Brake control apparatus

• US 7,156,472 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2004
• Issued: 01/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autoliv Nissin Brake Systems Japan Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissin Kogyo Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US10/756,392
• Publication Number:
  US 20040140712A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,084 Days
• Field of Search: 303/186, 303/187, 303/188, 303/113.5
• US Class Current: 303/186
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1766 Proportioning of brake forces according to vehicle axle loads, e.g. front to rear of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/268 using the valves of an ABS, ASR or ESP system
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/4275 Pump-back systems

Abstract

A brake control apparatus having a brake pressure controlling unit including normally-open-type electromagnetic valves for preventing a fluid pressure transmitted from a master cylinder to wheel brakes when the valves close and a control unit executing an anti-lock brake control resolving a lock tendency of the wheels by controlling the operation of the brake pressure controlling unit according to a result of judgment of the lock tendency of wheels, and simultaneously executing a brake force distribution control distributing front and rear brake forces by controlling the normally-open-type electromagnetic valves in correspondence with rear wheels to close in such a manner that the normally-open-type electromagnetic valves are opened when the brake force distribution control is finished, wherein the control unit finishes the brake force distribution control after a vehicle stops and a load applied ahead of the vehicle is released.

Claims

1. A brake control apparatus comprising:

a brake pressure controlling unit including normally-open-type electromagnetic valves for preventing a fluid pressure transmitted from a master cylinder to wheel brakes when the valves close; and

a control unit executing an anti-lock brake control resolving a lock tendency of the wheels by controlling the operation of the brake pressure controlling unit according to a result of judgment of the lock tendency of wheels, and simultaneously executing a brake force distribution control distributing front and rear brake forces by controlling the normally-open-type electromagnetic valves in correspondence with rear wheels to close in such a manner that the normally-open-type electromagnetic valves are opened when the brake force distribution control is finished;

wherein the control unit finishes the brake force distribution control as a vehicle stops and after a frontward force applied to the vehicle is released and prior to a stop of the vehicle,

wherein the control unit finishes the brake force distribution control after a predetermined time elapsed from when a wheel speed is reduced to be equal to or smaller than a predetermined wheel speed just before the vehicle stops, and

wherein the predetermined time is 300 msec and the predetermined wheel speed is 2 km/h.

2. A brake control apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the brake pressure control unit further including:

a normally-open-type electromagnetic valve in correspondence with a wheel brake;

a check valve connected in parallel with the normally-open-type electromagnetic valve;

a normally-close-type electromagnetic valve in correspondence with the wheel brake; and

a reservoir in correspondence with an output fluid path.

3. A brake control apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the control unit finishes the brake force distribution control after a vehicle speed of the rear wheels is reduced to a pre-determined speed.

4. A brake control apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the control unit finishes the brake force distribution control at a swing back time.

5. A brake control apparatus comprising:

a brake pressure controlling unit including normally-open-type electromagnetic valves for preventing a fluid pressure transmitted from a master cylinder to wheel brakes when the valves close; and

a control unit executing an anti-lock brake control resolving a lock tendency of the wheels by controlling the operation of the brake pressure controlling unit according to a result of judgment of the lock tendency of wheels, and simultaneously executing a brake force distribution control distributing front and rear brake forces by controlling the normally-open-type electromagnetic valves in correspondence with rear wheels to close in such a manner that the normally-open-type electromagnetic valves are opened when the brake force distribution control is finished;

wherein the control unit finishes the brake force distribution control as a vehicle stops and after a frontward force applied to the vehicle is released and prior to a stop of the vehicle,

wherein the control unit finishes the brake force distribution control after an estimated deceleration is reduced to be equal to or smaller than a predetermined deceleration from when a wheel speed is reduced to be equal to or smaller than a predetermined wheel speed just before the vehicle stops, and

wherein the predetermined wheel speed is 2 km/h.