Handling wear in a braking arrangement

Abstract

A computer system (600) comprising processing circuitry (602) configured to handle wear of a braking arrangement (30) of a vehicle (1) is provided. The vehicle (1) is configured to travel an application cycle comprising one or more routes. The processing circuitry (602) is configured to, obtain thickness of brake linings or brake pads of front brakes (31) and rear brakes (32), and determine a brake wear difference based on the obtained thickness of the front brakes (31) and obtained thickness of the rear brakes (32). The processing circuitry (602) is configured to, determine that a distance travelled by the vehicle (1) since a start of the application cycle (10) is above a distance threshold, and in response, trigger a brake force redistribution between the front brakes (31) and the rear brakes (32) based on the brake wear difference.

Description

HANDLING WEAR IN A BRAKING ARRANGEMENTTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The disclosure relates generally to brake management. In particular aspects, the disclosure relates to handling wear in a braking arrangement. The disclosure can be applied to heavy-duty vehicles, such as trucks, buses, and construction equipment, among other vehicle types. Although the disclosure may be described with respect to a particular vehicle, the disclosure is not restricted to any particular vehicle.BACKGROUND

[0002] Brakes may comprise brake pads or brake linings for actuating said brakes. The brakes pads or brake linings of rear and front axles of a vehicle can easily be unevenly worn out, thereby causing a need to replace brake pads or brake linings earlier than an expected brake pad or brake lining life time.

[0003] The uneven wear may be caused by rear brakes and front brakes being used differently depending on in what situation the vehicle is braking.

[0004] One solution to uneven brake wear is to force an even brake pressure to always be equally distributed over the rear and front brakes. However, brake wear can still become uneven over time. For example, one of the brakes may get contaminated, e.g., dust or mud in the brakes causing increased wear, the brakes may be cooled differently, and / or characteristics of an application cycle of the vehicle may cause more wear for a certain brake.

[0005] Hence, it is needed to improve handling of brake wear in vehicles.SUMMARY

[0006] According to a first aspect of the disclosure, a computer system comprising processing circuitry configured to handle wear of a braking arrangement of a vehicle is provided. The braking arrangement comprises front brakes of at least one front axle, and rear brakes of at least one rear axle. The vehicle is arranged to iteratively travel an application cycle comprising one or more routes. The processing circuitry is configured to, as part of a brake wear determination step, obtain using one or more sensors of the vehicle, thickness of brake linings or brake pads of the front brakes, and thickness of brake linings or brake pads ofthe rear brakes, and to determine a brake wear difference between the front brakes and the rear brakes based on the obtained thickness of brake linings or brake pads of the front brakes and obtained thickness of brake linings or brake pads of the rear brakes. The processing circuitry is further configured to, as part of a brake force redistribution step, in response to determining that a distance travelled by the vehicle since a start of the application cycle is above a distance threshold, trigger a brake force redistribution between the front brakes and the rear brakes, based on the brake wear difference.

[0007] The first aspect of the disclosure may seek to improve handling of brake wear.

[0008] A technical benefit may include a longer usage of the brakes until they need to be replaced. Another technical benefit may be that due to more even and equally distributed brake wear, a lifetime of brake linings or brake pads of the front brakes, and brake linings or brake pads of the rear brakes, will be the same or at least similar, and hence they can both be replaced at the same time without wasting their usage, thereby minimizing maintenance and / or minimizing waste of brake linings or brake pads.

[0009] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, triggering the brake force redistribution is performed in response to detecting a nonemergency brake request to the braking arrangement.

[0010] A technical benefit may include improved handling of brake wear, but still allowing for fast responsiveness of the brakes when needed due to emergency braking.

[0011] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the distance threshold is initially set to a predetermined distance associated with the distance of at least one iteration of the application cycle.

[0012] A technical benefit may include improved handling of brake wear, this is since the brake wear difference will correspond to a difference cause at least by the distance of the application cycle. Hence, the redistribution will account for how the application cycle distance affects the brake wear difference and the distribution will therefore be set accurately, allowing for longer brake pad or brake lining lifetime, and thus delaying a need for maintenance of the brakes.

[0013] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the processing circuitry is configured to obtain a distance of the application cycle when the vehicle is travelling the application cycle. In these examples, the processing circuitry is configured to set the distance threshold based on the obtained distance.

[0014] A technical benefit may include improved handling of brake wear, this is since the distance of the application cycle can be set to accurately apply to an actual distance of travelling the application cycle.

[0015] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, triggering the brake force redistribution is performed in response to the brake wear difference being above or equal to a first brake wear threshold.

[0016] A technical benefit may include improved handling of brake wear, this is since brake wear may be reduced if only redistributing brake force when ensuring that the brake wear difference is not just within an error margin. It follows that the brake force redistribution can be better set to account for the brake wear of the application cycle, thus delaying a need for maintenance of the brakes.

[0017] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the processing circuitry is configured to, upon detecting a brake wear difference between the front brakes and the rear brakes being above or equal to a second brake wear threshold, determine a distance travelled since the start of the application cycle, or since last redistributing a brake force of the brakes, and set the distance threshold based on the identified distance.

[0018] A technical benefit may include improved handling of brake wear, this is since brake wear may be reduced if only redistributing brake force when ensuring that the brake wear difference is not just within an error margin. It follows that the brake force redistribution can be better set to account for the brake wear since the start of the application cycle, or since last redistributing a brake.

[0019] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the processing circuitry is further configured to iteratively perform the brake wear determination step and the brake force redistribution step, and wherein the distance threshold is increased based on an number representative of a current iteration of an application cycle.

[0020] A technical benefit may include improved handling of brake wear, this is since brake wear may be reduced when redistributing brake force with respect to iterations of the application cycle. Redistributing the brake force at most once per iteration improves the accuracy of the brake force distribution and will lead to a longer life time of the brakes, and will delay any need for maintenance.

[0021] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the processing circuitry is further configured to, in response to detecting a non-emergency brake request, trigger actuation of the front brakes and rear brakes using the redistributed brake force, and in response to detecting an emergency brake request or when detecting a temperature of the front or rear brakes being above a temperature threshold, trigger actuation of the front brakes and rear brakes using a default or initial brake force distribution.

[0022] A technical benefit may include improved handling of brake wear, this is since brake wear can be optimized for normal brake requests, e.g., when slowly braking the vehicle. But can flexibly provide the safest approach, i.e., to use the default or initial brake force distribution, when deemed necessary due to overheating or need to brake quickly.

[0023] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the brake force redistribution is arranged to distribute the brake force to each respective brake out of the front brakes and rear brakes based on the respective thickness of the brake lining or brake pad, and wherein a total brake force of the braking arrangement is maintained within an set margin.

[0024] A technical benefit may include improved handling of brake wear, this is since the brakes with more worn out brake pads or brake linings can be configured to use less brake force, while still providing the same or corresponding quality of brake performance of the vehicle.

[0025] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the processing circuitry is further configured to, based on mapping the brake wear difference to a predefined brake wear interval, identify a redistribution configuration associated with the brake wear difference, and trigger the brake force redistribution according to the identified redistribution configuration.

[0026] A technical benefit may include improved handling of brake wear, this is since the brake force redistribution can be more accurately set based on the redistribution configuration. The identified redistribution configuration may then ensure that the brake wear evens out over the application cycle or over multiple iterations of the application cycle.

[0027] According to a second aspect of the disclosure, a vehicle comprising a braking arrangement is provided. The braking arrangement comprises front brakes of at least one front axle, and rear brakes of at least one rear axle. The front brakes and rear brakes comprises respective brake linings or brake pads for braking the vehicle. The vehicle isarranged to iteratively travel an application cycle comprising one or more routes. The vehicle comprises the computer system according to the first aspect.

