Parking apparatus for a heavy vehicle during a loss of electrical power

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9434366-B1
Application number	US-201514682144-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 9, 2015
Priority date	Apr 9, 2015
Publication date	Sep 6, 2016
Grant date	Sep 6, 2016

Abstract

A parking apparatus is provided for a vehicle. The apparatus comprises an electronic parking brake (EPB) valve having an air outlet port. The apparatus also comprises a pneumatic delivery line interconnecting the air outlet port of the EPB valve and a spring brake system to allow air pressure from the EPB valve to be applied to the spring brake system to maintain parking brakes of the vehicle in released position. The apparatus further comprises a normally-open solenoid valve having an air inlet port which is in communication with the delivery line which interconnects the air outlet port of the EPB valve and the spring brake system, wherein the solenoid valve is operable to vent air pressure from the delivery line and thereby to apply the spring brake system to park the vehicle in response to loss of electrical power to the solenoid valve.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A parking apparatus for a vehicle comprising:
an electronic parking brake (EPB) valve having a first air outlet port;
a first pneumatic delivery line interconnecting the first air outlet port of the EPB valve and a first spring brake system to allow air pressure from the EPB valve to be applied to the first spring brake system to maintain first parking brakes of the vehicle in released position; and
a first normally-open solenoid valve having a first air inlet port which is in communication with the first delivery line which interconnects the first air outlet port of the EPB valve and the first spring brake system, wherein the first solenoid valve is operable to vent air pressure from the first delivery line and thereby to apply the first spring brake system to park the vehicle in response to loss of electrical power to the first solenoid valve; wherein (i) the first solenoid valve has a first vent port which exhausts air from the first air inlet port of the first solenoid valve when the first solenoid valve is de-energized, (ii) the EPB valve has a vent port which exhausts air from the first air outlet port of the EPB valve based upon an electrical control signal applied to the EPB valve, and (iii) the vent port of the EPB valve and the first vent port of the first solenoid valve are separate from each other.

2. A parking apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein (i) the first solenoid valve has a first valve body with a first vent port disposed on the first valve body of the first solenoid valve, (ii) the EPB valve has a valve body which is separate and spaced apart from the first valve body of the first solenoid valve, (iii) the EPB valve has a vent port disposed on the valve body of the EPB valve, and (iv) the vent port of the EPB valve and the first vent port of the first solenoid valve are not in fluid communication with each other.

3. A parking apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein (i) the first solenoid valve has a first valve body with a first electrical connector disposed on the first valve body of the first solenoid valve, (ii) the EPB valve has a valve body which is separate and spaced apart from the first valve body of the first solenoid valve, (iii) the EPB valve has an electrical connector disposed on the valve body of the EPB valve, and (iv) the electrical connector of the EPB valve and the first electrical connector of the first solenoid valve are electrically isolated from each other.

4. A parking apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first spring brake system comprises a number of tractor spring brake chambers in which air pressure from the EPB valve is applied to maintain tractor parking brakes of the vehicle in released position.

5. A parking apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein (i) only the first solenoid valve operates to vent air pressure from the first delivery line until the pressure in the first delivery line reaches a trip pressure set in the EPB valve, and (ii) the EPB valve operates to vent air pressure in the first delivery line when the pressure in the first delivery line reaches the trip pressure.

6. A parking apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a second pneumatic delivery line interconnecting a second air outlet port of the EPB valve and a second spring brake system to allow air pressure from the EPB valve to be applied to the second spring brake system to maintain second parking brakes of the vehicle in released position; and
a second normally-open trailer solenoid valve having a second air inlet port which is in communication with the second delivery line which interconnects the second air outlet port of the EPB valve and the second spring brake system, wherein the second solenoid valve is operable to vent air pressure from the second delivery line and thereby to apply the second spring brake system to park the vehicle in response to loss of electrical power to the second solenoid valve.

7. A parking apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein (i) the first spring brake system comprises a number of tractor spring brake chambers in which air pressure from the EPB valve is applied to maintain tractor parking brakes of the vehicle in released position, and (ii) the second spring brake system comprises a number of trailer spring brake chambers in which air pressure from the EPB valve is applied to maintain trailer parking brakes of the vehicle in released position.

8. A parking apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first solenoid valve is operable to vent air pressure from the first delivery line to atmosphere.

9. A parking apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein (i) the first solenoid valve has an orifice which is connectable in fluid communication with the first air inlet port of the first solenoid valve, and (ii) the orifice is sized such that an audible whistling sound is produced to alert the vehicle driver when air pressure is vented from the first delivery line through the orifice of the first solenoid valve to atmosphere.

10. A parking brake valve for a vehicle comprising:
a valve body having (i) a first port connected in fluid communication with air inlet ports of spring brake chambers to supply air pressure to the air inlet ports to allow air pressure to be applied to a number of spring brake chambers to maintain parking brakes of the vehicle in released position, and (ii) a second port connected in fluid communication with the air inlet ports of the spring brake chambers to vent air pressure from the air inlet ports to allow air pressure from the spring brake chambers to exhaust down and thereby to apply parking brakes of the vehicle to park the vehicle in response to an electrical signal indicative of loss of electrical power; wherein the first and second ports of the valve body are controllable independent of each other to vent air pressure from the spring brake chambers.

11. A parking brake valve according to claim 10 , wherein (i) the valve body includes an electronic parking brake (EPB) valve portion which has the first port, and (ii) the valve body includes a normally-open solenoid valve portion which has the second port.

12. A parking brake valve according to claim 11 , wherein (i) the EPB valve portion has an electrical connector, (ii) the solenoid valve portion has an electrical connector different from the electrical connector of the EPB valve portion, and (iii) the electrical connector of the EPB valve portion and the electrical connector of the solenoid valve portion are electrically isolated from each other.

13. A parking brake valve according to claim 12 , wherein (i) the second port of the solenoid valve portion exhausts air from the second port of the solenoid valve portion to atmosphere when the solenoid valve portion is de-energized, and (ii) the first port of the EPB valve portion exhausts air from the first port of the EPB valve portion based upon an electrical control signal applied to the EPB valve portion.

14. A parking brake apparatus for a vehicle comprising:
an electronic parking brake (EPB) valve having (i) a first air outlet port in fluid communication with a number of air inlet ports of a number of associated tractor spring brake chambers, and (ii) a second air outlet port in fluid communication with a number of air inlet ports of a number of associated trailer spring brake chambers; and
electro-pneumatic means for, without vehicle driver intervention, venting air pressure from at least one of the first and second air outlet ports of the EPB valve to apply either tractor parking brakes associated with the tractor spring brake chambers or trailer parking brakes associated with the trailer spring brake chambers, or both.

Assignees

• Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems Llc

Inventors

• Taneyhill David J
• Ramler Travis G
• Kemer John J
• Kasper Phillip J

Classifications

• B60T13/263

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

• B60T13/385 Primary

  Control arrangements therefor · CPC title

• B60T13/261

  systems with both indirect application and application by springs or weights and released by compressed air · CPC title

• B60T11/28

  Valves specially adapted therefor (recuperation valves B60T11/232) · CPC title

• B60T1/005

  by locking of wheel or transmission rotation · CPC title