Patent ID: 6276766
Filing Date: 2001-08-21
Classification: B60T

Abstract:
A brake system of a vehicle having a vehicle body and front left, front right, rear left and rear right wheels, comprising:a reservoir;a plurality of wheel cylinders, each wheel cylinder applying a braking force to a corresponding one of the front left, front right, rear left and rear right wheels when supplied with a working fluid at a raised pressure;an inlet passage means adapted to supply the working fluid to said wheel cylinders;a pump means for pumping the working fluid from said reservoir to said inlet passage means to provide a raised pressure source of the working fluid in said passage means;fluid circuit means including fluid flow control valves for selectively conducting the working fluid from said inlet passage means to each one of said wheel cylinders; andan automatic control means for controlling said pump means and said fluid flow control valves, wherein said automatic control means comprises:a first means for obtaining a first parameter related to running of the vehicle; anda second means for obtaining a second parameter related to the running of the vehicle and different from said first parameter in a time-based changing performance thereof, said first and second parameters each relating to a probable requirement for applying braking force to at least one wheel selected from the front left, front right, rear left and rear right wheels for a stability control of the vehicle by successively reaching first and second threshold values, respectively, in said order according to an increase in need for said stability control, said automatic control means controlling said pump means and said fluid flow control valves such that, when said first parameter reaches said first threshold value, said pump means is started for operation thereof so as to provide said raised pressure source in said inlet passage means while said flow control valves deal with said raised pressure source not to supply any of the wheel cylinders with such a raised pressure based upon said raised pressure source as to effect a substantial braking thereby, and when said second parameter reaches said second threshold value, the wheel cylinder or wheel cylinders corresponding to said selected wheel or wheels are supplied with such a raised pressure based upon said raised pressure source as to effect a substantial braking thereby.