Brake control

Abstract

An apparatus including a controller configured to generate a first indication for a vehicle braking system depending upon an oxidation state of a wheel brake of the vehicle is disclosed. Also disclosed is a braking system including a controller configured to receive a first indication, the first indication having been generated depending upon an oxidation state of a wheel brake of a vehicle and control the operation of the brake based on the first indication. Also disclosed is a method of controlling at least one brake of an aircraft, and an aircraft including the apparatus, the braking system and a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of a wheel brake of the aircraft and to transmit the temperature measurement to the apparatus.

1 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a controller configured to:
 determine a brake temperature threshold for a brake from a plurality of brakes of a vehicle according to a thermal oxidation state of said brake, including by determining a lower brake temperature threshold given a higher level of thermal oxidation of said brake; 
 determine whether a temperature of said brake exceeds the brake temperature threshold; and 
 generate a first indication for a braking system to disable said brake of the plurality of brakes if the temperature of said brake exceeds the brake temperature threshold for said brake. 
   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the controller receives an indication of the temperature of said brake from a temperature sensor associated with said brake.   
     
     
         3 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the controller receives a predicted temperature of said brake from a brake temperature prediction function as the temperature of said brake.   
     
     
         4 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
 monitor the temperature of said brake; and   if the temperature of said brake no longer exceeds the brake temperature threshold for said brake, generate a second indication for the braking system to enable said brake.   
     
     
         5 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 if the thermal oxidation state of said brake is below a predetermined thermal oxidation level, a first temperature threshold is selected as the brake temperature threshold of said brake.   
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein:
 if the thermal oxidation state of said brake is above the predetermined thermal oxidation level, a second brake temperature threshold lower than the first temperature threshold is selected as the brake temperature threshold of said brake.   
     
     
         7 . The apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein:
 the second brake temperature threshold is selected based on the difference between the thermal oxidation state of said brake and the predetermined thermal oxidation level.   
     
     
         8 . A vehicle comprising the apparatus according to  claim 1  and a braking system, the braking system comprising:
 a second controller configured to:
 receive the first indication; and 
 control said brake of the plurality of brakes to be disabled if the second controller receives the first indication. 
 
 
     
     
         9 . The vehicle according to  claim 8 , wherein:
 the second controller is configured to:
 receive a second indication that the temperature of said brake no longer exceeds the brake temperature threshold for said brake; and 
 control said brake to be enabled if the second controller receives the second indication. 
   
     
     
         10 . The vehicle according to  claim 8 , wherein:
 the vehicle is an aircraft and the second controller is configured to disable a brake from the plurality of brakes if a predefined taxiing criterion is met, wherein the predefined taxiing criterion comprises one or more of:   an aircraft speed threshold defined such that an aircraft speed less than or equal to the aircraft speed threshold satisfies the predefined taxiing criterion; and   a particular flight phase indicated by a flight phase indication system of the aircraft.   
     
     
         11 . The vehicle according to  claim 8 , wherein the second controller is configured to:
 receive a braking request, the braking request comprising information relating to a requested braking intensity;   determine, based on the information related to the requested braking intensity, whether the requested braking intensity exceeds a braking intensity threshold; and   if the requested braking intensity exceeds the braking intensity threshold, enable at least one disabled brake from the plurality of brakes.   
     
     
         12 . The vehicle according to  claim 8 , wherein the vehicle is an aircraft comprising a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of a wheel brake of the aircraft and to transmit the temperature measurement to the apparatus. 
     
     
         13 . A method for controlling at least one wheel brake from a plurality of wheel brakes of an aircraft, the method comprising:
 determining a brake temperature threshold for a wheel brake from the plurality of brakes according to a thermal oxidation state of said wheel brake, including by determining a lower brake temperature threshold given a higher level of thermal oxidation of said wheel brake;   determining whether a temperature of said wheel brake exceeds the brake temperature threshold;   generating a first indication if the temperature of said wheel brake exceeds the brake temperature threshold for said wheel brake; and   controlling said wheel brake to be disabled based on the first indication.   
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 13 , comprising:
 (i) monitoring the temperature of said wheel brake;   (ii) determining whether the temperature of said wheel brake still exceeds the brake temperature threshold;   if the temperature of said wheel brake no longer exceeds the brake temperature threshold:
 generating a second indication that the temperature of said wheel brake no longer exceeds the brake temperature threshold; and 
 controlling said wheel brake to be enabled based on the second indication; and 
   if the temperature of said wheel brake still exceeds the brake temperature threshold, repeating (i) and (ii).   
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 13 , comprising:
 receiving an indication of the temperature of said wheel brake from a temperature sensor associated with said wheel brake.   
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 13 , comprising:
 receiving a predicted temperature from a brake temperature prediction function as the temperature of said wheel brake.   
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 13 , wherein:
 if the thermal oxidation state of said wheel brake is below a predetermined thermal oxidation level, a first temperature threshold is selected as the brake temperature threshold of said wheel brake.   
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 17 , wherein:
 if the thermal oxidation state of said wheel brake is above the predetermined thermal oxidation level, a second brake temperature threshold lower than the first temperature threshold is selected as the brake temperature threshold of said wheel brake.   
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 18 , wherein:
 the second brake temperature threshold is selected based on the difference between the thermal oxidation state of said wheel brake and the predetermined thermal oxidation level.   
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 13 , wherein said wheel brake is disabled if a predefined taxiing criterion is met, wherein the predefined taxiing criterion comprises one or more of:
 an aircraft speed threshold defined such that an aircraft speed less than or equal to the aircraft speed threshold satisfies the predefined taxiing criterion; and   a particular flight phase indicated by a flight phase indication system of the aircraft.   
     
     
         21 . The method according to  claim 13 , wherein the method comprises:
 receiving a braking request, the braking request comprising information relating to a requested braking intensity;   determining, based on the information related to the requested braking intensity, whether the requested braking intensity exceeds a braking intensity threshold; and   if the requested braking intensity exceeds the braking intensity threshold, enabling at least one disabled wheel brake from the plurality of wheel brakes.   
     
     
         22 . The method according to  claim 13 , wherein the method is performed in real-time during a use cycle of the aircraft. 
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein the method is performed repeatedly at a fast rate, with the temperature of said wheel brake being sampled multiple times per second, up to the sampling rate of the temperature sensor.