Braking system suitable for carrying out emergency braking by means of electric braking, corresponding braking method and vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a brake system (200) for at least one vehicle, in particular at least one railway vehicle, comprising an electric brake device (202), a pneumatic brake device, an electrical energy supply device (206), a connection device (204) and a first control device (207), the connection means are arranged to assume a first state adapted to cause electrical energy to flow from the electrical energy supply means (206) to the electric braking means (202), and to assume a second state adapted to prevent electrical energy from flowing from the electrical energy supply means (206) to the electric braking means (202). The first control device is arranged to control the transition of the connection device (204) from the first state to the second state, and vice versa, and the activation of the electric brake device and the pneumatic brake device. A braking method and a vehicle are also described.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to the field of vehicles; in particular, the present invention relates to a braking system for at least one vehicle, in particular at least one railway vehicle, a corresponding braking method and a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] The prior art will be described below with particular reference to the field of railway vehicles. However, where possible, the content described below may also be applicable to vehicles in other fields.

[0003] In most railway vehicles, whether public transport, regional trains or high-speed trains, emergency braking is achieved by means of a pneumatic brake system, which applies the braking force by means of compressed air acting on a piston mounted in a special cylinder, known as a brake cylinder.

[0004] The braking force is provided by special elements called friction plates, which are driven by the above-mentioned pneumatic piston.

[0005] Therefore, the braking force is applied by using friction elements which utilize the friction between surfaces to ensure the stopping of the railway vehicle.

[0006] The contact surfaces are typically an element to which the friction material driven by the above-mentioned pneumatic piston is applied, known as a brake pad, and a circular element formed integrally with the wheel W or axle of the railway vehicle, known as a brake disc.

[0007] The contact surfaces may also be brake pads driven by the above-mentioned pneumatic pistons and wheels W of railway vehicles.

[0008] It is therefore known to ensure emergency braking by the wear of specific friction materials.

[0009] However, the solution just described has the disadvantages described below.

[0010] In order to ensure emergency braking at a high safety integrity level (safety integrity level = 4 according to European standard EN 50126), the above-mentioned loss of a specific friction material has a number of disadvantages.

[0011] The first disadvantage relates to the emission of particulate matter into the air, which manifests itself as particles that break off from the contacting friction material during emergency braking.

[0012] A second disadvantage caused by the use of the above-mentioned friction materials relates to the wear of the above-mentioned brake pads and the above-mentioned contact surface (disc or wheel).

[0013] A third disadvantage relates to the fact that the energy generated during the friction of the above-mentioned materials can no longer be utilized, and is completely dissipated in the form of heat.

[0014] A fourth disadvantage is the size and / or total number of brake cylinders and associated brake pads within a railway vehicle. In particular, due to the high energy required to stop the vehicle during emergency braking, the brake system must be dimensioned to accommodate a certain number of specific brake cylinders and associated brake pads. This has a negative impact on the cost, installation cost and maintenance cost of the brake system.

[0015] A fifth disadvantage relates to the difficulty in accommodating the brake cylinders and the associated brake pads within the available space in the railway vehicle chassis, both in terms of number and size.

[0016] The above-mentioned disadvantages have found a known solution in the use of electric brake systems during emergency braking.

[0017] like Figure 1 As shown in , it is known that an electric brake system 100 (which relies on the use of a magnetic field to apply a braking force to a vehicle) does not use any friction material and does not generate the above-mentioned particulate matter.

[0018] For example, a magnetic field may originate from an electric motor 102 associated with each wheel W and be used for braking to generate an electric braking force.

[0019] Additionally, the use of the electric brake system 100 allows for the recovery of energy that would otherwise be dissipated by the pneumatic system described above.

[0020] However, it is also known that current electric brake systems are systems whose safety integrity level (SIL according to EN 50126) is in almost all cases lower than that required for the emergency function.

[0021] This completely eliminates the possibility of using the above-mentioned electric braking system during emergency braking.

[0022] like Figure 1 As shown in , in the known braking system, there is a connection device 104, which is inserted between the power supply device 106 and the electric brake system 100. For example, the opening and closing of the connection device can be controlled by a control device 108 (such as a control device for vehicle management). When the electric brake system needs to be used during service braking, the control device 108 can keep the connection device 104 in its closed state. Otherwise, during emergency braking, the control device 108 can bypass the electric brake system (which has a low safety integrity level) by opening the connection device 104 and performing emergency braking through the pneumatic brake system with a high safety integrity level.