[0028] Technical benefits of the second aspect corresponds to the technical benefits of the first aspect and vice versa.

[0029] According to a third aspect of the disclosure, a computer-implemented method for handling wear of a braking arrangement of a vehicle is provided. The braking arrangement comprises front brakes of at least one front axle, and rear brakes of at least one rear axle. The vehicle is arranged to iteratively travel an application cycle comprising one or more routes. The method comprises, by processing circuitry of a computer system, as part of a brake wear determination step, obtaining using one or more sensors of the vehicle, thickness of brake linings or brake pads of the front brakes, and thickness of brake linings or brake pads of the rear brakes, and determining a brake wear difference between the front brakes and the rear brakes based on the obtained thickness of the brake linings or brake pads of the front brakes and obtained thickness of brake linings or brake pads of the rear brakes. The method further comprises, by the processing circuitry, as part of a brake force redistribution step, in response to determining that a distance travelled by the vehicle since a start of the application cycle is above a distance threshold, triggering a brake force redistribution between the front brakes and the rear brakes based on the brake wear difference.

[0030] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, triggering the brake force redistribution is performed in response to detecting a nonemergency brake request to the braking arrangement.

[0031] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the method comprises, by the processing circuitry, obtaining a distance of the application cycle when the vehicle is travelling the application cycle, and by the processing circuitry, setting the distance threshold based on the obtained distance.

[0032] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, triggering the brake force redistribution is performed in response to the brake wear difference being above or equal to a first brake wear threshold.

[0033] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the method comprises, by the processing circuitry, upon detecting a brake wear difference between the front brakes and the rear brakes being above or equal to a second brake wear threshold, determining a distance travelled since the start of the application cycle, or sincelast redistributing a brake force of the brakes, and, by the processing circuitry, setting the distance threshold based on the identified distance.

[0034] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the method comprises, by the processing circuitry, iteratively performing the brake wear determination step and the brake force redistribution step, and wherein the distance threshold is increased based on a number representative of a current iteration of an application cycle.

[0035] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the method comprises, by the processing circuitry, in response to detecting a non-emergency brake request, triggering actuation of the front brakes and rear brakes using the redistributed brake force, and in response to detecting an emergency brake request or detecting a temperature of the front or rear brakes being above a temperature threshold, triggering actuation of the front brakes and rear brakes using a default or initial brake force distribution.

[0036] Technical benefits of the third aspect corresponds to technical benefits of the first aspect and vice versa.

[0037] The disclosed aspects, examples (including any preferred examples), and / or accompanying claims may be suitably combined with each other as would be apparent to anyone of ordinary skill in the art. Additional features and advantages are disclosed in the following description, claims, and drawings, and in part will be readily apparent therefrom to those skilled in the art or recognized by practicing the disclosure as described herein.

[0038] There are also disclosed herein computer systems, control units, code modules, computer-implemented methods, computer readable media, and computer program products associated with the above discussed technical benefits.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSExamples are described in more detail below with reference to the appended drawings. FIG. 1 is an exemplary vehicle and an application cycle according to an example. FIG. 2 is a flow chart of an exemplary method to according to an example.FIG. 3 is a flow chart of an exemplary method to according to an example. FIG. 4 is a flow chart of an exemplary method to according to an example. FIG. 5 is another view of FIG. 1, according to an example.FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary computer system for implementing examples disclosed herein, according to an example.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The detailed description set forth below provides information and examples of the disclosed technology with sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure.

[0040] Vehicle brake systems typically rely on braking using brake pads or brake linings. Brake linings may be of a friction material attached to a brake shoe of a drum brake, which brake lining is typically pressed outwards to a rotating drum of a wheel, and thereby creating friction for braking the wheel. Alternatively, brake pads may be used, e.g., also being of a friction material, where a brake pad may be pressed to a rotating disc of a wheel to create friction for braking the wheel. In both cases, when braking and creating friction, the material of the brake pad or brake lining will over time be worn down, and its associated thickness will be reduced until they need to be replaced as the friction material will eventually be completely worn down such that they cannot brake the respective drum or disc any longer.

[0041] Depending on vehicle application and on the design of wheel brakes, ensuring a brake pad / lining durability and brake wear balance between front and rear axle brakes is difficult due to the following reasons:• External contamination of the brakes by mud, water, dust, debris, etc.• Excess or lack of cooling on the brakes, i.e., as a convective effect.• Electronic brake distribution or electronic brake force distribution set up that prioritizes a certain braking performance but not brake wear.

[0042] Data collected for trucks shows that, rear brake pads or brake lining typically wear out before the front brake pads or brake lining. This uneven brake wear generates additional and unexpected costs to customers and truck owners as the truck needs to be sent to maintenance sooner than expected to replace brake pads or brake linings, thereby causing a loss in productivity.

[0043] To solve this, examples herein relate to changing a brake force distribution among axles of a vehicle according to a wear measured on front and rear axle brakes, typically measured by Continuous Wear Sensors (CWS) or any other suitable sensors.

[0044] If a difference between the front pads / lining and rear pads / lining thickness is above a set first threshold “Atx”, where “x” represents different magnitudes of At, the brake force distribution may activate to increase a braking torque on the axle brakes thataccumulated less wear and reduce the braking torque on the axle brakes that accumulated high wear.

[0045] Examples herein are applicable to braking systems of vehicles equipped with any suitable brake systems, with disc brakes or drum brakes, i.e., Z-Cam or S-Cam brakes.

[0046] FIG. 1 illustrates a vehicle 1 according to examples herein.

[0047] The vehicle 1 may in most examples herein be exemplified as a truck, but the vehicle 1 may be any suitable vehicle, e.g., a truck, a bus, a car, or any heavy-duty vehicle, as long as they can develop uneven brake wear.

[0048] The vehicle 1 may be configured to travel according to an application cycle 10.

[0049] The application cycle 10 comprises one or more routes 11. The one or more routes 11 may be any suitable routes to and from destinations where the vehicle 1 is arranged to travel, e.g., comprising different road conditions, slopes, and / or terrain.

[0050] The vehicle 1 may travel the application cycle 10, iteratively, i.e., it may repeatedly travel the one or more routes 11.

[0051] The application cycle 10 is typically static, and may represent a set of missions or tasks the vehicle 1 shall perform. However, the application cycle 10 may also change over time, but typically only slightly, such as by the vehicle 1 needing to drive a different route due to traffic or accidents, etc.

[0052] In other words, the application cycle 10 may comprise a cyclic path comprising the one or more routes 11, which the vehicle 1 is arranged to travel repeatedly. This means that brake wear of the vehicle 1 will effectively be dependent on the cyclic behavior of that the vehicle 1 is repeatedly travelling the application cycle 10.

[0053] As an example, the one or more routes 11 may comprise routes between a location A, and a location B, between the locations B and a location C, between the location C and a location D, and between the locations D and A to complete the application cycle 10. The vehicle 1 may be configured to, as part of the application cycle 10, travel from A, to B, then from B to C, then from C to D, and finally from D to A, and then iterate the application cycle 10.

[0054] While FIG. 1 indicates four locations ABCD, that the vehicle 1 shall travel to in its application cycle 10, the number of locations may be lower or higher, meaning that the one or more routes 11 may comprise any number of routes, e.g., one, two, three, four, etc.

[0055] As an example of the application cycle 10, the vehicle 1 may be configured to transport material between two work sites. In other words, the vehicle 1 may be configured to, as part of the application cycle 10, repeatedly travel back and forth between two locations.

