Electronic parking brake system and method based on hard wire direct connection and multistage redundancy

Abstract

The invention discloses an electronic parking brake system based on hard wire direct connection and multistage redundancy, comprising: a redundancy control module comprising an electronic parking switch, a controller and a mechanical redundancy switch, the controller comprising a main control loop, a standby control loop, a main solenoid valve, a standby solenoid valve and a signal verification unit, the main electromagnetic valve and the standby electromagnetic valve are connected into a gas circuit in parallel; the signal checking unit is used for checking whether signals of the main control loop and the standby control loop are consistent or not; the anti-forgetting parking module is used for controlling an electronic parking device to start on the basis of the vehicle state information acquired by the signal acquisition module and the ground gradient detected by the gradient sensor; and the air source management module is used for controlling the air channel to inflate or deflate the brake air chamber. The invention further discloses an electronic parking braking method based on hard wire direct connection and multi-stage redundancy. Compared with the prior art, the problems that an existing system is insufficient in redundancy control, cannot prevent parking forgetting and is low in energy consumption and air source management efficiency are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of electronic parking brakes, and in particular to an electronic parking brake system and method based on hard-wired direct connection and multi-level redundancy. Background Art

[0002] The Electronic Park Brake (EPB) system is an intelligent system that uses electronic control technology to achieve vehicle parking brakes. It replaces the traditional mechanical handbrake to achieve vehicle static parking brakes, dynamic emergency brakes and other functions.

[0003] Traditional commercial vehicle electronic parking brake systems rely on CAN bus communication, which carries the risk of electromagnetic interference causing parking failure (e.g., failure to release or accidental triggering). Furthermore, existing electronic parking brake systems lack intelligent mechanisms to prevent drivers from forgetting to park after turning off the engine, potentially leading to accidents such as vehicles rolling downhill.

[0004] Furthermore, existing electronic parking brake system redundancy solutions often rely on a single backup solenoid valve or mechanical handle, which cannot cope with complex fault scenarios such as air source failure and sensor malfunction. For example, patent CN117508125A proposes controlling a redundant solenoid valve using a three-stage rocker switch, but fails to address the adaptive control issue when air source pressure is insufficient. Patent CN222310584U, on the other hand, utilizes a mechanical redundant valve but lacks integrated intelligent anti-forgetting logic.

[0005] Generally speaking, the existing electronic parking brake system has the following defects:

[0006] 1) Insufficient redundant control: Existing systems rely on a single backup valve or mechanical switch, which cannot cope with multi-stage faults such as ECU failure and air path blockage.

[0007] 2) Forgotten parking defect: Traditional solutions rely on manual operation by the driver, which can easily lead to missed parking due to negligence;

[0008] 3) Inefficient energy consumption and gas source management: Frequent parking operations lead to high gas source consumption, affecting the vehicle's endurance, especially new energy commercial vehicles. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an electronic parking brake system and method based on hard-wired direct connection and multi-level redundancy to solve the problems of insufficient redundancy control, inability to prevent forgotten parking, and inefficient energy consumption and air source management of existing electronic parking brake systems.

[0010] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention discloses, on the one hand, an electronic parking brake system based on hard-wired direct connection and multi-level redundancy, comprising:

[0011] A redundant control module, comprising an electronic parking switch, a controller, and a mechanical redundant switch; the controller comprising a main control circuit, a backup control circuit, a main solenoid valve, a backup solenoid valve, and a signal verification unit; the electronic parking switch being connected to an input of the main control circuit via a first hardwire, the electronic parking switch being connected to an input of the backup control circuit via a second hardwire, the main solenoid valve and the backup solenoid valve being connected in parallel to an air circuit; the main control circuit being used to control the main solenoid valve, the backup control circuit being used to control the backup solenoid valve; the signal verification unit being used to verify whether the signals of the main control circuit and the backup control circuit are consistent; the mechanical redundant switch being connected to the backup solenoid valve via a third hardwire; the mechanical redundant switch being specifically a three-stage rocker switch;

[0012] The anti-forgotten parking module controls the activation of the electronic parking system based on the vehicle status information collected by the signal acquisition module and the ground slope detected by the slope sensor;

[0013] The air source management module is used to control the air circuit to inflate or exhaust the brake air chamber.

[0014] On the other hand, the present invention also discloses an electronic parking brake method based on hard-wired direct connection and multi-level redundancy, comprising:

[0015] S1. In normal mode, the electronic parking switch sends a main signal to the main control circuit through the first hard line, and at the same time, the electronic parking switch sends a mirror signal to the backup control circuit through the second hard line;

[0016] S2. After the signal verification unit verifies that the signals of the main control circuit and the backup control circuit are consistent, the main control circuit controls the main solenoid valve to start, so that the air circuit inflates or exhausts the brake air chamber;

[0017] S3. When the first hard-wire signal is lost, the backup control circuit of the controller immediately takes over control and activates the backup solenoid valve;

[0018] S4. If the air circuit is abnormal, the redundant control module will send out an audible and visual alarm signal to prompt the driver to manually operate the mechanical redundant switch to force parking.

