Initialization and active adjustment of brake force distribution to optimize brake wear and performance

Abstract

A system for initializing and actively adjusting brake force distribution (BFD) in a host vehicle includes sensors, actuators, and a controller executing program code portions including a BFD application. The BFD application performs BFD offline optimization, calculates brake component real-time wear, performs brake component wear check, performs BFD mile interval adjustment based on brake component real-time wear and BFD offline optimization, selectively initiates an automatic trim mode of the BFD application, and selectively initiates a manual trim mode of the BFD application. The BFD application automatically compensates front-rear and left-right brake wear imbalance by adjusting the BFD of the host vehicle, thereby delaying brake service intervals, enabling longer service life of brake components, and maintaining and improving braking performance of the host vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to systems and methods for managing vehicle performance, and more specifically, to systems and methods for actively controlling vehicle braking performance. Braking systems typically have a fixed left-to-right and front-to-rear braking force distribution. Although such systems can be fine-tuned by adjusting control valves, such adjustments are generally not performed dynamically. Background Technology

[0002] While current systems and methods for managing brake force distribution in vehicles serve their intended purposes, there is a need in the art for systems and methods for initializing and actively adjusting brake force distribution to optimize brake component wear and performance, dynamically adjust front-rear and left-right brake force distribution during vehicle operation to optimize brake component wear based on vehicle operator usage patterns, and manually adjust brake force distribution based on vehicle operator preferences under specific driving conditions, while maintaining or reducing system complexity, improving reliability, and enhancing system reliability and redundancy. Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to several aspects of this disclosure, a system for initializing and actively adjusting brake force distribution (BFD) in a primary vehicle includes: a primary vehicle, one or more sensors, and one or more actuators. The one or more sensors and actuators are all integrated into the primary vehicle. The one or more sensors detect static and dynamic state information of the primary vehicle. The one or more actuators change the static and dynamic states of the primary vehicle. The system also includes a controller having a processor, memory, and input / output (I / O) ports. The I / O ports communicate with the one or more sensors and actuators. The processor executes a portion of program code stored in the memory. The program code portion contains a brake force distribution (BFD) application, which includes at least first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth control logic. The first control logic performs offline BFD optimization. The second control logic calculates real-time wear of brake components. The third control logic performs brake component wear checks. The fourth control logic performs mileage interval adjustments for BFD based on the real-time wear of brake components and the offline BFD optimization. The fifth control logic selectively activates an automatic trim mode for the BFD application. The sixth control logic selectively activates a manual trim mode for the BFD application. BFD (Brake Filtration) applications automatically compensate for brake wear imbalances between the front and rear, and left and right sides of the primary vehicle by adjusting the primary vehicle's BFD, thereby delaying the brake service interval, extending the service life of brake components, and maintaining and improving the primary vehicle's braking performance.

[0004] In another aspect of this disclosure, the first control logic further includes: control logic for determining the optimal or ideal BFD of the main vehicle. The optimal or ideal BFD defines the initial calibration of the BFD on one or more actuators in the braking system of the main vehicle. The optimal or ideal BFD follows predetermined boundaries, including predetermined driving performance boundaries and predetermined test procedures.

[0005] In another aspect of this disclosure, the second control logic further includes: control logic for obtaining brake component wear information from one or more sensors; and control logic for modeling brake component wear using a detailed model of the braking system, including predefined and adaptive expectations of front and rear brake thermal cooling performance, front and rear brake component wear characteristics, and road load loss.

[0006] In another aspect of this disclosure, the third control logic further includes control logic for performing brake component wear checks based on a calibration time interval and calibration master vehicle mileage. The calibration time interval further includes at least one of a predetermined time interval and an adjustable time interval. The calibration mileage interval further includes at least one of a predetermined master vehicle mileage interval and an adjustable master vehicle mileage interval.

[0007] In another aspect of this disclosure, the third control logic further includes: control logic for detecting brake component wear imbalance, including comparing a standardized wear amount with a calibrable threshold wear amount, and initiating a diagnostic process when it is determined that the standardized wear amount is greater than the calibrable threshold wear amount, informing the main vehicle operator of the brake component wear imbalance through one or more of visual, auditory and tactile feedback presented by the main vehicle's human-machine interface (HMI).

[0008] In another aspect of this disclosure, the fourth control logic further includes: control logic for determining that the measured or calculated brake component wear rate indicates a severe operating load cycle and that the brake component wear rate is higher than a predetermined normal or standard wear rate. The fourth control logic also includes control logic for increasing the frequency of brake component wear checks to a predetermined frequency; and control logic for increasing the frequency of BFD trim adjustment to a predetermined frequency.

[0009] In another aspect of this disclosure, the fifth control logic further includes: in automatic trim mode, determining that the braking request is below a calibration threshold, and trimming the BFD to compensate for wear imbalance when the braking request is determined to be below the calibration threshold. After determining that the braking request is not below the calibration threshold, the fifth control logic modulates the BFD back to the reference BFD.

[0010] In another aspect of this disclosure, the sixth control logic further includes: in manual trim mode, control logic that prompts the vehicle operator to manually select BFD via one or more HMIs of the vehicle, including: manually selecting front-rear BFD and manually selecting left-right BFD. Both front-rear and left-right BFD are subject to predefined driving performance limits to avoid excessive yaw rate and to avoid path deviation during braking.

