Method for controlling a brake system, brake system, and use

• US 9,545,906 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2013
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Zimmermann, Tim, Bauer, Thomas, Maus, Dieter
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHWARTZ, CHRISTOPHER P
• Application Number:
  US14/378,758
• Publication Number:
  US 20150042151A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,440 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 13/745 acting on a hydraulic system, e.g. a master cylinder
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1755 Brake regulation specially adapted to control the stability of the vehicle, e.g. taking into account yaw rate or transverse acceleration in a curve road vehicle drive control systems for control of driving stability otherwise than by controlling a particular sub-unit B60W30/02
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/3275 Systems with a braking assistant function, i.e. automatic full braking initiation in dependence of brake pedal velocity
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/4059 involving the rate of delivery

Abstract

The invention relates to a method, wherein an electrically operated actuator of a vehicle brake system is controlled in accordance with a braking demand of a vehicle control system, such as occurs in electronic stability control. According to the invention, a supply voltage of the vehicle electrical system applied to the electrically operated actuator is increased if at least one specified condition is met. Thus, the pressure build-up by a hydraulic pump can e.g. be accelerated during emergency braking.

Claims

1. A method for braking a vehicle, including:

raising a supply voltage of an on-board vehicle electrical system from a first voltage level to a second voltage level that is less than or equal to a maximum permissible value; and

applying the supply voltage at the second voltage level to;

1) at least one electrically operated actuator of a vehicle brake system in accordance with a braking request made by a vehicle control system when at least one pre-specified condition is met, such that braking torque is built up at one or more vehicle wheels independently of the driver, and

2) at, least one other control device of the on-board vehicle electrical system, the at least one other control device including a microprocessor.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first prespecified condition is met when a braking request is made by a safety-critical vehicle control system.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein a second prespecified condition is met when a variable which characterizes the vehicle instability exceeds a prespecified yaw rate difference threshold value.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein a third prespecified condition is met when the braking request exceeds a prespecified request threshold value, wherein, the pressure request made by a vehicle control system or the pressure in a brake circuit of the brake system is considered to be a measure of the braking request.

5. The method as claimed in claim 2, a safety-critical vehicle control system is a driving dynamics control means or an emergency brake assistant.

6. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein a variable which characterizes the vehicle instability is a deviation between the measured actual yaw rate of the vehicle and the setpoint yaw rate which is calculated on the basis of a vehicle model.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supply voltage of the on-board vehicle electrical system is raised to a prespecified value or a value which lies in a prespecified interval.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein at least one of the prespecified value and the prespecified interval is selected depending on which condition/conditions or how many of several prespecified conditions is/are met.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supply voltage is reset to the original value again as soon as none of the prespecified conditions are met any longer or a stationary state of the vehicle is identified.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the supply voltage is reset to the original value again only after no braking request has been made by a vehicle control system for a prespecified period of time.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supply voltage of the on-board electrical system is raised above a voltage request in a management unit for the on-board electrical system.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one prespecified condition is met when a variable which characterizes the vehicle'"'"'s instability exceeds a prespecified yaw rate difference threshold value.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one prespecified condition is met when the braking request exceeds a prespecified request threshold value, wherein the pressure request made by a vehicle control system or the pressure in a brake circuit of the brake system is considered to be a measure of the braking request.

14. A brake system for a vehicle, comprising:

at least one electrically operated actuator which allows braking torque to be built up at one or more vehicle wheels independently of the driver, and

a control device which drives at least one electrically operated actuator using a method in which at least one electrically operated actuator of a vehicle brake system is driven in accordance with a braking request made by a vehicle control system,

wherein the control device is configured to;

raise a supply voltage of an on-board vehicle electrical system from a first voltage level to a second voltage level that is less than or equal to a maximum permissible value,

apply the supply voltage at the second voltage level to the at least one electrically operated actuator when at least one prespecified condition is met, such that braking torque is built up at one or more vehicle wheels independently of the driver, and

apply the supply voltage at the second voltage level to at least one other control device of the on-board vehicle electrical system, the at least one other control device including a microprocessor.

15. The brake system as claimed in claim 14, wherein at least one of the electrically operated actuators is a pressure medium pump.

16. The brake system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the pressure medium pump is a piston pump.

17. The brake system as claimed in claim 14, wherein at least one of the electrically operated actuators is an electromechanically operated friction brake.

18. The brake system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the control device is connected to one or more environment sensors and/or a monitoring computer, for evaluating environment sensor systems, by a vehicle data bus or one or more control lines.

19. A motor vehicle driven by an internal combustion engine and/or at least one electric motor, comprising:

a brake system including;

at least one electrically operated actuator, and

a control device which drives the at least one electrically operated actuator, the control device is configured to;

raise a supply voltage of an on-board vehicle electrical system from a first voltage level to a second voltage level that is less than or equal to a maximum permissible value,

apply the supply voltage at the second voltage level to the at least one electrically operated actuator when at least one prespecified condition is met, such that braking torque is built up at one or more vehicle wheels independently of the driver, and

apply the supply voltage at the second voltage level to at least one other control device of the on-board vehicle electrical system, the at least one other control device including a microprocessor.