[0023] One known solution to the above-mentioned problem involves a series of modifications to the current design of the electric brake system aimed at improving the safety integrity level.

[0024] However, given the complexity and cost of modifications, pneumatic brake systems remain by far the most widely used system during emergency braking. Summary of the invention

[0025] One object of the present invention is therefore to provide a braking system, a corresponding braking method and a vehicle, which solve the previously described disadvantages regarding the difficulties of using an electric braking system during emergency braking.

[0026] In particular, the present invention does not provide for the well-known but expensive option of modifying the design of the electric brake system.

[0027] In summary, the invention proposes the use of a safety architecture that allows for the use of an electric braking system during emergency braking, without requiring any modifications to the system.

[0028] The above and other objects and advantages are achieved according to a first aspect of the invention by a braking system having the features defined in claim 1; according to a second aspect of the invention by a braking system having the features defined in claim 3; according to a third aspect of the invention by a braking system having the features defined in claim 6; according to a fourth aspect of the invention by a vehicle having the features defined in claim 16; according to a fifth aspect of the invention by a braking method having the features defined in claim 18; and according to a sixth aspect of the invention by a braking method for at least one vehicle having the features defined in claim 20. Preferred embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims, the content of which is to be understood as an integral part of the present description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] The functions and structural features of some preferred embodiments of the braking system, vehicle and braking method according to the present invention will now be described. Please refer to the accompanying drawings, in which: - Figure 1 A braking system constructed according to the prior art is illustrated; - Figure 2 An embodiment of a braking system according to the present invention is illustrated; - Figure 3 Another embodiment of a braking system according to the present invention is illustrated; - Figure 4 A further embodiment of a braking system according to the present invention is illustrated; - Figure 5 Still another embodiment of the brake system according to the present invention is illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Before explaining in detail a number of embodiments of the present invention, it should be clarified that the application of the present invention is not limited to the design details and configurations of the components presented in the following description or illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The present invention may adopt other embodiments and be implemented or constructed in different ways in practice. It should also be understood that the words and terms have descriptive purposes and should not be interpreted as limiting. The use of "include" and "comprise" and its variations are intended to cover the elements listed below and their equivalents as well as additional elements and their equivalents.

[0031] First refer to Figure 2 , which shows an exemplary embodiment of a brake system 200 for at least one vehicle, in particular at least one railway vehicle.

[0032] The brake system 200 includes both an electric brake device 202 and a pneumatic brake device (not shown in the drawings).

[0033] The brake system further includes an electric energy supply device 206 and a connection device 204 .

[0034] The connection device 204 is arranged to assume at least two states: - in a first state, the connection device 204 is adapted to allow electrical energy to flow from the electrical energy supply device 206 to the electric brake device 202; and In a second state, the connection device 204 is adapted to prevent the flow of electrical energy from the electrical energy supply device 206 to the electric brake device 202 .

[0035] Furthermore, the brake system 200 comprises a first control device 207. The first control device 207 is arranged to: - When it receives an emergency braking request signal 203 indicating a request for applying an emergency braking force having an emergency braking force target value, the connecting device 204 is switched to a first state suitable for allowing electrical energy to flow from the electrical energy supply device 206 to the electric braking device 202, so as to generate an emergency electric braking force through the electric braking device 202.

[0036] In other words, when emergency braking is required using a braking force with an emergency braking force target value, the first control device 207 can switch the connecting device 204 to the first state, thereby supplying electrical energy from the power supply device 206 to the electric braking device 202, and the electric braking device can use the received electrical energy to generate an emergency electric braking force.

[0037] For example, the emergency electric braking force may refer to the maximum electric braking force that may be applied by the electric brake device to attempt to satisfy the emergency braking request.

[0038] The first control device 207 is further arranged to receive an electric braking force signal 208 which is indicative of a value of the electric braking force applied by the electric brake device.

[0039] When the electric braking force signal 208 indicates that the electric braking force value is smaller than the emergency braking force target value, the first control device 207 is arranged to activate the pneumatic brake device to generate an additional pneumatic braking force. The additional pneumatic braking force is arranged to compensate for the braking force difference between the emergency braking force target value and the electric braking force value indicated by the electric braking force signal 208.

[0040] Preferably, if Figure 3 As shown in , the braking system 200 may further include an additional control device 300. The additional control device 300 may also be arranged to switch the connecting device 204 from the first state to the second state when: - the additional control device determines that the electric brake device 202 is faulty; or The additional control device determines that the electrical energy supply device 206 is faulty.

