Vehicle brake system having foot pedal operated brake actuator with electronic range control

TLDR: In this article, an automotive vehicle brake system including a fluid motor brake actuator with a movable wall dividing the actuator into opposed chambers and foot pedal operated valve means for controlling the pressures in the respective chambers to establish a pressure differential across the brake applied position of the pedal.

Abstract: An automotive vehicle brake system including a fluid motor brake actuator with a movable wall therein dividing the actuator into opposed chambers and foot pedal operated valve means for controlling the pressures in the respective chambers to establish a pressure differential across the movable wall in the brake applied position of the pedal. Electrical means in the system including an obstacle detecting device which senses range and range rate of an obstacle in front of the vehicle and generates signals representative of the distance to the obstacle as well as the relative velocity of the obstacle and vehicle. The generated signals are processed and applied to comparators, the outputs of which are fed into independent AND gates having their outputs connected to solenoid valves operatively connected to the brake actuator to regulate the differential fluid pressure in the opposed chambers so that the vehicle brakes are automatically applied independently of the foot pedal operated valve means. The AND gates control energization of the solenoid valve in a manner determined by the relationship of the range and range-rate signals to brake pressure signal.