[0011] In another aspect of this disclosure, the sixth control logic further includes: in manual trim mode, control logic that prompts the vehicle operator to select from at least one static BFD and one dynamic BFD.

[0012] In another aspect of this disclosure, static BFD also includes: control logic in static BFD that allows the vehicle operator to select static BFD via HMI, including static front-rear BFD and static left-right BFD; and control logic in dynamic BFD that allows the vehicle operator to select gain via HMI. The gain changes the left-right BFD according to the current primary vehicle steering control direction. A sixth control also includes control logic in static or dynamic BFD that keeps the BFD within predefined boundary conditions, the boundary conditions being related to at least one of the following: a predetermined primary vehicle usage scenario, including track, off-road, and maintenance / diagnostic purposes.

[0013] In another aspect of this disclosure, a method for initializing and actively adjusting brake force distribution (BFD) in a primary vehicle includes: detecting static and dynamic state information of the primary vehicle via one or more sensors integrated into the primary vehicle, and altering the static and dynamic states of the primary vehicle via one or more actuators integrated into the primary vehicle. The method further includes: executing a portion of program code stored in a controller memory via a processor of a controller, the controller also having one or more input / output (I / O) ports for communicating with one or more sensors and one or more actuators. The program code portion includes a brake force distribution (BFD) application containing control logic for: performing BFD offline optimization; calculating real-time wear of brake components; performing brake component wear checks; performing BFD mileage interval adjustments based on the real-time wear of brake components and the offline optimization of BFD; selectively activating an automatic trim mode of the BFD application; and selectively activating a manual trim mode of the BFD application. The method also includes automatically compensating for front-rear and left-right brake wear imbalances in the primary vehicle by adjusting the BFD of the primary vehicle, thereby delaying brake service intervals, extending the service life of brake components, and maintaining and improving the braking performance of the primary vehicle.

[0014] In another aspect of this disclosure, the method further includes: determining an optimized or ideal BFD for the primary vehicle. The optimized or ideal BFD defines the initial calibration of the BFD on one or more actuators in the braking system of the primary vehicle. The optimized or ideal BFD follows predetermined boundaries, including predetermined driving performance boundaries and predetermined test procedures.

[0015] In another aspect of this disclosure, the method further includes: obtaining brake component wear information from one or more sensors; and modeling brake component wear using a detailed model of the braking system, including predefined and adaptive expectations of front and rear brake thermal cooling performance, wear characteristics of front and rear brake components, and road load loss.

[0016] In another aspect of this disclosure, the method further includes performing a brake component wear check based on a calibration time interval and a calibration master vehicle mileage. The calibration time interval further includes at least one of a predetermined time interval and an adjustable time interval. The calibration mileage interval further includes at least one of a predetermined master vehicle mileage interval and an adjustable master vehicle mileage interval.

[0017] In another aspect of this disclosure, the method further includes: detecting brake component wear imbalance, including comparing a standardized wear amount with a calibrable threshold wear amount, and, when it is determined that the standardized wear amount is greater than the calibrable threshold wear amount, initiating a diagnostic process to inform the main vehicle operator of the brake component wear imbalance through one or more of visual, auditory, and tactile feedback presented by the main vehicle's human-machine interface (HMI).

[0018] In another aspect of this disclosure, the method further includes: determining that the measured or calculated wear rate of the brake components indicates a severe use load cycle and that the wear rate of the brake components is higher than a predetermined normal or standard wear rate; increasing the frequency of brake component wear inspection to a predetermined frequency for brake component wear inspection; and increasing the frequency of BFD trim adjustment to a predetermined frequency for BFD trim adjustment.

[0019] In another aspect of this disclosure, the method further includes: in automatic trim mode, determining that the braking request is below a calibration threshold, and trimming the BFD to compensate for wear imbalance when the braking request is determined to be below the calibration threshold. After determining that the braking request is not below the calibration threshold, the BFD is modulated back to the reference BFD.

[0020] In another aspect of this disclosure, the method further includes: in manual trim mode, prompting the vehicle operator to perform manual BFD selection via one or more HMIs of the vehicle, including: manually selecting front-rear BFD and manually selecting left-right BFD. Both front-rear and left-right BFD are subject to predefined driving performance limits to avoid excessive yaw rate and to avoid path deviation during braking.

[0021] In another aspect of this disclosure, the method further includes: in manual trim mode, prompting the vehicle operator to select from at least one static BFD and one dynamic BFD; and in static BFD, enabling the vehicle operator to select a static BFD via an HMI, including a static front-rear BFD and a static left-right BFD. The method further includes: in dynamic BFD, enabling the vehicle operator to select a gain via an HMI. The gain changes the left-right BFD according to the current primary vehicle steering control direction. In either static or dynamic BFD, the BFD is maintained within predefined boundary conditions, which are related to at least one of the following: a predetermined primary vehicle usage scenario, including track, off-road, and maintenance / diagnostic purposes.