[0041] For example, the additional control device 300 may be a control device for vehicle management.

[0042] Reference Figure 4 , an additional embodiment of a braking system 400 for at least one vehicle, in particular at least one railway vehicle, is described below.

[0043] As with the previous embodiment, the brake system includes an electric brake device 402 and a pneumatic brake device.

[0044] The brake system further comprises an electric energy supply device 406 and a connection device 404. The connection device 404 is arranged to: assume a first state that enables electric energy to flow from the electric energy supply device 406 to the electric brake device 402; and assume a second state that prevents electric energy from flowing from the electric energy supply device 406 to the electric brake device 402.

[0045] In this embodiment, the braking system further includes: a first control device 407 and a second control device 410 .

[0046] The second control device 410 is arranged to: - receiving an emergency braking request signal 403 indicating a request for applying an emergency braking force having an emergency braking force target value; - receiving an electric braking force signal 408 indicating a value of an electric braking force applied by the electric brake device 402; - determining an additional pneumatic braking force value that is required to compensate for any difference between the emergency braking force target value and the applied electric braking force value indicated by the electric braking force signal 408; - sending an additional pneumatic braking force signal 401 to the first control device 407, the additional pneumatic braking force signal indicating the determined additional pneumatic braking force value.

[0047] In this case, the first control device 407 is arranged to: - when it receives the emergency braking request signal 403 indicating a request for applying an emergency braking force having an emergency braking force target value, switching the connecting device 404 to a first state suitable for causing electric energy to flow from the electric energy supply device 406 to the electric braking device 402, for generating an emergency electric braking force by the electric braking device 404; - receiving the additional pneumatic braking force signal from the second control device 410; - activating the pneumatic braking device to generate a pneumatic braking force having an additional pneumatic braking force value indicated by an additional pneumatic braking force signal 401 .

[0048] In other words, the first control device 407 does not directly receive the electric braking force signal 408 indicating the value of the electric braking force applied by the electric brake device 402. The electric braking force signal 408 is received by the second control device 410 which will determine the required additional pneumatic braking force value.

[0049] For all previously described embodiments, preferably, during application of the emergency electric braking force by the electric brake device 202 , 402 , the first control device 207 , 407 may also be arranged to determine a vehicle deceleration value.

[0050] When the determined vehicle deceleration value is less than the vehicle deceleration target value, the first control device 207, 407 may be arranged to switch the connection device 204, 404 to a second state suitable for preventing electric energy from flowing from the electric energy supply device 206, 406 to the electric brake device 202, 402. In addition, the first control device 207, 407 may be arranged to: activate the pneumatic brake device to generate an emergency pneumatic braking force, the value of which is equal to or greater than the emergency braking force target value.

[0051] For example, the emergency pneumatic braking force may be understood to refer to a pneumatic braking force that meets or exceeds an emergency braking force target value.

[0052] In other words, when observing the deceleration of the vehicle, if the first control device 207, 407 determines that emergency braking cannot be fully achieved even with the use of additional pneumatic force, the first control device 207, 407 can cut off the power supply of the electric braking device 202, 402 and activate the pneumatic braking device, so that the pneumatic braking device is directly responsible for performing emergency braking, thereby ensuring that emergency braking is always performed safely.

[0053] Preferably, the second control device 410 may also be arranged to: Figure 4 The dashed command line 409 shown in FIG. 4 switches the connecting device 404 from the first state to the second state: - The second control device determines that the electric brake device 202, 402 is faulty; or - The second control device determines that the electrical energy supply device 206, 406 is faulty.

[0054] Also in this case, for example, the second control device 410 may be a control device for vehicle management.

[0055] If the first control device 207, 407 and the second control device 410 (or the additional control device 300) give opposite commands to the connecting devices 204, 404 (i.e., one command opens the connecting devices 204, 404 and the other command closes the connecting devices 204, 404), the command to open the connecting devices 204 and 304 can be given priority to ensure that the safety system always operates in the safest state.

[0056] In the following, a further embodiment of a braking system 500 for at least one vehicle, in particular at least one railway vehicle, is described.

[0057] In this case, refer to Figure 5 . Figure 2 and Figure 5 A similar structure is shown.

[0058] Likewise, in this embodiment, the brake system 500 includes an electric brake device 502 , a pneumatic brake device, an electric energy supply device 506 , and a connection device 504 .

