Method and apparatus for monitoring a vehicle braking system

• US 10,300,902 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2017
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Yen, Chih-hung, Huang, Xiaoyu, Kaatz, Richard A., Nisonger, Robert L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hilgendorf, Dale W
• Application Number:
  US15/629,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20180370519A1
• Time in Patent Office: 706 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/22 Devices for monitoring or checking brake systems; Signal devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/221 Procedure or apparatus for checking or keeping in a correct functioning condition of brake systems hydraulic pressure systems in general F15B19/00, F15B21/04; testing structures or apparatus G01M
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/225 brake fluid level indicators level indication in general G01F; H01H
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2270/406 Test-mode; Self-diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/041 Built in Test Equipment [BITE]
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/046 involving external transmission of data to or from the vehicle, e.g. via telemetry, satellite, Global Positioning System [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/04 Monitoring the functioning of the control system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0267 Fault communication, e.g. human machine interface [HMI]
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0272 Presentation of monitored results, e.g. selection of status reports to be displayed; Filtering information to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/006 Indicating maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction

Abstract

A vehicle braking system including a brake pedal in communication with a wheel brake, a brake actuation system, a braking system controller, an on-board driver communication system, and a controller is described. Parameters associated with a braking request, a brake actuation command and vehicle operation are monitored during each braking event, and segmented the into parameters associated with a static portion of the braking event and parameters associated with a dynamic portion of each braking event, evaluate the parameters associated with the static portion of the braking event and evaluate the parameters associated with the dynamic portion of the braking event, and assess a state of health of the braking system based upon the evaluation of the parameters. The assessment of the state of health of the braking system is communicated to a vehicle driver via the on-board driver communication system.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a vehicle braking system, comprising:

monitoring, via an on-vehicle controller, a braking request, a brake actuation command and vehicle operation during each of a plurality of braking events;

determining parameters associated with the braking request, the brake actuation command and the vehicle operation during a single braking event of a plurality of braking events;

for each of the braking events;

segmenting the parameters associated with the braking request, the brake actuation command and the vehicle operation into parameters associated with a static portion of the single braking event and parameters associated with a dynamic portion of the single braking event, and

evaluating the parameters associated with the static portion of the single braking event and evaluating the parameters associated with the dynamic portion of the single braking event;

assessing a state of health of the braking system based upon the evaluations of the parameters for the plurality of braking events; and

communicating, via an on-board driver communication system, the assessment of the state of health of the braking system to a vehicle driver.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating the parameters associated with the static portion of the single braking event and the parameters associated with the dynamic portion of the single braking event to an off-board controller;

wherein the off-board controller is disposed to evaluate the parameters, assess the state of health of the braking system based upon the evaluation, and communicate the assessment of the state of health of the braking system to the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing, in a memory device in communication with the on-vehicle controller, the parameters associated with the braking request, the brake actuation command and the vehicle operation during the static portion of the single braking event.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising detecting occurrence of a fluidic leak in the vehicle braking system based upon the parameters associated with the braking request, the brake actuation command and the vehicle operation during the static portion of the single braking event.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing, in a memory device in communication with the on-vehicle controller, the parameters associated with the braking request, the brake actuation command and the vehicle operation during the dynamic portion of the single braking event.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising detecting presence of incorporated air in the vehicle braking system based upon the parameters associated with the braking request, the brake actuation command and the vehicle operation during the dynamic portion of the plurality of the braking events.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the braking request comprises monitoring a driver braking request.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the braking request comprises monitoring an autonomic braking command.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the braking request is initiated by application of a brake pedal, and wherein the static portion of the braking request comprises that portion when a time-rate change in position of the brake pedal is between −

1% and +5%.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the static portion of the braking request further comprises that portion when an absolute position of the brake pedal is greater than 10%.

11. A vehicle braking system, comprising:

a brake pedal in communication with a wheel brake;

a brake actuation system;

a braking system controller;

an on-board driver communication system; and

a controller operatively connected to the braking system controller and in communication with the brake pedal and the brake actuation system, the controller including an instruction set, the instruction set executable to;

monitor the brake pedal to determine a braking request,

monitor the brake actuation system to determine a brake actuation command, monitor vehicle operation;

determine parameters associated with the braking request, the brake actuation command and the vehicle operation during a single braking event of a plurality of braking events;

segment the parameters associated with the braking request, the brake actuation command and the vehicle operation into parameters associated with a static portion of the single braking event and parameters associated with a dynamic portion of the single braking event;

evaluate the parameters associated with the static portion of the single braking event and evaluate the parameters associated with the dynamic portion of the single braking event;

assess a state of health of the braking system based upon the evaluations of the parameters for the plurality of braking events; and

communicate, via the on-board driver communication system, the assessment of the state of health of the braking system to a vehicle driver.

12. The vehicle braking system of claim 11, further comprising the instruction set executable to communicate the parameters associated with the static portion of the single braking event and the parameters associated with the dynamic portion of the single braking event to an off-board controller;

wherein the off-board controller is disposed to evaluate the parameters, assess the state of health of the braking system based upon the evaluation, and communicate the assessment of the state of health of the braking system to the vehicle.

13. The vehicle braking system of claim 11, further comprising the instruction set executable to store, in a memory device in communication with the on-vehicle controller, the parameters associated with the braking request, the brake actuation command and the vehicle operation during the static portion of the single braking event during each of the plurality of braking events.

14. The vehicle braking system of claim 13, further comprising the instruction set executable to detect occurrence of a fluidic leak in the vehicle braking system based upon the parameters associated with the braking request, the brake actuation command and the vehicle operation during the static portion of the plurality of the braking events.

15. The vehicle braking system of claim 11, further comprising the instruction set executable to store, in a memory device in communication with the on-vehicle controller, the parameters associated with the braking request, the brake actuation command and the vehicle operation during the dynamic portion of the single braking event during each of the braking events.

16. The vehicle braking system of claim 15, further comprising the instruction set executable to detect presence of incorporated air in the vehicle braking system based upon the parameters associated with the braking request, the brake actuation command and the vehicle operation during the dynamic portion of the plurality of the braking events.

17. The vehicle braking system of claim 11, wherein the instruction set executable to monitor the braking request comprises the instruction set executable to monitor a driver braking request.

18. The vehicle braking system of claim 11, wherein the instruction set executable to monitor the braking request comprises the instruction set executable to monitor autonomic braking command.

19. The vehicle braking system of claim 11, wherein the braking request is initiated by application of the brake pedal, and wherein the static portion of the braking request comprises that portion when a time-rate change in position of the brake pedal is between −

1% and +5%.

20. The vehicle braking system of claim 19, wherein the static portion of the braking request further comprises that portion when an absolute position of the brake pedal is greater than 10%.