Vehicle brake control device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9776605-B2
Application number	US-201214441963-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2012
Priority date	Nov 16, 2012
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

A brake control device includes a pilot-type pressure-increasing device. A pilot unit of the pressure-increasing device is connected to a power hydraulic pressure generating device via a pilot input passage. A linear control valve that is also used for adjusting a hydraulic pressure of a wheel cylinder is provided on the pilot input passage. A brake ECU checks whether the pressure-increasing device is normally activated or not based on a hydraulic pressure outputted from the pressure-increasing device when the linear control valve is energized for an activation check. Thus, the brake ECU can perform the activation check of the pressure-increasing device without requiring a driver's operation on a brake pedal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle brake control device comprising:
a wheel cylinder provided to each of plural wheels, and receiving a hydraulic pressure of operating fluid to apply braking force to the wheels;
a pedal effort hydraulic pressure generating device that generates a hydraulic pressure by a pedal effort caused by a driver's depression operation on a brake pedal;
a power hydraulic pressure generating device that generates a hydraulic pressure by driving an electric pressure applying device;
a pressure adjusting device that adjusts a hydraulic pressure outputted from the power hydraulic pressure generating device, and supplies the adjusted hydraulic pressure to each of the wheel cylinders;
a hydraulic control unit that controls an activation of the pressure adjusting device;
a pressure-increasing device that is a pilot hydraulic controller activating without using electric energy, and includes a pilot unit receiving a hydraulic pressure outputted from the pedal effort hydraulic pressure generating device, the pressure-increasing device is to output a hydraulic pressure higher than the hydraulic pressure outputted from the pedal effort hydraulic pressure generating device by utilizing the hydraulic pressure outputted from the power hydraulic pressure generating device;
a servo pressure passage that is a passage to supply a hydraulic pressure outputted from the pressure-increasing device to at least one of the wheel cylinders; and
an activation check unit that determines whether the pressure-increasing device is activated without an abnormality or not,
the vehicle brake control device further comprising:
a check pilot pressure supply unit that adjusts the hydraulic pressure outputted from the power hydraulic pressure generating device to an activation check hydraulic pressure, and supplies the activation check hydraulic pressure to the pilot unit of the pressure-increasing device, wherein

the activation check unit determines whether the pressure-increasing device is activated without the abnormality or not based on the hydraulic pressure outputted from the pressure-increasing device when the activation check hydraulic pressure is supplied to the pilot unit of the pressure-increasing device by the check pilot pressure supply unit, and
the check pilot pressure supply unit includes:
a power hydraulic pressure pilot input passage that is a passage to supply a hydraulic pressure from the power hydraulic pressure generating device to the pilot unit of the pressure-increasing device; and
a linear control valve that adjusts the hydraulic pressure outputted from the power hydraulic pressure generating device to the activation check hydraulic pressure.

2. A vehicle brake control device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a bypass passage that supplies a hydraulic pressure outputted from the linear control valve provided on the power hydraulic pressure pilot input passage to the servo pressure passage by bypassing the pressure-increasing device; and
an activation restriction unit that brings the pressure-increasing device into a disabled state, wherein
the hydraulic control unit controls the linear control valve provided on the power hydraulic pressure pilot input passage to supply the hydraulic pressure adjusted by the linear control valve to at least one of the wheel cylinders via the bypass passage or the servo pressure passage, when the pressure-increasing device is in the disabled state.

3. A vehicle brake control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the servo pressure passage joins a downstream passage of the pressure adjusting device.

4. A vehicle brake control device according to claim 1 , wherein
a first wheel cylinder of the wheel cylinders being of one of left and right front wheels and a second wheel cylinder of the wheel cylinders being of the other of the left and right front wheels, and the first and second wheel cylinders communicate with each other via a normally opened on-off valve that is closed when its solenoid is energized, and that keeps opened when its solenoid is not energized, and
the servo pressure passage supplies a hydraulic pressure to the first or second wheel cylinder of one of the left and right front wheels.

5. A vehicle brake control device comprising:
a wheel cylinder provided to each of plural wheels, and receiving a hydraulic pressure of operating fluid to apply braking force to the wheels;
a pedal effort hydraulic pressure generating device that generates a hydraulic pressure by a pedal effort caused by a driver's depression operation on a brake pedal;
a power hydraulic pressure generating device that generates a hydraulic pressure by driving an electric pressure applying device;
a pressure adjusting device that adjusts a hydraulic pressure outputted from the power hydraulic pressure generating device, and supplies the adjusted hydraulic pressure to each of the wheel cylinders;
circuitry configured to control an activation of the pressure adjusting device;
a pressure-increasing device that is a pilot hydraulic controller activating without using electric energy, and includes a pilot mechanism receiving a hydraulic pressure outputted from the pedal effort hydraulic pressure generating device, the pressure-increasing device is to output a hydraulic pressure higher than the hydraulic pressure outputted from the pedal effort hydraulic pressure generating device by utilizing the hydraulic pressure outputted from the power hydraulic pressure generating device; and
a servo pressure passage that is a passage to supply a hydraulic pressure outputted from the pressure-increasing device to at least one of the wheel cylinders,
the circuitry is configured to determine whether the pressure-increasing device is activated without an abnormality or not,
the vehicle brake control device further comprising:
a check pilot pressure supply mechanism that adjusts the hydraulic pressure outputted from the power hydraulic pressure generating device to an activation check hydraulic pressure, and supplies the activation check hydraulic pressure to the pilot mechanism of the pressure-increasing device, wherein

the circuitry is configured to determine whether the pressure-increasing device is activated without the abnormality or not based on the hydraulic pressure outputted from the pressure-increasing device when the activation check hydraulic pressure is supplied to the pilot mechanism of the pressure-increasing device by the check pilot pressure supply mechanism, and
the check pilot pressure supply mechanism includes:
a power hydraulic pressure pilot input passage that is a passage to supply a hydraulic pressure from the power hydraulic pressure generating device to the pilot mechanism of the pressure-increasing device; and
a linear control valve that adjusts the hydraulic pressure outputted from the power hydraulic pressure generating device to the activation check hydraulic pressure.

6. A vehicle brake control device according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a bypass passage that supplies a hydraulic pressure outputted from the linear control valve provided on the power hydraulic pressure pilot input passage to the servo pressure passage by bypassing the pressure-increasing device; and
an activation restriction mechanism that brings the pressure-increasing device into a disabled state, wherein
the circuitry is configured to control the linear control valve provided on the power hydraulic pressure pilot input passage to supply the hydraulic pressure adjusted by the linear control valve to at least one of the wheel cylinders via the bypass passage or the servo pressure passage, when the pressure-increasing device is in the disabled state.

7. A vehicle brake control device according to claim 5 , wherein
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Assignees

• Miyazaki Tetsuya
• Nimura Kazunori
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Miyazaki Tetsuya
• Nimura Kazunori

Classifications

• B60T7/042 Primary

  by electrical means, e.g. using travel or force sensors · CPC title

• B60T8/4081

  Systems with stroke simulating devices for driver input (B60T8/4077 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60T8/3655

  Continuously controlled electromagnetic valves · CPC title

• B60T13/146

  Part of the system directly actuated by booster pressure · CPC title

• B60T13/142

  Systems with master cylinder · CPC title