[0059] The first control device 507 is again arranged to assume a first state suitable for enabling electrical energy to flow from the electrical energy supply device 506 to the electric brake device 502 and a second state designed to prevent electrical energy from flowing from the electrical energy supply device 506 to the electric brake 502 .

[0060] Likewise, in this embodiment, the braking system 500 comprises a first control device 507, which is arranged to: - When the first control device receives an emergency braking request signal 503 indicating a request for applying an emergency braking force having an emergency braking force target value, the connecting device 504 is switched to a first state suitable for allowing electrical energy to flow from the electrical energy supply device 506 to the electric braking device 502, so as to generate an emergency electric braking force through the electric braking device 502.

[0061] However, during application of the emergency electric braking force by the electric brake device 502, the first control device 507 is arranged to determine a vehicle deceleration value.

[0062] When the determined vehicle deceleration value is less than the vehicle deceleration target value, the first control device 507 is arranged to switch the connection device 504 to a second state suitable for preventing the flow of electric energy from the electric energy supply device 506 to the electric brake device 502. In addition, the first control device 507 is arranged to: activate the pneumatic brake device to generate an emergency pneumatic braking force, the value of which is equal to or greater than the emergency braking force target value.

[0063] In other words, when observing the deceleration of the vehicle, if the first control device 507 determines that emergency braking cannot be fully achieved with electric power without utilizing the option of applying additional pneumatic braking, the first control device 507 can immediately cut off the power supply to the electric braking device 502 and activate the pneumatic braking device, so that the pneumatic braking device is directly responsible for immediately performing emergency braking, thereby ensuring that emergency braking is always performed safely.

[0064] Preferably, also in this embodiment, the first control device 507 can receive an electric braking force signal 508 indicating the value of the electric braking force applied by the electric brake device 502, if necessary.

[0065] Preferably, the braking system 500 may include an additional control device (not shown in the drawings and substantially equivalent to Figure 2 The additional control device 300 shown in FIG. 1 ). The additional control device may also be arranged to switch the connection device 504 from the first state to the second state when: - the additional control device determines that the electric brake device 502 is faulty; or - The additional control device determines that the electrical energy supply device 506 is faulty.

[0066] The features described below can apply to all embodiments described.

[0067] The electric brake device 202 , 402 , 502 may be understood to refer to any brake device capable of generating an electric brake force, and the pneumatic brake device may be understood to refer to any brake device capable of generating a pneumatic brake force.

[0068] For example, when provided, the first control device 207, 407, 507 and / or the second control device 410 and / or the additional control device 300 may be or include at least one of: a controller, a processor, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, at least one PLC, and the like.

[0069] For example, when provided, the first control device 207, 407, 507 and / or the second control device 410 and / or the additional control device 300 may be comprised in a suitable control unit or in a suitable control module.

[0070] For example, in order to determine the deceleration value of the vehicle, the first control device 207, 407 may directly receive the deceleration value, or receive a signal indicating the deceleration value from an acceleration sensor device or a speed sensor device.

[0071] For example, when provided, in order to determine the electric braking force value applied by the electric braking device, the first control device 207, 407 and / or the second control device 410 can directly receive the applied electric braking force value, or a signal indicating the applied electric braking force value generated by a force sensor device or directly generated by the electric braking system.

[0072] Preferably, the power supply device 206, 406, 506 may be a pantograph. In this case, the pantograph may be arranged to be installed on the vehicle and connected to the power line when it needs to draw power from the power line.

[0073] Alternatively, preferably, the power supply device 206, 406, 506 may be an electric contact device arranged to be mounted on the vehicle and connected to the third rail when it needs to draw power from the third rail.

[0074] For example, a third rail is a well-known system for supplying electrical energy to railway vehicles or mass transit systems.

[0075] In another alternative, the electrical energy supply device 206, 406, 506 may be an electrical energy generation system arranged to generate electrical energy by converting mechanical energy produced by an internal combustion engine of the vehicle.

[0076] Preferably, the connection device 204, 404, 504 may be a relay. In particular, in order to maintain a high overall safety level of the brake system, the relay used may be a safety relay.

[0077] Alternatively, the connection device 204 , 404 , 504 may include one or more components arranged to enable power to flow from upstream to downstream of the connection device 204 , 404 , 504 or to prevent power from flowing from upstream to downstream of the connection device 204 , 404 , 504 .

[0078] Preferably, the electric brake device 202, 402, 502 may include at least one electric motor. For example, the electric motor used for vehicle traction may also be reused as a generator during braking to generate electric braking force.

