Brake system control device, system for controlling a brake system, and method for controlling a brake system

Abstract

The present invention relates to the control of braking systems, in particular brake-by-wire systems, and for this purpose, besides a purely local calculation of parameters for converting braking requests into control commands for brake actuators, it is also contemplated to calculate the parameters by a remote processing device, for example on the cloud, which allows offloading the locally required hardware.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a brake system control device, a system for controlling a brake system, and a method for controlling a brake system, and in particular to the control of a system in a motor vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Braking systems for vehicles, particularly automobiles such as passenger cars or freight vehicles, can be implemented as electrohydraulic braking systems. Such braking systems typically have a master brake cylinder including an actuator piston, which can be manually actuated directly or via a brake booster. The hydraulic pressure generated in the master brake cylinder is then directed to boost the brake pressure of the wheel brakes.

[0003] The use of so-called brake-by-wire systems is also increasing. Such systems are described, for example, in Patent Document 1. In this braking system, hydraulic pressure is generated in the simulator device by the actuation of a master brake cylinder. The pressure generated by the master brake cylinder is detected, and a target brake pressure is determined based on the detected pressure. This target brake pressure is adjusted in an active circuit for actuation of the wheel brakes by a pressure generator having an electric motor and a positive displacement piston that can be moved by the electric motor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] German Patent Application Publication No. 102011079454 Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention provides a device for controlling a braking system, a system for controlling a braking system and a method for controlling a braking system having the features of the independent claims. Further advantageous embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0006] In response to this, A control device for a brake system is proposed, which has a processor and a wireless interface. The processor is designed to receive data from a setpoint generator. The processor is further designed to determine a control command for a brake actuator. The control command can be determined, in particular, using the data received from the setpoint generator and the control data. The processor is further designed to output the determined control command for the brake actuator. The wireless interface is designed to receive control data, in particular control data for determining the control command, from a remote processing device.

[0007] moreover, A system for controlling a brake system in a motor vehicle is proposed, comprising a control device according to the invention and a processing device remote from the motor vehicle. In this case, the control device is arranged in the motor vehicle. The processing device is designed to receive data from a wireless interface of the control device in the motor vehicle. The processing device is further designed to generate, i.e., calculate, control data using the received data. The processing device is further designed to transmit the generated control data to the wireless interface of the control device in the motor vehicle.

[0008] lastly, A method for controlling a braking system in a motor vehicle is contemplated. The method comprises receiving control data for a braking process. The control data can be received, inter alia, from a remote processing device via a wireless communication connection. The method further comprises receiving data from a local setpoint generator. The local setpoint generator can be, for example, a sensor for detecting a current position of a brake pedal. The method further comprises determining a control command for a brake actuator. Determining the control command for the brake actuator can be performed, inter alia, using data received from the setpoint generator and the control data from the remote processing device. Finally, the method can comprise outputting the determined control command to the brake actuator.

[0009] In modern braking systems, particularly brake-by-wire systems, the vehicle's braking request can be provided by a target value generator as a digital or, in some cases, analog signal and transmitted to a control unit via a communication connection. For example, a sensor can detect the current position of the brake pedal and provide a signal corresponding to the brake pedal position, which is transmitted to the control unit via a communication connection. Additionally or alternatively, the braking request can be generated by a component of a system for fully or at least partially autonomous driving and transmitted to the control unit of the braking system.

[0010] The brake system control device then processes the received brake request, for example in the form of a current brake pedal position or in any other form, to determine control commands for the brake system actuators and output these control commands to the corresponding actuators, thereby controlling the brake system actuators in such a way that the brake pressure of the brake system corresponding to the received request can be increased.

[0011] The present invention is based on the recognition that the processing of the brake request right up to the output of the corresponding control command for the brake actuator is very important. Therefore, a very high level of fail-safety and redundancy must be ensured in this case. However, this is associated with a great deal of effort and cost.

[0012] The idea of ​​the present invention is therefore to take this recognition into account and to provide a control device for a brake system, in particular a brake-by-wire system, which can ensure a high degree of operational safety with as little local effort as possible. For this purpose, the invention provides that, in addition to a purely local processing of the setpoint values ​​of the received brake request for generating control commands for the brake actuators, a processing path is also provided, in which data processing can be at least partly performed by a remote processing device.

