Brake Pedal Haptic Feedback for Blended Braking Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
In motor vehicle brake systems, drivers face challenges in being informed about the distribution of braking force among components without taking their eyes off the road, as existing systems rely on visual displays that require attention and do not provide adequate tactile feedback during complex braking processes involving friction brakes, retarders, and electric machines.
Innovation Solution
An electronically controlled brake system with an electrically effective brake pedal actuator that provides a rotatable or axially displaceable drive element, allowing for a haptically perceptible signal force to be superimposed on the brake pedal, indicating changes in the distribution of braking force among components, such as through pulse-shaped or oscillation sequences, enabling the driver to maintain focus on the road while being informed of system changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If visual displays are used to inform drivers about braking force distribution, then information is provided to the driver, but the driver must take their eyes off the road
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces visual information delivery with tactile feedback through the brake pedal actuator. The drive element generates haptic signals (vibrations, pulses, or resistance changes) that communicate braking force distribution to the driver through touch, eliminating the need for visual displays and allowing the driver to maintain focus on the road.
Solution Approach 2:
The brake pedal actuator serves as an intermediary between the braking system components and the driver. It translates internal system states (braking force distribution among friction brakes, retarders, and electric machines) into tactile signals that the driver can perceive through the brake pedal, providing indirect information without requiring visual attention.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the brake pedal actuator provides continuous restoring force, then the brake pedal feels stable, but the driver receives no feedback about component activations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic or pulsed actions superimposed on the continuous restoring force of the brake pedal actuator. These periodic signals (vibrations, pulses, or temporary resistance changes) occur at specific moments when braking components are activated or deactivated, providing rhythmic tactile feedback that communicates system state changes while maintaining overall pedal stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The drive element of the brake pedal actuator generates mechanical vibrations or oscillations that are transmitted to the brake pedal. These vibrations serve as tactile signals to inform the driver about component activations and deactivations, while the base restoring force remains stable for normal braking operation.
3Productivity
If multiple braking components are used simultaneously, then braking efficiency is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The brake pedal actuator serves multiple functions: it provides the restoring force for the brake pedal during normal operation, generates tactile feedback signals about component activations, and communicates braking force distribution to the driver. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate feedback mechanisms and simplifies the overall system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by using the brake pedal actuator to communicate the state of multiple braking components (friction brakes, retarders, electric machines) back to the driver through tactile signals. This feedback loop allows the driver to understand which components are active without adding complex visual or auditory notification systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution allows for immediate and intuitive driver feedback about the distribution of braking force among system components, preventing the need to look away from the road, enhancing safety by providing tactile cues that differentiate between component activations and deactivations, thus enabling more precise control of the braking process.
Implementation Method 1
When an electric motor is in generator mode, the vehicle's kinetic energy is converted into electrical energy, which can be used in a process known as recuperation to charge an electrical energy storage device
Implementation Method 2
a brake pedal actuator for generating a restoring force acting on the brake pedal
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to a brake system (34) of a motor vehicle (2) and to a method for controlling said brake system, which comprises: a service brake system (38) having friction brakes (40a, 40b, 42a, 42b) which can be actuated by a pressure medium; a sustained-action brake system (44) designed as a hydrodynamic or electrodynamic retarder; at least one electric machine (24) which is drivingly connected to the wheels (6a, 6b) on a vehicle axle (4) and can be operated at least as a generator; and a foot brake valve (48) which can be actuated by means of a brake pedal (46), the foot brake valve (48) having a brake signal transmitter (50) and a brake pedal actuator (52) for generating a restoring force acting on the brake pedal (46), and in which said components of the brake system (23) can be controlled by means of an electronic control device (36), wherein the braking force requirement signalled by means of a deflection of the brake pedal (46) is satisfied in priority order by the electric machine (24) in generator mode, by the retarder (44), and by the service brake system (38), and wherein the distribution of the braking force between the components of the brake system (23) is communicated to a driver of the motor vehicle (2) in a suitable manner. In order to inform the driver of the distribution of the braking force without the driver having to take their eyes off the traffic area in front of them, according to the invention, in the event of at least one change in the distribution of the braking force between the components (24, 38, 44) of the brake system (23), by means of the brake pedal actuator (52) the restoring force acting on the brake pedal (46) is briefly overlaid with a haptically perceptible signal force (S1, S2, S3, S4).