Brake system with flexible architecture and method for operating such brake system

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to a brake system having a flexible architecture and a method for operating such a brake system for a motor vehicle. The brake system may comprise a brake pedal having a pedal sensor for detecting a driver request, and an electrically actuatable wheel brake module. In this case, the pedal sensor can be connected to an actuation electronics system, which generates actuation information for the power electronics system on the basis of braking information of the pedal sensor. The power electronics are used to actuate the wheel brakes.

Description

[0001] The present invention generally relates to a brake system with a flexible architecture and a method for operating such a brake system for a motor vehicle. The brake system may include a brake pedal with a pedal sensor for detecting a driver request and electrically actuatable wheel brake modules.

[0002] Braking systems with "brake-by-wire" are becoming increasingly popular in vehicle technology. Such braking systems usually include a brake pedal designed as an E-pedal. The brake pedal detects the driver's braking request with the aid of a sensor and generates a driver braking request signal from this. In the case of these braking systems, the driver has no direct access to the brakes. The detected braking request can determine a target braking torque, from which a target brake pressure of the brake can then be derived.

[0003] The wheel brakes can be designed as electromechanical (dry) brakes. The driver's brake request signal can be transmitted to a central control unit, which takes over the electrical activation of the wheel brakes.

[0004] The disadvantage of such a brake system configuration is that, when a central control device fails, it must switch to a backup level in order to maintain the basic functions of the brake system.

[0005] Against this background, the applicant's document DE 10 2022 203 770.7 proposes a safer operating system. The brake system described here provides two axle controllers, wherein the first axle controller is assigned to two wheel brake modules and the second axle controller is assigned to two further wheel brake modules. Each of the two axle controllers is connected to a brake pedal on the signal input side. In addition, each of the two axle controllers includes two control devices, which each actuate a wheel brake.

[0006] In this solution, the brake pedal is connected to each axle controller. Therefore, the functions required for converting the brake signal from the brake pedal into the control signal of the control device must be provided in the axle controller and especially also in the redundant control device, which may lead to cost disadvantages.

[0007] Furthermore, the integration of a brake system for "brake-by-wire" into an existing vehicle configuration that is conventionally equipped with hydraulic components requires extensive adaptation work on the brake system or the vehicle configuration, in which case custom requirements often also have to be taken into account.

[0008] Therefore, a brake system is desired which, on the one hand, meets applicable safety requirements and also safety requirements in terms of autonomous driving and, on the other hand, can be adapted cost-effectively and flexibly to various vehicle configurations, customer requests or safety requirements.

[0009] The present invention aims to solve this technical problem.

[0010] This object is achieved in a surprisingly simple manner by a brake system, in particular for a motor vehicle, and a method for operating such a brake system according to any one of the independent claims. Preferred embodiments and developments of the invention are derived from the respective dependent claims.

[0011] Thus, in a first aspect, the invention comprises a braking system, in particular a braking system for a motor vehicle, the braking system comprising:

[0012] a brake pedal having at least one pedal sensor for detecting a driver request;

[0013] four electrically actuatable wheel brake modules, each of which comprises an electromechanical wheel brake;

[0014] at least one control electronics;

[0015] at least one power electronic component, which is designed to actuate at least one electromechanical wheel brake,

[0016] The pedal sensor is connected to at least one control electronic component via at least one brake request signal line.

[0017] The at least one control electronics component is configured to generate control information for the power electronics component based on the brake information of the pedal sensor and to transmit the control information to the power electronics component.

[0018] In this case, the brake system is designed as a brake-by-wire system within the meaning of the invention and can have a dry brake pedal (also referred to as an E-pedal). A "wet" brake pedal can also be used, which is correspondingly electrically connected. The brake pedal can be advantageously designed to generate a corresponding signal (also referred to as brake information) based on the measured driver brake request, which can be transmitted to the control electronics via at least one brake request signal line.

[0019] For redundancy reasons, it can be advantageous to provide at least two brake request signal lines that are separate from each other and advantageously redundant (i.e., the two functions are identical) for transmitting signals between the brake pedal and the control electronics. For this purpose, the brake request signal lines can be designed as bidirectional brake request signal lines. Advantageously, at least one brake request signal line is provided between the brake pedal and each control electronics.

[0020] The brake pedal may include at least two pedal sensors which are advantageously based on two different measuring principles. Thus, for example, a force sensor which detects the force with which the driver steps on the pedal and a displacement sensor which measures the distance the driver presses the pedal can be used. The failure modes in these different pedal sensors are different, so that, for example, a stuck pedal can be detected by force being applied to the pedal without the pedal moving.

[0021] Based on the sensor signals, information or signals corresponding to the driver's brake request can be generated for the electromechanical brake system. During operation, these signals can be transmitted to the control electronics via a brake request signal line.

[0022] In a first aspect, the basic idea of ​​the invention is to group or bundle different functions, including the control and regulation, operation or power supply of electromechanical wheel brakes (hereinafter referred to as elements of the brake system) according to certain criteria or requirements. It should be noted at this point that within the scope of this application, no distinction is made between the terms "control" and "regulation". The meaning of the corresponding term is derived from the respective context.

[0023] This makes it possible to implement certain requirements, for example those regarding the redundancy of the brake system and its connection to the motor vehicle or the drive train of the motor vehicle, in a particularly advantageous manner. In this sense, redundancy is understood to mean the presence of a plurality of, preferably a dual presence of, corresponding functions or associated elements. In particular, in safety-related systems, including brake systems, the parallel design of functions or elements ensures that, in the event of a failure of one function or element, another function or element takes over these functions, thereby enabling alternative operation at least to a certain extent.

[0024] Thus, the brake system according to the invention has a very high flexibility in its architecture and can be manufactured and adapted to customer requirements in a cost-effective manner at the same time. Particularly advantageously, a defined communication interface can also be provided, for example a communication interface to a data bus of a motor vehicle.