[0022] In another aspect of this disclosure, a method for initializing and actively adjusting brake force distribution (BFD) in a master vehicle includes: detecting static and dynamic state information of the master vehicle via one or more sensors integrated into the master vehicle, and altering the static and dynamic states of the master vehicle via one or more actuators integrated into the master vehicle. The method further includes: executing a portion of program code stored in the memory of a controller via a processor of a controller, the controller also having one or more input / output (I / O) ports for communicating with one or more sensors and one or more actuators. The program code portion includes a brake force distribution (BFD) application containing control logic for: performing offline BFD optimization, including: determining an optimized or ideal BFD for the master vehicle. The optimized or ideal BFD defines an initial calibration of the BFD on one or more actuators in the braking system of the master vehicle. The optimized or ideal BFD follows predetermined boundaries, including predetermined driving performance boundaries and predetermined test procedures. The BFD application also includes control logic for: calculating real-time brake component wear, including: obtaining brake component wear information from one or more sensors; and modeling brake component wear using a detailed model of the braking system, including predefined and adaptive expectations of front and rear brake thermal cooling performance, front and rear brake component wear characteristics, and road load losses. The BFD application also includes control logic for: performing brake component wear checks, including: performing brake component wear checks based on calibration time intervals and calibrated master vehicle mileage. The calibration time interval includes at least one of a predetermined time interval and an adjustable time interval. The calibrated mileage interval includes at least one of a predetermined master vehicle mileage interval and an adjustable master vehicle mileage interval. The BFD application also includes control logic for: detecting brake component wear imbalances, including comparing a standardized wear amount with a calibrable threshold wear amount, and, when it is determined that the standardized wear amount is greater than the calibrable threshold wear amount, initiating a diagnostic process to inform the master vehicle operator of the brake component wear imbalance through one or more of visual, auditory, and tactile feedback presented by the master vehicle's human-machine interface (HMI). The BFD application also includes control logic for: performing BFD mileage interval adjustments, including: determining that measured or calculated brake component wear indicates severe usage load cycles and that the brake component wear rate is higher than a predetermined normal or standard wear rate; increasing the frequency of brake component wear checks to above a predetermined frequency; and increasing the frequency of BFD trim adjustments to above a predetermined frequency. The BFD application also includes control logic for: selectively enabling the BFD application's automatic trim mode, including: in automatic trim mode, determining that the braking demand is below a calibration threshold, and trimming the BFD to compensate for wear imbalances when the braking demand is determined to be below the calibration threshold. After determining that the braking demand is not below the calibration threshold, the BFD is modulated back to the reference BFD.The BFD application also includes control logic for selectively activating a manual trim mode of the BFD application, including: prompting the vehicle operator to manually select BFD via one or more HMIs in manual trim mode, including manually selecting front-rear BFD and manually selecting left-right BFD. Both front-rear and left-right BFDs are subject to predefined driving performance limits to avoid excessive yaw rate and path deviation during braking. In manual trim mode, the vehicle operator is prompted to select from at least one static BFD and one dynamic BFD. In static BFD, the vehicle operator selects a static BFD via the HMI, including static front-rear BFD and static left-right BFD; in dynamic BFD, the vehicle operator selects a gain via the HMI. The gain changes the left-right BFD according to the current primary vehicle steering control direction. BFD applications also include control logic for: maintaining BFD within predefined boundary conditions in static or dynamic BFD, the boundary conditions being related to at least one of the following: predetermined primary vehicle usage scenarios, including track, off-road, and maintenance / diagnostic purposes; and automatically compensating for front-rear and left-right brake wear imbalances of the primary vehicle by adjusting the primary vehicle's BFD, thereby delaying brake service intervals, extending the service life of brake components, and maintaining and improving the primary vehicle's braking performance.

[0023] Other applicable fields will be apparent from the description herein. It should be understood that this specification and specific embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0024] The accompanying drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure in any way.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a system for initializing and actively adjusting brake force distribution to optimize brake wear and performance, according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0026] Figure 2 This is a description based on an exemplary embodiment. Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating the logical flow of the system's braking force distribution application;

[0027] Figure 3 This is according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 2 The application of brake force distribution in offline brake pad wear simulation, graphs of front and rear brake pad wear relative to brake force distribution; and

[0028] Figure 4 According to an exemplary embodiment, the... Figure 2 A depiction of an exemplary graphical user interface as part of a braking force distribution application. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The following description is merely exemplary and is not intended to limit this disclosure, its application, or its uses.

[0030] like Figure 1 As shown, a speed curve adaptive system 10 based on maneuver prediction is illustrated for use in behavioral adaptive cruise control (ACC) 11. System 10 includes a vehicle 12. The main vehicle 12 is shown as a passenger car, but it should be understood that the main vehicle 12 can be any type of vehicle, including but not limited to: automobiles, trucks, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), vans, motorhomes, semi-trailer tractors, trailer trucks, delivery vehicles (including vehicles used in warehouses), tricycles, motorcycles, aircraft, amphibious vehicles, or other similar vehicles 12. Furthermore, without departing from the scope or spirit of this disclosure, the main vehicle 12 can also be an aircraft, a ship, or similar means of transportation.

