Monitoring a Machine's Brake Performance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022017060-A1
Application number	US-201917296376-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 21, 2019
Priority date	Nov 23, 2018
Publication date	Jan 20, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

Monitoring the brake performance of a brake system of a machine (vehicle 11 ) by determining a brake delay between input of a request for a brake engagement of the brake system and brake system effectuating the brake engagement. The brake delay determination provides for capturing delay produced by communication of the input from a brake input, actuation of an input to brake system performance, processing of operation of the brake system, and operation of the brake/retardation components of the brake system with respect to the machine's wheels. For autonomous machines, brake delay may be measured periodically and used in monitoring brake system performance.

First claim

1 . A method of monitoring brake performance of a brake system of a machine, the method comprising:
detecting an input; operating the brake system to engage in response to the input; detecting the brake engagement of the brake system in response to the input; determining a brake delay as the time period between the input and the brake engagement; and providing an alert based upon the brake delay.

2 . The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the input is an actuation of a brake pedal and the input is detected based upon an output from a brake input sensor.

3 . The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the brake input sensor comprises a brake pedal position sensor and/or a brake system pressure sensor.

4 . The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the brake engagement is detected based upon an output from a wheel speed sensor.

5 . The method as claimed in claim 4 wherein the brake engagement is detected based upon the output from a wheel speed sensor indicating that a reduction in a wheel speed has been initiated.

6 . The method as claimed in claim 4 wherein the brake engagement is detected based upon the output from a brake system pressure sensor.

7 . The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the alert is provided based upon the brake delay exceeding a brake delay threshold value.

8 . The method as claimed in claim 1 comprising storing the brake delay on a memory of a control system.

9 . The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising determining a brake performance of the brake system during the brake engagement and wherein operating the machine comprises generating brake performance data based upon the brake delay and brake performance.

10 . The method as claimed in claim 8 comprising processing the brake performance data and generating an alert indicative of a brake performance issue based upon the brake delay and brake performance.

11 . The method as claimed in claim 10 wherein the alert is generated based upon a determination that the brake performance is below a threshold value and the brake delay exceeds a brake delay threshold value.

12 . The method as claimed in any one of claim 9 further comprising:
detecting an actual deceleration of the machine during the brake engagement;
determining a predicted deceleration of the machine during the brake engagement; and
determining the brake performance based upon the actual and predicted decelerations.

13 . The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the predicted deceleration is determined based upon at least one operating condition of the brake system measured during the brake engagement and a brake map.

14 . The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the actual deceleration is determined based upon an output from an inertial measurement unit of the machine.

15 . The method as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the machine is an autonomous machine and wherein the input is preferably a brake command signal.

16 . The method of testing a brake system comprising carrying out the method of claim 1 for one or more brake engagements, wherein the machine is preferably configured to carry out the brake test autonomously.

17 . The method of testing a brake system as claimed in claim 16 further comprising triggering disengagement of the brake system when brake engagement is detected.

18 . The method of testing a brake system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the alert is provided based on the brake delay and based on one or more further brake delays measured in one or more further brake engagements.

19 . The system comprising:
a machine comprising a brake system; and a control system for monitoring the brake performance of the brake system and configured to:
detect an input;
operate the brake system to engage in response to the input;
detect the brake engagement of the brake system in response to the input;
determine a brake delay as the time period between the input and the brake engagement; and
operate the machine based upon the brake delay.

20 . The system as claimed in claim 19 wherein the machine is an autonomous machine, and wherein the input is preferably a brake command signal.

21 . The system as claimed in claim 19 wherein the control system is configured to carry out the method of claims 1 to 18 .

Assignees

• Caterpillar Sarl

Inventors

• De Haseth Andrew
• Sono Shinya
• Macdonald Ian
• Menold Roney
• Schwartz Timothy

Classifications

• B60T7/12

  for automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger {(limiting speed of vehicles other than rail vehicles B60K31/00)} · CPC title

• B60T13/662

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

• B60T2270/406

  Test-mode; Self-diagnosis · CPC title

• G01L5/286

  Measuring deceleration · CPC title

• B60T17/22

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