[0056] The application cycle 10 may comprise a start location, e.g., any of locations ABCD, which the vehicle 1 starts the application cycle 10, and / or each iteration of the application cycle 10. The start location may also be an end location of the application cycle 10, i.e., to form a cycle or loop for again iterating the one or more routes 11. The start location, end location, or any of locations ABCD, may be approximate locations, i.e., when the vehicle 1 is within a range or area of a respective location, the vehicle 1 is considered to have reached the respective location.

[0057] The vehicle 1 comprises at least one front axle 41 and at least one rear axle 42.

[0058] The at least one front axle 41 is arranged in front of the at least one rear axle 42 in a longitudinal driving direction of the vehicle.

[0059] Typically, the at least one front axle 41 comprises one or more steered axles, e.g., one steered axle as illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0060] Typically, the at least one rear axle 42 comprises one or more driven axles, e.g., two driven axles as illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0061] Independent of axle type, each axle of the vehicle 1 can be preconfigured to be part of the at least one front axle 41 or the at least one rear axle 42.

[0062] The vehicle 1 comprises a braking arrangement 30 for braking the at least one front axle 41 and the at least one rear axle 42.

[0063] The braking arrangement 30 comprises front brakes 31 for braking the at least one front axle 41.

[0064] The braking arrangement 30 comprises rear brakes 32 for braking the at least one rear axle 42.

[0065] The front brakes 31 and / or the rear brakes 32 may comprise any suitable brakes, such as disc brakes or drum brakes, i.e., Z-Cam or S-Cam brakes.

[0066] The braking arrangement 30 may be configured with a first brake force distribution, illustrated in FIG. 1 as an equal brake force distribution with a first front brake force Fl and a first rear brake force Rl.

[0067] The front brakes 31 and / or the rear brakes 32 may use brake pads or brake linings for actuating brake operations (not shown in FIG. 1). Brake pad may typically be the term used for a friction material used for disc brakes, i.e., a friction material used to press against a rotating disc of a wheel of the vehicle 1 such as to create friction to brake said wheel. Brake linings may typically be the term used for a friction material attached to a brake shoe used for drum brakes, i.e., a friction material used to press against a rotating drum of a wheel of the vehicle 1 such as to create friction to brake said wheel.

[0068] These brake pads or brake linings may be worn out at different paces, where higher wear corresponds to a smaller thickness of the respective brake pad or lining.

[0069] The braking arrangement comprises one or more sensors 20 for measuring or otherwise obtaining thickness of brake linings or brake pads of the front brakes 31 and / or of the rear brakes 32. The measured thickness may be a thickness of a predetermined part of the respective pad or lining and / or a thinnest part of the respective pad or lining.

[0070] The one or more sensors 20 may comprise any suitable sensor for measuring thickness brake pad or brake lining. For example, the one or more sensors 20 may comprise Continuous Wear Sensors (CWS).

[0071] In examples herein, the thickness of the brake pad or brake lining of the respective brakes in the front brakes 31 and the rear brakes 32, may be measured or obtained using the one or more sensors 20, and as a result, a break wear difference between the front brakes 31 and the rear brakes 32 can be determined.

[0072] Using the difference, e.g., if the brake wear difference indicates that the wear of the rear brakes 32 is higher than the wear of the front brakes 31, meaning that its corresponding thickness of brake pads or brake linings is smaller than the corresponding thickness of the front brakes 31, then the brake force distribution Fl, R1 may be redistributed to a second front brake force F2 and a second rear brake force R2, where the second front brake force F2 is greater than the second rear brake force R2 to compensate for the brake wear difference.

[0073] Alternatively, if the brake wear difference indicates that the wear of front brakes 31 is higher than the wear of the rear brakes 32, meaning that its corresponding thickness of brake pads or brake linings is smaller than the corresponding thickness of the rear brakes 32, then the brake force distribution Fl, R1 may be redistributed to a third front brake force F3and a third rear brake force R3, where the third rear brake force R3 is a greater than the third front brake force F3 to compensate for the brake wear difference.

[0074] In some examples, for any of the brake forces Fl, Rl, F2, R2, F3, R3, if the at least one front axle 41, or the at least one rear axle 42 respectively comprise multiple axles, its respective brake force may be distributed, e.g., evenly, over the respective axles.

[0075] An insight of examples herein may be about when to trigger the redistribution of brake force. It has been found that redistribution is best to trigger when the vehicle 1 has travelled above a threshold of distance since the start of an application cycle, typically a distance corresponding to the application cycle 10 or multiple iterations of the application cycle 10. This is since the unevenness of the brake wear will not manifest properly unless measured after a certain distance, e.g., at least the application cycle 10. If instead brake wear and brake force would be measured and redistributed accordingly too often, such as every minute or every key cycle event, a brake force corresponding to incorrect brake wear proportions will be used. This is since measurements during a short time period would not be able to account for the entire application cycle 10 which may have a varied brake wear over the entire cycle. A short time period in this context means any time period shorter than travelling the entire application cycle 10, e.g., such as if performed every minute and / or at every key cycle event. Such actions would then result in increased brake wear since the wrong distribution will wear down some of the brakes too much, and would also result in a need to constantly changing the brake force distribution, which may further be detrimental for vehicle control and may further waste resources of the vehicle system.

[0076] Examples herein may be performed by a computer system 600 and / or a processing circuitry 602 therein.

[0077] The computer system 600 and / or the processing circuitry 602 may be, or may be part of an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) of the vehicle 1.

[0078] The computer system 600 and / or the processing circuitry 602 may alternatively be a remote unit, communicatively coupled with the vehicle 1, e.g., using a wireless transceiver comprised in the computer system 600 and / or the processing circuitry 602 and a corresponding wireless transceiver comprised in the vehicle 1.

[0079] The computer system 600 and / or the processing circuitry 602 may be able to control and / or communicate with any suitable entity of the vehicle 1, e.g., its ECUs and / or the braking arrangement 30 and / or the one or more sensors 20.

[0080] FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a computer-implemented method for handling wear of the braking arrangement 30 of the vehicle 1. The braking arrangement 30 comprises the front brakes 31 of the at least one front axle 41. The braking arrangement 30 comprises the rear brakes 32 of the at least one rear axle 42.

[0081] The vehicle 1 is arranged to iteratively travel the application cycle 10. The application cycle 10 comprises the one or more routes 11.

[0082] The method may comprise any one or more of below actions in any suitable order. Optional actions are illustrated in FIG. 2. with dashed boxes.

[0083] The below actions may be iterated in any suitable manner, and may be performed in various orders that will be clear for the skilled person.

[0084] The method may be performed by the computer system 600 and / or the processing circuitry 602 therein.

[0085] Action 201

[0086] The method comprises obtaining, using the one or more sensors 20 of the vehicle 1, thickness of brake linings or brake pads of the front brakes 31, and thickness of brake linings or brake pads of the rear brakes 32.

[0087] The thickness may indicate a wear of the respective brake.

[0088] The thickness may be an average for the brakes of the linings or pads of the respective brake.

[0089] The thickness may indicate a wear of the respective brake, e.g., compared to a maximum thickness of an unused brake lining or brake pad.

[0090] In these examples, all the front brakes 31 and rear brakes 32 may have associated CWS sensors as part of the one or more sensors 20, e.g., to be able to continuously measure and obtain the thickness of the brake pads or brake linings.

[0091] Action 201 may be part of a brake wear determination step.

[0092] Action 202

[0093] The method comprises, determining a brake wear difference between the front brakes 31 and the rear brakes 32 based on the obtained thickness of the brake linings or brake pads of the front brakes 31 and obtained thickness of the brake linings or brake pads of the rear brakes 32.

[0094] The brake wear difference may be determined in any suitable manner.