[0013] The remote processing device can be, for example, a remote server, for example a server or server structure in the cloud. In this case, data exchange between the local control device of the brake system and the remote processing device can take place via a wireless communication connection, for example via a mobile radio connection. However, in principle, any other wireless communication connection is also possible, in particular a radio connection with as low a latency as possible.

[0014] Therefore, by utilizing remote resources for processing brake requests, the hardware effort required locally in the vehicle can be minimized. For example, if a remote infrastructure is primarily used for processing brake requests, it is sufficient to provide a fallback level for processing brake requests in the vehicle, which can ensure sufficient safety of the processing of brake requests even in the event of an outage or failure of the communication connection with the remote processing device.

[0015] In addition to simplifying the necessary local systems in the vehicle, at least partial data processing by a remote processing device for controlling the vehicle's brake system can open up other advantageous possibilities. For example, a more powerful hardware infrastructure can be provided for data processing in the remote processing device, which can perform complex calculations very efficiently. This can potentially increase the accuracy and / or speed of processing the corresponding data. Furthermore, the remote processing device can potentially use additional resources, such as databases. For example, user-specific data can be stored and prepared in advance in the remote processing device. This can, for example, allow the vehicle's braking behavior to be adapted according to such user-specific conditions. This makes it possible, for example, to provide the user with at least approximately the same or similar braking behavior for the respective vehicle even when replacing the vehicle. For example, manufacturer-specific conditions can also be easily adapted later in the central remote processing device, without having to return the entire vehicle to the factory for a software update.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the wireless interface is designed to transmit operational data of the brake system to the remote processing device. This operational data can be, for example, technical data of the brake system or of its components. For example, information such as the current temperature of the brake system components or detected error messages can be transmitted to the remote processing device. Furthermore, information such as calibration data of the respective brake system, which is stored, for example, locally in the vehicle, can be transmitted to the remote processing device. This allows the remote processing device to adapt its processing as accurately as possible to the respective brake system.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the wireless interface is designed to transmit user-specific data to the remote processing device. The user-specific data can be, for example, an identifier for the respective user / driver. This allows the remote processing device to easily identify the respective user and adapt the data processing to the respective user. For example, a previously specified and stored user profile can be read from a database in the remote processing device and taken into account during data processing. This allows the vehicle's braking behavior to be individually adapted to the user. In this way, individually adapted braking characteristic profiles can be implemented for different users in the same vehicle. Furthermore, in this way, it is also possible to provide the user with the same, or at least nearly the same, braking characteristics in each vehicle used in the case of vehicle swaps. This prevents the user from having to adapt to significantly different braking characteristics when swapping vehicles.

[0018] In addition to transmitting a user identifier for the user's identification in the remote processing device, it is also possible for the user to specify his or her preferences in the vehicle, in which case user conditions can be transmitted via the wireless interface to the remote processing device, so that the remote processing device can take these user-specific conditions into account.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the processor is designed to determine first data for a brake actuator control command using control data received from the wireless interface. The processor can further be designed to determine second data for the brake actuator control command using the local control data. The processor can further be designed to output the first data for the brake actuator control command if a difference between the first data and the second data for the control command is below a predetermined threshold. Alternatively, if a difference between the first data and the second data exceeds a predetermined threshold, a control command can be generated and output based on the locally determined second data. In this way, the validity of the control data from the remote processing device can be checked. If an excessively large difference is identified between the locally determined data and the data from the remote processing device, the data received from the remote processing device is discarded and control is performed based on the locally determined data. On the other hand, if the data from the remote processing device is validated, typically more accurate data from the remote processing device can be used.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the processor is designed to monitor the communication connection between the wireless interface and the remote processing device. In this case, the processor may further be designed to output second data for a brake actuator control command if a failure in the communication connection between the wireless interface and the remote processing device is detected. In this case, the communication connection check may be performed by any suitable measures. For example, the time period between the transmission of data from the local wireless interface to the remote processing device and the reception of a response from the remote processing device may be determined. If this time period exceeds a predetermined limit, this may indicate a possible failure in the communication connection. Furthermore, any other measures for checking the communication connection are also possible. In this case, the locally determined data may be used if a failure in the communication connection is detected.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the processor is designed to determine a signal propagation time between the wireless interface and the remote processing device and to determine a control command for the brake actuator using the determined signal propagation time. By monitoring the signal propagation time, on the one hand, possible failures in the communication connection can be identified. Furthermore, based on the determined signal propagation time, possible delays can also be taken into account and the control of the brake actuator can be adapted accordingly.