[0031] System 10 also includes one or more sensors 14 arranged, attached to, or integrated on the host vehicle 12. Additional sensors 14 may be located at remote locations on the host vehicle 12 and transmit information to the host vehicle 12, as detailed below. The sensors 14 on the host vehicle 12 may include various sensor types, including but not limited to: electromagnetic (EM) sensors 14, such as cameras, infrared cameras, video cameras, LiDAR sensors, RADAR sensors, SONAR sensors, etc. In some examples, the cameras and / or other sensors 14 on the host vehicle 12 are equipped with an external field of view (FOV), and the data acquired by these cameras contains optical information about the operating environment of the host vehicle 12. In other, non-limiting examples, the cameras and / or other sensors 14 are oriented towards the interior of the host vehicle 12 or the passenger compartment, thereby providing information about the occupants and operators of the host vehicle 12. Additional sensors 14 may include, but are not limited to: inertial measurement unit (IMU) 16, semi-active damping suspension (SADS) sensor 18 and other suspension control units, global positioning system (GPS) sensor 22, wheel speed sensor 24 capable of measuring the rotational speed of one or more wheels 26 of the main vehicle 12, throttle and / or accelerator pedal position sensor 28, brake pedal position sensor 30, steering position sensor 32 capable of measuring the position / steering rate / steering speed of the steering system 34, tire pressure monitoring system 36, etc.

[0032] The inertial measurement unit 16 can measure parameters such as motion and acceleration of the host vehicle 12 in multiple degrees of freedom. In a specific example, the inertial measurement unit 16 can measure position, motion, acceleration, etc., in at least three degrees of freedom. Similarly, the SADS sensor 18 can be an IMU 16 capable of measuring three or more degrees of freedom. In some examples, the SADS 18 can be a suspension hub accelerometer or a similar device. Therefore, the sensors 14 of the host vehicle 12 can detect and record wheel speed data, the position and orientation of the host vehicle 12, and static and dynamic state information of the host vehicle 12 (such as speed, acceleration, etc.).

[0033] As used herein, the terms “forward,” “rearward,” “inner,” “inland,” “outer,” “outer,” “above,” and “below” are all relative to the orientation of the main vehicle 12 shown in the accompanying drawings of this application. Thus, “forward” refers to the direction toward the front of the vehicle 12, “rearward” refers to the direction toward the rear of the vehicle 12, “inner” and “inland” refer to the direction toward the interior of the vehicle 12 or the passenger compartment 38, “outer” and “outer” refer to the direction toward the exterior of the vehicle 12, “below” refers to the direction toward the bottom of the main vehicle 12, and “above” refers to the direction toward the top of the main vehicle 12.

[0034] System 10 also includes one or more controllers 40 that communicate with various sensors 14 of the host vehicle 12, process received information, and generate output signals to assist the vehicle operator 42 in maintaining focus and avoiding highway drowsiness or white line fever. The controllers 40 are integrated into the host vehicle 12. More specifically, the controllers 40 are non-general-purpose electronic control devices that include a pre-programmed digital computer or processor 44, non-transitory computer-readable medium or memory 46 for storing control logic, software applications, instructions, computer code, data lookup tables, and other data, and input / output (I / O) ports 48. The computer-readable medium or memory 46 includes any type of computer-accessible medium, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), hard disk drive, optical disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), or any other type of memory. The “non-transitory” computer-readable memory 46 does not include wired, wireless, optical, or other communication links for transmitting temporary electrical or other signals. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device 46 includes a medium for permanently storing data and a medium for storing data that can be overwritten subsequently, such as a rewritable optical disc or an erasable storage device. The computer code includes various types of program code, including source code, object code, and executable code. A processor 44 is configured to execute the code or instructions. The main vehicle 12 may also be equipped with other controllers 40, such as a dedicated Wi-Fi controller, an engine control module, a transmission control module, a body control module, an infotainment control module, etc. I / O ports 48 can be configured to communicate via wired communication or wireless communication methods such as Wi-Fi protocols based on the IEEE 802.11x standard, without departing from the scope or spirit of this disclosure.

[0035] The controller 40 also includes one or more applications 50. An application 50 is a software program configured to perform a specific function or set of functions. An application 50 may contain one or more computer programs, software components, instruction sets, procedures, functions, objects, classes, instances, related data, or portions thereof, adapted to be implemented in a suitable computer-readable program code form. Applications 50 may be stored in memory 46 or in additional or separate memory 46. Examples of applications 50 include audio or video streaming services, games, browsers, social media, etc. In other examples, applications 50 are used to manage the body control system functions of the main vehicle 12; brake force distribution, suspension control system 54 functions; steering control system 56 functions; powertrain control system 58 functions, including transmission 59 and / or engine 60 control system functions; braking system 62 control functions, or similar situations in the exemplary main vehicle 12. More specifically, the main vehicle 12 is equipped with a variety of control systems that manage the static and dynamic performance characteristics of the main vehicle 12 through a plurality of on-board actuators 64 equipped on the main vehicle 12.

[0036] Actuator 64 may take any of a variety of different forms and manage multiple independent and / or interconnected main vehicle 12 control systems without departing from the scope or spirit of this disclosure. It will be understood that actuator 64 may be electric, hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanical, electromechanical, electrohydraulic, electro-hydraulic, magnetorheological, hydropneumatic, electromagnetic, and / or a combination of any of the foregoing types of actuable devices for altering one or more static and / or dynamic performance characteristics of the main vehicle 12.

