Antiskid control unit and data collection system for vehicle braking system

• US 7,805,233 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2009
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hydro-Aire Aerospace Corporation (Crane Company)
• Original Assignee: Hydro-Aire Incorporated Subsidiary of Crane Company
• Inventors: Gowan, John, DeVlieg, Garrett H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black; Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOUIE, WAE LENNY
• Application Number:
  US12/356,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20090132140A1
• Time in Patent Office: 615 Days
• Field of Search: 701/71, 701/70, 701/82, 303/113.1, 324/173, 188/181.R, 188/264.D
• US Class Current: 701/71
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1703 for aircrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/171 Detecting parameters used in the regulation; Measuring values used in the regulation
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/28 for testing brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/122 Speed recorders
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/16 for erasable recording, e.g. magnetic recording
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/443 mounted in bearings bearings F16C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A wheel speed transducer including a magnetic device associated with a wheel and a sensor device associated with the axle of the wheel provides data indicative of the velocity of the wheel. A processor located at the axle receives the wheel speed data and processes it to perform antiskid control functions. The velocity data is stored in a data concentrator also associated with the axle. A tire pressure sensor, a brake temperature sensor and a brake torque sensor, each associated with the wheel, send data to the processor at the axle, for storage in the data concentrator. A transmitting antenna associated with the axle and in communication with the data concentrator transmits stored data to a receiving antenna associated with the wheel. A data port at the wheel and in communication with the receiving antenna provides an interface to an external device for receiving the data.

Claims

1. In a system for collecting information related to the operation of a wheel on a hollow axle of a moving vehicle, the system including an antiskid unit located within the axle, and a data concentrator located within the axle configured to store operation information including wheel speed data from said antiskid unit over a period of time, the improvement in the system for collecting information comprising:

a radio frequency data port configured to download the operation information from the data concentrator, said radio frequency data port including a transmitting antenna at the axle and a receiving antenna at the wheel, said transmitting antenna being in communication with the antiskid unit and data concentrator and said receiving antenna being configured to receive data transmitted from the transmitting antenna.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a wheel speed transducer configured to provide wheel speed data to the antiskid unit.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said wheel speed transducer comprises:

a magnetic device associated with the wheel; and

a sensor device associated with the axle and configured to sense the magnetic field produced by the magnetic device and output signals to the antiskid unit.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the sensor device is located within the axle.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a tire pressure sensor configured to provide tire pressure data to the antiskid unit, wherein the operation information includes the tire pressure.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the tire pressure sensor comprises:

a transmitting device having a pressure sensor at one end in communication with the tire interior and a transmitting antenna at the other end configured to transmit pressure sensor signals; and

a receiving device in communication with the antiskid unit and configured to receive signals from the transmitting antenna.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising an accelerometer configured to provide acceleration data to the antiskid unit, wherein the operation information includes the acceleration data.

8. In a system for use in collecting information related to the operation of a wheel on an axle of a moving vehicle, the wheel having a magnetic device mounted thereto, the system including an antiskid unit associated with the axle, a tire pressure sensor configured to sense the pressure within a tire mounted to the wheel and to output pressure signals to the antiskid unit, a sensor device associated with the axle and configured to sense the magnetic field produced by the magnetic device and output velocity signals to the antiskid unit, the antiskid unit configured to convert the velocity signals to wheel speed data, and a data concentrator associated with the axle configured to store operation information from said antiskid unit, the improvement in the system for use in collecting information comprising:

a radio frequency data port, said radio frequency data port including a transmitting antenna at the axle and a receiving antenna at the wheel, said transmission antenna being in communication with the data concentrator configured to download the operation information from the data concentrator, and said receiving antenna being configured to receive data transmitted from said transmitting antenna.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the antiskid unit comprises:

a velocity converter in communication with the magnetic sensor configured to convert the velocity signals to velocity data; and

a data interrogator configured to collect velocity data from the velocity converter and to forward the data to the data concentrator.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the data interrogator is configured to periodically collect velocity data and time stamp the data.

11. In a system for collecting information related to the operation of a wheel on a hollow axle of a moving vehicle, the system including an antiskid unit associated with the axle, a wheel speed transducer configured to provide wheel speed data to the antiskid unit, and a data concentrator configured to store operation information from said antiskid unit over a period of time, wherein the data concentrator is located within the axle, the improvement in system for collecting information comprising:

a radio frequency data port configured to download the operation information from said antiskid unit including the wheel speed data from the data concentrator, said radio frequency data port including a transmitting antenna at the axle and a receiving antenna at the wheel, said transmitting antenna being in communication with the antiskid unit and data concentrator, and said receiving antenna being configured to receive data transmitted from said transmitting antenna.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the antiskid unit is located within the axle.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the wheel speed transducer comprises:

a magnetic device associated with the wheel; and

a sensor device associated with the axle and configured to sense the magnetic field produced by the magnetic device and output signals to the antiskid unit.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the sensor device is located within the axle.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising a tire pressure sensor configured to provide tire pressure data to the antiskid unit, wherein the operation information includes the tire pressure.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the tire pressure sensor comprises:

a transmitting device having a pressure sensor at one end in communication with the tire interior and a transmitting antenna at the other end configured to transmit pressure sensor signals.

17. In a system for collecting information related to the operation of a wheel on a hollow axle of a moving vehicle, the system including an antiskid unit associated with the axle, a wheel speed transducer configured to provide wheel speed data to the antiskid unit, wherein the axle is hollow, and said wheel speed transducer includes a magnetic device associated with the wheel and a sensor device located within the axle configured to sense the magnetic field produced by the magnetic device and to output signals to the antiskid unit, and a data concentrator within the axle configured to store operation information including the wheel speed data from said antiskid unit over a period of time, the improvement in the system for collecting information comprising:

a transmitting antenna at the axle in communication with the antiskid unit and data concentrator configured to download the operation information from said antiskid unit including the wheel speed data from the data concentrator; and

a receiving antenna at the wheel configured to receive data transmitted from said transmitting antenna.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the antiskid unit is located within the axle.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising a tire pressure sensor configured to provide tire pressure data to the antiskid unit, wherein the operation information includes the tire pressure.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the tire pressure sensor comprises:

a transmitting device having a pressure sensor at one end in communication with the tire interior and a transmitting antenna at the other end configured to transmit pressure sensor signals.

21. In a system for use in collecting information related to the operation of a wheel on an axle of a moving vehicle, the wheel having a magnetic device mounted thereto, the system including an antiskid unit associated with the axle, a sensor device associated with the axle and configured to sense the magnetic field produced by the magnetic device and output velocity signals to the antiskid unit, the antiskid unit configured to convert the velocity signals to wheel speed data, and a data concentrator associated with the axle configured to store operation information from said antiskid unit, the improvement in the system for use in collecting information comprising:

a radio frequency data port configured to download the operation information from said antiskid unit including the wheel speed data from the data concentrator, said radio frequency data port including a receiving antenna at the wheel, and a transmitting antenna at the axle in communication with the data concentrator, said receiving antenna being configured to receive data transmitted from said transmitting antenna.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the antiskid unit comprises:

a velocity converter in communication with the magnetic sensor configured to convert the velocity signals to velocity data; and

a data interrogator configured to collect velocity data from the velocity converter and forward the data to the data concentrator.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the data interrogator is configured to periodically collect velocity data and time stamp the data.

24. The system of claim 21, further comprising a tire pressure sensor configured to sense the pressure within the tire and to output pressure signals to the antiskid unit.