Vehicle braking systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11427175-B2
Application number	US-201916714906-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2019
Priority date	Dec 16, 2019
Publication date	Aug 30, 2022
Grant date	Aug 30, 2022

Abstract

Techniques for braking an autonomous vehicle include providing a pressurized fluid stream from a plurality of pressurized fluid sources to a plurality of pressure-controlled electronic braking assemblies; providing the pressurized fluid stream from a pressurized fluid control output of a first pressure-controlled electronic braking assembly directly to a pressurized fluid control input of a second pressure-controlled electronic braking assembly; providing the pressurized fluid stream from the second pressure-controlled electronic braking assembly to at least one vehicle brake set; providing sensor output data from one or more vehicle sensors to a plurality of electronic control units; and based at least in part on the sensor output data, controlling at least one of the first or second pressure-controlled electronic braking assemblies to adjust a pressure of the pressurized fluid stream from at least one of the first or second pressure-controlled electronic braking assemblies to the vehicle brake set.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An autonomous vehicle braking system, comprising:
a plurality of pressure-controlled electronic braking assemblies, each pressure-controlled electronic braking assembly fluidly coupled to at least one of a plurality of pressurized fluid sources and to at least one vehicle brake set of a plurality of vehicle brake sets of the autonomous vehicle, where a pressurized fluid control output of a first pressure-controlled electronic braking assembly of the plurality of pressure-controlled electronic braking assemblies is directly connected, in series, to a pressurized fluid control input of a second pressure-controlled electronic braking assembly of the plurality of pressure-controlled electronic braking assemblies; and
a plurality of electronic control units, each of the plurality of electronic control units communicably coupled to the first and second pressure-controlled electronic braking assemblies and one or more vehicle sensors, each of the plurality of electronic control units configured to command at least one of the first or second pressure-controlled electronic braking assemblies to adjust a pressure of at least one pressurized fluid stream from the at least one of the first or second pressure-controlled electronic braking assemblies to the at least one vehicle brake set based at least in part on sensor output from the one or more vehicle sensors, the at least one pressurized fluid stream comprising a pneumatic fluid stream.

2. The autonomous vehicle braking system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pressurized fluid sources comprise a first pressurized fluid source connected to the first and second pressure-controlled electronic braking assemblies and a second pressurized fluid source connected to the first and second pressure-controlled electronic braking assemblies.

3. The autonomous vehicle braking system of claim 1 , wherein the pressurized fluid control output of the first pressure-controlled electronic braking assembly comprises a first pressurized fluid control output of the first pressure-controlled electronic braking assembly and the pressurized fluid control input of the second pressure-controlled electronic braking assembly comprises a first pressurized fluid control input of the second pressure-controlled electronic braking assembly, the system further comprising:
a second pressurized fluid control output of the first pressure-controlled electronic braking assembly directly connected to a second pressurized fluid control input of the second pressure-controlled electronic braking assembly.

4. The autonomous vehicle braking system of claim 3 , wherein the second pressure-controlled electronic braking assembly comprises a first pressurized fluid control output fluidly coupled to one of the plurality of vehicle brake sets and a second pressurized fluid control output fluidly coupled to another of the plurality of vehicle brake sets.

5. The autonomous vehicle braking system of claim 3 , further comprising a vehicle operator brake pedal comprising a first pressurized fluid control output connected to a first pressurized fluid control input of the first pressure-controlled electronic braking assembly and a second pressurized fluid control output connected to a second pressurized fluid control input of the first pressure-controlled electronic braking assembly.

6. The autonomous vehicle braking system of claim 5 , wherein each of the plurality of electronic control units is configured to command at least one of the first or second pressure-controlled electronic braking assemblies to adjust the pressure of at least one pressurized fluid stream from the at least one of the first or second pressure-controlled electronic braking assemblies to the at least one vehicle brake set based at least in part on sensor output from the one or more vehicle sensors in an absence of a pressurized fluid output from either of the first pressurized fluid control output of the vehicle operator brake pedal or the second pressurized fluid control output of the vehicle operator brake pedal.

7. The autonomous vehicle braking system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more vehicle sensors comprise at least one of a radar sensor, an image sensor, or a lidar sensor.

8. The autonomous vehicle braking system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of pressure-controlled electronic braking assemblies comprises a trailer electronic braking assembly.

9. The autonomous vehicle braking system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electronic control units are communicably coupled to the first and second pressure-controlled electronic braking assemblies on a communication network.

10. The autonomous vehicle braking system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of pressurized fluid control valves, each of the pressurized fluid control valves communicably coupled to at least one of the electronic control units and fluidly coupled to a vehicle parking brake, each of the plurality of electronic control units configured to command at least one of the pressurized fluid control valves to adjust a pressure of at least one pressurized fluid stream from the at least one of the first or second pressure-controlled electronic braking assemblies to the vehicle parking brake based at least in part on sensor output from the one or more vehicle sensors.

11. The autonomous vehicle braking system of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of pressurized fluid control valves are fluidly coupled in series with a binary valve positioned between the pressurized fluid control valves and the vehicle parking brake, the binary valve further fluidly coupled to an operator parking brake actuator through an operator parking brake control valve.

12. A method for braking an autonomous vehicle, comprising:
providing at least one pressurized fluid stream from at least one of a plurality of pressurized fluid sources to a plurality of pressure-controlled electronic braking assemblies of an autonomous vehicle, each pressure-controlled electronic braking assembly fluidly coupled to at least one vehicle brake set of a plurality of vehicle brake sets of the autonomous vehicle, the at least one pressurized fluid stream comprising a pneumatic fluid stream;
providing the at least one pressurized fluid stream from a pressurized fluid control output of a first pressure-controlled electronic braking assembly of the plurality of pressure-controlled electronic braking assemblies directly to a pressurized fluid control input of a second pressure-controlled electronic braking assembly of the plurality of pressure-controlled electronic braking assemblies that is in a series arrangement with the first pressure-controlled electronic braking assembly;
providing the at least one pressurized fluid stream from the second pressure-controlled electronic braking assembly to the at least one vehicle brake set;
providing sensor output data from one or more vehicle sensors of the autonomous vehicle to a plurality of electronic control units, each of the plurality of electronic control units communicably coupled to the first and second pressure-controlled electronic braking assemblies; and
based at least in part on the sensor output data, controlling, with at least one of the electronic control units, at least one of the first or second pressure-controlled electronic braking assemblies to adjust a pressure of the at least one pressurized fluid stream from the at least one of the first or second pressure-controlled electronic braking assemblies to the at least one vehicle brake set.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein providing at least one pressurized fluid stream from at least one of a plurality of pressurized fluid sources to a plurality

Assignees

• Waymo Llc

Inventors

• Grossman William
• Smith David James

Classifications

• B60T17/22

  Devices for monitoring or checking brake systems; Signal devices · CPC title

• B60T13/683 Primary

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

• B60T8/1708

  for lorries or tractor-trailer combinations · CPC title

• B60T13/662

  characterised by specified functions of the control system components · CPC title

• B60T13/263

  specially adapted for coupling with dependent systems, e.g. tractor-trailer systems · CPC title