[0025] One of the criteria here can be the reduction of unsprung masses, according to which only the components that are really necessary should be installed on the wheel. In addition to the brake actuator, these components are, for example, wheel sensors, such as motor position sensors and / or wheel speed sensors. The invention makes it possible to provide a brake system architecture that is matched thereto.

[0026] Another criterion can provide for the required redundancy of system-related components, since there is a risk of failure of technical systems, which in unfavorable circumstances could lead to a reduction in braking capacity and thus to a dangerous situation. Here, it must be ensured accordingly that the driver's braking request is also received in the event of a failure and can be implemented using the available brake actuators. The invention makes it possible to optimize the architecture of the brake system so that only certain components of the brake system have to be designed redundantly, thereby reducing the additional costs caused by the redundant design.

[0027] Yet another criterion may be the number and length of the required signal lines or data bus lines provided for the brake system, which are necessary to connect the individual elements of the brake system to one another for signal or data exchange. For cost reasons, the number and length of the required signal lines or data bus lines must be reduced as much as possible.

[0028] Another criterion may be the number of points or positions on or in the motor vehicle where power should be provided. In this case, it may also be advantageous to keep the number of these points at a low level, but it may also be advantageous to minimize the number and length of electrical conductors.

[0029] Against this background, the invention proposes in a preferred embodiment to structurally and / or spatially separate the connection of the pedal sensor and the evaluation of the signals or the generation of actuation information from the power electronics for directly actuating the wheel brakes and supplying them with power.

[0030] Therefore, the control electronics is designed to generate control information for the power electronics based on the signal of the brake pedal sensor and transmit this control information to the power electronics via a suitable data bus. This can be done in particular in a computer-aided manner based on a stored algorithm or by suitable software.

[0031] The power electronics may be designed to actuate and / or operate the electromechanical wheel brakes as a function of or based on the actuation information.

[0032] This makes it possible to arrange the control electronics in a flexible manner in the motor vehicle in an advantageous manner, in particular independently of the design type of the wheel brake module. In other words, the power electronics can be assigned directly to the wheel, for example. Thus, the wheel brake module can include an electromechanical wheel brake and the associated power electronics.

[0033] However, architectures are also possible in which the power electronics (for example the power electronics of two wheels of the same axle) are combined in pairs to form an axle controller. In this case, the wheel brake module generally comprises wheel brakes which supply the brake actuators with corresponding current, and the current supply and / or control is carried out by the power electronics arranged in the axle controller.

[0034] Furthermore, architectures can also be realized in which the power electronics are combined diagonally in a so-called diagonal controller. Thus, a diagonal controller can include two power electronics for supplying current and / or controlling the front wheels and the diagonally arranged rear wheels.

[0035] In this case, the corresponding power electronics can be flexibly adapted to specific customer requirements and can be designed, for example, with high redundancy or low redundancy. In this case, high redundancy can mean that, in the event of a component failure, all functions of the component are ensured by other components, while low redundancy can ensure only a part of the failed functions in the event of a component failure. In conjunction with a brake system such as that shown here, this is also to be understood as the degree of degradation of the brake system.

[0036] The control electronics can be arranged in the motor vehicle spatially independently of the power electronics or the axle controller or the diagonal controller. This makes it possible, for example, to arrange the control electronics at defined points in the motor vehicle, which are particularly suitable, for example, for connection to at least one data bus of the motor vehicle via a corresponding interface.

[0037] For redundancy reasons, it is advantageous to provide two separate supply voltages in the case of two control electronics. In addition, one or two separate voltage sources can also be provided for each power electronics or for each axle controller or diagonal controller.

[0038] The control electronics can each communicate with one another via at least one data bus of the motor vehicle, but a direct data bus line can also be provided. Advantageously, a further data bus line is provided between the control electronics and the power electronics or the axle controller or the diagonal controller.

[0039] It is obvious to the person skilled in the art that a plurality of possible architectures of the brake system are thereby achieved, which in certain cases can be adapted to the respective requirements in a relatively simple and cost-effective manner. Modularity also brings about cost advantages.

[0040] In this case, it is preferred that all wheel brakes of the motor vehicle are designed as electromechanical or electrically actuatable wheel brakes.

[0041] In this case, the electromechanical wheel brakes can be designed as electromechanical disc brakes, in which case a clamping force / action force can be generated by means of an electric motor, a front gear mechanism and a rotational / translational transmission mechanism. In this case, the clamping force means the force with which the brake lining is pressed against the brake disc. As a result, a corresponding braking torque is generated at the considered wheel during operation. Depending on the embodiment and the control concept, the control can be selected in such a way that a predetermined, defined clamping force or a predetermined, defined braking torque is set depending on the required deceleration request.

[0042] The electromechanical wheel brake can also be designed as an electromechanical drum brake, in which the motor unit / transmission unit actuates an expansion module which presses the brake lining onto the brake drum with an expansion force which is predetermined due to the required requested deceleration and thus generates a corresponding braking torque. Depending on the specific embodiment and the control concept, the control can be designed in such a way that a defined expansion force or a defined braking torque is set as a function of the deceleration request.

[0043] In the braking system according to the invention, for example, the two brakes assigned to the front axle can be designed as electromechanical disc brakes and the two brakes assigned to the rear axle can be designed as electromechanical drum brakes. However, it is also possible for all brakes to be designed as electromechanical disc brakes or electromechanical drum brakes.

[0044] When the mechanical actuation of the brake pedal to the wheel brakes is disconnected, an external power source is required to generate a braking torque or a clamping force independent of the driver force. In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, a redundant power source is provided.

[0045] The power electronics can provide the corresponding current or energy supply for the electromechanical wheel brakes, and for this purpose can be provided with corresponding current lines to supply voltage. In addition, signal lines can also be provided, so that for example wheel sensors are connected to the power electronics.

[0046] In a further aspect, the invention also relates to a method for operating a brake system as described above, in particular in connection with a motor vehicle or for a motor vehicle.

[0047] Further details of the invention emerge from the description of the illustrated embodiments and from the dependent claims.

