Method, vehicle and control unit for controlling brake distribution of service brakes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12296720-B2
Application number	US-202218069465-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2022
Priority date	Dec 21, 2021
Publication date	May 13, 2025
Grant date	May 13, 2025

Abstract

A method performed by a control unit comprised in a vehicle for controlling a distribution of service brake activation between a first vehicle unit and a second vehicle unit of the vehicle is provided. The control unit determines a first periodic brake adjustment and a second periodic brake adjustment to be applied to an electric propulsion system and a service brake system of the vehicle. The control unit determines the first and second periodic brake adjustment, respectively, to adjust a retardation of the vehicle by less than a retardation threshold. The control unit applies the first periodic brake adjustment to the electric propulsion system of the vehicle and applies the second periodic brake adjustment to the service brake system of the vehicle. Applying the first periodic brake adjustment comprises periodically adjusting a charging power of the electric propulsion system of the vehicle. Applying the second periodic brake adjustment comprises periodically adjusting a brake pressure applied to the service brake system of the vehicle. Periodically adjusting the brake pressure applied to the service brake system triggers the service brake system to periodically activate one or more second service brakes of the second vehicle unit of the vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method performed by a control unit comprised in a vehicle for controlling a distribution of service brake activation between a first vehicle unit and a second vehicle unit of the vehicle, the method comprising:
determining a first periodic brake adjustment and a second periodic brake adjustment to be applied to an electric propulsion system and a service brake system of the vehicle, respectively, to adjust a retardation of the vehicle by less than a retardation threshold,
wherein applying the first periodic brake adjustment comprises periodically adjusting a charging power of the electric propulsion system of the vehicle, and
wherein applying the second periodic brake adjustment comprises periodically adjusting a brake pressure applied to the service brake system of the vehicle, and wherein periodically adjusting the brake pressure applied to the service brake system triggers the service brake system to periodically activate one or more second service brakes of the second vehicle unit of the vehicle,

applying the first periodic brake adjustment to the electric propulsion system of the vehicle and
applying the second periodic brake adjustment to the service brake system of the vehicle.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising obtaining an indication of an available charging capacity of the electric propulsion system, and wherein determining the first and second periodic brake adjustments is further based on the available charging capacity of the electric propulsion system.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein applying the first periodic brake adjustment comprises charging the electric propulsion system with at most the available charging capacity.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein obtaining the indication of the available charging capacity comprises:
obtaining a current State of Charge of the electric propulsion system, and
determining the available charging capacity for the electric propulsion system based on the obtained current SoC.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more second service brakes of the second vehicle unit are activated when the brake pressure applied to the service brake system is above a second brake pressure threshold.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising obtaining a target speed and/or a target retardation of the vehicle, and using the target speed and/or the target retardation of the vehicle for determining the first and second periodic brake adjustments.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein determining the first and second periodic brake adjustments is further based on a timing parameter indicative of a frequency and/or period.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein determining the first and second periodic brake adjustments is further based on an amplitude parameter indicative of a maximum adjustment to be applied by the first and/or second periodic brake adjustments.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second periodic brake adjustments are out of phase.

10. A control unit configured to perform the method according to claim 1 .

11. A first vehicle unit comprising a control unit according to claim 10 ,
wherein the first vehicle unit is arranged to be connected to a second vehicle unit.

12. The first vehicle unit according to claim 11 , wherein the first vehicle unit comprises an electric propulsion system.

13. A vehicle comprising a first vehicle unit according to claim 11 , and wherein the vehicle further comprises:
a second vehicle unit,
a service brake system arranged to brake the vehicle based on a brake pressure, and wherein the service brake system is arranged to trigger an activation of one or more first service brakes of the first vehicle unit and one or more second service brakes of the second vehicle unit based on respective brake pressure thresholds, and
an electric propulsion system arranged to brake the vehicle by converting energy of the vehicle to charge the electric propulsion system with a charging power.

14. A computer program comprising program code for performing the steps of claim 1 when said program code is run on a computer.

15. A computer readable medium carrying a computer program comprising program code for performing the steps of claim 1 when said program code is run on a computer.

Assignees

• Volvo Truck Corp

Inventors

• Andersson Arne
• Fagergren Mats

Classifications

• B60T8/1708

  for lorries or tractor-trailer combinations · CPC title

• B60L7/26 Primary

  Controlling the braking effect · CPC title

• B60T8/323 Primary

  Systems specially adapted for tractor-trailer combinations · CPC title