[0022] According to one embodiment, the processor is designed to monitor the local determination of the brake actuator control command. Furthermore, if a malfunction is detected during the local determination, the processor can be designed to determine the control data for the brake actuator control command using the control data of the wireless interface. In this case, the local hardware is primarily used to determine the brake actuator control command. However, if an error is detected in the local hardware, for example due to a software error or a memory access error, processing in a remote processing device can be used as redundancy.

[0023] The above-described embodiments and developments can be combined with each other in any way, provided that this is reasonable. Other embodiments, developments and implementations of the invention also include implicit combinations of the features described above or below with respect to the exemplary embodiments of the invention. Those skilled in the art will in particular add individual aspects as improvements or additions to the respective basic aspects of the invention. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a block diagram of a system for controlling a braking system according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] 2 is a flow chart that is the basis of a method for controlling a braking system according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] Other features and advantages of the present invention will be explained below with reference to the drawings.

[0026] 1 shows a schematic block diagram of a system for controlling a braking system according to one embodiment. The braking system includes, among other things, a target value generator 10 that provides a target value corresponding to a braking request. The target value generator 10 can be, for example, a sensor that provides a digital, or possibly analog, sensor value corresponding to the position of a brake pedal in the vehicle. The sensor value can be transmitted to a control device 20 via a communication connection, for example, a data bus. In addition to or instead of data regarding the position of the brake pedal in the vehicle, a system for fully or at least partially autonomous driving can also generate a braking request and provide this braking request to the control device 20. Again, transmission of the braking request can be via a suitable communication connection, for example, a data bus.

[0027] The control device 20 calculates a brake actuator control command from the received braking request and outputs this control command to the brake actuator 30. In accordance with the control command, the brake actuator 30 can, for example, increase the corresponding brake pressure of the brake system, thereby decelerating a vehicle equipped with this brake system in accordance with the braking request. For example, a braking process can be simulated to determine the control command. Such a simulation can, for example, generate control data that can be used to determine the command for the brake actuator 30.

[0028] To calculate the control commands for the brake actuators 30, the control device 20 can use, for example, local hardware, implemented, for example, in the processor 21 of the control device 20. Since the conversion of the braking request into a suitable control command for the brake actuators 30 is very important, sufficient fail-safety and redundancy must be guaranteed.

[0029] Therefore, besides a purely local calculation of the control commands for the brake actuators 30, an at least partially outsourced calculation in the remote processing device 100 is also possible. For this purpose, the local control device 20 of the brake system is provided with a wireless interface 22. Via this wireless interface 22, the control device 20 can transmit data to the remote processing device 100 and receive data from the remote processing device 100. For this purpose, the wireless interface 22 can utilize, for example, a communication connection based on a suitable mobile radio standard. In principle, however, any other standardized or proprietary wireless communication connection is also possible.

[0030] For example, the control device 20 can transmit data to the remote processing device 100 via the wireless interface 22. The remote processing device 100 then calculates control data for the brake system based on the data transmitted from the control device 20 and transmits the calculated control data to the control device 20. The wireless interface 22 of the control device 20 can receive this data and provide it to, for example, a processor 21 in the control device 20. The processor 21 can then use this control data from the remote processing device 100 to determine control commands for the brake actuator 30 and provide them to the brake actuator. In this way, at least part of the data processing can be outsourced from the local control device 20 to the remote processing device 100. This allows the hardware required for the control device 20 to be implemented correspondingly more simply and inexpensively. For example, if the calculation of the control data is mainly outsourced to the external processing device 100, it is sufficient to reserve the possibility of simple redundant processing in the local control device 20, in particular the processor 21. This can continue to ensure reliable determination of the control data even if the remote processing device 100 or the communication connection between the wireless interface 22 and the remote processing device 100 is lost.