[0037] In some non-limiting examples, the suspension control system 54 includes one or more suspension system actuators 64, such as active or semi-active shock absorbers 66. These actuators are capable of altering the damping forces transmitted from the wheels 26 of the main vehicle 12 to the body 68 when the main vehicle 12 is traveling on a road surface. The actuators of the steering control system 56 may include electric motors, electro-hydraulic, electrical, or other similar motors or steering actuators 70 that apply torque to the steering shaft 72 or steering rack 74 of the main vehicle 12, thereby changing the direction of travel of the main vehicle 12 by altering the position or angular orientation of the steerable wheels 26 of the main vehicle 12. In contrast, the on-board actuators 64 of the transmission 59 or engine 60 control system may include the transmission 59 or engine 60 itself and / or actuators within it that can alter the torque output or torque ratio of the engine 60 or transmission 59, etc. In some non-limiting transmission 59 or engine 60 control systems, actuator 76 may include: a throttle valve or electronic throttle valve 78 capable of changing the torque output of engine 60, a transmission actuator 80 capable of changing the gear ratio and altering the output torque of engine 60 transmitted via transmission 59, and similar devices. It should also be understood that, although Figure 1The main vehicle 12 shown is equipped with an internal combustion engine (ICE) 60, but the engine 60 can be any type of engine 60 or prime mover, such as an internal combustion engine 60, an electric motor, a modulated power engine 60, a combination thereof, or any other known type of engine 60, without departing from the scope or intent of this disclosure. Similarly, the actuator 64 of the braking system 62 includes a brake 82 of the main vehicle 12 capable of selectively reducing the rotational speed of the wheels 26 of the main vehicle 12, thereby changing the speed of the main vehicle 12 itself. It should be understood that the brake 82 can include a variety of different types of brakes 82, including but not limited to: disc brakes having brake discs that frictionally interact with brake calipers, drum brakes having brake shoes that frictionally interact with brake drums, electronic braking systems including electric motors that can electromagnetically rotate or prevent rotation to slow the wheels 26 of the main vehicle 12, etc.

[0038] The main vehicle 12 can operate in any of a variety of different modes, including a fully manual mode in which the vehicle operator 42 has full control over the static and dynamic performance characteristics of the main vehicle 12. In other non-limiting examples, the main vehicle 12 can operate in a fully or semi-autonomous mode, which controls some or all of the static and dynamic performance of the main vehicle 12. Specifically, the system 10 described herein is mounted on a main vehicle 12 equipped with an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) 84, which controls the adaptive cruise control (ACC) 11 function, steering, braking, and various other control functions of the main vehicle 12's onboard systems.

[0039] In other non-limiting examples, the braking system 62 of the main vehicle 12 may include a variety of different and / or interrelated functions, such as brake force distribution (BFD), which can change the amount of braking force applied to each wheel 20 of the main vehicle 12. The braking system 62 may include one or more central actuators that use hydraulic pumps and / or manually generated hydraulic pressure to control the flow of brake fluid in the braking system 62 of the main vehicle 12 to different brakes 82 or braking angles. The direction of brake fluid flow to each brake caliper can be regulated by manual and / or electronic controls, using various valves, valve bodies, and other components. In other non-limiting embodiments, each brake 82 may be actuated independently, in conjunction with other brakes 82, or in other similar ways via electromechanical brake calipers. In these electromechanical examples (though not limited to), the system 10 can adaptively optimize BFD for specific usage scenarios, such as specific surfaces, specific track applications, or other high-performance or high-load cycle applications.

[0040] For reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 And continue to refer to Figure 1The application of Brakeforce Distribution (BFD) in System 10 will be described in more detail 52. Specifically, Figure 2 The logical operation flow of BFD application 52 is illustrated in flowchart form. BFD application 52 is an application 50 stored in memory 46 and executed by processor 44 of controller 40, used to adaptively adjust the control function of braking system 62. Specifically, BFD application 52 uses data from sensor 14 and vehicle operator 42 preference data to adjust the BFD profile of the main vehicle 12, while providing vehicle operator 42 with the ability to adjust braking performance preferences, thereby changing the performance of the main vehicle 12.

[0041] BFD application 52 begins at box 100 and performs offline optimization. It is understood that maintaining uniform wear life for braking components provides optimal or maximum long-term wear and life for the components of braking system 62, reducing the likelihood of braking system 62 failure from a first-level to a second-level below-first-level, and reducing the likelihood of problems such as vehicle operator complaints 42. Therefore, the offline optimization at box 100 employs a detailed model of braking system 62, including predefined and adaptive expectations of front and rear brake thermal and cooling performance, wear characteristics of front and rear braking components (i.e., brake pads, brake shoes, brake discs, brake drums), and road load losses (such as tire rolling resistance, chassis and drivetrain friction losses, and air resistance) to optimize front and rear braking force distribution. In other respects, the offline optimization at box 100 further optimizes the front and rear braking force distribution to achieve uniform wear life under a target service life (such as the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) or similar procedures). Figure 3 In the additional non-limiting example shown, graph 200 depicts scan plots of front brake pad wear 202 and rear brake pad wear 204 relative to BFD, simulated via offline brake pad wear, where the intersection of the two curves forms an optimized or idealized point 206. This idealized or optimized point 206 is used as the initial calibration in the BFD application 52. The idealized or optimized point 206 is selected to ensure compliance with safety and driving performance boundary requirements.

