Brake in motion plate brake tester and method
First Claim
1. A plate brake tester for testing braking characteristics of brakes of a vehicle having brakes comprising:
- at least a first pair of weight bearing plates and a second pair of weight bearing plates, each weight bearing plate being suitably sized to receive thereon at least one wheel/tire assembly of a vehicle as a vehicle is driven over the plates, the plates of each pair being substantially parallel to each other, said first pair of weight bearing plates being spaced from the second pair of weight bearing plates a predetermined distance along a predetermined direction of travel, said predetermined distance being approximately thirty feet;
sensors for sensing, for each plate, a brake force applied by a brake associated with the wheel/tire assembly passing over said plate and for sensing the dynamic weight of the wheel/tire assembly on each plate during braking; and
control circuitry operatively connected to the sensors for determining from the brake force and the sensed dynamic weight braking characteristics of the brakes of the vehicle under test.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A plate brake tester for testing the adequacy of the brakes of a vehicle includes first and second pairs of weight bearing plates, each sized to receive at least one wheel/tire assembly of a vehicle as a vehicle is driven over the plates. The first pair of plates are spaced from the second pair a predetermined distance along a predetermined direction of travel, which predetermined distance is substantially greater than the length of each plate as measured along the predetermined direction of travel. Sensors sense, for each plate, the brake force applied by a brake associated with the wheel/tire assembly passing over that plate and the dynamic weight of the wheel/tire assembly on each plate during braking. Control circuitry determines from the brake force and the directly sensed dynamic weight the adequacy of the brakes of the vehicle under test. Preferably, the first and second pairs of plates are approximately 30 feet apart along a test lane, and each plate is approximately 36" in length and 48" in width. Signals are provided to signal an operator to drive a vehicle onto the test lane, and to apply the brakes at a predetermined point along the test lane. It is preferred that the vehicle is decelerating as each wheel/tire assembly passes over at least some of the plates.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A plate brake tester for testing braking characteristics of brakes of a vehicle having brakes comprising:
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at least a first pair of weight bearing plates and a second pair of weight bearing plates, each weight bearing plate being suitably sized to receive thereon at least one wheel/tire assembly of a vehicle as a vehicle is driven over the plates, the plates of each pair being substantially parallel to each other, said first pair of weight bearing plates being spaced from the second pair of weight bearing plates a predetermined distance along a predetermined direction of travel, said predetermined distance being approximately thirty feet; sensors for sensing, for each plate, a brake force applied by a brake associated with the wheel/tire assembly passing over said plate and for sensing the dynamic weight of the wheel/tire assembly on each plate during braking; and control circuitry operatively connected to the sensors for determining from the brake force and the sensed dynamic weight braking characteristics of the brakes of the vehicle under test. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of testing braking characteristics of brakes of a vehicle having brakes, comprising the steps of:
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driving a vehicle down a test lane in which are disposed first and second pairs of weight bearing plates, said first and second pairs of weight bearing plates being separated along the test lane a predetermined distance which is substantially greater than twenty feet; applying brakes of the vehicle to decelerate the vehicle as wheels of the vehicle are passing over the weight bearing plates; sensing a brake force applied by the brakes and the dynamic weight of the vehicle by sensors associated with said weight bearing plates; and determining braking characteristics of the brakes of the vehicle under test from the brake force and the dynamic weight. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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12. A method of testing braking characteristics of brakes of a vehicle having brakes, comprising the steps of:
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driving a vehicle down a test lane in which are disposed first and second pairs of weight bearing plates, said first and second pairs of weight bearing plates being separated along the test lane a predetermined distance which is substantially greater than the nominal diameter of the vehicle wheels; applying brakes of the vehicle to decelerate the vehicle as wheels of the vehicle are passing over the weight bearing plates; sensing a brake force applied by the brakes and the dynamic weight of the vehicle by sensors associated with said weight bearing plates; and determining braking characteristics of the brakes of the vehicle under test from the brake force and the dynamic weight; wherein the first and second pairs of weight bearing plates are separated along the test lane a distance of approximately thirty feet.
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15. A plate brake tester for testing braking characteristics of brakes of a vehicle having brakes comprising:
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at least a first pair of weight bearing plates and a second pair of weight bearing plates, each weight bearing plate being suitably sized to receive thereon at least one wheel/tire assembly of a vehicle as a vehicle is driven over the plates, the plates of each pair being substantially parallel to each other, said first pair of weight bearing plates being spaced from the second pair of weight bearing plates a predetermined distance along a predetermined direction of travel, said predetermined distance being greater than twenty feet; sensors for sensing, for each plate, a brake force applied by a brake associated with the wheel/tire assembly passing over said plate and for sensing the dynamic weight of the wheel/tire assembly on each plate during braking; and control circuitry operatively connected to the sensors for determining from the brake force and the sensed dynamic weight braking characteristics of the brakes of the vehicle under test.
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Specification