[0048] In the attached picture:

[0049] Figure 1 An example of the architecture of a braking system according to the invention for a motor vehicle is shown in a schematic top view,

[0050] Figure 2A further example of the architecture of the braking system of the present invention is shown,

[0051] Figure 3 A circuit diagram schematically showing a power electronics device,

[0052] Figure 4 Another example of the architecture of the braking system of the present invention is shown,

[0053] Figure 5 An example of a redundantly designed power electronics device is shown,

[0054] Figure 6 An example of partially redundant power electronics is shown,

[0055] Figure 7 An example of non-redundant power electronics is shown,

[0056] Figure 8 A further example of partially redundant power electronics is shown,

[0057] Fig. 9 Showing another example of a power electronic device,

[0058] Fig.10 shows the architecture of another braking system according to the invention,

[0059] Fig.11 Another structure of the braking system of the present invention is shown.

[0060] Fig.12 Another structure of the braking system of the present invention is shown.

[0061] Fig.13 The structure of another braking system of the present invention is shown.

[0062] Fig.14a , Fig.14b and Fig.14c The architecture of the power supply for the four wheel brakes of a motor vehicle is shown.

[0063] In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, for the sake of clarity, the same reference numerals represent substantially the same components in or on these embodiments. However, in order to better illustrate the present invention, the preferred embodiments shown in the drawings are not shown to scale.

[0064] Figure 1 An example of a brake system 2 according to the invention, in particular a brake system for a motor vehicle, is shown in a schematic top view, which brake system comprises:

[0065] a brake pedal 72 having at least one pedal sensor for detecting a driver request;

[0066] four electrically actuatable wheel brake modules 6 , 10 , 40 , 44 , each of which comprises an electromechanical wheel brake 20 , 24 , 54 , 58 ;

[0067] at least one control electronics 90 , 91 ; and

[0068] at least one power electronic device 32 , 36 , 64 , 68 , which is designed to actuate at least one electromechanical wheel brake 20 , 24 , 54 , 58 ,

[0069] The pedal sensor is connected to the at least one control electronic device 90, 91 via at least one brake request signal line 76, 78,

[0070] The at least one control electronics 90 , 91 is configured to generate control information for the power electronics 32 , 36 , 64 , 68 based on the brake information of the pedal sensor and to transmit the control information to the power electronics 32 , 36 , 64 , 68 .

[0071] Figure 1 The brake system 2 shown has two wheel brake modules 6 , 10 which are assigned to a rear axle 14 of the motor vehicle and each have a first rear wheel brake 20 and a second rear wheel brake 24 (an electric machine is shown in each case).

[0072] Braking system 2 furthermore has two wheel brake modules 40 , 44 which are assigned to front axle 50 and each have a first front wheel brake 54 and a second front wheel brake 58 .

[0073] In the exemplary embodiment shown, the electromechanical wheel brakes 20 , 24 , 54 , 58 are designed as electromechanical disk brakes. However, the electromechanical wheel brakes can also be designed as electromechanical drum brakes, for example the two wheel brakes 20 , 24 assigned to the rear axle 14 .

[0074] In this embodiment, the brake system 2 is designed as a dry brake-by-wire system and has a dry brake pedal 72 (in the present case, an E-pedal). In the described embodiment, the brake pedal comprises two sensors, which are based on two different measuring principles. On the one hand, this is a force sensor that detects the force with which the driver steps on the pedal, and on the other hand, this is a displacement sensor that measures the distance by which the driver presses the pedal. In this way, redundancy can be built in with regard to the detection of the driver's braking request, since the failure modes in these different sensors are different, so that, for example, a stuck pedal can be detected by the application of force to the pedal without the pedal moving. Preferably, the signals of the two sensors are therefore sent by the brake pedal 72 as brake information to the first control electronics 90 ("Veh prim", "brake 1") and the second control electronics 91 ("Veh sec", "brake 2"), which then calculate the control information for the power electronics in a computer-aided manner. Other designs of the brake pedal (for example, as a "wet" brake pedal) are also possible.

[0075] Other necessary components, such as wheel sensors 70 , such as motor position sensors and / or wheel speed sensors, may also be mounted on the wheels.

[0076] According to a first aspect of the invention, specific functions relating to the control and regulation or operation or current supply of the electromechanical wheel brakes are separated or grouped according to specific criteria.

[0077] Therefore, in order to facilitate integration with existing vehicle concepts and achieve high flexibility, according to the present invention, the functionality of generating a brake request signal based on the sensor signal of the brake pedal is separated from the functionality associated with the actuation of the wheel brake modules. In this way, specific redundancy requirements can be implemented particularly easily.

[0078] Therefore, according to the present invention, control electronics 90, 91 are provided which are connected to the brake pedal 72. Based on the sensor signal, brake information or signals corresponding to the driver's brake request can be generated for the electromechanical brake system 2. For this purpose, the brake pedal 72 is connected to the control electronics 90, 91 using brake request signal lines 76, 78, respectively. The two brake request signal lines 76, 78 are designed to be bidirectional.

[0079] The control electronics 90, 91 are designed to generate control information for the power electronics 32, 36, 64, 68 based on the signal of the at least one pedal sensor of the brake pedal 72 and transmit it to the power electronics 32, 36, 64, 68. This can be done in particular in a computer-aided manner based on a stored algorithm or by suitable software. For this purpose, the control electronics 90, 91 can include a corresponding microprocessor with a memory.

[0080] In this case, the control electronics 90, 91 are also connected to the motor vehicle via a data bus. Figure 1 In the embodiment of the invention, two data bus lines 106, 107 are schematically drawn for this purpose, in the example a CAN bus system. Redundancy requirements can thus also be met, for example in the event of a failure of the data bus lines 106, 107. The control electronics 90, 91 can also be connected to the vehicle-side computer via the data bus. In this way, it can also be achieved that algorithms or software that can access the vehicle-side computer can generate control information. Furthermore, control information can also be generated on the vehicle side and transmitted to the brake system 2 via the control electronics 90, 91.