[0042] Refer again Figure 2 And continue to refer to Figure 1 and Figure 3 At box 102, BFD application 52 measures and / or calculates brake pad wear in real time. Brake pad wear can be measured directly or indirectly by sensor 18 of vehicle 12, or determined by known usage parameters such as the number and / or frequency of high-performance driving (e.g., track days, highway driving, etc.). In more examples, brake pad wear can be predicted and / or measured in real time at box 104 using onboard or offline wear models, sensor 18, etc.

[0043] At box 106, the BFD application 52 performs a brake pad wear check after reaching a predetermined and / or calibrable calibration mileage, and / or after a predefined and / or calibrable calibration time interval. That is, within periodic (calibration) intervals, the brake pad wear of each brake 82 is compared to determine at least the following: the system average wear (e.g., the average of the four braking angles in a four-wheeled vehicle), and the wear of each braking angle, normalized to the average wear. A value greater than 1 for brake 82 indicates a wear rate exceeding the average wear rate, while a value less than 1 indicates a wear rate below the average wear rate.

[0044] At box 108, the BFD application 52 also performs wear imbalance diagnostics. When excessive wear imbalance is detected, i.e., when the normalized wear exceeds a calibrable wear threshold, a diagnostic procedure is initiated to notify the vehicle operator 42 of the excessive wear imbalance. The diagnostic process may include a variety of different functions, depending on the specific master vehicle 12 and application scenario. However, it should be understood that the diagnostic process typically informs the vehicle operator 42 of BFD problems or BFD status through visual, auditory, and / or tactile feedback provided by a human-machine interface (HMI), including in-vehicle infotainment systems, head-up displays (HUDs), audio systems, or other similar interfaces of the master vehicle 12. In other non-limiting examples, the diagnostic process may forward information to a back-end server 86, a repair shop, or similar institution, and / or update the vehicle operator 42 via mobile device messages, emails, or direct mail, thereby prompting the vehicle operator 42 to initiate a repair appointment to repair and / or replace components of the braking system 62 (i.e., brake pads, brake discs, brake shoes, brake drums, etc.).

[0045] Subsequently, at box 110, the BFD application 52 performs mileage interval adjustment. When the measured and / or calculated wear rate of braking components (such as brake pads, brake shoes, brake discs, and / or brake drums) is higher than the predetermined normal or standard wear rate (e.g., under severe operating load cycles), the frequency of brake component (such as brake pads, brake shoes, brake discs, and / or brake drums) wear inspection and BFD trim adjustment needs to be increased beyond the predetermined normal and / or standard wear inspection and / or BFD trim adjustment frequency, and the mileage interval between the two inspections is shortened accordingly.

[0046] At box 112, BFD application 52 enters BFD trim mode. In BFD trim mode, BFD application 52 adaptively and automatically trims to compensate for uneven wear of the left-to-right (i.e., from left to right) braking components of the master vehicle 12, within predetermined limits. Predefined limits may include qualitative and quantitative limits based on avoiding wheel 20 lock-up tendency, front axle 88 and / or rear axle 90 lock-up tendency, and compliance with regulatory or standardized parameters such as MVSS105, MVSS135, second zone balancing, and ECR 13. In other respects, predefined limits may include boundary conditions such as driving performance considerations. For example, driving performance considerations may include avoiding excessive yaw rate and / or path deviation during braking. When tire wear becomes extremely unbalanced between left-to-right and / or front-to-rear, exceeding qualitative or quantitative limits, BFD application 52 alerts the driver and may simultaneously send an alert notification to the back-end server 86 or service provider as described above. When driving on normal roads, the BFD trim mode of system 10 and BFD application 52 is limited to the aforementioned predetermined range. However, it should be noted that under certain off-road conditions, the vehicle operator 42 may wish to exceed the predetermined range to change the BFD.

[0047] In some other non-limiting examples, at box 112, the BFD application 52 receives information from sensor 14 of the braking system 62 indicating that the brake 82 on the front axle 88 of the main vehicle 12 operates at a significantly higher temperature than the brake on the rear axle 90. When the brake 82 operates at high temperatures, wear on the brake 82 may be accelerated. Depending on factors such as materials and components, in one non-limiting example, the brake 82 on the front axle 88 may operate at a higher temperature than the brake on the rear axle 90, and the linear wear of the brake pads on the front axle 88 brake 82 is expected to be up to three times (3x) that of the rear axle 90 brake 82. The initial maintenance of the brake 82 (such as replacement of worn parts) is expected to be performed, for example, at 36,000 km without intervention from the BFD application 52. Because the BFD application 52 adaptively adjusts the braking force distribution between the front axle 88 and the rear axle 90 brakes 82, the wear on the brake 82 can be significantly reduced from a first level to a second level far below the first level, correspondingly extending the maintenance interval. For example, BFD application 52 can provide maintenance intervals of up to 58,000 kilometers or longer, instead of 36,000 kilometers. By utilizing BFD application 52 to adaptively adjust BFD to delay the maintenance of brake 82, the brake 82 components can have a longer service life, thereby reducing maintenance requirements, costs, and customer satisfaction while maintaining and / or improving the braking performance of the main vehicle 12.

