There is provided a configuration that can precisely detect abrasion of brake shoes of a railway vehicle. A brake shoe abrasion detection unit includes: at least one abrasion detection RF tag that is attached at a position of an abrasion limit of a brake shoe of a railway vehicle tread brake or a position closer to a braking surface than the abrasion limit; and a reference RF tag that is attached at a position beyond the abrasion limit of the brake shoe.

There is provided a configuration that can precisely detect abrasion of brake shoes of a railway vehicle. A brake shoe abrasion detection unit includes: at least one abrasion detection RF tag that is attached at a position of an abrasion limit of a brake shoe of a railway vehicle tread brake or a position closer to a braking surface than the abrasion limit; and a reference RF tag that is attached at a position beyond the abrasion limit of the brake shoe.

Methods and systems are provided for an automatic, electric hub lock with a manual override capability. In one example, the electric hub lock may be actuated responsive to one or more of a manipulation of a manual dial proximate a vehicle wheel and an electronic control inside a passenger compartment. In another example, a method includes overriding the automatic control of the hub lock responsive to manual request for operating the vehicle in four-wheel drive mode.

Methods and systems are provided for an automatic, electric hub lock with a manual override capability. In one example, the electric hub lock may be actuated responsive to one or more of a manipulation of a manual dial proximate a vehicle wheel and an electronic control inside a passenger compartment. In another example, a method includes overriding the automatic control of the hub lock responsive to manual request for operating the vehicle in four-wheel drive mode.

An electric motor-driven parking brake of a motor vehicle can be released in an emergency by applying emergency current from a parallel emergency current source to the motors controlling the parking brake. The direction of the emergency current is selected to reverse the motors, i.e., release the parking brake.

An electric motor-driven parking brake of a motor vehicle can be released in an emergency by applying emergency current from a parallel emergency current source to the motors controlling the parking brake. The direction of the emergency current is selected to reverse the motors, i.e., release the parking brake.

A braking system and method utilizing a simplified estimate of a distance between two locations on the earth based on spherical geometry. A braking system utilizing the aforementioned simplified estimate does not require computationally intensive calculations and is more efficient and better equipped to handle real-time generation of distance estimates for braking needs and variable conditions. In the present invention, geodesics evaluations are not used; rather, a modified Haversine formula that simplifies computations is used, including a one-time computation of the cosine of latitude coordinate.

The vehicle braking device performs a control which makes an actual value of physical quantity associated with a braking force follow a target value thereof when the actual value is outside a dead zone and a control which suppresses a change of the actual value when the actual value is within the dead zone and includes a judging portion which judges whether or not the actual value passes through the dead zone with a value beyond the upper limit threshold value and a setting portion which sets a second upper limit threshold value more closely approximated than a first upper limit threshold value when the actual value is judged not to pass through the dead zone, as the upper limit threshold value, when the actual value is judged to pass through the dead zone by the judging portion.

The vehicle braking device performs a control which makes an actual value of physical quantity associated with a braking force follow a target value thereof when the actual value is outside a dead zone and a control which suppresses a change of the actual value when the actual value is within the dead zone and includes a judging portion which judges whether or not the actual value passes through the dead zone with a value beyond the upper limit threshold value and a setting portion which sets a second upper limit threshold value more closely approximated than a first upper limit threshold value when the actual value is judged not to pass through the dead zone, as the upper limit threshold value, when the actual value is judged to pass through the dead zone by the judging portion.

The hydraulic pressure control includes a valve portion which adjusts a fluid flowing into or flowing out of a hydraulic pressure chamber, a state judging portion which judges whether or not a state of the hydraulic pressure chamber is in a state in which the actual pressure is increasing even the holding signal has been inputted to the valve portion and a control portion which executes a specific control which keeps the actual pressure to the hydraulic pressure within the dead zone when the state judging portion judges that the state of the hydraulic pressure chamber is in a state that the actual pressure fluctuates even the holding signal has been inputted to the valve portion.