[0095] For example, determining the brake wear difference may comprise determining the brake wear for each of the brakes in the front brakes 31 and the rear brakes 32, and establish a brake wear metric for the front brakes 31 and the rear brakes 32, and then calculate the difference.

[0096] Determining the brake wear for each of the brakes in the front brakes 31 and the rear brakes 32 may for example comprise comparing a current thickness of the respective brake with a predetermined maximum thickness, e.g., of a unused brake pad or brake lining.

[0097] Determining the brake wear may comprise using a value / / as an average of the thickness of all the brake pads or brake linings of the front brakes 31, e.g., as obtained in action 201. The same applies to a value trus for an average of thickness for brake pads or brake linings for the rear brakes 32, e.g., as obtained in action 201.

[0098] The following Equations A and B may be applicable to determine / and tr: if = [ tfiL + tfiR) + (tPL + tf2R) + ... + (tfPL + tfpR)\ / (2p) (Equation A) tr = [ triL + triR) + (tr2L + tr2R) + ... + (trqL + trqR)] / ( q) (Equation B)In these examples, L may represent brakes on the left side of the vehicle 1 and R may represent brakes on the right side of the vehicle 1. p may represent a number of axles in the at least one front axles 41, and q may represent the number of axles in the at least one rear axle 43.

[0099] Action 202 may be part of the brake wear determination step.

[0100] Action 203

[0101] The method comprises, in response to determining that a distance travelled by the vehicle 1 since a start of the application cycle 10 is above a distance threshold.

[0102] Action 203 may be part of a brake force redistribution step, e.g., together with action 207 as discussed below.

[0103] The start of the application cycle 10 may relate to a start location of the application cycle 10 such as at a location of a work site, e.g., a start location of any of the one or more routes 11, and / or any of the locations A, B, C, or D as discussed with respect to FIG. 1.

[0104] The start of the application cycle 10 may relate to a first start of the application cycle 10 or any start of a new iteration of the application cycle 10. In other words, the distance may be measured or otherwise obtained compared to a total distance travelled by the vehicle 1 or a distance which resets per iteration of the application cycle 10.

[0105] The distance threshold may be predefined or may be dynamically set.

[0106] The distance threshold may be or may correspond to the distance of the application cycle 10.

[0107] Alternatively, the distance threshold may be or may correspond to the distance of multiple iterations of the application cycle 10.

[0108] The distance threshold may be initially set to a predetermined distance associated with the distance of at least one iteration of the application cycle 10. Initially as used herein may be at a point in time before the vehicle 1 initiates travelling the application cycle 10.

[0109] Determining that the distance travelled by the vehicle 1 is above the distance threshold may comprise measuring the distance travelled by the vehicle 1, e.g., using a mileage meter or other suitable sensor or method for determining a distance travelled by the vehicle 1.

[0110] Action 204[OHl] The method may comprise, detecting a non-emergency brake request to the braking arrangement 30.

[0112] The non-emergency brake request may be detected by detecting that a brake request to the vehicle, e.g., from a driver of the vehiclel, is within a non-emergency interval, such as below a threshold.

[0113] Action 205

[0114] Alternatively to action 204, the method may comprise, detecting an emergency brake request.

[0115] The emergency brake request may be detected by detecting that a brake request to the vehicle, e.g., from a driver of the vehicle, is within an emergency brake interval, such as above a threshold.

[0116] The emergency brake request may indicate that brake wear is not to be prioritized.

[0117] A braking performed with a failure on the service brakes may also be considered an emergency braking in examples herein. In other words, detecting the emergency brake request may comprise detecting a brake failure.

[0118] Action 206

[0119] The method may comprise, detecting, e.g., using a temperature sensor, a temperature of the front brakes 31 or rear brakes 32 being above a temperature threshold.

[0120] In these examples, an uneven brake wear may cause the brakes to get too hot and brake force redistribution may be needed, or if already performed, an initial or default brake force may need to be reverted to.

[0121] Action 207

[0122] The method comprises, in response to determining that the distance travelled by the vehicle 1 since the start of the application cycle 10 is above the distance threshold, e.g., as in action 203, triggering a brake force redistribution between the front brakes 31 and the rear brakes 32 based on the brake wear difference.

[0123] Action 207 may be part of the brake force redistribution step.

[0124] In some examples, triggering the brake force redistribution is performed in response to detecting a non-emergency brake request to the braking arrangement 30, e.g., as in action 204.

[0125] In some examples, triggering the brake force redistribution is performed in response to the brake wear difference being above or equal to a first brake wear threshold. This may ensure that the brake force is only redistributed if the brake wear difference is not within an error margin of how brake wear difference may naturally fluctuate. Instead, it may be important to let the vehicle 1 iterate the application cycle enough times for some brake wear difference to manifest, i.e., at least above or equal to the first brake wear threshold, such that a proper evaluation of how to redistribute the brake force can counter the brake wear difference.

[0126] In some examples, the vehicle 1 may be configured to only trigger the brake force redistribution in response to the vehicle 1 completing one or multiple iterations of the application cycle 10. In other words, in these examples, there is no brake force redistribution in the middle of the application cycle 10.

[0127] In some examples, the brake force redistribution is arranged to distribute the brake force to each respective brake out of the front brakes 31 and rear brakes 32 based on the respective thickness of the brake lining or brake pad. In these examples, typically, a total brake force of the braking arrangement 30 as before the brake force redistribution is maintained within an set margin, preferably maintained to be the same total brake force.

[0128] In some examples, triggering the brake force redistribution comprises identifying a redistribution configuration associated with the brake wear difference, e.g., out of two or more predefined redistribution configurations. In these examples triggering the brake forceredistribution may be performed according to the identified redistribution configuration. In some of these examples, identifying the redistribution configuration may be performed based on mapping the brake wear difference to a predefined brake wear interval, e.g., where different intervals map to different redistribution configurations. In some of these examples, each redistribution configuration such as the identified redistribution configuration may indicate how much to increase or decrease the brake force for the front brakes 31 or rear brakes 32 depending on the brake wear difference.

[0129] Action 208

[0130] The method may comprise, obtaining a distance of the application cycle 10 when the vehicle 1 is travelling the application cycle 10. Obtaining the distance may comprise measuring the distance. For example, the method may periodically use a mileage meter and / or any other distance measuring sensor of the vehicle 1 to detect how far the vehicle has travelled. Alternatively, the method may use localization methods, e.g., Global Positioning System (GPS) or other localization method, to periodically find a position of the vehicle and derive the distance travelled thereof.

[0131] Action 209

[0132] The method may comprise, upon detecting a brake wear difference between the front brakes 31 and the rear brakes 32 being above or equal to a second brake wear threshold, determining a distance travelled since the start of the application cycle 10, or since last redistributing a brake force of the brakes.

[0133] Action 210

[0134] The method may comprise, setting the distance threshold. Setting the distance threshold, e.g., as used for when to redistribute brake force and / or when to determine the brake wear, may comprise updating the distance threshold or setting the initial distance threshold.

[0135] Setting the distance threshold may be based on the obtained distance of action208. For example, the distance threshold may be set to the obtained distance of action 208.

[0136] Setting the distance threshold may be based on the identified distance of action209. For example, the distance threshold may be updated each iteration such as to be set to the distance of the next iteration or next multiple iterations.

[0137] Action 211The method may comprise, in response to detecting a non-emergency brake request, e.g., as in action 204, triggering actuation of the front brakes 31 and rear brakes 32 using the redistributed brake force.Alternatively, the method may comprise, in response to detecting an emergency brake request, e.g., as in action 205, or in response to detecting a temperature of the front or rear brakes 32 being above the temperature threshold, e.g., as in action 206, triggering actuation of the front brakes 31 and rear brakes 32 using a default or initial brake force.

