AU631998B2

AU631998B2 - Automatic pre-braking system

Info

Publication number: AU631998B2
Application number: AU81221/91A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Ting Hsin Wu
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-07-23
Filing date: 1991-07-23
Publication date: 1992-12-10
Anticipated expiration: 2011-07-23
Also published as: AU8122191A

Description

Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALLA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION S'i ANDARD PATENT Invention Title: AU.TC.vATT.IC The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- 4~ It is refferred as the following egtpgs 00 0 1A AUTOMATIC PRE-BRAKING SYSTEM

DESCRIPTION

Technical Field This invention Automatic Pre-Braking System hereafter abbreviated as "APBS" relates to braking systems for motor vehicles and more particularly to a system designed to enable a motor vehicle to slow down by partially braking in advance, in order to reduce stopping distance and to avoid or minimise accidents.

Background Art There are countless numbers of motor vehicles moving along roads in the world. Motor vehicle accidents which are happening due to inability to stop in time are causing incalculable injuries, de'c hs and material losses.

At present, to slow down or to stop z; moving o vehicle, the driver must lift his or her foot from the o 15 accelerator pedal and move it to the brake pedal; the time required for this action is approximately 3/10th of a second to 1 second and this may not be improved or shortened significantly. It is also a fact that the reaction time of each driver may De different, 0 20 consequently the time taken to operate the brake varies.

A moving motor vehicle will maintain certain o omomentum after the driver lifts his or her foot away from the accelerator and before he or she operates the brake.

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2 The distance travelled by the vehicle during this period could be one of the causes of an accident (Refer Tables 1 and 2).

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION This invention seeks to eliminate the time required for the driver's foot to be moved from the accelerator pedal to the brake pedal. As soon as the driver's foot is lifted from the accelerator pedal this "APBS" will operate immediately and automatically and thereby slow 0 down the forward motion and reduce the travelling o distance of the vehicle. However the driver will need to o push the brake pedal in the usual manner to completely soa stop the vehicle.

All vehicle braking systems perform excellently :o°0 15 nowadays. By using the existing braking system in a eooo -o vehicle this invention is designed to gain that extra o00.

0 time as described previously.

eoorrao According to the invention, there is provided a pre-braking system for a motor vehicle having conventional brake and accelerator pedals, the brake pedal being coupled to a conventional vehicle braking system to control braking of the vehicle, said accelerator pedal is provided with a heel stop for resting the heel of driver's foot when placed on the accelerator nedal, said pre-braking system comprising foot sensing means to sense removal of the vehicle driver's foot from the accelerator pedal and heel sensing C meaiis for sensing the removal of the heel of the driver's Z LU 0 2a foot from the heel stop, means responsive to said foot sensing means and said heel sensing menas to partially apply the vehicle braking system in response to the removal of the vehicle driver's foot from the accelerator pedal and the heel stop, and prior to placement of the driver's foot on the brake pedal.

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j/* 0f,~ l' Vn This action will slow down but not lock the road wheels of the vehicle. The invention preferably uses an electric swihch to sense removal of the driver's foot from the accelerator pedal.

These and other features of the present invention will become apparent in the light of the detailed description of the preferred embodiments therof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram the accelerator pedal sensor switch; Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of the brake pedal control and sensor switches; and Figure 3 shows a schematic circuit diagram of the electrical control system of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows the arrangement for sensing operation of the accelerator pedal 4. Two microswitches 5 and 6 are used to sense the operation of the accelerator pedal 4. Microswitch 5 is opened when the accelerator pedal 4 is depressed and closed when the pedal 4 is released. Microswitch 6 is open while the heel of the driver's foot rests on the o ,heel stop 7 and closed when the heel is lifted from the heel stop 7. When the driver's foot is removed from the accelerator pedal 4 to apply the brake both switches are closed and activate solenoid 8.

.t e decitoCfte:rfre)moimnsteoa -4- As shown in Figure 2, the solenoid 8 is attached to the brake pedal 9 by a pulley arrangement 10 and cable 11, and when the solenoid 8 is activated it pulls on cable 11 which is connected to the brake pedal 9 to affect a partial braking action.

Smicroswitch 12 is installed on the brake pedal 9. This switch will turn the "APBS" off when the pedal 9 is depressed by the driver who will also control the degree of braking needed. The "APBS" will turn back on when the driver's foot depresses the accelerator pedal 4 again.

As shown in Figure 3, each of the microswitches 6 and 12 control relays 15, 16 and 17 to activate and de-activate solenoid 8. Power is supplied to the control lb circuit from the vehicle battery 18 via the ignition switch 19, fuse 20 and the main system switch 21.

This invention does not alter the driver's usual driving movements and does not change or affect the original braking system of the vehicle.

The "APBS" will not lock the brakes and the final :.braking action to stop the vehicle is still performed by 0 the driver. The stop lights of the vehicle operate in the usual manner as soon as the solenoid pulls on the o4,i obrake pedal.