[0081] like Figure 1 As shown, for redundancy reasons, the control electronics 90, 91 are implemented in duplicate, i.e. the elements assigned to the control electronics (such as electronic components such as microprocessors) are arranged in two modules or housings that are spatially separated and spaced apart from each other. The functions of the two control electronics 90, 91 are preferably identical, i.e. the first control electronics 90, 91 and the second control electronics 90, 91 have the same functional scope, so that complete redundancy is provided. In order to enable communication with each other, the two control electronics 90, 91 are connected to each other via two data bus lines 96, 97, so that redundant data transmission can also be achieved in this regard.

[0082] Here, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first control electronics 90 can be operated in normal operating mode and the second control electronics 91 can be operated initially in "standby" operating mode. In the event of failure of the first control electronics 90, the required functions can be fully assumed by the second control electronics 91.

[0083] In addition, if Figure 1 As shown, the two control electronics 90 , 91 are each equipped with a separate power supply, so that the first control electronics 90 is equipped with a first supply voltage 110 and the second control electronics 91 is equipped with a second supply voltage 111 .

[0084] A brake system 2 having two such control electronics 90 , 91 makes it possible in an extremely advantageous manner to provide different architectures and control concepts for the individual wheel brake modules.

[0085] Therefore, if Figure 1 As shown, for example, power electronics 64, 68 can be assigned to the associated electromechanical wheel brakes 54, 58 on the front axle 50. In this case, wheel brake modules 40, 44 are connected to first control electronics 90 via redundant data bus lines 92, 93 and to second control electronics 91 via further, likewise redundant data bus lines 94, 95. Furthermore, each power electronics 64, 68 is supplied with power via corresponding supply voltages 110, 111 at the wheel brake modules.

[0086] If power electronics 64 , 68 are each directly assigned to the associated electromechanical wheel brake 54 , 58 , control takes place between control electronics 90 , 91 and power electronics 64 , 68 via data bus lines 92 , 93 , 94 , 95 .

[0087] Because of the functional separation, Figure 1 As shown, an axle controller 28 or axle control unit (“ACU”) can be advantageously provided on the rear axle 14, which axle controller includes power electronics 32, 36 for actuating the rear wheel brakes 20, 24. The axle controller 28 is thus a sprung mass, which has a favorable effect on the driving behavior. In this exemplary embodiment, for this purpose, a first power electronics 32 for actuating the first rear wheel brake 20 (e.g. for the left vehicle wheel) and a second power electronics 36 for actuating the second rear wheel brake 24 (e.g. for the right vehicle wheel) are provided in the axle controller 28.

[0088] exist Figure 1 In the embodiment of the invention, the axle control device 28 is internally divided into two independent wheel control devices or power electronics 32, 26, which have a separate power supply with two supply voltages 110, 111 (KI30 for each circuit board) for redundancy reasons. The two power electronics 32, 36 are therefore separated from one another, but are arranged in a common housing of the axle control device 28. As shown in the example below, the two power electronics 32, 36 can also be arranged on a common circuit board, which simplifies production.

[0089] Power electronics 32 directly supplies current to the electric motor of electromechanical wheel brake 20 via current line 112, and power electronics 36 supplies current to the electric motor of electromechanical wheel brake 24 via current line 113. Signal lines 114, 115 are also provided to wheel brakes 20, 24. The electric motor can correspondingly exert a clamping force in an electromechanical disc brake or an expanding force in an electromechanical drum brake in a manner known to those skilled in the art, in which case a gear with a corresponding converter can be provided.

[0090] A preferably redundant data transmission is also provided between the power electronics 32 and 36 of the axle controller 28. The two power electronics 32, 36 are designed completely redundantly, so that if one power electronics 32 fails, the other power electronics 36 can assume the control functionality of the two wheel brakes 20, 24.

[0091] In this exemplary embodiment, the two wheel brake modules 6 , 10 each have, for example, a pawl or another locking concept or these are integrated into wheel brake modules 6 , 10 , thereby implementing the function of an electronic parking brake.

[0092] In other preferred embodiments of the brake system 2 according to the present invention, all wheel brake modules 6 , 10 , 40 , 44 may also have pawls or other locking solutions, which is advantageous for unmanned driving.

[0093] In a further development of the invention, a brake system 2 is proposed in which the control electronics 90, 91 are arranged adjacent to the axle controller or together with the axle controller, preferably in a common module or even a common housing. This makes it possible to bundle specific functions. Figure 1 In the embodiment shown, the second control electronics 91 is arranged spatially adjacent to the axle controller 28. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the control electronics 91 and the axle controller 28 are arranged in a common module or a common housing, such as Figure 1 shown.

[0094] like Figure 1 As shown, such an architecture can be integrated into the vehicle in a particularly simple manner and can also be realized cost-effectively, since, for example, only the power supply to this module must be established, and not to the control electronics 90, 91 and the axle controller. The power supply can then be correspondingly provided as Figure 1 As shown, two independent supply voltages 110 , 111 are designed redundantly.

[0095] Figure 2The schematic top view shows the architecture of a further inventive braking system 2. In this embodiment (as well as the architecture of the inventive braking system 2 shown below), the braking system 2 is also designed as a brake-by-wire system and has a dry brake pedal 72. The brake pedal also includes two sensors, which are based on two different measuring principles.

[0096] exist Figure 2 In the exemplary embodiment of , the electromechanical wheel brakes 54 , 58 of the front axle 51 are likewise embodied as electromechanical disc brakes, while the electromechanical wheel brakes 20 , 24 of the rear axle 14 are designed as electromechanical drum brakes.

[0097] The power electronics 32, 36, 64, 68 are each directly assigned to the associated electromechanical wheel brakes 40, 44, 54, 58, thereby increasing the range of the unsprung masses. In this embodiment of the invention, a data bus line 92, 93, 96, 97 is provided between the first control electronics 90 and the power electronics 32, 36, 64, 68, and a further data bus line 94, 95, 98, 99 is provided between the second control electronics 91 and the power electronics 32, 36, 64, 68. For the sake of clarity, the data bus lines of the vehicle are not always drawn in this and the following illustrations.

