Patent ID: 9216721
Filing Date: 2015-12-22
Classification: B60T

Abstract:
1. A method for controlling the brakes of a vehicle combination having a tractor vehicle equipped with an electronically controlled brake system, at least one front axle and a rear axle, and a trailer vehicle having at least one trailer axle, the method comprising: when at least one of a brake pedal actuation occurs and a brake value encoder signal is output, determining, using at least one control unit associated with the tractor vehicle, a deceleration setpoint value, comparing the deceleration setpoint value to a deceleration actual value, and determining a brake-application energy reference value; determining, using the at least one control unit, brake-application energy setpoint values for the tractor vehicle and the trailer vehicle from the brake-application energy reference value and brake-application energy levels for the tractor vehicle and the trailer vehicle using stored characteristic maps, the characteristic maps being obtained as a function of at least one pre-definable influencing factor and illustrating dependencies of the brake-application energy levels for the tractor vehicle and the trailer vehicle on one of the brake-application energy reference value and axle load distribution of the tractor vehicle; from the brake-application energy reference value, the influencing factor, and the axle load distribution of the tractor vehicle, determining, using the at least one control unit, a loading state for one of the tractor vehicle, the trailer vehicle, and the vehicle combination; receiving, at the at least one control unit, an external brake request; and adapting, using the at least one control unit, brake force control of the trailer vehicle corresponding to the external brake request, based on the determined loading state and independently of any separate automatic load-dependent brake-force control.