Control system, vehicle and method

• US 10,503,153 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2016
• Issued: 12/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Original Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Inventors: Ciovnicu, Roxana, Woodley, Jonathan, King, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Azad, Md
• Application Number:
  US15/735,555
• Publication Number:
  US 20180356798A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 700282
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/00318 on the wheels or the hubs
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/00354 Details of valves
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/00372 characterised by fluid diagrams
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4166 Controlling feed or in-feed G05B19/4163 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37371 Flow
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37399 Pressure

Abstract

A central tire inflation system for a vehicle having a plurality of inflation control valves for controlling inflation of a respective tire, a first gas source for supplying pressurized gas to the inflation control valves, a first gas inlet valve for controlling the supply of gas from the first gas source to a fluid gallery, and a plurality of gallery outlet valves each arranged to control gas flow between the fluid gallery and a respective tire supply line that supplies gas from the fluid gallery to the inflation control valve. The gallery has two gallery pressure sensors for measuring a pressure of gas in the gallery. An electronic controller performs a gallery pressure sensor check that involves, with the gallery outlet valves and first gas inlet valve closed, causing the gallery exhaust valve to open and monitoring the pressure in the gallery according to each of the gallery pressure sensors.

Claims

1. A central tire inflation system for a vehicle comprising:

a plurality of inflation control valves for controlling inflation of a respective tire; and

a first gas source for supplying pressurized gas to the inflation control valves,

the system further comprising a first gas inlet valve for controlling the supply of gas from the first gas source to a fluid gallery, the system comprising a plurality of gallery outlet valves each arranged to control gas flow between the fluid gallery and a respective tire supply line, each tire supply line being provided in fluid communication with the inflation control valve of a respective tire and arranged to supply gas from the fluid gallery to the inflation control valve, the gallery being provided with an exhaust valve for exhausting gas therein and at least two gallery pressure sensors for measuring a pressure of gas in the gallery,

at least one electronic controller being configured to perform at least one system check comprising a gallery pressure sensor check, the gallery pressure sensor check comprising, with the gallery outlet valves and first gas inlet valve closed, causing the gallery exhaust valve to open and monitoring the pressure in the gallery according to each of the at least two gallery pressure sensors, wherein if the pressure in the gallery according to the at least two gallery pressure sensors does not correspond to a predetermined datum pressure, the electronic controller determines that the system has failed the system check, wherein if the control means determines that the system has failed a system check the electronic controller is configured not to permit inflation or deflation of one or more tires by the system,

wherein the first gas source comprises a pressure sensor for measuring a pressure of gas supplied by the first gas source, the electronic controller being configured to perform a system check comprising a first gas source pressure sensor check, wherein the first gas source pressure sensor check comprises, with the gallery pressure equal to the datum pressure value, the gallery exhaust valve closed and the gallery outlet valves closed, opening the first gas inlet valve to the gallery wherein the first gas source is in fluid communication with the gallery, and comparing a pressure of gas measured by the first gas source pressure sensor with a pressure in the gallery according to each of the at least two gallery pressure sensors, the system being configured to determine that the system has failed the first gas source pressure sensor check in dependence on the comparison.

2. The central tire inflation system according to claim 1 wherein the electronic controller comprises:

an electronic processor having an electrical input for receiving one or more signals each indicative of a value of pressure measured by the at least two gallery pressure sensors; and

an electronic memory device electrically coupled to the electronic processor and having instructions stored therein,

and wherein said electronic controller determining that the system has failed the system check comprises the processor being configured to access the memory device and execute the instructions stored therein such that it is operable to detect that the pressure in the gallery according to the at least two gallery pressure sensors does not correspond to a predetermined datum pressure.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the predetermined datum pressure corresponds to ambient atmospheric pressure.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein the gallery pressure sensor check further comprises the electronic controller determining whether the gallery pressure values according to the at least two gallery pressure sensors are within a predetermined amount of one another.

5. The system according to claim 1 wherein the electronic controller is configured to perform a system check comprising an inflation valve check, the inflation valve check comprising, with the gallery exhaust valve closed and the gallery pressure equal to the predetermined datum pressure, opening at least one gallery outlet valve and verifying that the pressure of the gallery according to the at least two gallery pressure sensors corresponds to the predetermined datum pressure.

6. The system according to claim 5 wherein the inflation valve check further comprises opening each of the gallery outlet valves and verifying that the pressure of the gallery according to the at least two gallery pressure sensors corresponds to the predetermined datum pressure once each gallery outlet valve is open.

7. The system according to claim 5 configured to, once the inflation valve check is complete, open the gallery exhaust valve to establish a pressure within the gallery equal to the datum pressure value, and subsequently close the exhaust valve.