[0098] The control electronics 90 , 91 are accordingly designed to be redundant, so that in the event of a failure of the first control electronics 90 , the second control electronics 91 can assume the operation of the electromechanical wheel brakes 40 , 44 , 54 , 58 . Figure 2 In this embodiment, the two control electronics 90, 91 can also be arranged in a common module or a common housing, which can facilitate connection to the data bus of the motor vehicle and the power supply. However, in such an arrangement, two separate supply voltages 110, 111 are provided for the control electronics 90, 91 for redundancy reasons.

[0099] In this case, the power electronics 32, 36, 64, 68 ("ECU"), also referred to as a so-called "wheel control unit" or "WCU", can accordingly have a simple design and supply each axle with a first supply voltage or a second supply voltage 110, 111, which in the example is supplied diagonally, i.e. the supply voltages at the front left and rear right as well as the supply voltages at the front right and rear left belong to different power supplies.

[0100] In this example, if Figure 3As shown, the power electronics 32, 36, 64, 68 are identical and relatively simple in design for each wheel, but must be provided for each wheel. In the case of separation of the power electronics directly assigned to the wheels, a microprocessor 101 ("MCU") should also be provided in each case, which ensures communication with the data bus and controls the assigned power electronics of the individual wheels.

[0101] If one of the two control electronics 90 , 91 fails, no reduction in braking power is to be expected. Instead, a warning is issued, for example, by lighting up a warning light.

[0102] exist Figure 3 The schematic diagram for Figure 2 1 . The power electronics 32, 36, 64, 68 (WCU) of the embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. The power electronics 32, 36, 64, 68 has a B6 bridge 100. Three lines 120, 124, 128 lead from the B6 bridge 100 to the respective wheel brakes 20, 24, 54, 58 and thus form current lines 112, 113, respectively. Furthermore, the power electronics 32, 36, 64, 68 in the example shown include a microprocessor 101.

[0103] Figure 4 A further example of the architecture of a braking system 2 according to the invention is shown in a schematic top view, which is similar to Figure 2 The examples shown with regard to electromechanical wheel brakes 20 , 24 , 54 , 58 are similar.

[0104] In this embodiment, however, the power electronics 32, 36, 64, 68 are combined in pairs for each axle, i.e. a second axle controller 60 is provided which includes the power electronics 64, 68. This makes it possible to further reduce the unsprung masses at the wheels, since all the power electronics can be arranged, for example, in a central area of ​​the motor vehicle at a favorable center of gravity position.

[0105] In this exemplary embodiment, the power electronics 32, 36, 64, 68 in the two axle controllers 28, 60 are connected to one another via corresponding data bus lines 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99 to the likewise two control electronics 90, 91. Power lines 112, 113 lead from the axle controllers 28, 60 to the electromechanical wheel brakes 20, 24, 54, 58. Thus, a separate vehicle-side power supply to the wheel brake modules may be superfluous.

[0106] The combination of functions, in particular with regard to the power electronics 32, 36, 64, 68, in one or both axle controllers 28, 60 makes it possible to implement the control system in a particularly simple manner (in particular also in combination with the control system 21). Figure 1 or Figure 2 The two control electronics 90 , 91 ) shown are designed in a customized manner for the power electronics 32 , 36 , 64 , 68 .

[0107] Customized safety requirements or redundancy requirements for specific components can be implemented particularly easily in this case.

[0108] The following Figures 5 to 9 In simplified illustrations, different circuit diagrams of power electronics 32, 36, 64, 68 are shown, respectively, by way of example, which can be used for or with the brake system 2 according to the invention. In these examples, a circuit board with the required functions combined is provided for each axle controller 28, 60. Individual circuit boards can usually be produced in a cost-effective manner and assembled in a simple manner. However, it is also possible to provide a separate circuit board for each power electronics and to arrange these circuit boards in a common housing.

[0109] The present invention makes it possible to implement different configurations of the individual power electronic components 32 , 36 , 64 , 68 in a particularly simple manner, since the brake pedal 72 of the motor vehicle and / or the interface to the data bus are not connected to the axle controllers 28 , 60 and a high degree of flexibility is achieved in this respect with regard to the redundancy of individual components or structural elements of the power electronic components 32 , 36 , 64 , 68 .

[0110] At this point it should be noted that the statements made below with regard to the redundancy of the power electronics 32 , 36 , 64 , 68 also apply in an analogous manner to the diagonal controllers 80 , 81 described in more detail further below.

[0111] It is understood by those skilled in the art that the design of the corresponding power electronics for actuating the wheel brakes 20, 24, 54, 58 can be identical or different in the case of two axle controllers 28, 60. In other words, the two axle controllers 28, 60 can include power electronics 32, 36, 64, 68 of identical design, but can also include different power electronics (e.g., power electronics with different redundancies).

[0112] Figure 5An example of a fully redundant design of power electronics 32, 36 for an axle controller is shown, wherein a power electronics 32, 36 is provided for respectively actuating the wheel brakes 20, 24 of an axle. A person skilled in the art will understand that if two power electronics of a diagonal controller are combined, the power electronics will be assigned to the wheel brakes in a diagonal manner, respectively, as will be explained in more detail below.

[0113] During normal operation, the two power electronics 32, 36 work independently of one another and each actuate the corresponding wheel brake 20, 24. The two power electronics 32, 36 are each supplied with their own voltage source 110, 111. In addition, signal lines, for example from the actuation electronics, lead to the two power electronics 32, 36, of which only these are indicated for the sake of clarity.

[0114] In the event of a power failure, for example, the power electronics 32, 36 that are not affected by the failure assumes control of the two wheel brakes 20, 24. For this purpose, the two power electronics 32, 36 are connected to one another in the axle controller 28, 60 in such a way that, in the event of a failure of the first power electronics 32, the second power electronics 36 also assumes control of the wheel brakes 20, 24 that are assigned to the failed power electronics 32.