[0031] For example, the remote processing device 100 can generate control data that correspond to the current state of the characteristic curve or the relationship between the received target values ​​and the control of the brake actuator 30. These control data can be dynamically adapted in each case according to the current conditions. This dynamic adaptation can then take place, for example, in the remote processing device 100.

[0032] For example, the control data can be adapted depending on current operating parameters, such as the temperature of the brake system, detected faults or error messages, etc. For this purpose, the processor 20 can for example have a suitable interface, which receives the respective operating parameters and then forwards them to the remote processing device 100.

[0033] Furthermore, it is possible, for example, to individually adapt the control data to the user. For example, the user can specify his or her preferences, such as a firmer, more direct braking response or a somewhat softer response. For this purpose, for example, a user interface (not shown) can be provided, via which the user can specify his or her preferences. These user inputs can also be transmitted to the remote processing device 100 via the wireless interface 22.

[0034] Additionally or alternatively, a user identifier can also be transmitted to the remote processing device 100. Accordingly, a user's individual specifications can be assigned to each user according to the user identifier. For example, each user-specific parameter can be stored in a database of the remote processing device 100, for example. In this way, after receiving the respective user identifier, the remote processing device 100 can automatically determine the user-specific parameter, for example, read it from a database, and adapt the control parameters according to the user-specific parameter. For example, the user can be identified by a corresponding user input or identification medium, for example, an RFID chip, a smartphone, etc.

[0035] If each user is known to the remote processing device 100, the control data for each braking system can be adapted so that each user gets at least approximately the same or similar braking behavior when using different vehicles. In this way, each user gets their usual braking behavior when using different vehicles.

[0036] By calculating the control data in the remote processing device 100, it may be sufficient to appropriately adapt the determination of the control data in order to adapt the brake system. In such cases, it is sufficient for the corresponding adaptation to be carried out in the central local processing device 100. This makes it possible to avoid or at least postpone laborious software updates in individual vehicles, possibly with a return to a repair shop.

[0037] To check the validity of the control data from the remote processing device 100, for example, the control command transmitted by the control data from the remote processing device 100 can be compared with the control command determined by local calculation in the control device 20. If the locally calculated and remotely calculated values ​​of the control command do not differ significantly from each other, i.e., below a predetermined threshold, the corresponding control command can be classified as valid. In such a case, it is preferable to use the control command based on the control data from the remote processing device 100. If, on the other hand, significant differences are detected between the two control commands, it can be concluded that there is a defect in the calculation of the control data from the remote processing device 100 or in the communication connection between the local control device 20 and the remote processing device 100. In such a case, it is preferable to use the data based on the locally determined control data for the control command of the brake actuator 30.

[0038] It is further possible to monitor the communication connection, for example between the wireless interface 22 and the remote processing device 100. For example, for this purpose, the time period between the transmission of data from the local wireless interface 22 to the remote processing device 100 and the subsequent reception of data from the remote processing device 100 can be analyzed by the wireless interface 22. If this time period exceeds a predetermined limit value, this can be interpreted as an indication of a failure of the communication connection. Therefore, in case of a detection of a failure, preferably locally determined control data and the resulting control command for the brake actuator 30 can be used.

[0039] In an alternative embodiment, it is also possible to primarily use local determination of the control data initially and to use control commands for the brake actuator 30 based thereon, and to use the calculation of the control data in the remote processing device 100 only in the event of detection of a fault or the like. For this purpose, for example, the processing in the local processor 21 can be monitored by a higher-level instance. If a software error, a memory access error or other serious error is detected, the calculation of the control data by the remote processing device 100 can be used in such cases.

[0040] 2 shows a flow chart that is the basis of a method for controlling a braking system in a motor vehicle according to an embodiment. The method can essentially include any steps as already explained above in connection with the braking system according to FIG. 1. The braking system described above can therefore also comprise any components necessary to implement the method described below.