[0048] In some non-limiting examples, at box 114, the vehicle operator 42 can manually adjust the BFD of the master vehicle 12. Manual adjustment allows the vehicle operator 42 to adjust the BFD so that the master vehicle 12 operates dynamically in a desired manner under specific predetermined conditions. That is, the vehicle operator 42 may wish to adjust the BFD beyond predetermined limits during traction braking in track performance driving, during rally off-road driving, or similar situations to increase the rotational amplitude of the master vehicle 12. Therefore, as long as the vehicle operator 42 acknowledges, recognizes, and understands the inherent risks of operating the master vehicle 12 with the BFD exceeding predetermined limits (the system 10 will then alert the vehicle operator 42 to this), the master vehicle 12 can at least temporarily be manually operated beyond the predefined BFD limits.

[0049] In box 116, the BFD application 52 automatically trims or adjusts the front-rear and left-right BFD of the master vehicle 12. More specifically, the front-rear braking force distribution is “trimmed” through calibrable, small-amplitude adjustments that are inversely proportional to the degree of wear imbalance detected. The trim amount is monitored by calibrable limits to ensure that the brake following distance (BFD) is always within a predetermined “safe” range for the master vehicle 12. The boundaries of the allowable adjustment range are set to ensure that the master vehicle 12 always meets symmetry requirements (e.g., ECE R13H standards), thereby maintaining braking performance in compliance with global regulations (e.g., FMVSS 105, FMVSS 135, ECE R13, and R13H), while ensuring that the stability performance of the master vehicle 12 meets FMVSS 126 standards. The boundaries may also be constrained by the aforementioned driving performance considerations and limitations, namely: avoiding excessive yaw rate and / or path deviation during braking.

[0050] More specifically, in block 118, the BFD application 52 performs further automatic trimming based on received braking requests (i.e., deceleration) exceeding a calibration threshold. When it is determined that the braking torque request exceeds the calibration threshold, the braking torque request is modulated at block 120 to an alternative control method suitable for a higher deceleration level. Modulating the braking torque request may include reverting to the baseline BFD, switching to an alternative control method, such as temperature control, traction distribution control, or similar methods, during a smooth modulation transition. However, when in block 118, the BFD application 52 determines that the braking torque request does not exceed the calibration threshold, the BFD application 52 proceeds to block 122 and trims the BFD to compensate for potential brake 82 wear imbalances, before returning to block 106 again.

[0051] Referring again to box 112, once the manual trim mode is initialized, the BFD application 52 will enter box 114 and subsequently box 124, where the vehicle operator 42 can request either static or dynamic BFD trim in manual trim mode. In manual trim mode, the vehicle operator 42 can select "static" BFD, which will remain unchanged until the system 10 returns to automatic trim mode after the operator's selection or after a predetermined time / distance threshold is reached. Alternatively, in the manual trim mode, the vehicle operator 42 can select "dynamic" BFD, which causes the brake force distribution and / or balance to respond to steering inputs, thereby assisting the vehicle operator 42 in steering the vehicle under dynamic driving conditions.

[0052] After selecting "Static" BFD in manual trim mode, the system immediately prompts the vehicle operator 42 in box 126 to manually select BFD through one or more human-machine interfaces (e.g., graphical user interface GUI 300) of the vehicle. Now refer to Figure 4 And continue to refer to Figure 1-3 The diagram illustrates a non-limiting but exemplary graphical user interface 300 for manual BFD selection. Manual BFD selection 300 may include front-back 302 and left-right 304 distribution selections, which are supervised and maintained within predefined boundary conditions as described above. In this non-limiting example, the GUI 300 for manually selecting BFD distributions may be displayed in a variety of different ways, including screen knobs, sliders, etc.

[0053] In manual trim mode, to enter "Dynamic" BFD (box 128), the vehicle operator 42 must select "Dynamic Trim" or a similar option in the main vehicle's human-machine interface (HMI). When the "Dynamic Trim" function in manual BFD application 52 is selected, system 10 allows for gain selection. The gain changes the left-right BFD based on the current steering control direction obtained from the steering wheel angle sensor (SAS) or other similar steering position sensor 32. Trim is again constrained within predefined boundary conditions. Pre-defined boundary conditions or limitations may be associated with specific operating modes of the main vehicle 12, which are designed for predetermined use cases, such as “track mode” (e.g., allowing a more aggressive unilateral offset setting on an elliptical track), “off-road / military mode” (allowing up to 100% left and right offset at extremely low speeds to simplify steering of the main vehicle 12), and “maintenance / diagnosis mode” (e.g., allowing performance problems of the braking system 82 or associated systems to be isolated by axle, side, or specific vehicle angles (i.e., front left, front right, rear left, and / or rear right).

