When a parking brake mechanism is in a braking state and an operation switch is switched to a braking-released state, a control unit of an electric vehicle brings a parking brake mechanism into a braking-released state on the condition that the control unit detects using a stop lamp switch that the brake pedal is not depressed and detects that the shift range of the shift lever is a P range.

When a parking brake mechanism is in a braking state and an operation switch is switched to a braking-released state, a control unit of an electric vehicle brings a parking brake mechanism into a braking-released state on the condition that the control unit detects using a stop lamp switch that the brake pedal is not depressed and detects that the shift range of the shift lever is a P range.

In some embodiments, a system and/or method may reduce certain injuries resulting from a vehicle collision. The method may include opening a valve in a pressurized brake line of a brake system of a vehicle in response to a trigger. The trigger may include a set pressure value of a fluid in the pressurized brake line. The method may include allowing the fluid in the pressurized brake line to flow through a sized opening accessible through the opened valve. The sized opening may reduce a fluid pressure in the pressurized brake line verses time. The sized opening may be dimensioned to allow a flow rate of the fluid conveying through the sized opening such that the fluid pressure reduces over a period of time. The method may include reducing backpressure on a brake pedal coupled to the pressurized brake line.

An actuator having controlled blocking of an end position and a method for operating a parking brake having such an actuator. The blocking device according to the present disclosure is intended to be constructed to be very wear-resistant and fracture-resistant and the force transmission path of the blocking device is not intended to be directed via the electromagnet which actuates the blocking device. The electromagnet in the state supplied with current presses a blocking cone into a piston counter to a spring by means of a tappet, wherein the blocking cone presses a group of balls which are supported in openings of the piston outwards by means of a conical face and wherein these balls are supported, on the one hand, on a shoulder of a blocking sleeve which is connected to a cylinder and, on the other hand, on the openings of the piston and thereby block a movement of the piston out of the end position thereof. Such a system can be used on vehicles having an electrohydraulically actuated parking brake.

In some example implementations, there is provided a method. The method may include generating, by an air-coupled transducer, a first ultrasonic guided wave to cause the generated ultrasonic guided wave to propagate into a rail being tested for one or more defects, wherein a frequency of the first ultrasonic guided wave is controlled by at least changing the frequency of a voltage sent to the air-coupled transducer generating the first ultrasonic guided wave; receiving, by a receiver, a second ultrasonic guided wave, wherein the second ultrasonic guided wave is received from the rail; and analyzing a signal representative of the received second ultrasonic guided wave to detect the one or more defects in the rail. Related systems, methods, and articles of manufacture are also provided.

In some example implementations, there is provided a method. The method may include generating, by an air-coupled transducer, a first ultrasonic guided wave to cause the generated ultrasonic guided wave to propagate into a rail being tested for one or more defects, wherein a frequency of the first ultrasonic guided wave is controlled by at least changing the frequency of a voltage sent to the air-coupled transducer generating the first ultrasonic guided wave; receiving, by a receiver, a second ultrasonic guided wave, wherein the second ultrasonic guided wave is received from the rail; and analyzing a signal representative of the received second ultrasonic guided wave to detect the one or more defects in the rail. Related systems, methods, and articles of manufacture are also provided.

Disclosed is a brake system for aircraft that uses a control unit that is configured to control actuators at each wheel using one channel operating an associated brake control module, and other actuators at the same wheel using a second module operated completely independently using a second module. The use of the first and second groups of actuators are alternated periodically, e.g., for each flight.

A vehicle control device controls a vehicle drive system including a main motor as a drive source of a vehicle, a parking lock mechanism, and an actuator. The vehicle control device includes an actuator drive control section that controls a drive of the actuator, a main motor drive control section that controls a drive of the main motor, and a range determination unit that determines whether or not a shift range is a parking range. When releasing the parking lock, if the parking range is not released within a parking range release determination time that is variable according to an operating environment, the main motor drive control section performs a meshing surface pressure reduction control for driving the main motor so as to reduce a meshing surface pressure between a parking gear and a parking lever.

A method of operating a compressed air system of a vehicle is disclosed. The compressed air system comprises a purge valve controllable to an open state to vent air from the compressed air system at a location between an air compressor and an air processing element. The method comprises the step of controlling the purge valve to the open state if data is indicative of at least one of a preceding, an ongoing and an upcoming accumulation of matter in at least one component of the compressed air system and maintaining the purge valve in the open state until the air pressure in the compressed air system declines below a threshold pressure. The present disclosure further relates to a computer program, a computer-readable medium, a control arrangement, a compressed air system, and a vehicle.

A vehicle control device includes a first control unit that executes, when an abnormality of a driver of a vehicle is detected, stop control, a second control unit that executes, when the vehicle is determined to have a risk of collision, deceleration control, a determination unit that identifies an object around the vehicle as a target candidate of the collision and determines whether or not there is the risk of the collision with the identified target candidate, and a setting unit that sets, when the abnormality is detected, an operation mode of the deceleration control to a special mode from a normal mode, the normal mode provided for cases in which the abnormality is undetected. The determination unit expands a range for identifying the object around the vehicle as the target candidate of the collision in the special mode as compared with the range in the normal mode.