[0079] As for the pneumatic brake devices, they can include at least one pneumatic brake cylinder, which is arranged to receive brake fluid from the pneumatic pipe of the vehicle. As described in the prior art, pneumatic brake devices are able to apply braking forces by compressed air acting on a piston contained in a special cylinder called a brake cylinder. For example, the braking force can be provided by a special element driven by the above-mentioned pneumatic piston, which is called a friction plate. The pneumatic braking force can be applied by using a friction element, which uses the friction between surfaces to ensure that the vehicle stops. For example, the contact surface can be an element driven by the above-mentioned pneumatic piston, on which the friction material is applied, which is called a brake plate, and a circular element formed integrally with the wheel W or the axle of the vehicle, which is called a brake disc. The contact surface can also be a brake plate driven by the above-mentioned pneumatic piston and a wheel W of the vehicle.

[0080] Preferably, the first control device 207 , 407 , 507 and / or the connection device 204 , 404 , 504 are available according to a safety integrity level SIL equal to the safety integrity level adopted for managing emergency braking.

[0081] Preferably, alternatively, the electric brake device 202 , 402 , 502 may be designed to have a lower safety integrity level than the safety integrity level employed to manage emergency braking.

[0082] When the vehicle is a vehicle of the railway sector, the definition of the safety integrity level SIL can refer to the European standards EN50129:2018 edition, EN 50126-1: 2017 edition, EN 50126-2: 2017 edition and EN 50128:2011 edition, and is updated according to the latest version of the application date of the present invention, wherein: - EN50126 [“Railway applications. Specification and demonstration of reliability, availability, maintainability and safety (RAMS)]; - EN50128 [“Railway applications. Communications, signalling and processing systems. Software for railway control and protection systems”]; - EN50129 [“Railway applications. Communications, signalling and processing systems. Safety-related electronic systems for signalling”].

[0083] In particular, standard EN50126 defines: a method for assigning SIL0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 safety levels (wherein safety integrity level SIL4 represents the maximum safety integrity level) to subsystems constituting the system in question based on the results of the safety analysis, and standards EN50128 and EN50129 define: applying design standards to software components and hardware components, respectively, based on the SIL levels assigned based on the results of the safety analysis.

[0084] When manufactured at least according to a SIL>=3 safety integrity level, a control device, an apparatus, a unit or a module etc. may be considered to be implemented according to a high safety integrity level.

[0085] Preferably, the first control device 207 , 407 , 507 of the braking system 200 , 400 , 500 of the present invention may be obtained according to a safety integrity level greater than 3 (eg SIL=4) (SIL=3 may be considered as a predetermined minimum safety integrity level).

[0086] Preferably, the connection device 204 , 404 , 504 can also be obtained according to a safety integrity level greater than 3 (eg SIL=4).

[0087] Preferably, for embodiments where the second control device 410 is not required, the first control device 207, 507 may be configured to: send a requested emergency electric braking force signal 212, 512 to the electric brake device, the value of which indicates the emergency electric braking force value applied by the electric brake device. The value of the requested electric emergency braking force signal 212, 512 may be determined by the first control device 207, 507 according to the emergency braking force target value and / or the maximum electric braking force value applicable to the electric brake device. The maximum applicable electric braking force value may be determined according to a predetermined braking characteristic / mapping of the electric brake device, which is related to the vehicle driving speed and the maximum electric braking force value applicable to the electric brake device.

[0088] Preferably, for the embodiment where the second control device 410 is required to exist, the second control device 410 can be configured to send a requested emergency electric braking force signal 412 to the electric brake device, the value of which indicates the emergency electric braking force value applied by the electric brake device. The value of the requested electric emergency braking force signal 412 can be determined by the second control device 410 according to the emergency braking force target value and / or the maximum electric braking force value applicable to the electric brake device. The maximum applicable electric braking force value can be determined according to the braking characteristics / map of the electric brake device, which is related to the vehicle driving speed and the maximum electric braking force value applicable to the electric brake device.

[0089] In another aspect, the present invention relates to a vehicle comprising: a braking system 200, 400, 500 according to any one of the above embodiments.

[0090] Preferably, the vehicle may comprise at least one railway vehicle.

[0091] In another aspect, the invention relates to a braking method for at least one vehicle, in particular at least one railway vehicle.