[0054] The system 10 described in this disclosure for initializing and actively adjusting brake force distribution (BFD) to optimize brake wear and performance 82 has several advantages. These include utilizing data from sensor 14 and vehicle operator 42 preference data to adjust the BFD curve of the primary vehicle 12, while providing the vehicle operator 42 with the ability to adjust braking performance preferences, thereby adjusting the performance of the primary vehicle 12. More broadly, the system 10 of this disclosure can initialize and actively, dynamically, and automatically adjust brake force distribution to optimize the wear and performance of brake 82 components, dynamically adjust front-rear and left-right brake force distribution during vehicle operation, optimize the wear of brake 82 components according to the vehicle operator 42's usage patterns, and allow manual adjustment of brake force distribution based on the primary vehicle operator 42's preferences under certain driving conditions, while maintaining or reducing system complexity, improving reliability, and enhancing system reliability and redundancy.

[0055] The descriptions in this disclosure are merely exemplary, and any modifications that do not depart from the spirit and scope of this disclosure are within its protection. Such modifications should not be considered as departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A system for initializing and actively adjusting brake force distribution (BFD) in a primary vehicle, the system comprising: Main vehicle; One or more sensors are integrated into the main vehicle, and the one or more sensors detect static and dynamic status information of the main vehicle; One or more actuators integrated into the main vehicle, the one or more actuators changing the static and dynamic states of the main vehicle; A controller having a processor, memory, and input / output (I / O) ports communicating with the one or more sensors and the one or more actuators, wherein the processor executes a portion of program code stored in the memory, the program code containing a Braking Force Distribution (BFD) application, the application including: The first control logic is used to perform BFD offline optimization; The second control logic is used to calculate the real-time wear of the braking components; The third control logic is used to perform brake component wear checks; The fourth control logic is used to perform BFD mileage interval adjustment based on the real-time wear of the braking components and the offline optimization of the BFD; The fifth control logic is used to selectively activate the automatic trim mode of the BFD application; and The sixth control logic is used to selectively activate the manual trim mode of the BFD application, wherein the BFD application automatically compensates for the front-rear and left-right brake wear imbalance of the master vehicle by adjusting the BFD of the master vehicle, thereby delaying the brake service interval, giving the brake components a longer service life, and maintaining and improving the braking performance of the master vehicle.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein, The first control logic further includes: The control logic for the optimized or ideal BFD of the main vehicle is determined, wherein the optimized or ideal BFD defines the initial calibration of the BFD on one or more actuators in the braking system of the main vehicle, wherein the optimized or ideal BFD follows predetermined boundaries, including predetermined driving performance boundaries and predetermined test procedures.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein, The second control logic also includes: Control logic for obtaining brake component wear information from the one or more sensors; and Control logic for modeling brake component wear using a detailed model of the braking system includes predefined and adaptive expectations of front and rear brake thermal cooling performance, wear characteristics of front and rear brake components, and road load loss.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein, The third control logic also includes: Control logic for performing brake component wear checks based on calibration time intervals and calibration master vehicle mileage, wherein: The calibration time interval further includes at least one of a predetermined time interval and an adjustable time interval; wherein: The calibration mileage interval also includes at least one of a predetermined master vehicle mileage interval and an adjustable master vehicle mileage interval.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein, The third control logic also includes: Control logic for detecting wear imbalance of braking components includes comparing a standardized wear amount with a calibrable threshold wear amount, and when it is determined that the standardized wear amount is greater than the calibrable threshold wear amount, initiating a diagnostic process, and informing the main vehicle operator of the wear imbalance of the braking components through one or more of the visual, auditory and tactile feedback presented by the main vehicle's human-machine interface (HMI).

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein, The fourth control logic also includes: Control logic for determining that the measured or calculated wear rate of brake components indicates severe usage load cycles and that the wear rate of the brake components is higher than a predetermined normal or standard wear rate; and Control logic that increases the frequency of brake component wear inspection to a predetermined frequency; and Control logic that increases the frequency of BFD trim adjustment to above the predetermined frequency of BFD trim adjustment.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein, The fifth control logic also includes: In the automatic trim mode, if the braking request is determined to be lower than the calibration threshold, the BFD is trimmed to compensate for wear imbalance when the braking request is determined to be lower than the calibration threshold; and if the braking request is determined to be not lower than the calibration threshold, the BFD is modulated back to the control logic of the reference BFD.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein, The sixth control logic also includes: In the manual trim mode, the control logic that prompts the vehicle operator to manually select BFD via one or more HMIs of the vehicle includes: Manually select front-to-rear BFD, and Manually select left-right BFD, where both front-rear and left-right BFD are subject to predefined driving performance limits to avoid excessive yaw rate and path deviation during braking.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein, The sixth control logic also includes: In the manual trim mode, the control logic prompts the vehicle operator to select from at least one static BFD and one dynamic BFD.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein, The static BFD also includes: In the static BFD, the vehicle operator selects the static BFD via the HMI, including control logic for static front-rear BFD and static left-right BFD; and In the dynamic BFD, control logic allows the vehicle operator to select the gain via the HMI, wherein the gain changes the left-right BFD according to the current master vehicle steering control direction; and In the static BFD or the dynamic BFD, there is control logic that keeps the BFD within predefined boundary conditions, which are related to at least one of the following: a predetermined primary vehicle use scenario, including track, off-road, and maintenance / diagnostic purposes.

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