REDUNDANT HARDWARE ARCHITECTURE FOR THE LOW-VOLTAGE POWER SUPPLY STAGE OF THE BRAKING SYSTEM OF A VEHICLE IN WHICH EACH OF THE WHEELS ARE CONNECTED TO AT LEAST ONE ROTARY ELECTRICAL MACHINE

• US 20090256415A1
• Filed: 06/15/2007
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique SA (Compagnie Generale DES Etablissements Michelin SCA)
• Original Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique SA (Compagnie Generale DES Etablissements Michelin SCA)
• Inventors: Linda, Jean-Louis, Cudre-Mauroux, Fabrice, Bourqui, Gerard
• Granted Patent: US 8,449,048 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 303/3
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/28 Four wheel or all wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0023 Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0092 with use of redundant elements for safety purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/00 Electrodynamic brake systems for vehicles in general
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/006 Dynamic electric braking by reversing current, i.e. plugging

Abstract

An electric braking system is provided for a road vehicle that includes at least two wheels (1) each connected for rotation to at least one rotary electric machine (2), and one electronic wheel control module (23) controlling an electric machine of a corresponding wheel, with each electronic control module enabling a control torque of determined amplitude and sign to be imparted selectively to a corresponding wheel. The electric braking system includes at least two sub-systems (A and B) each including: at least one of the electronic wheel control modules (23), a central electric line (40), and a low-voltage electrical supply stage for supplying electronics for controlling and driving power elements. The low-voltage electrical supply stage includes a first low-voltage electrical supply and at least one second low-voltage electrical supply. The first supply and the second supply are interconnected by a low-voltage electric line (43) that includes a first section (43A) and a second section (43B), with the first and second sections being connected by a device (430) that electrically separates the two sections, and that interrupts an interconnection on demand in an event of one of the two sections experiences an undervoltage or an overcurrent. Each electronic wheel control module (23) of one (A) of the sub-systems is supplied by the first section and each electronic wheel control module (23) of the other (B) of the sub-systems is supplied by the second section.

Claims

1. An electric braking system for a road vehicle that includes:

at least two wheels (1) each connected for rotation to at least one rotary electric machine (2), and one electronic wheel control module (23) controlling an electric machine of a corresponding wheel, with each electronic control module enabling a control torque of determined amplitude and sign to be imparted selectively to a corresponding wheel, wherein the electric braking system comprises at least two sub-systems (A and B), each of the at least two sub-systems comprising;

at least one of the electronic wheel control modules (23);

a central electric line (40);

a low-voltage electrical supply stage for supplying electronics for controlling and driving power elements, wherein the low-voltage electrical supply stage includes a first low-voltage electrical supply and at least one second low-voltage electrical supply, wherein the first supply and the second supply are interconnected by a low-voltage electric line (43) with a first section (43A) and a second section (43B), the first and second sections being connected by a device (430) that electrically separates the first and second sections and being configured to interrupt an interconnection of the first and second sections on demand in an event of one of the first and second sections experiencing an undervoltage or an overcurrent, and wherein each electronic wheel control module (23) of one (A) of the at least two sub-systems is supplied by the first section and each electronic wheel control module (23) of the other (B) of the at least two sub-systems is supplied by the second section.

2. A system according to claim 1, further comprising at least one electronic dissipation module (60) for each of the at least two sub-systems (A, B), one (A) of the electronic dissipation modules (60) being supplied by the first section (43A) and the other (B) of the electronic dissipation modules (60) being supplied by the second section (43B).

3. A system according to claim 2, further comprising an overcurrent protection device (41A, 41B) configured to electrically isolate a sub-system from the central electric line (40).

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the first low-voltage electrical supply is a battery (42).

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the at least one second low-voltage supply includes a voltage converter (41) connected to the central electric line (40).

6. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a central unit (3) for ensuring management of a vehicle displacement, the central unit (3) controlling all the electronic wheel control modules (23) and being supplied by one of the first or second sections.

7. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a central unit (3) for ensuring management of a vehicle displacement, the central unit (3) controlling all the electronic wheel control modules (23) and being supplied by both the first section and the second section via a pair of diodes isolating the first and second sections.

8. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a central unit (3) for ensuring management of a longitudinal vehicle displacement, the central unit (3) controlling all the electronic wheel control modules (23); and

a braking control (32) available to a driver, the braking control being connected mechanically at least to;

a first sensor (C1) outputting a vehicle braking control signal having a given amplitude representing a total braking force desired for the vehicle, and a second sensor (C2) outputting a vehicle braking control signal having a given amplitude representing the total braking force desired for the vehicle,

wherein the first sensor (C1) outputs its control signal to the central unit (3) and the second sensor (C2) outputs its control signal to each of the electronic wheel control modules (23).

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein the first sensor (C1) is supplied by a same section as the central unit (3), and the second sensor (C2) is supplied both by a first wheel control electronics (23) of one of the at least two sub-systems (A) and by a second wheel control electronics (23) of the other of the at least two sub-systems (B) via a pair of diodes isolating supplies from the first and second wheel control electronics.

10. A vehicle braking system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle includes four wheels each connected for rotation to at least one rotary electric machine (2) specific thereto, and wherein each of that at least two sub-systems includes two of the four wheels.

11. A vehicle braking system according to claim 10, wherein each of the at least two sub-systems groups together the four wheels of the vehicle disposed diagonally at opposite corners of the vehicle.

12. A system according to claim 2, wherein each electronic dissipation module (60) includes a dissipator with an electrical dissipation resistor (6).

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein the vehicle has a mass of M kg, and wherein the dissipator is of a power greater than 250*M/1000 kW per sub-system.

14. A system according to claim 5, wherein each of the at least two sub-systems (A and B) is connected to the central electric line (40) by an overcurrent protection device (41A, 41B), and wherein means for supplying electrical energy is connected to the central electric line (40).

15. A system according to claim 5, wherein an electrical energy storage device is connected to the central electric line (40) by an electronic regeneration module.

16. A system according to claim 1, in which the first and second sections (43A, 43B) are supplied at a same voltage.