Method for reducing reverse vehicle stopping distance using brake pre-charge

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9327699-B2
Application number	US-201514603439-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2015
Priority date	Jan 29, 2014
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

An automatic braking system for a vehicle is disclosed and includes an electronic brake system capable of applying wheel brakes to decelerate the vehicle and a controller. The controller includes instructions for maintaining the electronic brake system in a pre-charge condition when the vehicle is operating in a reverse gear, and applying the wheel brakes independent of a driver input.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of controlling a vehicle in reverse gear comprising:
maintaining a vehicle braking system in a pre-charge condition when the vehicle is operating in the reverse gear, wherein the pre-charge condition comprises maintaining a hydraulic pressure above a threshold hydraulic pressure value that provides a corresponding closure of a gap between a braking element and a rotating element of at least one wheel brake; and
applying vehicle brakes with an automatic brake system, wherein the brake application occurs independent of a driver input.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising controlling the vehicle steering and braking systems with a reverse collision avoidance system.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein applying the vehicle brakes with the automatic brake system further includes sending instructions to an electronic brake system to apply the vehicle brakes.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein maintaining the hydraulic pressure within the brake system is accomplished by using a brake pump.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the threshold hydraulic pressure is sufficient to provide closure of the gap.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle braking system continually adjusts the hydraulic pressure to maintain the hydraulic pressure at each of the wheel brakes above the desired threshold hydraulic pressure value.

7. An automatic braking system for a vehicle comprising:
an electronic brake system capable of applying wheel brakes to decelerate the vehicle; and
a controller including instructions for:
maintaining the electronic brake system in a pre-charge condition when the vehicle is operating in a reverse gear, wherein the pre-charge condition comprises sufficient hydraulic pressure to close a gap between a braking element and a rotating element of at least one wheel brake; and
applying the wheel brakes independent of a driver input.

8. The automatic braking system of claim 7 , wherein the pre-charge condition comprises maintaining a hydraulic pressure within the electronic braking system above a threshold hydraulic pressure level sufficient to decelerate the vehicle.

9. The automatic braking system of claim 7 , wherein the controller further includes instructions for requesting a vehicle braking operation when a reverse collision avoidance system determines a probability of a collision is above a predetermined threshold for autonomous vehicle intervention.

10. The automatic braking system of claim 8 , wherein the threshold hydraulic pressure is sufficient to close the gap but not prevent movement of the vehicle.

11. The automatic braking system of claim 7 , wherein the vehicle braking system continually adjusts the hydraulic pressure to maintain the hydraulic pressure at each of the wheel brakes above the desired value.

12. The automatic braking system of claim 7 , wherein the braking element comprises a caliper and the rotating element comprises a rotor.

13. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the vehicle braking system comprises a hydraulic brake system including a pump for maintaining the hydraulic pressure at a desired pressure.

14. The automatic braking system as recited in claim 7 wherein the electronic brake system includes a pump for maintaining a hydraulic pressure at a desired pressure.

Assignees

• Continental Automotive Systems

Inventors

• Agnew David Leslie
• Fletcher Graham Lanier

Classifications

• B60T2230/08

  Driving in reverse · CPC title

• B60T2201/022

  Collision avoidance systems · CPC title

• B60T8/17

  Using electrical or electronic regulation means to control braking {(detecting or indicating faulty operation B60T8/885)} · CPC title

• B60T7/22 Primary

  initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle {, or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle} · CPC title

• B60T7/12 Primary

  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