[0092] In this embodiment, the braking method includes the following steps: - receiving an emergency braking request signal 203, 403 indicating a request for applying an emergency braking force having an emergency braking force target value; - after receiving an emergency braking request signal 203, 403 indicating a request for applying an emergency braking force, switching the connecting device 204, 404 to a first state suitable for enabling electrical energy to flow from the electrical energy supply device 206, 406 to the electric braking device 202, 402 for generating an emergency electric braking force by the electric braking device; - determining the value of the electric braking force applied by the electric brake device; - when the electric braking force value is less than the emergency braking force target value, activating the pneumatic brake device to generate an additional pneumatic braking force arranged to compensate for a braking force difference between the emergency braking force target value and the electric braking force value indicated by the electric braking force signal.

[0093] Preferably, the braking method may further include the following steps: - determining a vehicle deceleration value during application of an emergency electric braking force by the electric brake device 202, 402; - if the determined vehicle deceleration value is less than the vehicle deceleration target value, switching the connection device 204, 404 to a second state suitable for preventing the flow of electric energy from the electric energy supply device 206, 406 to the electric brake device 202, 402; - activating the pneumatic brake device for generating an emergency pneumatic braking force having a value equal to or greater than the emergency braking force target value.

[0094] A further possible embodiment of a braking method for at least one vehicle, in particular at least one railway vehicle, is described below.

[0095] In another possible embodiment, the braking method comprises the following steps: - receiving an emergency braking request signal 503 indicating a request for applying an emergency braking force having an emergency braking force target value; - after receiving an emergency braking request signal 503 indicating a request for applying an emergency braking force, switching the connecting device 504 to a first state suitable for allowing electrical energy to flow from the electrical energy supply device 506 to the electric braking device 502 for generating an emergency electric braking force by the electric braking device; - determining a vehicle deceleration value during application of an emergency electric braking force by the electric brake device 502; - If the determined vehicle deceleration value is less than the vehicle deceleration target value, the connecting device 504 is switched to a second state suitable for preventing electric energy from flowing from the electric energy supply device 506 to the electric braking device 502, and the pneumatic braking device is activated to generate an emergency pneumatic braking force, the value of which is equal to or greater than the emergency braking force target value.

[0096] Preferably, in the present invention, the vehicle may be a railway vehicle or a railway fleet (or train) including a plurality of railway vehicles.

[0097] For example, in the present invention, multiple vehicles may be connected or associated with each other to form a fleet.

[0098] Preferably, the present invention may be particularly applicable to the field of railway vehicles / trains traveling on railway tracks. For example, the vehicle referred to herein may be a locomotive or a freight car, and the route / section may include rails on which the wheels of the locomotive roll. However, the embodiments described herein are not intended to be limited to vehicles on tracks. For example, the vehicle may be a car, a truck (e.g., a highway semi-trailer truck, a mining truck, a truck transporting wood, etc.), etc., and the route may be a highway or a trail.

[0099] Therefore, the advantages achieved by the present invention are to provide a braking system, a braking method and a vehicle, which have the following characteristics, namely: - address the previously described drawbacks regarding the difficulty of using electric brake systems during emergency braking; - does not offer the option of modifying the design of the well-known but expensive electric brake system; - Enables the use of the electric brake system during emergency braking without any modification to it.

[0100] Various aspects and embodiments of a braking system, a braking method and a vehicle for at least one vehicle, in particular at least one railway vehicle, according to the invention have been described. It should be understood that each embodiment can be combined with any other embodiment. Furthermore, the invention is not limited to the described embodiments but can be varied within the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A braking system (200) for at least one vehicle, the at least one vehicle being in particular at least one railway vehicle, the braking system comprising: Electric brake device (202); Pneumatic brakes; Power supply device (206); A connection device (204) arranged to: assume a first state suitable for allowing electric energy to flow from the electric energy supply device (206) to the electric brake device (202), and assume a second state suitable for preventing electric energy from flowing from the electric energy supply device (206) to the electric brake device (202); The braking system further comprises a first control device (207), which is arranged to: When the first control device receives an emergency braking request signal (203) indicating a request for applying an emergency braking force having an emergency braking force target value, switching the connecting device (204) to the first state suitable for causing electric energy to flow from the electric energy supply device (206) to the electric braking device (202) for generating an emergency electric braking force by the electric braking device (202); receiving an electric braking force signal (208) indicative of an electric braking force value applied by the electric braking device (202); When the electric braking force signal (208) indicates that the electric braking force value is less than the emergency braking force target value, the pneumatic brake device is activated to generate an additional pneumatic braking force, the additional pneumatic braking force being arranged to compensate for a braking force difference between the emergency braking force target value and the electric braking force value indicated by the electric braking force signal (208).

