Electric Parking Brake Actuation Classification via Usage Profile
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a mechanism to track and classify actuations of electric parking brakes in vehicles to determine the health of the braking system and identify trends that may indicate excessive brake pad wear, which is not effectively addressed by existing technologies.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising sensors, an electronic controller, and an output device that senses vehicle parameters, detects electric parking brake actuations, determines the reason and attributes for these actuations, and updates a usage profile to classify and display the data, enabling the classification of actuations based on numerical values and reasons.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a mechanism is implemented to track and classify electric parking brake actuations, then the ability to determine braking system health and identify wear trends is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electronic controller performs multiple functions: it controls the electric parking brake actuation, tracks actuation history, classifies actuations based on vehicle parameters, and generates usage profiles. By consolidating these functions into a single controller rather than adding separate tracking hardware, the system improves reliability without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a data store as an intermediary component that stores vehicle parameters, actuation history, and usage profiles. This data store acts as a mediator between the sensor/controller and the classification logic, allowing the system to track and analyze brake usage patterns without requiring complex real-time processing hardware.
2Measurement precision
If detailed vehicle parameters and actuation history are collected and stored, then the precision of brake wear assessment is improved, but the quantity of data stored increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the most relevant features from raw data for classification purposes. Instead of storing and processing all possible vehicle parameters, the electronic controller identifies and stores key parameters such as brake pad thickness, actuation force, and usage frequency that are most critical for assessing brake wear, thereby reducing data storage requirements while maintaining assessment precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms raw vehicle parameters into classified categories and usage profiles. Instead of storing continuous raw data, the system converts parameters into discrete classifications (e.g., normal wear, excessive wear, abnormal usage patterns), which reduces the quantity of stored data while preserving the essential information needed for precise brake health assessment.
3Reliability
If real-time classification and monitoring of brake actuations is performed, then the ability to prevent damage through early warning is improved, but the use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electronic controller performs classification and monitoring at periodic intervals rather than continuously. It updates the usage profile and performs wear assessments based on accumulated actuation data over time, rather than requiring constant real-time analysis. This periodic processing approach enables effective damage prevention while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous monitoring.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for classifying an actuation of an electric parking brake of a vehicle is presented. In one example, the system includes a sensor configured to sense a vehicle parameter, an output device, a memory including an electric parking brake usage profile, and an electronic controller configured to receive the electric parking brake usage profile, receive the vehicle parameter, detect an actuation of the electric parking brake, and in response to detecting an actuation of the electric parking brake: determine a reason for the actuation of the electric parking brake, determine an attribute of the vehicle based on the vehicle parameter, classify the actuation of the electric parking brake based on a numerical value of the attribute and/or the reason for the actuation of the electric parking brake, update the electric parking brake usage profile based on the classification, and output the updated parking brake usage profile.