[0115] For this purpose, a data bus line between the two power electronics 32 , 36 and a circuit 102 are provided in the axle controllers 28 , 60 .

[0116] The power electronics 32, 36 comprise a control connection to the B6 bridge 100 for connecting to a further power electronics 32, 36. In this way, in particular three phases of the electric motor of the wheel brake 20, 24 can be connected to a further power electronics 32, 36. In order to ensure electronic redundancy, the B6 bridge / GDU on one side is used to synchronously control the two electric motors of the electromechanical wheel brake 20, 24 in the event of a failure of the B6 bridge / GDU on the other side. In this case, the electric motors can only move synchronously; however, this is sufficient for the strength of the braking force. The prerequisite here is that the two electric motors have the same alignment angle, which can be achieved by synchronous operation at the beginning of the motor control.

[0117] A cross switch is arranged in the corresponding control connection 102. In the corresponding connection of the B6 bridge to the wheel brake, a fuse is preferably arranged. The B6 bridge on the functional control device side is used to fuse the fuses in the control connection of the non-functional control device, which are preferably designed as ETFs ("electric thermal fuses"). Therefore, a cross switch or cross switch is required on each side after the ETF on the other side.

[0118] In this case, full redundancy includes failure of the power supply or supply voltage 110, 111 in the case of one of the two power electronics 32, 36, failure of the signal of the motor position sensor 72 or failure of the microprocessor 101. In these cases, the redundant design of the power electronics 32, 36 ensures that the respectively unaffected power electronics 32, 36 assumes the function of the power electronics affected by the fault.

[0119] Figure 6 An example of partially redundant power electronics 32, 36 for axle controllers 28, 60 for correspondingly actuating wheel brakes 20, 24, 54, 58 is shown. In this embodiment, microprocessor 101 and B6 bridge 100 are still implemented redundantly, but for cost reasons, Figure 5 Circuit 102 is no longer provided in the illustrated area. Therefore, in the event of a failure of supply voltages 110 , 111 , a switchover of the power supply is no longer provided, so that in this embodiment of the power electronics of axle controllers 28 , 60 , no complete redundancy is provided, but only partial redundancy.

[0120] It is also possible to design an axle controller 28, 60 with two identical power electronics 32, 26 without redundancy. In this case, the two combined power electronics 32, 26 can also be regarded as a "WCU" for the respective wheel. Figure 7 Such an arrangement is shown only by way of example. Although no redundancy is provided here, cost advantages can be achieved because only a single printed circuit board is used for the power electronics of the two wheel brakes of the axle.

[0121] Figure 8Another example of a partially redundant power electronics 32 for axle controllers 28, 60 for correspondingly actuating wheel brakes 20, 24, 54, 58 is shown. In this embodiment of axle controllers 28, 60, the redundant second microprocessor 101 is omitted; that is, only microprocessor 101 supplies the two B6 bridges 100. This achieves further cost advantages by saving microprocessors 101; however, the scope of redundant functions is also limited accordingly. In other words, in the event of a failure of a microprocessor 101, actuation is no longer possible. The power electronics continue to be connected to the two supply voltages 110, 111, which can be operated alternately.

[0122] Fig. 9 A further example of a power electronics 32 of an axle controller 28, 60 for correspondingly actuating wheel brakes 20, 24, 54, 58 is shown. This embodiment of an axle controller 28, 60 is based on Figure 8 However, the power electronics 32 are still only connected to the supply voltage 110 , ie, in the event of failure of this supply voltage, actuation of the wheel brakes is no longer possible.

[0123] Fig.10 A further example of the architecture of a braking system 2 according to the invention is shown in a schematic top view, which corresponds essentially to Figure 1 The brake system 2 is also designed as a wire-controlled brake system in this embodiment and has a dry brake pedal 72. The brake pedal also includes two sensors, which are based on two different measuring principles. The rear wheel brakes 20, 24 are designed as electromechanical drum brakes.

[0124] Fig.11 A further example of a brake system 2 according to the invention is shown in a schematic top view. For the sake of clarity, the brake pedal and the data bus lines to the vehicle are not drawn.

[0125] However, the functions associated with the actuation of the individual wheel brakes are combined in this embodiment in a different manner than in the other examples. In particular, Fig.11 The exemplary embodiment of FIG. 4 shows that power electronics 32 , 36 , 64 , 68 for actuating diagonally opposed wheel brakes 20 , 24 , 54 , 58 are combined in a so-called diagonal control unit 80 , 81 (“DCU”).

[0126] Thus, the diagonal controller 80 comprises power electronics 36 for actuating the right rear wheel brake 24 and power electronics 64 for actuating the left front wheel brake 54. Furthermore, the diagonal controller 81 comprises power electronics 32 for actuating the left rear wheel brake 20 and power electronics 68 for actuating the right front wheel brake 58. Thus, the corresponding power electronics 32, 36, 64, 68 are then combined in pairs, but in a diagonal manner, so that the unsprung mass is reduced even in this embodiment. Therefore, current lines 112, 113 are provided from the diagonal controllers 80, 81 to the diagonally arranged wheel brakes, respectively.

[0127] Such an arrangement offers the advantage that in the event of a complete failure of the diagonal controllers 80 , 81 , at least one front wheel and one rear wheel can still be braked, whereas in an arrangement with two axle controllers, in the event of a failure of one axle controller 90 , 91 , this axle can no longer be braked accordingly.

[0128] The power electronics 32, 36, 64, 68 of the diagonal controllers 80, 81 may be configured with regard to redundancy. Figures 5 to 9 Thus, the diagonal controllers 80, 81 may include power electronics 32, 36, 64, 68, which are designed in a manner similar to Figures 5 to 9 .

[0129] According to a development of the invention, the at least one diagonal controller 80 , 81 can also be assigned to a front wheel or integrated into the front wheel, for example.

[0130] Fig.12 A schematic top view shows an example of the architecture of a further brake system 2 according to the invention, which has two axle controllers 28, 60. In this embodiment, the control electronics 91 are assigned to the axle controller 60 of the front axle.

