TEST ARRANGEMENT FOR FUNCTIONAL TESTING OF A VEHICLE BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEM

Abstract

A test arrangement for functional testing of a brake control system in a vehicle, in which either a first parking brake system or a second parking brake system can be installed, wherein the brake control system has a control device with a first control module for controlling the first parking brake system, and has a second control module for controlling the second parking brake system, and wherein either the first control module or the second control module can be activated by means of a coding unit, in order to control the associated parking brake system, while the non-activated control module remains inoperative. The brake control system has a test unit with which a swap plausibility check can be carried out, which can be used to check whether the correct control module for the installed parking brake system is activated.

Claims

1. A test arrangement for functional testing of a brake control system in a vehicle comprising: a first parking brake system or a second parking brake system can be installed, wherein the brake control system has a control device with a first control module for controlling the first parking brake system and a second control module for controlling the second parking brake system, and wherein either the first control module or the second control module can be activated by a coding unit in order to control an associated parking brake system, while a non-activated control module remains inoperative, and wherein the brake control system has a test unit with which a swap plausibility check can be carried out, based on which it can be checked whether a correct control module is activated for the installed parking brake system.

2. The test arrangement of claim 1, wherein the test unit evaluates an assignment of the first control module to the first parking brake system or an assignment of the second control module to the second parking brake system to be plausible, and/or that the test unit evaluates an assignment of the second control module to the first parking brake system or an assignment of the first control module to the second parking brake system to be implausible, as incorrect coding, and in that, in particular, after the incorrect coding has been identified and documented, a control of the parking brake is also effectively prevented and/or in that after the incorrect coding has been identified and documented, any control of the parking brake is prevented in order to provide effective component protection.

3. The test arrangement of claim 1, wherein the test unit has a determination block for determining the activated control module and a determination block for determining the parking brake system installed in the vehicle, and in that the test unit performs the swap plausibility check based on at least two determination blocks.

4. The test arrangement of claim 1, wherein during coding, the coding unit generates a coding signal with which the control device of the brake control system can be controlled, and in that one of the control modules of the control device can be activated based on the coding signal.

5. The test arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the first parking brake system has a combination brake caliper with an integrated parking brake actuator, which can be controlled by the control device, and/or in that the second parking brake system has a parking brake drum with an integrated parking brake actuator, as well as a position sensor in order to determine a current position of the parking brake actuator, and/or in that, in an installed state, the position sensor is in signal communication with the second control module.

6. The test arrangement of claim 5, wherein the second control module has a sensor diagnostic block, and in that, when the second parking brake system is installed in the vehicle, the position sensor is in signal connection with the sensor diagnostic block, and in that the sensor diagnostic block recognizes that the position sensor has been installed correctly and generates a corresponding installation signal, or in that the sensor diagnostic block.

7. The test arrangement of claim 6, wherein the swap plausibility check is performed based on the installation signal, a non-installation signal, and at least one coding signals.

8. The test arrangement of claim 7, wherein the test unit upon detection of the coding signal for activating the first parking brake system and upon detection of the installation signal, which indicates the installation of a position sensor, recognizes an incorrect coding.

9. The test arrangement of claim 7, wherein the test unit upon detection of the coding signal for activating the second parking brake system and upon detection of the non-installation signal, which indicates that a position sensor is not installed, recognizes an incorrect coding.

10. A method for functional testing of a brake control system in a vehicle comprising: installing either a first parking brake system or a second parking brake system, wherein the brake control system has a control device with a first control module for controlling the first parking brake system and having a second control module for controlling the second parking brake system, and wherein either the first control module or the second control module is activated of a coding unit, in order to control the associated parking brake system, while the non-activated control module remains inoperative, and wherein a swap plausibility check is carried out in the brake control system in order to check whether the correct control module for the installed parking brake system is activated.

