Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Indication or control of braking – acceleration – or deceleration
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-29
2001-04-10
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Indication or control of braking, acceleration, or deceleration
C701S074000, C701S069000, C701S070000, C303S168000, C303S170000, C303S121000, C318S052000, C318S066000, C318S077000, C318S270000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216080
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a wheel module for a vehicle with an electrically controlled braking system (EBS) for controlling the braking force on at least one wheel of the vehicle, and more particularly a wheel module which transmits an adjusting signal, computed thereby on the basis of a brake value and wheel specific signals transmitted thereto, to an actuator installed on the wheel for the adjustment of the braking force.
A wheel module of this type is disclosed, for example, in EP 0 467 112 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,962, which is incorporated herein by reference).
The known wheel module comprises part of an electrically controlled braking system which, in addition to the wheel modules, includes a central module and signal transmission devices, such as, for example, a brake signal transmitter. Such wheel module is assigned to a particular wheel of a vehicle. A signal representing the rotational speed of the wheel is produced by means of a speed sensor assigned to the wheel, and is transmitted to the wheel module assigned to the same wheel for evaluation. An electronic control system located in the wheel module, and including a microprocessor, calculates a speed signal based upon such evaluation, and transmits same via a data bus system. Several wheel modules, each of which emits a corresponding speed signal, are connected via the data bus system to the central module. The central module evaluates the speed signals received by the data bus system and, from this, calculates, for example, a vehicle reference speed which is required for an anti-lock brake system (ABS) regulation. This vehicle reference speed and, if applicable, additional calculation results required for an ABS regulation, are then sent back by the central module to the wheel modules, which then use the data for an ABS regulation on the wheels corresponding thereto.
Consequently, relatively large amounts of data must be exchanged via the data bus system among the modules connected to it.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a wheel module and a braking system in which the need for data transfer is reduced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with these and other objects of the invention, there is provided a wheel module for a vehicle equipped with an electrically controlled braking system (EBS) for controlling the braking force on a wheel of the vehicle. The wheel module receives a brake value representative of a desired target brake value for the wheel and transmits an adjusting signal to an actuator which is installed on the wheel for adjustment of the braking force. The wheel module includes a main regulating channel assigned to the wheel and at least one additional regulating channel, and in each of the regulating channels wheel-specific computing steps are carried out. A wheel-specific signal of the wheel and at least one additional wheel specific signal of an additional wheel is transmitted to the wheel module, and the adjusting signal, which is based upon the brake value and the wheel-specific signals, is computed in the main regulating channel by using computing results of the additional regulating channel or channels.
The invention provides the advantage that the need for data transfer among the modules of the braking system is greatly reduced, inasmuch as the calculation results required for brake control with ABS regulation are derived directly and locally in a wheel module from the input signals for calculated results, such as, a vehicle reference speed, slip signals, acceleration signals, braking force reduction, stop and/or resumption signals, rather than at a central location, i.e. in a central module which then transmits the results via the data bus system to the wheel modules. Furthermore, since an ABS regulation, in particular, is very time sensitive, regulating quality can also be improved, since time delays, normally attendant data transmission between the central module and the wheel module, are avoided. The wheel module according to the invention provides the further advantage that the ABS regulating process can continue to be operational, without limitations, even following a failure of the central module. Thus, a process referred to as modified individual regulation, such as that disclosed, for example, in DE 28 51 107 C2 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,313,166, which is incorporated herein by reference), can be carried out on a steerable axle, even without a central module to attenuate yawing moment changes. Additional regulating principles, which are familiar to the skilled artisan, such as, for example, variable axle regulation or modified axle regulation, can be applied with or without a central module.
Because the same control program can be provided in every wheel module, the invention provides the further advantage that development costs are relatively low, since only a single control program need be provided in a vehicle, regardless of the number of installed wheel modules.
In an advantageous further development of the invention, the assignment of the wheel of a wheel module is effected by entering a wheel position parameter into an electronic control system provided in the wheel module. This provides the advantage that identical wheel modules can be produced, and, only at a relatively later point in time, for example, at the time of their installation in a vehicle, are their functions assigned in detail. A wheel assignment is necessary in order to carry out the ABS regulation on, for example, a steerable axle of a vehicle, according to a principle, such as, for example, a modified individual regulation as mentioned above, which is different from one applicable to a non-steerable axle of the vehicle and on which, for example, individual regulation is carried out.
The wheel position parameter can be entered manually, for example, by operating a diagnostic device which transmits the appropriate data to the wheel modules. In an advantageous further development of the invention, a central module is provided in the braking system, and the central module assigns the wheel assignment automatically, for example, one time during the first installation of the braking system. For this purpose, information on the wheel assignment and the braking system are stored in the central module.
In order to carry out certain regulating functions in which the speed of several wheels must be available, for example, modified individual regulation, it is necessary for certain wheel modules to transmit the speed signal calculated by their respectively assigned rotational speed sensors via the data bus system. In an advantageous further development of the invention, however, not all wheel modules transmit their respective speed signal. Rather, only those wheel modules whose speed signals are needed in other wheel modules transmit a speed signal. In this manner, the need for data transfer is kept at a low level. The electronic control system of a wheel module is able to recognize, advantageously through the wheel position parameter, whether the speed signal should be transmitted through the data bus system or not.
In an advantageous further development of the invention, wheel modules which are installed on a third or additional vehicle axle, i.e. not on a steerable or on the driven axle, do not transmit any speed signal via the data bus system as a result of the determination of the wheel assignment. The brake system can thereby be expanded in a modular manner to a number of wheel modules that is, in principle, unlimited, as required by the vehicle, without significantly increasing the need for data transfer and without requiring special adaptation tasks.
In accordance with an advantageous embodiment of the invention, a braking system is equipped with several wheel modules of the type described above, as well as with a central module. These modules are connected to each other via one or more data bus systems for the exchange of information among each other. The central module in such embodiment preferably serves for the execution of central brake control functions which ar
Riedemann Donate
Riedemann Henrich
Wolf Thomas
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Hernandez Olga
Proskauer Rose LLP
Riedemann Donate
WABCO GmbH
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