Parallel Eddy Current Brake Energy Supply
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing brake systems for motor vehicles lack reliability and efficiency in emergency braking scenarios, particularly under diverse environmental conditions, as they often rely on a single energy source and may fail if the electric machine or energy accumulator malfunctions.
Innovation Solution
A brake system that operates by supplying the eddy current brake with electrical energy from both an electric machine acting as a generator and an energy accumulator in parallel, ensuring a consistent braking force even in case of component failure, and incorporates a mechanical brake for backup, allowing for flexible operation modes like driving, recuperation, and emergency braking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single energy source is used for the eddy current brake, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability deteriorates because the system may fail if the electric machine or energy accumulator malfunctions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple energy sources (electric machine operating as generator and energy accumulator) to supply the eddy current brake in parallel. This merging of energy sources ensures that if one source fails, the other can maintain braking functionality, thereby resolving the contradiction between reliability and device complexity by making the reliability improvement acceptable despite the increased complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The energy accumulator serves as a pre-prepared backup energy source that can compensate for potential failures of the electric machine. By having this cushioning energy source ready in advance, the system maintains braking reliability even when the primary energy source (electric machine) fails, addressing the reliability concern while managing complexity through planned redundancy.
2Loss of energy
If the electric machine operates as a generator to provide braking force, then the braking efficiency is improved through energy recovery, but the response speed deteriorates due to the time required for energy generation and transfer
Solution Approach 1:
The energy accumulator continuously stores available energy from the electric machine during normal operation, ensuring that energy is always available for immediate use during emergency braking. This continuous energy preparation eliminates the delay between detecting the need for braking and having sufficient energy available, thus resolving the contradiction between energy recovery efficiency and braking response speed.
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 configuration ensures extremely reliable and rapid braking with high efficiency, maintaining braking capability even during complete failure of the electric machine or energy accumulator, and prevents wheel locking through coordinated operation of the electric machine and eddy current brake.
Implementation Method 1
an eddy current brake (3) coupled to at least one wheel (101) of the motor vehicle for providing a braking force acting on the wheel (101)
Implementation Method 2
the eddy current brake is supplied in parallel with electrical energy provided by means of the electric machine (102) operating as a generator
Data Source
AI summary
A method for operating a brake system for a motor vehicle, wherein the brake system comprises an eddy current brake mechanically coupled to at least one wheel of the motor vehicle for providing a braking force acting on the wheel, wherein an electric machine is mechanically coupled or can be coupled to the wheel and is electrically connected to the eddy current brake. In this case, it is provided that, in an emergency braking mode for braking the wheel, the eddy current brake is supplied in parallel with energy provided by means of the electric machine operating as a generator and with electrical energy taken from an energy accumulator. The disclosure furthermore relates to a brake system for a motor vehicle.