11. The test arrangement of claim 2, wherein the test unit has a determination block for determining the activated control module and a determination block for determining the parking brake system installed in the vehicle, and in that the test unit performs the swap plausibility check based on at least two determination blocks.

12. The test arrangement of claim 2, wherein during coding, the coding unit generates a coding signal with which the control device of the brake control system can be controlled, and in that one of the control modules of the control device can be activated based on the coding signal.

13. The test arrangement of claim 3, wherein during coding, the coding unit generates a coding signal with which the control device of the brake control system can be controlled, and in that one of the control modules of the control device can be activated on the basis of the coding signal.

14. The test arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the first parking brake system has a combination brake caliper with an integrated parking brake actuator, which can be controlled by the control device, and/or in that the second parking brake system has a parking brake drum with an integrated parking brake actuator, as well as a position sensor in order to determine a current position of the parking brake actuator, and/or in that, in an installed state, the position sensor is in signal communication with the second control module.

15. The test arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the first parking brake system has a combination brake caliper with an integrated parking brake actuator, which can be controlled by the control device, and/or in that the second parking brake system has a parking brake drum with an integrated parking brake actuator, as well as a position sensor in order to determine a current position of the parking brake actuator, and/or in that, in an installed state, the position sensor is in signal communication with the second control module.

16. The test arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the first parking brake system has a combination brake caliper with an integrated parking brake actuator, which can be controlled by the control device, and/or in that the second parking brake system has a parking brake drum with an integrated parking brake actuator, as well as a position sensor in order to determine a current position of the parking brake actuator, and/or in that, in the installed state, the position sensor is in signal communication with the second control module.

17. The test arrangement of claim 8, wherein the test unit upon detection of the coding signal for activating the second parking brake system and upon detection of the non-installation signal, which indicates that a position sensor is not installed, recognizes an incorrect coding.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] An exemplary embodiment of the disclosure is described below with reference to the accompanying figures. In particular:

[0018] FIG. 1 shows a roughly schematic view of a vehicle with an EPBI parking brake system installed therein, and with a DSE parking brake system installed therein (FIG. 2);

[0019] FIG. 2 shows a roughly schematic view of a vehicle with an EPBI parking brake system installed therein (FIG. 1), and with a DSE parking brake system installed therein;

[0020] FIG. 3 shows a view corresponding to FIGS. 1 and 2, in each of which incorrect coding is illustrated;

[0021] FIG. 4 show shows a view corresponding to FIGS. 1 and 2, in each of which incorrect coding is illustrated; and

[0022] FIG. 5 shows schematic diagrams of an EPBI parking brake system and of a DSE parking brake system.

[0023] FIG. 6 shows schematic diagrams of an EPBI parking brake system and of a DSE parking brake system.

[0024] In FIG. 1, a braking system of a four-wheel vehicle is described insofar as it is necessary for understanding the disclosure. Accordingly, the braking system has a service brake B on each of the front wheels FR and rear wheels RW, which brake is integrated in a hydraulic circuit, in which a hydraulic chamber 1 of a pressure generator 3 implemented as a piston-cylinder unit is connected via a hydraulic line 5 to a hydraulic chamber 7 of a brake cylinder 9 (FIG. 5). The brake cylinder 9 is integrated in a cast brake caliper 10. Stroke-adjustable brake pads 11 are arranged in the cast brake caliper 10 and interact with a brake disc 13 on the vehicle wheel. The pressure generator 3 can be controlled via a control logic 15 of a brake control system control device 16. During driving operation, the control logic 15 generates an actuating signal y.sub.1, with which the pressure generator 3 can be controlled, on the basis of a deceleration setting generated by the driver via a brake pedal 17. In the pressure generator 3, depending on the actuating signal y.sub.1, the hydraulic pressure applied to the brake cylinder piston 19 (FIG. 5) of the brake cylinder 9 can be increased in order to bring the brake pads 11 into braking engagement with the brake disc 13.

