Autonomous Brake Valve Control With Pre-Staged Backup Braking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current brake systems for autonomous vehicles, such as tractors, do not provide for autonomous operation or backup braking in case of primary brake failure, leading to potential increased stopping distances and safety risks.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an autonomous brake system that includes a primary valve set for normal braking and a secondary valve set for backup braking, where the secondary valve set is pre-staged to apply partial pressure during normal operation, allowing for rapid activation during primary valve set failure, thereby reducing the delay in applying braking force and minimizing stopping distance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single primary valve set is used for braking operation, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability deteriorates due to lack of backup braking capability
Solution Approach 1:
The braking system is segmented into a primary valve set for normal operation and a secondary valve set for backup operation. This segmentation allows the system to maintain high reliability through redundancy while managing complexity by dividing functions into distinct, manageable components with clearly defined roles.
Solution Approach 2:
The secondary valve set is pre-staged during normal braking operation, positioned to activate immediately upon primary valve failure. This preliminary positioning of the backup system eliminates delay in emergency braking scenarios, enhancing reliability without requiring continuous activation of complex backup mechanisms.
2Loss of time
If the secondary valve set is pre-staged during normal braking operation, then the response time is reduced during failure events, but the use of energy increases due to continuous pressure application
Solution Approach 1:
The secondary valve set is pre-staged to a partial pressure level rather than full operating pressure during normal braking operation. This partial pressurization reduces energy consumption compared to full pressurization, while still enabling rapid response when failure occurs by requiring only a pressure increment rather than full pressure buildup from zero.
Solution Approach 2:
The secondary valve set is preliminarily positioned with partial pressure during normal operation, creating a ready-state that enables immediate full-pressure activation upon failure detection. This preliminary action reduces the time penalty of backup activation while minimizing the continuous energy burden of maintaining full pressure in the backup system.
3Reliability
If the secondary valve set is activated during primary valve set failure, then the reliability is maintained, but the device complexity increases due to coordination requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The electronic control unit continuously monitors the operational status of the primary valve set and automatically triggers activation of the secondary valve set upon detecting failure. This feedback mechanism simplifies the coordination complexity by using automatic sensor-based detection and control, eliminating the need for complex manual coordination systems while maintaining high reliability through automatic failover.
Data Source
AI summary
One or more techniques and/or systems are disclosed for providing autonomous braking with a brake system that includes a method that receives a command for application of a brake pressure and controlling a primary valve set, via an electronic control unit (ECU), to a first defined pressure to apply a braking power in response to the received command. The method further includes controlling a secondary valve set, via the ECU, to a second defined pressure in response to the received command, wherein the second defined pressure is less than the first defined pressure. The method also includes controlling the secondary valve set, via the ECU, to the first defined pressure in response to a determination that the braking power applied by the primary valve set is below a low command threshold, wherein the low command threshold is less than the first defined pressure.