[0138] Action 212The method may comprise, iteratively performing the brake wear determination step, e.g., at least actions 201 and 202, and the brake force redistribution step, e.g., at least actions 203 and 207. In these examples, the distance threshold may be increased based on an number representative of a current iteration of an application cycle 10. This means that when iterating the application cycle 10, the distance threshold may be set such that the brake wear determination step and the brake force redistribution step is performed when the vehicle 1 has travelled the entire application cycle 10, one or multiple times.

[0139] FIG. 3 is a flow chart of an exemplary method according to an example. The method comprises loops or cycles of actions that may be iterated multiple times. FIG. 3 may be an alternative method of FIG. 2, or an extension of actions in FIG 2. In other words, actions of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 may be combined. The method may comprise any one of the following actions below.

[0140] Action 301

[0141] The method comprises initiating to accumulate mileage, e.g., measuring distance such as from a start location of the application cycle 10, e.g., in response to that a driver starts operating the vehicle 1. This may constitute the start of the application cycle 10 as in action 203.

[0142] Proceed to action 302.

[0143] Action 302

[0144] The method comprises detecting that the vehicle 1 achieves a mileage M equal to the distance threshold C. C is a distance of the application cycle 10.

[0145] Proceed to action 303.

[0146] Action 303The method comprises determining brake pad / lining thickness, of the front brakes 31, referred to as tf and of the rear braked 32, referred to as tr. This may be performed respectively on the front brakes 31 and rear brakes 32, by subtracting a wear measured by the one or more sensors 20, e.g., front and rear brakes CWSs from “non-used” pads / lining thicknesses, stored in an ECU or other storage medium, e.g., comprised in the vehicle 1. The method further comprises, e.g., using an ECU of the vehicle 1, calculating a difference between the available thickness of front axle brakes and rear axle brakes, “Atm”, e.g., the brake wear difference. The calculation may be performed based on by Equation 01 below and may further be compared with reference values Atl and At2, e.g., stored in the ECU of the vehicle 1. Atl and At2 may relate to intervals of the redistribution configurations as discussed with respect to action 207.Equation (01): A.tm= \tf - tr\

[0147] Proceed to action 304.

[0148] Action 304

[0149] The method comprises, when braking the vehicle 1, after detecting the milage M being equal to C, perform any one or more out of actions 305-309, e.g., depending on checks performed therein.

[0150] Proceed to action 305.

[0151] Action 305

[0152] The method comprises, determining a brake request dr of the vehicle 1, i.e., a brake request, such as issued by a driver. A brake request as used herein may mean any suitable deceleration request.

[0153] If dr, is higher than a pre-set value d, i.e., dr > d, an emergency brake request is detected.

[0154] Proceed to action 310.

[0155] If dr is lower than or equal to the pre-set value d, proceed to any of actions 306- 307, as brake force distribution among the axles of the vehicle 1 may need to change to prioritize pads / lining wear balance.

[0156] Action 306

[0157] The method comprises estimating a temperature associated with the front brakes 31 and the rear brakes 32. Estimating the temperature may comprise measuring temperature directly or measuring temperature in proximity to the brakes and using a predefined model to estimate the temperature. Measuring temperature may be performed by using a temperature sensor of the one or more sensors 20. If the temperature associated with any one of the front brakes 31 or rear brakes 32 is higher than a preset value T. In these situations, the brake force distribution should be set to an initial or default distribution and / or not be changed from the initial distribution. Proceed to action 324.

[0158] If the estimated brake temperature is lower than the preset value T, then the method may proceed to distribute the brake force. Proceed to action 307.

[0159] Action 306 may only be performed if the vehicle 1 is configured with a fade warning system for detecting overheated brakes.

[0160] Action 307

[0161] If Atm < Atl, the brake force distribution will not change as wear is well-balanced or it is not possible to yet see how the brake wear difference will manifest. In other words, the brake wear difference is below the first brake wear threshold. Proceed to action 314.

[0162] If instead Atm is larger than or equal to Atl, i.e., the brake wear difference is above or equal to the first brake wear threshold, proceed to actions 308 or 309 discussing how to distribute the brake force based on the amount of difference in brake wear.

[0163] Action 308

[0164] The method comprises if Atl < Atm < At2, the brake force distribution among the front brakes 31 and the rear brakes 32 will change according to a first redistribution configuration, e.g., “High wear brakes” = 37.5% of brake force; “Low wear brakes” = 62.5% of brake force. Proceed to action 315.

[0165] Action 309

[0166] The method comprises, if Atm > At2, the brake force distribution among the front brakes 31 and the rear brakes 32 will change according to a second redistribution configuration, e.g., “High wear brakes” = 25% of brake force; “Low wear brakes” = 75% of brake force. Proceed to action 316.

[0001] Action 310

[0002] Due to the emergency brake request, e.g., as in action 205 or any of actions 314- 316, the brake force distribution among the axles, e.g., controlled by the Electro-pneumaticmodulators (EPMs) of the braking arrangement 30, needs to be set to the initial or default brake force distribution and / or set the brake force distribution to not change until next braking of the vehicle 1. Proceed to action 324.

[0003] Actions 3 14. 315. 316

[0167] The method comprises detecting a new brake request, if indicative of an emergency brake request, proceed to action 310, and if indicative of a normal brake request, in the case of action 314, proceed to action 321 or in the case of actions 315-316, proceed to action 320.

[0168] Action 320

[0169] The method comprises estimating, e.g., as in action 306, a temperature associated with any one of the front brakes 31 or rear brakes 32 is higher than the preset value T, proceed to action 324, otherwise proceed to action 321.

[0170] Action 320 may only be performed if the vehicle 1 is configured with a warning system for detecting overheated brakes.

[0171] Action 321

[0172] The method comprises determining if the vehicle 1 has travelled a distance of M or a multiple of M. I.e., check if the vehicle 1 has travelled the distance threshold, if so, proceed to action 326, proceed to action 322.

[0173] The brake force distribution set up will remain until the vehicle 1 achieves a mileage multiple of “M”.

[0174] Action 322The method comprises, maintaining a current brake force configuration, e.g., which may have been changed from an initial or default brake force configuration during a previous iteration.

[0175] Proceed to action 323.

[0176] Action 323The method comprises, detecting braking of the vehicle 1, and proceed to any of actions 314, 315, or 316 based on the brake request, e.g., corresponding to actions 307-309.

[0177] Action 324

[0178] The method comprises, setting the brake distribution to the default or initial brake distribution. This is since when the brakes are overheated or when performing braking due to emergency braking, it may be most suitable to have the default or initial distribution. Proceed to action 325.

[0179] Action 325

[0180] The method comprises, actuating braking according to the default or initial brake force distribution. Proceed to action 305 to again start iterating part of the method.

[0181] Action 326

[0182] The method comprises, determine a variable K, which is a current distance travelled by the vehicle 1, e.g., since the start of the application cycle 10, i.e., the first start of the application cycle 10 or the start of the last iteration of the application cycle 10. Proceed to action 327.

[0183] Action 327

[0184] The method comprises determining brake pad / lining thickness, and associated brake wear difference as in action 303.

[0185] In other words front and rear pads / lining thickness, tf and tr, may respectively be determined again such as by subtracting the wear measured by the front and rear brakes CWSs from non-used pads / lining thicknesses, e.g., as stored in the ECU of the vehicle 1.

[0186] The method further comprises, determining, the brake wear difference Atm between the available thickness of front axle brakes and rear axle brakes, e.g., by the ECU of the vehicle 1, as in Equation 01.

