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Vehicle motion control apparatus

  • US 7,104,615 B2
  • Filed: 07/16/2004
  • Issued: 09/12/2006
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2003
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A vehicle motion control apparatus comprising:

  • wheel brake cylinders operatively associated with wheels of a vehicle, respectively;

    a master cylinder connected to said wheel brake cylinders through a dual hydraulic circuit with a pair of wheel brake cylinders included in each hydraulic circuit, said master cylinder discharging a hydraulic braking pressure into each hydraulic circuit in response to operation of a brake pedal;

    hydraulic pressure regulating means disposed between said master cylinder and said pair of wheel brake cylinders, for regulating the hydraulic braking pressure supplied into each of said pair of wheel brake cylinders;

    vehicle state monitor means for monitoring state variable of said vehicle;

    desired value setting means for setting a desired value provided for a wheel brake cylinder operatively associated with a wheel to be controlled, out of said pair of wheel brake cylinders included in each hydraulic circuit, said desired value setting means setting the desired value on the basis of the state variable monitored by said vehicle state monitor means; and

    control means for controlling said pressure regulating means to regulate the hydraulic braking pressure in at least said wheel brake cylinder operatively associated with said wheel to be controlled, said control means setting a pressure increasing gradient of the hydraulic braking pressure in said wheel brake cylinder operatively associated with said wheel to be controlled, in response to a result of comparison between the desired value set by said desired value setting means and the state variable monitored by said vehicle state monitor means, with the pressure increasing gradient provided when said brake pedal is depressed being set to be steeper than the pressure increasing gradient provided when said brake pedal is not depressed;

    wherein said hydraulic pressure regulating means in each of said hydraulic circuits comprises;

    normally open switching valves each disposed between said master cylinder and each of said pair of wheel brake cylinders, each of said normally open switching valves supplying the hydraulic braking pressure discharged from said master cylinder into each of said pair of wheel brake cylinders when each of said normally open switching valves is placed in an open position thereof,normally closed switching valves each connected to a passage between each of said normally open switching valves and each of said pair of wheel brake cylinders, each of said normally closed switching valves reducing the hydraulic braking pressure in each of said pair of wheel brake cylinders when each of said normally closed switching valves is placed in an open position thereof,proportional pressure difference valve means disposed between said master cylinder and said normally open switching valves in each hydraulic circuit, said proportional pressure difference valve means regulating a pressure difference between the hydraulic pressure at the side of said master cylinder and the hydraulic pressure at the side of said normally open switching valves to provide a desired pressure difference, andautomatic hydraulic pressure generating means for generating a hydraulic braking pressure independently of said master cylinder and irrespective of operation of said brake pedal, and supplying the hydraulic braking pressure into a passage between said proportional pressure difference valve means and said normally open switching valves in each hydraulic circuit, andwherein said control means controls said normally open switching valve connected to one of said wheel brake cylinders not to be controlled in one hydraulic circuit of said dual hydraulic circuits, to be placed in the closed position, and controls said pressure generating means in response to the result of comparison between the desired value and the state variable of said vehicle monitored by said vehicle state monitor means, and wherein said control means controls said proportional pressure difference valve means, with said normally open switching valve connected to said wheel brake cylinder operatively associated with said wheel to be controlled, being placed in the open position, and with the pressure increasing gradient provided when said brake pedal is depressed being set to be steeper than the pressure increasing gradient provided when said brake pedal is not depressed.

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