In the case of vehicle coasting (freewheeling) or on down hill run the main system switch 21 can be Sswitched off. The series switch 6 is installed on the "heel stop position of the a velerator pedal 4. This 2l3 second switch 6 keeps the "APBS" deactivated as long as the driver's foot rests against the heel stop 7 of the accelerator pedal 4. The on-off actions of the l pre-braking system are indicated by indicator lights 13 and 14.

j Vehicles with cruise control are not affected by the installation of the "APBS". When driving with the cruise control "on" the main system switch for the "APBS" can be turned off.

i1 AOt/ l AI -6 TABLE 1.

TIME, SPEED. AND DISTANCE TRAVELLED.

Speed (km/hr) 60 70 80 90 100 110 Distance (in) 1/1 2 2 1 2 3 3 2/10 3 4 4 5 616 4/10 6 81 9 ]10 J11 J12 5/10 18 10 11 13 14 6/10 10o 12 J14 15 17 18 7/10 112 14 16 f18 19 f21 8/10 13 16 18 f 20 22 24 9/10 15 j17 J20 23 25 I27 1 17 19 T 22 -25 28 31 7- TABLE 2.

TIME. SPEED, AND DISTANCE TRAVELLED.

Speed (mph) 40 55 65 75 85 100 1/10 11__ 2/10 12 16 {19 22 25 29 3/10 24 291 33 3 44 4/10 18 32 36 T 44 59 5/10 29 40 48 62 7 6/ .10 35 48 58 661 75 88 7/10 41 56 [67 77 88 103 8/10 47 65 76 88 1.00 117 9/10 73 f86 99 1112 132 1 59 81 195 1 110 TJ125T 147 o t I 0 II I C

Claims

1. A pre-braking system for a mo,.or vehicle having conventional brake and accelerator pedals, the brake pedal being coupled to a conventional vehicle braking system to control braking of the vehicle, said accelerator pedal is provided with a heel stop for resting the heel of driver's foot when placed on the accelerator pedal, said pre-braking system comprising foot sensing means to sense removal of the vehicle driver's foot from the accelerator pedal and heel sensi.ng 10 means for sensing the removal of the heel of the driver's foot from the heel stop, means responsive to said foot oe sensing means and said heel sensing means to partially o apply the vehicle braking system in response to the removal of the vehicle driver's foot from the accelerator o 15 pedal and the heel stop, and prior to placement of the o: driver's foot on the brake pedal.

2. A pre-braking system for a motor vehicle according to claim 1 further comprising activation means for activating and de-activating the pre-braking system, and indicator means for indicating whether the pre-braking system is activated.

3. A pre-braking system for a motor vehicle according to claim 2 wherein said activation means is responsive to said heel sensing means sensing the presence of the heel of the driver's foot being rested on the heel stop to de-activate the pre-braking system. W 0

4. A pre-braking system for a motor vehicle according I\. 2 9'v 9 to claim i, 2 or 3 wherein the foot sensing means comprises a electric switch connected to an electric power source, said responsive means comprises a solenoid connected in series with said electric switch and said power source such that closing of said switch in response to removal of the driver's foot from the accelerator pedal activates said solenoid, said solenoid being coupled to the brake pedal to cause partial operation thereof when said solenoid is activated.

A pre-braking system for a motor vehicle according o~ 0 0 to any one of claims i, 2 or 3 wherein said foot sensing 0 00 means comprises a electric switch connected to an electric power source, said electric switch being closed 0 5 in response to removal of the driver's foot from the O accelerator pedal, said heel sensing means comprising a further electric switch connected in series with said electric switch, said further electric switch being 0 closed in response to the removal of the heel of the driver's foot from the heel stop, said responsive means comprises a solenoid connected in series with said electric switches and said power source such that closing of said switches in response to removal of the driver's foot from the accelerator pedal and heel stop activates said solenoid, said solenoid being coupled to the brake pedal to cause partial operation thereof when said solenoid is activated.

6. A pre-braking system for a motor vehicle according to claim 2 or 5 further including a further foot sensing hi 10 means responsive to depression of the brake pedal by the driver's foot to cause de-activation of the pre-braking system. DATED this 28th Day of September 1992 TING HSIN WU Attorney: PETER HEATHCOTE Fellow Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia of SHELSTON WATERS 0 00 t* 00 0 on o o o o r 00 0 0 0 &n i SU 0 0 ''Il 000 0,~ V N ABSTRACTS 1. "APBS'" is an automatic stand by pre-braking system. 2. The system utilises electrical power instead of man-power to initiate braking action in order to save the time required by the driver to move his or her foot from-the accelerator pedal to the brake peual. This will brake the vehicle in advance and reduce the stopping distance, this will in turn reduce or avoid a.ccident. 3. When the driver's foot is pressing on the accelerator pedal or the heel rest or the brake pedal, this will activate the micro switches and disconnect the power supply to the "APBS" (ref. pages 7 8) 4. The "APBS" will be deactivated when the bra!ke pedal is I pressed. The "APBS" will be re-activated to stand by mode when the accelerator pedal is pressed. (ref. pages 7 8) 0 0 I 01 NI