[0187] Action 328

[0188] The method comprises comparing the brake wear difference Atm with reference values Atl and At2, e.g., as stored in the ECU of the vehicle 1.

[0189] Proceed to Action 329 if Atm < Atl, otherwise, proceed to action 330.

[0190] Action 329

[0191] The method comprises, if Atm is less than or equal to Atl, i.e., the wear difference is below a threshold, the application cycle 10 starts again keeping M = C. In other words, the distance threshold is set to correspond to the distance of the application cycle 10. Proceed to action 304, to await a new brake request.

[0192] Action 330

[0193] The method comprises determine x as in Equation 02.Equation (02): x = K I M

[0194] In other words, x indicated a number of iterations the vehicle 1 has travelled the application cycle 10 until detecting a significant brake wear difference.

[0195] If x is 1, proceed to action 329.

[0196] If x is greater than 1, proceed to action 331

[0197] Action 331

[0198] The method comprises, compute a new distance threshold A, = x*C.

[0199] In other words, A corresponds to the distance of the application cycle 10, multiplied with the number of iterations the vehicle 1 has travelled the application cycle 10 until detecting the significant brake wear difference.

[0200] Proceed to action 332.

[0201] Action 332

[0202] The method comprises, setting M=A.

[0203] In other words, the distance threshold is set to correspond to the distance of the application cycle 10, multiplied with the number of iterations the vehicle 1 has travelled the application cycle 10 until detecting the significant brake wear difference. Proceed to action 304 to await new brake requests.

[0204] FIG. 4 is a flow chart of an exemplary method for handling wear of a braking arrangement 30 of a vehicle 1 according to an example. The braking arrangement 30 comprises the front brakes 31 of the at least one front axle 41, and the rear brakes 32 of the at least one rear axle 42. The vehicle 1 is arranged to iteratively travel the application cycle 10 comprising the one or more routes 11.

[0205] The method may be combined with any of the methods or actions of FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, in any suitable manner.

[0206] Action 401

[0207] The method comprises, by processing circuitry 602 of a computer system 600, as part of a brake wear determination step, obtaining, using one or more sensors 20 of the vehicle 1, thickness of brake linings or brake pads of the front brakes 31, and thickness of brake linings or brake pads of the rear brakes 32, and determining a brake wear difference between the front brakes 31 and the rear brakes 32 based on the obtained thickness of the brake linings or brake pads of the front brakes 31 and obtained thickness of the brake linings or brake pads of the rear brakes 32.

[0208] Action 402

[0209] The method comprises, _by the processing circuitry 602, as part of a brake force redistribution step, in response to determining that a distance travelled by the vehicle 1 since a start of the application cycle 10 is above a distance threshold, triggering a brake forceredistribution between the front brakes 31 and the rear brakes 32, based on the brake wear difference.

[0210] FIG. 5 is another view of FIG. 1, according to an example. A computer system 600 comprising processing circuitry 602 configured to handle wear of the braking arrangement 30 of the vehicle 1 is provided. The braking arrangement 30 comprises the front brakes 31 of the at least one front axle 41, and the rear brakes 32 of the at least one rear axle 42. The vehicle 1 is arranged to iteratively travel the application cycle 10 comprising the one or more routes 11.

[0211] The processing circuitry 602 is configured to, as part of a brake wear determination step, obtain using one or more sensors 20 of the vehicle 1, thickness of brake linings or brake pads of the front brakes 31, and thickness of brake linings or brake pads of the rear brakes 32, and to determine a brake wear difference between the front brakes 31 and the rear brakes 32 based on the obtained thickness of the front brakes 31 and obtained thickness of the rear brakes 32.

[0212] The processing circuitry 602 is configured to, as part of a brake force redistribution step, and in response to determining that a distance travelled by the vehicle 1 since a start of the application cycle 10 is above a distance threshold, trigger a brake force redistribution between the front brakes 31 and the rear brakes 32 based on the brake wear difference.

[0213] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a computer system 600 for implementing examples disclosed herein. The computer system 600 is adapted to execute instructions from a computer-readable medium to perform these and / or any of the functions or processing described herein. The computer system 600 may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines in a LAN (Local Area Network), LIN (Local Interconnect Network), automotive network communication protocol (e.g., FlexRay), an intranet, an extranet, or the Internet. While only a single device is illustrated, the computer system 600 may include any collection of devices that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. Accordingly, any reference in the disclosure and / or claims to a computer system, computing system, computer device, computing device, control system, control unit, electronic control unit (ECU), processor device, processing circuitry, etc., includes reference to one or more such devices to individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one ormore of the methodologies discussed herein. For example, control system may include a single control unit or a plurality of control units connected or otherwise communicatively coupled to each other, such that any performed function may be distributed between the control units as desired. Further, such devices may communicate with each other or other devices by various system architectures, such as directly or via a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus, etc.

[0214] The computer system 600 may comprise at least one computing device or electronic device capable of including firmware, hardware, and / or executing software instructions to implement the functionality described herein. The computer system 600 may include processing circuitry 602 (e.g., processing circuitry including one or more processor devices or control units), a memory 604, and a system bus 606. The computer system 600 may include at least one computing device having the processing circuitry 602. The system bus 606 provides an interface for system components including, but not limited to, the memory 604 and the processing circuitry 602. The processing circuitry 602 may include any number of hardware components for conducting data or signal processing or for executing computer code stored in memory 604. The processing circuitry 602 may, for example, include a general-purpose processor, an application specific processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a circuit containing processing components, a group of distributed processing components, a group of distributed computers configured for processing, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The processing circuitry 602 may further include computer executable code that controls operation of the programmable device.

[0215] The system bus 606 may be any of several types of bus structures that may further interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and / or a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. The memory 604 may be one or more devices for storing data and / or computer code for completing or facilitating methods described herein. The memory 604 may include database components, object code components, script components, or other types of information structure for supporting the various activities herein. Any distributed or local memory device may be utilized with the systems and methods of this description. The memory 604 may be communicably connectedto the processing circuitry 602 (e.g., via a circuit or any other wired, wireless, or network connection) and may include computer code for executing one or more processes described herein. The memory 604 may include non-volatile memory 608 (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), etc.), and volatile memory 610 (e.g., randomaccess memory (RAM)), or any other medium which can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of machine-executable instructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a computer or other machine with processing circuitry 602. A basic input / output system (BIOS) 612 may be stored in the non-volatile memory 608 and can include the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer system 600.

[0216] The computer system 600 may further include or be coupled to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium such as the storage device 614, which may comprise, for example, an internal or external hard disk drive (HDD) (e.g., enhanced integrated drive electronics (EIDE) or serial advanced technology attachment (SATA)), HDD (e.g., EIDE or SATA) for storage, flash memory, or the like. The storage device 614 and other drives associated with computer-readable media and computer-usable media may provide nonvolatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executable instructions, and the like.

[0217] Computer-code which is hard or soft coded may be provided in the form of one or more modules. The module(s) can be implemented as software and / or hard-coded in circuitry to implement the functionality described herein in whole or in part. The modules may be stored in the storage device 614 and / or in the volatile memory 610, which may include an operating system 616 and / or one or more program modules 618. All or a portion of the examples disclosed herein may be implemented as a computer program 620 stored on a transitory or non-transitory computer-usable or computer-readable storage medium (e.g., single medium or multiple media), such as the storage device 614, which includes complex programming instructions (e.g., complex computer-readable program code) to cause the processing circuitry 602 to carry out actions described herein. Thus, the computer-readable program code of the computer program 620 can comprise software instructions for implementing the functionality of the examples described herein when executed by the processing circuitry 602. In some examples, the storage device 614 may be a computer program product (e.g., readable storage medium) storing the computer program 620 thereon,where at least a portion of a computer program 620 may be loadable (e.g., into a processor) for implementing the functionality of the examples described herein when executed by the processing circuitry 602. The processing circuitry 602 may serve as a controller or control system for the computer system 600 that is to implement the functionality described herein.