[0019] In summary, due to the adoption of the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0020] 1. In this invention, the redundant control module implements multi-level redundant control, including circuit redundancy, gas circuit redundancy, and mechanical redundancy. This multi-level redundancy design can address multi-dimensional faults in the ECU, gas circuit, and communication, reducing the probability of system failure by 90% and improving safety. The controller also includes a built-in signal verification unit that compares the consistency of dual-channel hard-wired signals in real time to prevent single-line disconnection or interference.

[0021] 2. In this invention, the gas circuit redundancy module dynamically monitors the pressure of the gas tanks. When the pressure of the main gas tank falls below a threshold, it automatically switches to the backup gas tank. The controller optimizes the gas circuit allocation strategy to reduce redundant gas consumption, avoid frequent starting and stopping of the compressor to replenish the main tank pressure when the main gas tank pressure is insufficient, and reduce compressor energy consumption.

[0022] 3. In the present invention, the anti-forgotten parking module realizes automatic parking triggering based on multi-sensor fusion, reduces safety accidents caused by human errors, and is suitable for commercial vehicle operation scenarios. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments. It should be understood that the following drawings only illustrate certain embodiments of the present invention and therefore should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For ordinary technicians in this field, other relevant drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0024] Figure 1 The system architecture diagram of an electronic parking brake system based on hard-wired direct connection and multi-level redundancy. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention more clear, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Generally, the components of the embodiments of the present invention described and shown in the drawings herein can be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0026] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the invention as claimed, but rather merely represents selected embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments derived by persons of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0027] Example 1

[0028] See also Figure 1 In one aspect, the present invention discloses an electronic parking brake system based on hard-wired direct connection and multi-level redundancy, comprising:

[0029] A redundant control module, comprising an electronic parking switch, a controller, and a mechanical redundant switch; the controller comprising a main control circuit, a backup control circuit, a main solenoid valve, a backup solenoid valve, and a signal verification unit; the electronic parking switch being connected to an input of the main control circuit via a first hardwire, the electronic parking switch being connected to an input of the backup control circuit via a second hardwire, the main solenoid valve and the backup solenoid valve being connected in parallel to an air circuit; the main control circuit being used to control the main solenoid valve, the backup control circuit being used to control the backup solenoid valve; the signal verification unit being used to verify whether the signals of the main control circuit and the backup control circuit are consistent; the mechanical redundant switch being connected to the backup solenoid valve via a third hardwire; the mechanical redundant switch being specifically a three-stage rocker switch;

[0030] The anti-forgotten parking module controls the activation of the electronic parking system based on the vehicle status information collected by the signal acquisition module and the ground slope detected by the slope sensor;

[0031] The air source management module is used to control the air circuit to inflate or exhaust the brake air chamber.

[0032] On the other hand, the present invention also discloses an electronic parking brake method based on hard-wired direct connection and multi-level redundancy, comprising:

[0033] S1. In normal mode, the electronic parking switch sends a main signal to the main control circuit through the first hard line, and at the same time, the electronic parking switch sends a mirror signal to the backup control circuit through the second hard line;

[0034] S2. After the signal verification unit verifies that the signals of the main control circuit and the backup control circuit are consistent, the main control circuit controls the main solenoid valve to start, so that the air circuit inflates or exhausts the brake air chamber;

[0035] S3. When the first hard-wire signal is lost, the backup control circuit of the controller immediately takes over control and activates the backup solenoid valve;

[0036] S4. If the air circuit is abnormal, the redundant control module will send out an audible and visual alarm signal to prompt the driver to manually operate the mechanical redundant switch to force parking.

[0037] The electronic parking brake system also includes an audible and visual alarm, which is used to emit audible and visual alarm signals. This allows the electronic parking brake system to not only achieve automatic parking, but also to emit audible and visual alarm signals to alert the driver when the brake system fails to park normally.

[0038] The first hard line, the second hard line, and the third hard line are all unshielded twisted pair cables, which effectively ensure the signal transmission quality and avoid signal loss.

[0039] The redundant control module implements multi-level redundant control for circuit, air, and mechanical redundancy. This multi-level redundancy design can mitigate faults in multiple dimensions, including the ECU, air path, and communication, reducing system failure probability by 90% and improving safety. The controller also features a built-in signal verification unit that compares dual-channel hard-wired signal consistency in real time to prevent single-line disconnection or interference.

[0040] Working principle: In the redundant control module, the main control circuit and the backup control circuit of the controller are both powered by independent power circuits. When the main control circuit fails, it automatically switches to the backup control circuit to achieve circuit redundancy;

[0041] In the redundant control module, the main solenoid valve and the backup solenoid valve are connected in parallel. When one solenoid valve fails, the other solenoid valve takes over control to achieve gas circuit redundancy.

[0042] In the redundant control module, the mechanical redundancy switch can specifically adopt a three-stage rocker switch for mechanical redundancy control. The switch bypasses the ECU through an independent hard line and directly controls the backup solenoid valve, bypassing the CAN bus interference to achieve mechanical redundancy.