[0025] As can be seen from FIG. 1, EPBI parking brake systems (EPBI=integrated electric parking brake) are installed on the rear wheels HR of the vehicle. Here, the cast brake caliper 10 acts as a combination brake caliper with an integrated parking brake actuator 21 (FIG. 5). This can be controlled by a first control module 22 of the control unit 16. The parking brake actuator 21 is composed in FIG. 5 of a rotary drive motor 23 with a threaded spindle 25 which, together with a pressure nut 27, forms a threaded drive. This protrudes into the hydraulic chamber 7 of the brake cylinder 9 in FIG. 5. When the parking brake actuator 21 is actuated, the pressure nut 27 moves to the left in FIG. 5, whereby the brake cylinder piston 19 is pushed, together with the brake pads 11, in braking engagement against the brake disc 13, in particular while generating a tensioning force, through which the parking brake actuator 21 pushes, with the interposition od the brake cylinder piston 19, the brake pads 11 against the brake disc 13.

[0026] As can also be seen from FIG. 1, in addition to the control logic 15 and the first control module 22, the control device 16 has a second control module 24, which is used to control a DSE parking brake system, which will be described later. Coding takes place in the vehicle manufacturing plant or in a workshop before the vehicle is put into operation. During the coding, the coding signal K.sub.EPBI generated by the coding unit 29 is present at the signal input of an input block 30 of the control device 16. On the basis of the coding signal K.sub.EPBI, the input block 30 generates an activation signal S.sub.T, with which the first control module 22 in FIG. 1 is activated in order to carry out a proper control of the EPBI parking system. The second control module 24 of the control device 16 remains deactivated.

[0027] As an alternative, a DSE parking brake system (DSE=Dual-Servo-Electric) is installed on each of the rear wheels HR of the vehicle in FIG. 2. In FIG. 6, the DSE parking brake system has a parking brake drum 31 which is arranged radially inside the cast brake caliper 10 and which interacts with brake shoes 33. The brake shoes 33 can be brought into braking engagement with the inner circumference of the parking brake drum 31 via a parking brake actuator 35. The parking brake actuator 35 can be controlled by the second control module 24 of the control device 16 via actuating signals y.sub.3. In addition, a position sensor 37 (for example a Hall sensor) is assigned to the parking brake actuator 35 in order to determine a current position of the parking brake actuator 35. The position sensor 37 is in signal connection with the second control module 24.

[0028] As can also be seen from the figures, the second control module 24 has a sensor diagnostic block 39. The sensor diagnostic block 39 recognizes that the position sensor 37 is correctly installed and generates a corresponding installation signal V. Alternatively, the sensor diagnostic block 39 also recognizes that the position sensor 37 is not installed. In this case, the sensor diagnostic block 39 generates a corresponding non-installation signal N.

[0029] During the coding, according to FIG. 2, the coding signal K.sub.DSE generated by the coding unit 29 is present at the signal input of an input block 30 of the control device 16. Based on the coding signal K.sub.DSE, the input block 30 generates an activation signal S.sub.T, with which the second control module 24 is activated in FIG. 2, while the first control module 22 remains deactivated.

[0030] In order to document an incorrect coding of the control modules 22, 24, the control device 16 has a test unit 41 according to the disclosure. The test unit 41 can be used to perform a swap plausibility check, by which it is checked whether the correct control module for the installed parking brake system is activated. The test unit 41 carries out the swap plausibility check on the basis of the installation signal V, the non-installation signal N and the coding signals K.sub.EPBI, K.sub.DSE. When the coding signal K.sub.EPBI for activating the EPBI parking brake system is detected (works without position sensor 37) and when the installation signal V is detected (that is, position sensor 37 is installed), the test unit 41 recognizes the incorrect coding. In the same way, the test unit 41 recognizes an incorrect coding if the coding signal K.sub.DSE for activating the DSE parking brake system (works with position sensor 37) and the non-installation signal N (i.e., no position sensor 37 installed) is detected.