[0131] Compared to the vehicle having likewise two axle controllers 28, 60 and two control electronics 90, 91 arranged separately Figure 4 In comparison with the embodiment shown, the power supply can be simplified in this embodiment since the second control electronics 91 are structurally combined with the axle controller 60 .

[0132] Fig.13 A further example of a brake system 2 according to the invention is shown in a schematic top view, which has two axle controllers 28, 60. In this embodiment, two control electronics 90, 91 are respectively assigned to the axle controllers 28, 60. In this case, the control electronics 90, 91 are also connected to the data bus lines 106, 107 of the motor vehicle. Fig.12 Compared to the specific embodiment shown, the required power supply can be simplified again and limited to redundant supply voltages 106 , 107 for the structurally combined elements formed by control electronics 90 , 91 and axle controllers 28 , 60 .

[0133] In another aspect of the invention, the functional separation or grouping in the sense of the invention also relates to the current supply to the wheel brakes. For this purpose, Fig.14a , Fig.14b and Fig.14c A possible architecture for supplying power to four wheel brakes of a motor vehicle is shown with the aid of a schematic diagram.

[0134] exist Fig.14a In the embodiment shown, diagonally connected power supplies are provided on the wheel brakes 20, 24, 54, 58. Diagonally connected power supplies are here understood to mean power supplies for the wheel brakes, wherein the wheel brakes which are diagonally opposite each other have the same power supply. Fig.14a As can be seen, for this purpose, the right front and left rear wheel brakes 58, 20 are connected to the supply voltage 111 and the left front and right rear wheel brakes 54, 24 are connected to the supply voltage 110. In the event of a complete failure of one of the supply voltages 110, 111, this arrangement reduces the dynamic braking by half. This embodiment enables a simple configuration of the interface to the wheel brake modules 6, 10, 40, 44, which can generally include connections for a voltage source and for a signal line or data line.

[0135] exist Fig.14b In the embodiment shown, separate diagonal supplies are also provided for the wheel brakes 20, 24, 54, 58, but in the event of a failure a switchover is provided. The circuit 102 is also schematically drawn in. This advantageously allows all four wheel brakes to be operated in the event of a failure of one of the supply voltages 110, 111. Targeted axle control, i.e. a switchover of the supply of the individual wheel brakes, is conceivable and can be implemented, so that, for example, only the wheel brakes of the front axle are supplied with current.

[0136] exist Fig.14c In the embodiment shown, a dual current supply is provided for the wheel brakes 54, 58 on the front wheels. Here, a dual current supply refers to a current supply to the front wheel brakes 54, 58, wherein each wheel brake has two power supplies. Fig.14c As can be seen, the front right and front left wheel brakes 54, 58 are connected to a first supply voltage 110 and a first supply voltage 111. In the event of a failure of one of the supply voltages 110, 111, this only results in the function of the rear wheel brakes being disabled.

[0137] It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that the architectures presented here with regard to the actuation of the wheel brakes, the design of the power controller and the current supply can be combined with one another in different ways and that the presented architectures represent only possible embodiments.

[0138] Reference numerals list:

[0139] 2 Braking system

[0140] 6 wheel brake module

[0141] 10 wheel brake module

[0142] 14 Rear axle

[0143] 20 Rear brake

[0144] 24 Rear brake

[0145] 28 Axle controller

[0146] 32 Power Electronics

[0147] 36 Power Electronics

[0148] 40 wheel brake module

[0149] 44 wheel brake module

[0150] 50 Front axle

[0151] 54 Front wheel brake

[0152] 58 Front wheel brake

[0153] 60 Axle Controller

[0154] 64 Power Electronics

[0155] 68 Power Electronics

[0156] 70 Wheel Sensor

[0157] 72 Brake pedal

[0158] 76 Brake request signal circuit

[0159] 78 Brake request signal circuit

[0160] 80 Diagonal Controller

[0161] 81 Diagonal Controller

[0162] 82 signal line

[0163] 86 signal line

[0164] 90 Control electronics

[0165] 91 Control electronics

[0166] 92 data bus lines

[0167] 93 Data bus lines

[0168] 94 data bus lines

[0169] 95 Data bus lines

[0170] 96 data bus lines

[0171] 97 Data bus line

[0172] 98 data bus lines

[0173] 99 Data bus lines

[0174] 100B6 Bridge

[0175] 101 Microprocessor

[0176] 102 Circuit

[0177] 104B6 Bridge

[0178] 106 Data Bus

[0179] 107 Data Bus

[0180] 110 Supply voltage

[0181] 111 Supply voltage

[0182] 112 Current line

[0183] 113 Current Line

[0184] 114 Signal Line

[0185] 115 Signal Line

Claims

1. A braking system (2), in particular a braking system for a motor vehicle, comprising: a brake pedal (72) having at least one pedal sensor for detecting a driver request; Four electrically actuatable wheel brake modules (6, 10, 40, 44), each of which comprises an electromechanical wheel brake (20, 24, 54, 58); at least one control electronics (90, 91); at least one power electronic device (32, 36, 64, 68) which is designed to actuate at least one electromechanical wheel brake (20, 24, 54, 58), The pedal sensor is connected to at least one control electronic component (90, 91) via at least one brake request signal line (76, 78). The at least one control electronic device (90, 91) is configured to generate control information for the power electronic device (32, 36, 64, 68) based on the brake information of the pedal sensor and transmit the control information to the power electronic device (32, 36, 64, 68).

2. Braking system (2) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that The brake pedal (72) comprises at least two pedal sensors based on two different measuring principles, in particular a force sensor and a displacement sensor, the signals of which can be transmitted to the control electronics (90, 91) during operation.

3. Braking system (2) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that The pedal sensors are each connected to an actuation electronics unit (90, 91) via at least two brake request signal lines (76, 78).

4. The brake system (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The electromechanical wheel brakes (20, 24, 54, 58) are designed as electromechanical disc brakes or electromechanical drum brakes.