[0218] The computer system 600 may include an input device interface 622 configured to receive input and selections to be communicated to the computer system 600 when executing instructions, such as from a keyboard, mouse, touch-sensitive surface, etc. Such input devices may be connected to the processing circuitry 602 through the input device interface 622 coupled to the system bus 606 but can be connected through other interfaces, such as a parallel port, an Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 1394 serial port, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, an IR interface, and the like. The computer system 600 may include an output device interface 624 configured to forward output, such as to a display, a video display unit (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system 600 may include a communications interface 626 suitable for communicating with a network as appropriate or desired.

[0219] The operational actions described in any of the exemplary aspects herein are described to provide examples and discussion. The actions may be performed by hardware components, may be embodied in machine-executable instructions to cause a processor to perform the actions, or may be performed by a combination of hardware and software. Although a specific order of method actions may be shown or described, the order of the actions may differ. In addition, two or more actions may be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence.

[0220] Below follows a number of Examples which may be combined with any example above in any suitable manner.Example 1. A computer system 600 comprising processing circuitry 602 configured to handle wear of a braking arrangement 30 of a vehicle 1, the braking arrangement 30 comprising front brakes 31 of at least one front axle 41, and rear brakes 32 of at least one rear axle 42, the vehicle 1 being arranged to iteratively travel an application cycle 10 comprising one or more routes 11, the processing circuitry 602 further being configured to:• as part of a brake wear determination step, obtain using one or more sensors 20 of the vehicle 1, thickness of brake linings or brake pads of the front brakes31, and thickness of brake linings or brake pads of the rear brakes 32, and determine a brake wear difference between the front brakes 31 and the rear brakes 32 based on the obtained thickness of the front brakes 31 and obtained thickness of the rear brakes 32;• as part of a brake force redistribution step, in response to determining that a distance travelled by the vehicle 1 since a start of the application cycle 10 is above a distance threshold, trigger a brake force redistribution between the front brakes 31 and the rear brakes 32 based on the brake wear difference.Example 2. The computer system 600 according to Example 1, wherein triggering the brake force redistribution is performed in response to detecting a non-emergency brake request to the braking arrangement 30.Example 3. The computer system 600 according to Example 1 or 2, wherein the distance threshold is initially set to a predetermined distance associated with the distance of at least one iteration of the application cycle 10.Example 4. The computer system 600 according to any of Examples 1-3, wherein the processing circuitry 602 is configured to:• obtain a distance of the application cycle 10 when the vehicle 1 is travelling the application cycle 10, and• set the distance threshold based on the obtained distance.Example 5. The computer system 600 according to any of Examples 1-4, wherein triggering the brake force redistribution is performed in response to the brake wear difference being above or equal to a first brake wear threshold.Example 6. The computer system 600 according to any of Examples 1-5, wherein the processing circuitry 602 is configured to:• upon detecting a brake wear difference between the front brakes 31 and the rear brakes 32 being above or equal to a second brake wear threshold, determine a distance travelled since the start of the application cycle 10, or since last redistributing a brake force of the brakes, and• set the distance threshold based on the identified distance.Example 7. The computer system 600 according to any of Examples 1-6, wherein the processing circuitry 602 is further being configured to iteratively perform the brake wear determination step and the brake force redistribution step, and wherein thedistance threshold is increased based on an number representative of a current iteration of an application cycle 10.Example 8. The computer system 600 according to any of Examples 1-7, wherein the processing circuitry 602 is further configured to:• in response to detecting a non-emergency brake request, trigger actuation of the front brakes 31 and rear brakes 32 using the redistributed brake force, and• in response to detecting an emergency brake request or detecting a temperature of the front or rear brakes 32 being above a temperature threshold, trigger actuation of the front brakes 31 and rear brakes 32 using a default or initial brake force distribution.Example 9. The computer system 600 according to any of Examples 1-8, wherein the brake force redistribution is arranged to distribute the brake force to each respective brake out of the front brakes 31 and rear brakes 32 based on the respective thickness of the brake lining or brake pad, and wherein a total brake force of the braking arrangement 30 is maintained within an set margin.Example 10. The computer system 600 according to any of Examples 1-9, wherein the processing circuitry 602 is further configured to:• based on mapping the brake wear difference to a predefined brake wear interval, identify a redistribution configuration associated with the brake wear difference, and• trigger the brake force redistribution according to the identified redistribution configuration.Example 11. A vehicle 1 comprising a braking arrangement 30, the braking arrangement 30 comprising front brakes 31 of at least one front axle 41, and rear brakes 32 of at least one rear axle 42, the front brakes 31 and rear brakes 32 comprising respective brake linings or brake pads for braking the vehicle 1, the vehicle 1 being arranged to iteratively travel an application cycle 10 comprising one or more routes 11, and wherein the vehicle 1 comprises the computer system 600 of any of Examples 1-10.Example 12. A computer-implemented method for handling wear of a braking arrangement 30 of a vehicle 1, the braking arrangement 30 comprising front brakes 31 of at least one front axle 41, and rear brakes 32 of at least one rear axle 42, the vehicle 1 being arranged to iteratively travel an application cycle 10 comprising one or more routes 11, the method comprising:• by processing circuitry 602 of a computer system 600, as part of a brake wear determination step, obtaining 201 using one or more sensors 20 of the vehicle 1, thickness of brake linings or brake pads of the front brakes 31, and thickness of brake linings or brake pads of the rear brakes 32, and determining 202 a brake wear difference between the front brakes 31 and the rear brakes 32 based on the obtained thickness of the front brakes 31 and obtained thickness of the rear brakes 32;• by the processing circuitry 602, as part of a brake force redistribution step, in response to determining 203 that a distance travelled by the vehicle 1 since a start of the application cycle 10 is above a distance threshold, triggering 207 a brake force redistribution between the front brakes 31 and the rear brakes 32 based on the brake wear difference.Example 13. The method of Example 12, wherein triggering 207 the brake force redistribution is performed in response to detecting 204 a non-emergency brake request to the braking arrangement 30.Example 14. The method of Example 12 or 13, further comprising:• by the processing circuitry 602, obtaining 208 a distance of the application cycle 10 when the vehicle 1 is travelling the application cycle 10, and• by the processing circuitry 602, setting 210 the distance threshold based on the obtained distance.Example 15. The method of any of Examples 12-14, wherein triggering 207 the brake force redistribution is performed in response to the brake wear difference being above or equal to a first brake wear threshold.Example 16. The method of any of Examples 12-15, further comprising:• by the processing circuitry 602, upon detecting a brake wear difference between the front brakes 31 and the rear brakes 32 being above or equal to a second brake wear threshold, determining 209 a distance travelled since the start of the application cycle 10, or since last redistributing a brake force of the brakes, and• by the processing circuitry 602, setting 210 the distance threshold based on the identified distance.Example 17. The method of any of Examples 12-16, further comprising:• by the processing circuitry 602, iteratively performing 212 the brake wear determination step and the brake force redistribution step, and wherein the distance threshold is increased based on an number representative of a current iteration of an application cycle 10.Example 18. The method of any of Examples 12-14, further comprising:• by the processing circuitry 602, in response to detecting 204 a non-emergency brake request, triggering 211 actuation of the front brakes 31 and rear brakes 32 using the redistributed brake force, and■ in response to detecting 205 an emergency brake request or detecting 206 a temperature of the front or rear brakes 32 being above a temperature threshold, triggering 211 actuation of the front brakes 31 and rear brakes 32 using a default or initial brake force distribution.Example 19. A computer program product comprising program code for performing, when executed by the processing circuitry 602, the method of any of Examples 14-18.Example 20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which when executed by the processing circuitry 602, cause the processing circuitry 602 to perform the method of any of Examples 14-18.

