Patent ID: 7219967

Claim:
A method of operating a brake system for a hydraulic motor, the method comprising: feeding the hydraulic motor with at least one pump having a variable cubic capacity, in a closed circuit; providing a friction brake to brake the motor; providing a brake controller that controls an amount of applied frictional braking by the friction brake and an amount of applied hydraulic braking; determining a level of actuation of the brake controller to detect normal and emergency braking situations; in normal braking situations, managing the proportional amount of frictional and hydraulic braking as a function of at least one input parameter, to cause progressive hydrostatic braking to occur by causing a ratio between a fluid flow rate delivered by the pump and an active cubic capacity of the motor to decrease progressively; in emergency braking situations, causing a controlled sudden decrease to take place in the ratio between the fluid flow rate delivered by the pump and the active cubic capacity of the motor, and then causing progressive hydrostatic braking to occur; and activating the friction brake during both of said normal and emergency braking situations.