5. Braking system (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The electromechanical wheel brakes (54, 58) of the front wheels (50) are designed as electromechanical disc brakes, and the electromechanical wheel brakes (20, 24) of the rear wheels (14) are designed as electromechanical drum brakes.

6. Braking system (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The control electronics (90, 91) are redundantly implemented, each control electronics (90, 91) including the same functions with respect to generating control information for the power electronics (32, 36, 64, 68).

7. Braking system (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The control electronics (90, 91) are accommodated in two modules or housings which are spatially separated and / or spaced apart from one another.

8. Braking system (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that At least one data bus line (96, 97), preferably two data bus lines (96, 97), for transmitting data are arranged between the separately arranged control electronics (90, 91).

9. Braking system (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The control electronics (90, 91) are arranged spatially separated from the power electronics (32, 36, 64, 68).

10. Braking system (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that A data bus line (92, 93, 94, 95) for transmitting data is arranged between the control electronics (90, 91) and the power electronics (32, 36, 64, 68).

11. Braking system (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The control electronics (90, 91) include at least one microprocessor (101), preferably each control electronics (90, 91) includes one microprocessor (101).

12. Braking system (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The control electronics (90, 91) are connected to a data bus of the motor vehicle.

13. Braking system (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that Each control electronics (90, 91) has its own independent supply voltage (110, 111).

14. Braking system (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The two control electronics (90, 91) are accommodated in a common module or a common housing.

15. Braking system (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that On the front axle (50), power electronics (64, 68) are respectively directly assigned to the associated electromechanical wheel brakes (54, 58); and / or on the rear axle (14), power electronics (32, 36) are respectively directly assigned to the associated electromechanical wheel brakes (20, 24).

16. Braking system (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that An axle controller (60) is arranged on the front axle (50), the axle controller comprising power electronic devices (64, 68) for controlling the front wheel brakes (54, 58); and / or an axle controller (28) comprising power electronic devices (32, 36) for controlling the rear wheel brakes (20, 24) is arranged on the rear axle (14).

17. Braking system (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that At least one diagonal controller (80, 81) is provided, which comprises power electronics (32, 36, 64, 68) for actuating diagonally opposite wheel brakes (20, 24, 54, 58).

18. Braking system (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that At least one control electronics (90, 91) is accommodated in a common module or a common housing together with at least one power electronics (32, 36, 64, 68) or one axle controller (28, 60) or one diagonal controller (80, 81).

19. Braking system (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The power electronic devices (32, 36, 64, 68) of the same axle controller (28, 60) or the same diagonal controller (80, 81) each have an independent supply voltage (110, 111).

20. Braking system (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The power electronic components (32, 36, 64, 68) of the same axle controller (28, 60) or the same diagonal controller (80, 81) are designed to be completely redundant, wherein two power electronic components (32, 36, 64, 68) of the same axle controller (28, 60) or the same diagonal controller (80, 81) have the same function.

21. Braking system (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The power electronic components (32, 36, 64, 68) of the same axle controller (28, 60) or the same diagonal controller (80, 81) have only one common supply voltage (110, 111).

22. Braking system (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The power electronics (32, 36, 64, 68) of the same axle controller (28, 60) or the same diagonal controller (80, 81) have only one common microprocessor (101).

23. A braking system (2), in particular a braking system for a motor vehicle, preferably a braking system according to one of the preceding claims, comprising: a brake pedal (72) having at least one pedal sensor for detecting a driver request; Four electrically actuatable wheel brake modules (6, 10, 40, 44), each of which comprises an electromechanical wheel brake (20, 24, 54, 58); at least one power electronic device (32, 36, 64, 68), which is designed to act on the electromechanical wheel brake (20, 24, 54, 58), the power electronic device (32, 36, 64, 68) for acting on at least two electromechanical wheel brakes (20, 24, 54, 58) being combined in an axle controller (28, 60) or a diagonal controller (80, 81).

24. Braking system (2) according to the preceding claim, further comprising: The control electronics (90, 91) is connected to the pedal sensor via at least one brake request signal line (76, 78), The at least one control electronics (90, 91) is configured to generate control information for a power electronics (32, 36, 64, 68) based on the brake information of the pedal sensor and to transmit the control information to the power electronics (32, 36, 64, 68).

25. A braking system (2), in particular a braking system for a motor vehicle, preferably a braking system according to one of the preceding claims, comprising: a brake pedal (72) having at least one pedal sensor for detecting a driver request; Four electrically controllable wheel brake modules (6, 10, 40, 44), each of which comprises an electromechanical wheel brake (20, 24, 54, 58); at least one power electronic device (32, 36, 64, 68), the at least one power electronic device being designed to control at least one electromechanical wheel brake (20, 24, 54, 58), diagonally arranged power supplies being provided for the wheel brakes (20, 24, 54, 58), wherein the wheel brakes arranged along the diagonal lines are connected to the same supply voltage (110, 111).

26. Braking system (2) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that The power supply comprises a switching unit (102) for switching between the supply voltages (110, 111) when the supply voltages (110, 111) fail.

27. A braking system (2), in particular a braking system for a motor vehicle, preferably a braking system according to one of the preceding claims, comprising: a brake pedal (72) having at least one pedal sensor for detecting a driver request; Four electrically controllable wheel brake modules (6, 10, 40, 44), each of which comprises an electromechanical wheel brake (20, 24, 54, 58); at least one power electronic device (32, 36, 64, 68), which is designed to control at least one electromechanical wheel brake (20, 24, 54, 58), wherein a power supply is provided for double supplying the wheel brakes (54, 58) on the front wheels, each wheel brake on the front wheels being connected to a first supply voltage (110) and to a second supply voltage (111), and the wheel brakes (20, 24) of the rear wheels preferably having only a single power supply.

28. Braking system (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The electrically actuatable wheel brake module (6, 10, 40, 44) also comprises associated power electronics (32, 36, 64, 68).

29. Braking system (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The brake pedal (72) is implemented as a dry brake pedal (72).

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