[0221] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," and / or "including" when used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, actions, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, actions, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0222] It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a firstelement could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0223] Relative terms such as "below" or "above" or "upper" or "lower" or "horizontal" or "vertical" may be used herein to describe a relationship of one element to another element as illustrated in the Figures. It will be understood that these terms and those discussed above are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the Figures. It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element, or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, there are no intervening elements present.

[0224] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of this specification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0225] It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the aspects described above and illustrated in the drawings; rather, the skilled person will recognize that many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the present disclosure and appended claims. In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed aspects for purposes of illustration only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the disclosure being set forth in the following claims.

Claims

ClaimsWhat is claimed is:

1. A computer system (600) comprising processing circuitry (602) configured to handle wear of a braking arrangement (30) of a vehicle (1), the braking arrangement (30) comprising front brakes (31) of at least one front axle (41), and rear brakes (32) of at least one rear axle (42), the vehicle (1) being arranged to iteratively travel an application cycle (10) comprising one or more routes (11), the processing circuitry (602) is configured to:• as part of a brake wear determination step, obtain using one or more sensors (20) of the vehicle (1), thickness of brake linings or brake pads of the front brakes (31), and thickness of brake linings or brake pads of the rear brakes (32), and determine a brake wear difference between the front brakes (31) and the rear brakes (32) based on the obtained thickness of the brake linings or brake pads of the front brakes (31) and obtained thickness of the brake linings or brake pads of the rear brakes (32);• as part of a brake force redistribution step, in response to determining that a distance travelled by the vehicle (1) since a start of the application cycle (10) is above a distance threshold, trigger a brake force redistribution between the front brakes (31) and the rear brakes (32) based on the brake wear difference.

2. The computer system (600) according to claim 1, wherein triggering the brake force redistribution is performed in response to detecting a non-emergency brake request to the braking arrangement (30).

3. The computer system (600) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the distance threshold is initially set to a predetermined distance associated with the distance of at least one iteration of the application cycle (10).

4. The computer system (600) according to any of claims 1-3, wherein the processing circuitry (602) is configured to:• obtain a distance of the application cycle (10) when the vehicle (1) is travelling the application cycle (10), andset the distance threshold based on the obtained distance.

5. The computer system (600) according to any of claims 1-4, wherein triggering the brake force redistribution is performed in response to the brake wear difference being above or equal to a first brake wear threshold.

6. The computer system (600) according to any of claims 1-5, wherein the processing circuitry (602) is configured to:• upon detecting a brake wear difference between the front brakes (31) and the rear brakes (32) being above or equal to a second brake wear threshold, determine a distance travelled since the start of the application cycle (10), or since last redistributing a brake force of the brakes, and• set the distance threshold based on the identified distance.

7. The computer system (600) according to any of claims 1-6, wherein the processing circuitry (602) is further being configured to iteratively perform the brake wear determination step and the brake force redistribution step, and wherein the distance threshold is increased based on a number representative of a current iteration of an application cycle (10).

8. The computer system (600) according to any of claims 1-7, wherein the processing circuitry (602) is further configured to:• in response to detecting a non-emergency brake request, trigger actuation of the front brakes (31) and rear brakes (32) using the redistributed brake force, and• in response to detecting an emergency brake request or detecting a temperature of the front or rear brakes (32) being above a temperature threshold, trigger actuation of the front brakes (31) and rear brakes (32) using a default or initial brake force distribution.

9. The computer system (600) according to any of claims 1-8, wherein the brake force redistribution is arranged to distribute the brake force to each respective brake out of the front brakes (31) and rear brakes (32) based on the respective thickness of thebrake lining or brake pad, and wherein a total brake force of the braking arrangement (30) is maintained within an set margin.

10. The computer system (600) according to any of claims 1-9, wherein the processing circuitry (602) is further configured to:• based on mapping the brake wear difference to a predefined brake wear interval, identify a redistribution configuration associated with the brake wear difference, and• trigger the brake force redistribution according to the identified redistribution configuration.

11. A vehicle (1) comprising a braking arrangement (30), the braking arrangement (30) comprising front brakes (31) of at least one front axle (41), and rear brakes (32) of at least one rear axle (42), the front brakes (31) and rear brakes (32) comprising respective brake linings or brake pads for braking the vehicle (1), the vehicle (1) being arranged to iteratively travel an application cycle (10) comprising one or more routes (11), and wherein the vehicle (1) comprises the computer system (600) of any of claims 1-10.

12. A computer-implemented method for handling wear of a braking arrangement (30) of a vehicle (1), the braking arrangement (30) comprising front brakes (31) of at least one front axle (41), and rear brakes (32) of at least one rear axle (42), the vehicle (1) being arranged to iteratively travel an application cycle (10) comprising one or more routes (11), the method comprising:• by processing circuitry (602) of a computer system (600), as part of a brake wear determination step (401), obtaining (201) using one or more sensors (20) of the vehicle (1), thickness of brake linings or brake pads of the front brakes (31), and thickness of brake linings or brake pads of the rear brakes (32), and determining (202) a brake wear difference between the front brakes (31) and the rear brakes (32) based on the obtained thickness of the brake linings or brake pads of the frontbrakes (31) and obtained thickness of the brake linings or brake pads of the rear brakes (32);• by the processing circuitry (602), as part of a brake force redistribution step (402), in response to determining (203) that a distance travelled by the vehicle (1) since a start of the application cycle (10) is above a distance threshold, triggering (207) a brake force redistribution between the front brakes (31) and the rear brakes (32) based on the brake wear difference.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein triggering (207) the brake force redistribution is performed in response to detecting (204) a non-emergency brake request to the braking arrangement (30).

14. The method of claim 12 or 13, further comprising:• by the processing circuitry (602), obtaining (208) a distance of the application cycle (10) when the vehicle (1) is travelling the application cycle (10), and• by the processing circuitry (602), setting (210) the distance threshold based on the obtained distance.

15. The method of any of claims 12-14, wherein triggering (207) the brake force redistribution is performed in response to the brake wear difference being above or equal to a first brake wear threshold.

16. The method of any of claims 12-15, further comprising:• by the processing circuitry (602), upon detecting a brake wear difference between the front brakes (31) and the rear brakes (32) being above or equal to a second brake wear threshold, determining (209) a distance travelled since the start of the application cycle (10), or since last redistributing a brake force of the brakes, and• by the processing circuitry (602), setting (210) the distance threshold based on the identified distance.

17. The method of any of claims 12-16, further comprising:• by the processing circuitry (602), iteratively performing (212) the brake wear determination step and the brake force redistribution step, and wherein the distance threshold is increased based on an number representative of a current iteration of an application cycle (10).

18. The method of any of claims 12-14, further comprising:• by the processing circuitry (602), in response to detecting (204) a non-emergency brake request, triggering (211) actuation of the front brakes (31) and rear brakes (32) using the redistributed brake force, and• in response to detecting (205) an emergency brake request or detecting (206) a temperature of the front or rear brakes (32) being above a temperature threshold, triggering (211) actuation of the front brakes (31) and rear brakes (32) using a default or initial brake force distribution.

19. A computer program product comprising program code for performing, when executed by the processing circuitry (602), the method of any of claims 14-18.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which when executed by the processing circuitry (602), cause the processing circuitry (602) to perform the method of any of claims 14-18.

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