8. The system according to claim 1 configured to determine that the system has failed the first compressed gas source pressure sensor check if the electronic controller determines that a difference in pressure between that measured by the first compressed gas source pressure sensor and that measured by one or both of the at least two gallery pressure sensors exceeds a predetermined amount.

9. The system according to claim 8 configured wherein if the difference between the pressure measured by the first compressed gas source pressure sensor and the pressure measured by each of the at least two gallery pressure sensors does not exceed the predetermined amount, the electronic controller is configured to perform a system check comprising a tire supply line check in which, with the first gas inlet valve closed, the control means causes the at least one gallery outlet valve to open and monitors a pressure indicated by the at least two gallery pressure sensors, the control means being configured to determine that the system has failed the tire supply line check in dependence on the pressure indicated by the at least two gallery pressure sensors.

10. The system according to claim 9 wherein the control means is configured to, after opening the gallery outlet valves during the tire supply line check, close the gallery outlet valves and set a pressure of gas in the gallery equal to the datum pressure value, the control means being configured, with the gallery exhaust valve closed, to open the at least one gallery outlet valve and monitor a pressure indicated by the at least two gallery pressure sensors, the system being configured to determine that the system has failed the tire supply line check in dependence on the pressure indicated by the at least two gallery pressure sensors.

11. The system according to claim 9 configured wherein, when the gallery exhaust valve is closed, to open each of the plurality of gallery outlet valve and to monitor a pressure indicated by the at least two gallery pressure sensors.

12. The system according to claim 1 further comprising a second gas source having a pressure sensor for measuring pressure of gas supplied by the second gas source, the electronic controller being configured to perform a system check comprising a second gas source pressure sensor check, wherein the second gas source pressure sensor check comprises, with the gallery pressure equal to the datum pressure value, the gallery exhaust valve closed and the gallery outlet valves closed, opening the second gas inlet valve to the gallery, and comparing a pressure of gas measured by the second gas source pressure sensor with a pressure in the gallery according to each of the at least two gallery pressure sensors, the electronic controller being configured to determine that the system has failed the second gas source pressure sensor check if it determines that a difference in pressure measured by the second gas source pressure sensor and the pressure measured by one or both of the at least two gallery pressure sensors exceeds a predetermined amount.

13. The system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one inflation control valve is a pneumatically actuated control valve and arranged to be actuated from an open condition, in which the tire may be inflated, to a closed condition in which deflation is prevented, and from the closed condition to an open condition, each time a pressure of gas in the tire supply line exceeds an actuation threshold value.

14. The system according to claim 1 wherein if the control means determines that the system has failed one or more said at least one system checks, the control means causes an indication to be provided to a user that the system is not permitted to cause inflation or deflation of one or more tires.

15. The system according to claim 1 wherein the control means is configured to perform the at least one system check upon start-up of the vehicle.

16. The vehicle comprising a body, a plurality of wheels, a powertrain to drive said wheels, a braking system to brake said wheels, and a system according to claim 1.

17. A method of controlling a central tire inflation system for a vehicle by means of control means, the method comprising:

a plurality of inflation control valves for controlling inflation of a respective tire;

a first gas source for supplying pressurized gas to the inflation control valves;

a first gas inlet valve for controlling the supply of gas from the first gas source to a fluid gallery;

a plurality of gallery outlet valves each arranged to control gas flow between the fluid gallery and a respective tire supply line, each tire supply line being provided in fluid communication with the inflation control valve of a respective tire and arranged to supply gas from the fluid gallery to the inflation control valve, the gallery being provided with an exhaust valve for exhausting gas therein and at least two gallery pressure sensors for measuring a pressure of gas in the gallery;

a first gas source pressure sensor for measuring a pressure of gas supplied by the first gas source,

the method comprising performing at least one system check, the at least one system check comprising a gallery pressure sensor check, the gallery pressure sensor check comprising, with the gallery outlet valves and first gas inlet valve closed, causing the gallery exhaust valve to open and monitoring the pressure in the gallery according to each of the at least two gallery pressure sensors, wherein if the pressure in the gallery according to the at least two gallery pressure sensors does not correspond to a predetermined datum pressure, the control means determines that the system has failed the system check,

whereby if the control means determines that the system has failed a system check the method comprises not permitting inflation or deflation of one or more tires by the system, and

the method further comprising performing a system check comprising a first gas source pressure sensor check, wherein the first gas source pressure sensor check comprises, with the gallery pressure equal to the datum pressure value, the gallery exhaust valve closed and the gallery outlet valves closed, opening the first gas inlet valve to the gallery wherein the first gas source is in fluid communication with the gallery, and comparing a pressure of gas measured by the first gas source pressure sensor with a pressure in the gallery according to each of the at least two gallery pressure sensors, the control means determining that the system has failed the first gas source pressure sensor check in dependence on the comparison.