2. The braking system (200) according to claim 1, comprising an additional control device (300); in, The additional control device (300) is arranged to switch the connection device (204) from the first state to the second state when: The additional control device determines that the electric brake device (202) has a fault; or The additional control device determines that the power supply device (206) has a fault.

3. A braking system (400) for at least one vehicle, in particular at least one railway vehicle, the braking system comprising: Electric brake device (402); Pneumatic brakes; Power supply device (406); a connection device (404) arranged to: assume a first state suitable for allowing electric energy to flow from the electric energy supply device (406) to the electric brake device (402), and assume a second state suitable for preventing electric energy from flowing from the electric energy supply device (406) to the electric brake device (402); The braking system further comprises a first control device (407) and a second control device (410), The second control device (410) is arranged to: receiving an emergency braking request signal (403), the emergency braking request signal indicating a request for applying an emergency braking force having an emergency braking force target value; receiving an electric braking force signal (408), the electric braking force signal indicating a value of an electric braking force applied by the electric brake device (402); determining an additional pneumatic braking force value required to compensate for a difference between the emergency braking force target value and an applied electric braking force value indicated by the electric braking force signal (408); sending an additional pneumatic braking force signal (401) indicating the determined additional pneumatic braking force value to the first control device (407); The first control device (407) is arranged to: When the first control device receives the emergency braking request signal (403) indicating a request for applying the emergency braking force having the emergency braking force target value, switching the connecting device (404) to the first state suitable for causing electric energy to flow from the electric energy supply device (406) to the electric braking device (402) for generating an emergency electric braking force by the electric braking device; receiving the additional pneumatic braking force signal from the second control device (410); The pneumatic brake device is activated to generate a pneumatic braking force having the additional pneumatic braking force value indicated by the additional pneumatic braking force signal (401).

4. The braking system (400) according to claim 3, wherein: The second control device (410) is further arranged to switch the connection device (404) from the first state to the second state in the following circumstances: The second control device determines that the electric brake device (202, 402) has a fault; or The second control device determines that a fault exists in the power supply device (206, 406).

5. The brake system (200, 400) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: The first control device (207, 407) is also arranged to: determining a vehicle deceleration value during application of the emergency electric braking force by the electric brake device (202, 402); When the determined vehicle deceleration value is less than the vehicle target deceleration value, switching the connection device (204, 404) to the second state suitable for preventing electric energy from flowing from the electric energy supply device (206, 406) to the electric brake device (202, 402); The pneumatic brake device is activated for generating an emergency pneumatic braking force, the value of the emergency pneumatic braking force being equal to or greater than the emergency braking force target value.

6. A braking system (500) for at least one vehicle, in particular at least one railway vehicle, the braking system comprising: Electric brake device (502); Pneumatic brakes; Power supply device (506); a connection device (504) arranged to: assume a first state suitable for allowing electric energy to flow from the electric energy supply device (506) to the electric brake device (502), and assume a second state suitable for preventing electric energy from flowing from the electric energy supply device (506) to the electric brake device (502); The braking system further comprises a first control device (507), which is arranged to: When the first control device receives an emergency braking request signal (503) indicating a request for applying an emergency braking force having an emergency braking force target value, switching the connecting device (504) to the first state suitable for causing electric energy to flow from the electric energy supply device (506) to the electric braking device (502) for generating an emergency electric braking force by the electric braking device (502); determining a vehicle deceleration value during application of the emergency electric braking force by the electric brake device (502); If the determined vehicle deceleration value is less than the vehicle deceleration target value, switching the connection device (504) to the second state suitable for preventing electric energy from flowing from the electric energy supply device (506) to the electric brake device (502); The pneumatic brake device is activated for generating an emergency pneumatic braking force, the value of the emergency pneumatic braking force being equal to or greater than the emergency braking force target value.

7. The brake system (200, 400, 500) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: The electric energy supply device (206, 406, 506) is a pantograph, which is arranged to be mounted on the vehicle and to be in contact with the power line when the pantograph has to draw electric energy from the power line.

8. The brake system (200, 400, 500) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The electric energy supply device (206, 406, 506) is an electric contact device, which is arranged to be mounted on the vehicle and to be in contact with the third rail when the electric contact device has to draw electric energy from the third rail.

9. The brake system (200, 400, 500) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The electrical energy supply device (206, 406, 506) is an electrical energy generation system arranged to generate electrical energy by converting mechanical energy generated by an internal combustion engine of the vehicle.