[0041] The method comprises a step S1 of receiving control data for the braking process via a wireless communication connection from a remote processing device 100. The remote processing device 100 can determine the control data for the braking process in particular as already explained above.

[0042] The method further comprises a step S2 of receiving data from a local setpoint generator 10. The local setpoint generator 10 can be, for example, a sensor for determining the position of a brake pedal in the vehicle. Additionally or alternatively, the setpoint for the braking process can also be received by a control system for fully or at least partially autonomous driving.

[0043] In step S3, a determination of a control command for the brake actuator 30 is made. The determination of the control command is made using, inter alia, the data received from the target value generator 10 and the control data from the remote processing device 100.

[0044] Finally, in step S4, the determined control command is output to the brake actuator 30.

[0045] Furthermore, the method can include a step of wirelessly transmitting user-specific data, operating data of the brake system, and / or ambient environment data to a remote processing device. This allows, for example, the control data to be individually adapted to the specifications of each individual user, as already explained above. Furthermore, the control data can also be dynamically adapted, for example, to the respective current operating data of the brake system. Furthermore, for example, the control data can also be adapted depending on ambient environment parameters such as detected humidity, risk of slipping on the road, or any other ambient environment parameters.

[0046] In summary, the present invention relates to the control of braking systems, in particular brake-by-wire systems, for which, besides a purely local calculation of parameters for converting braking requests into control commands for brake actuators, it is contemplated to calculate the parameters by a remote processing device, for example on the cloud, which allows offloading the locally required hardware. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 10 Target Value Generator 20 Control device 21 Processor 22 Wireless Interface 30 Brake Actuator 100 Remote Processing Device

Claims

1. a processor (21) designed to receive data from a target value generator (10), determine a control command for a brake actuator (30) using the data received from the target value generator (10) and control data, and output the determined control command for the brake actuator (30); a wireless interface (22) designed to receive said control data from a remote processing device (100); A control device (20) for a brake system comprising:

2. The control device (20) of claim 1, wherein the wireless interface (22) is further configured to transmit operational data of the brake system to the remote processing device (100).

3. 3. The control device (20) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the wireless interface (22) is further designed to transmit user-specific data to the remote processing device (100).

4. the processor (100) is designed to determine first data for control commands of the brake actuator (30) using the control data received from the wireless interface (22), and to determine second data for control commands of the brake actuator (30) using local control data; 4. The control device (20) according to claim 1, further configured to output the first data for the control command of the brake actuator (30) when a difference between the first data and the second data for the control command is below a predetermined threshold.

5. 5. The control device (20) of claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to monitor a communication connection between the wireless interface (22) and the remote processing device (100) and output the second data for the control command of the brake actuator (30) if a failure is detected in the communication connection between the wireless interface (22) and the remote processing device (100).

6. 6. The control device (20) according to claim 1, wherein the processor (21) is designed to determine a signal propagation time between the wireless interface (22) and the remote processing device (100) and to determine the control command for the brake actuator (30) using the determined signal propagation time.

7. 7. The control device (20) according to claim 1, wherein the processor (21) is designed to monitor a local determination of the control command of the brake actuator (30) and, if a malfunction is detected during the local determination, to determine the control data for the control command of the brake actuator using control data from the wireless interface (22).

8. 1. A system for controlling a braking system in a motor vehicle, comprising: A control device (20) according to any one of claims 1 to 7 arranged in the vehicle; a processing device (100) remote from the vehicle that receives data from the wireless interface (22) of the control device (20) in the vehicle, generates control data using the received data, and transmits the generated control data to the wireless interface (22) of the control device (20) in the vehicle; A system equipped with

9. 1. A method of controlling a braking system in a motor vehicle, comprising: receiving (S1) control data for a braking process from a remote processing device (100) via a wireless communication connection; receiving data from a local target value generator (10); determining (S3) a control command for a brake actuator (30) using the data received from the target value generator (10) and control data from the remote processing device (100); a step (S4) of outputting the determined control command to the brake actuator (30); A method that encompasses

10. 10. The method of claim 9, comprising wirelessly transmitting user-specific data, operational data of the braking system, and / or ambient environmental data to the remote processing device (100).

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