking brake apparatus for an autonomously drivable vehicle according to claim 11 , wherein the means includes an autonomous driver controller arranged to (i) monitor the primary parking brake controller, (ii) detect when the primary parking brake controller is unable to respond to the signal requesting the parking brake to be applied, and (iii) activate the redundant parking brake controller to control the one or more parking brake valves to enable the one or more parking brake springs to apply the parking brake when the primary parking brake controller is detected to be unable to cause the parking brake to be applied.

13. A parking brake apparatus for an autonomously drivable vehicle according to claim 11 , wherein the means includes an autonomous driver controller arranged to (i) monitor the primary parking brake controller, (ii) detect when one or more control signals from the primary parking brake controller is unable to reach one or more components of the parking brake system, and (iii) activate the redundant parking brake controller to control one or more parking brake valves to enable the one or more parking brake springs to apply the parking brake when the one or more control signals fr

Assignees

• Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems Llc

Inventors

• Hutchins Christopher H
• Wieder Gerhard
• Leibbrand Jonas

Classifications

• F16H63/483

  Circuits for controlling engagement of parking locks or brakes · CPC title

• B60T2270/402

  Back-up · CPC title

• B60T8/885

  using electrical circuitry · CPC title

• B60T13/683

  in pneumatic systems or parts thereof (in vacuum systems B60T13/72) · CPC title

• B60T2270/413

  Plausibility monitoring, cross check, redundancy · CPC title