10. The brake system (200, 400, 500) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: The connecting device (204, 404, 504) is a relay, or The connection device (204, 404, 504) comprises one or more components, and the one or more components are arranged to allow or prevent electric energy from flowing from an upstream to a downstream of the connection device (204, 404, 504).

11. The brake system (200, 400, 500) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: The electric brake device (202, 402, 502) includes at least one electric motor.

12. The brake system (200, 400, 500) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: The pneumatic brake device comprises at least one pneumatic brake cylinder arranged to receive brake fluid from a pneumatic pipe of the vehicle.

13. The brake system (200, 400, 500) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: The first control device (207, 407, 507) and / or the connection device (204, 404, 504) are implemented according to a safety integrity level equal to that governing emergency braking; and / or Therein, the electric braking device (202, 402, 502) is implemented according to a safety integrity level lower than the safety integrity level governing the emergency braking.

14. The brake system (200, 400, 500) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: The first control device (207, 507) is arranged to send a requested emergency electric braking force signal (212, 512) to the electric brake device, the value of the emergency electric braking force signal being indicative of the emergency electric braking force value applied by the electric brake device; wherein the value of the requested emergency electric braking force signal (212, 512) is determined by the first control device (207, 507) according to the emergency braking force target value and / or the maximum electric braking force value that can be applied by the electric brake device; The maximum applicable electric braking force value is determined according to a braking characteristic / map of the electric brake device, and the braking characteristic / map associates a vehicle running speed with the maximum applicable electric braking force value of the electric brake device.

15. The brake system (200, 400, 500) according to any one of claims 3 to 14, wherein: The second control device (410) is arranged to send a requested emergency electric braking force signal (412) to the electric brake device, the value of the emergency electric braking force signal indicating the value of the emergency electric braking force applied by the electric brake device; wherein the value of the requested emergency electric braking force signal (412) is determined by the second control device (410) according to the emergency braking force target value and / or the maximum electric braking force value that can be applied by the electric brake device; The maximum applicable electric braking force value is determined according to a braking characteristic / map of the electric brake device, and the braking characteristic / map associates a vehicle running speed with the maximum applicable electric braking force value of the electric brake device.

16. A vehicle comprising a braking system (200, 400, 500) according to any one of the preceding claims.

17. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein: The vehicle comprises at least one railway vehicle.

18. A braking method for at least one vehicle, in particular at least one railway vehicle, comprising the following steps: receiving an emergency braking request signal (203, 403) indicating a request for applying an emergency braking force having an emergency braking force target value; After receiving the emergency braking request signal (203, 403) indicating the request for applying the emergency braking force, switching the connecting device (204, 404) to a first state suitable for causing electric energy to flow from the electric energy supply device (206, 406) to the electric braking device (202, 402) for generating an emergency electric braking force by the electric braking device; determining a value of an electric braking force applied by the electric brake device; When the electric braking force value is less than the emergency braking force target value, the pneumatic brake device is activated to generate an additional pneumatic braking force arranged to compensate for a braking force difference between the emergency braking force target value and the electric braking force value indicated by the electric braking force signal.

19. The braking method according to claim 18, further comprising the following steps: determining a vehicle deceleration value during application of the emergency electric braking force by the electric brake device; When the determined vehicle deceleration value is less than the vehicle deceleration target value, switching the connection device (204, 404) to a second state suitable for preventing electric energy from flowing from the electric energy supply device (206, 406) to the electric brake device (202, 402); The pneumatic brake device is activated for generating an emergency pneumatic braking force, the value of the emergency pneumatic braking force being equal to or greater than the emergency braking force target value.

20. A braking method for at least one vehicle, in particular at least one railway vehicle, comprising the following steps: receiving an emergency braking request signal (503), the emergency braking request signal indicating a request for applying an emergency braking force having an emergency braking force target value; After receiving an emergency brake request signal (503) indicating the request for applying the emergency brake force, switching the connection device to a first state suitable for causing electrical energy to flow from the electrical energy supply device to the electric brake device for generating an emergency electric brake force by the electric brake device; determining a vehicle deceleration value during application of the emergency electric braking force by the electric brake device; If the determined vehicle deceleration value is less than the vehicle deceleration target value, the connecting device (504) is switched to a second state suitable for preventing electric energy from flowing from the electric energy supply device (506) to the electric brake device (502), and the pneumatic brake device is activated to generate an emergency pneumatic braking force, the value of the emergency pneumatic braking force being equal to or greater than the emergency braking force target value.

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