Patent ID: 8151944

Claim:
A device for estimating an amount of time needed for a brake assembly to cool to a predetermined temperature, comprising: a processor and memory; a first input operatively coupled to said processor, said first input configured to receive data indicative of a temperature of the brake assembly, the brake assembly comprising a wheel and a brake; logic stored in said memory and executable by said processor, said logic including logic configured to calculate a temperature response of the brake assembly based on the data indicative of the brake assembly temperature and data related to the wheel a second input operatively coupled to said processor, said second input configured to receive data indicative of at least one environmental condition that affects cooling of said brake assembly, wherein the logic configured to calculate the temperature response is further configured to calculate the temperature response on the data indicative of the at least one environmental condition, wherein the environmental condition comprises at least one of ambient temperature, wind speed, and wind direction, wherein the logic configured to calculate the temperature response includes logic configured to solve a coupled set of differential equations that calculate the brake temperature response wherein the logic configured to solve the coupled set of differential equations includes logic configured to calculate energy input into the brake assembly based on the temperature of the brake assembly; and logic configured to calculate cooling of the brake assembly based on the calculated input energy and the at least one environmental condition wherein the logic configured to calculate the temperature response of the brake assembly is based on the equation ∑ Kij ⁡ ( Ti - Tj ) + ∑ Sij ⁡ ( Ti 4 - Tj 4 ) + ∑ Hij ⁡ ( Ti - Tj ) = mCp ⁢ ⅆ Ti ⅆ t .