[0043] Example 2

[0044] This embodiment further makes the following improved technical solutions on the basis of the above embodiments: the gas circuit redundancy module includes a main gas tank, a backup gas tank and a switching valve. The main gas tank supply passage and the backup gas tank supply passage in the gas circuit are connected in parallel, and the switching valve is used to switch the main gas tank supply passage and the backup gas tank supply passage. The gas circuit redundancy module dynamically monitors the gas tank pressure. When the main gas tank pressure is lower than the threshold, it automatically switches to the backup gas tank. Specifically, when the main gas tank pressure is <0.6MPa, the intelligent switching valve closes the main gas tank passage, enables the backup gas tank gas supply, and adjusts the pressure maintaining valve opening through the controller to extend the gas source endurance. The controller optimizes the gas circuit distribution strategy, reduces redundant gas consumption, avoids frequent starting and stopping of the compressor to supplement the main tank pressure when the main gas tank pressure is insufficient, and reduces the energy consumption of the compressor.

[0045] Example 3

[0046] This embodiment further improves upon the above embodiment by providing the following technical solutions: The signal acquisition module includes a clutch position sensor, a throttle position sensor, and a door switch sensor. The clutch position sensor monitors clutch engagement, the throttle position sensor detects accelerator pedal opening, and the door switch sensor uses mechanical contacts or magnetic induction to detect door open / close status in real time. Combined with the ECU's real-time acquisition of parameters such as crankshaft speed and camshaft phase, the anti-forgotten parking module can determine whether the vehicle is turned off and the driver is about to leave.

[0047] When the vehicle is turned off and the door is open, and the driver does not actively park the vehicle, the system activates the electronic parking switch, automatically triggers the parking brake, and alerts the driver through sound and light alarms;

[0048] When the vehicle is turned off, the system detects that parking is not activated and the slope sensor detects a slope greater than 2%, and immediately activates the parking brake, while the instrument panel displays "Auto Hold Activated".

[0049] The anti-forgotten parking module realizes automatic parking triggering based on multi-sensor fusion, reducing safety accidents caused by human errors and is suitable for commercial vehicle operation scenarios.

[0050] The above description is only a preferred specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field, within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, who makes equivalent replacements or changes based on the technical solution and inventive concept of the present invention, should be covered by the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electronic parking brake system based on hard-wired direct connection and multi-level redundancy, characterized in that: include: A redundant control module, comprising an electronic parking switch, a controller, and a mechanical redundant switch; the controller comprising a main control circuit, a backup control circuit, a main solenoid valve, a backup solenoid valve, and a signal verification unit; the electronic parking switch being connected to an input of the main control circuit via a first hardwire, the electronic parking switch being connected to an input of the backup control circuit via a second hardwire; the main solenoid valve and the backup solenoid valve being connected in parallel to an air circuit; the main control circuit being used to control the main solenoid valve, the backup control circuit being used to control the backup solenoid valve; the signal verification unit being used to verify whether signals from the main control circuit and the backup control circuit are consistent; and the mechanical redundant switch being connected to the backup solenoid valve via a third hardwire; The anti-forgotten parking module controls the activation of the electronic parking system based on the vehicle status information collected by the signal acquisition module and the ground slope detected by the slope sensor; The air source management module is used to control the air circuit to inflate or exhaust the brake air chamber.

2. The electronic parking brake system based on hard-wired direct connection and multi-level redundancy according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gas circuit redundancy module includes a main gas tank, a backup gas tank and a switching valve. The main gas tank supply path and the backup gas tank supply path are connected in parallel in the gas circuit. The switching valve is used to switch the main gas tank supply path and the backup gas tank supply path.

3. The electronic parking brake system based on hard-wired direct connection and multi-level redundancy according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electronic parking brake system further comprises an audible and visual alarm, which is used to emit audible and visual alarm signals.

4. The electronic parking brake system based on hard-wired direct connection and multi-level redundancy according to claim 1, characterized in that: The signal acquisition module includes a clutch position sensor, a throttle position sensor and a gate switch sensor.

5. The electronic parking brake system based on hard-wired direct connection and multi-level redundancy according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mechanical redundancy switch is a three-stage rocker switch.

6. The electronic parking brake system based on hard-wired direct connection and multi-level redundancy according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first hard wire, the second hard wire, and the third hard wire are all unshielded twisted pair wires.

7. An electronic parking brake method based on hard-wired direct connection and multi-level redundancy, characterized in that: include: S1. In normal mode, the electronic parking switch sends a main signal to the main control circuit through the first hard line, and at the same time, the electronic parking switch sends a mirror signal to the backup control circuit through the second hard line; S2. After the signal verification unit verifies that the signals of the main control circuit and the backup control circuit are consistent, the main control circuit controls the main solenoid valve to start, so that the air circuit inflates or exhausts the brake air chamber; S3. When the first hard-wire signal is lost, the backup control circuit of the controller immediately takes over control and activates the backup solenoid valve; S4. If the air circuit is abnormal, the redundant control module will send out an audible and visual alarm signal to prompt the driver to manually operate the mechanical redundant switch to force parking.

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