Electropneumatic valve unit for a commercial vehicle

1 . An electropneumatic valve unit ( 100 , 200 ) for a vehicle brake system, comprising:

a plurality of valve sections ( 102 ; 104 ; 106 ; 108 ; 204 ; 206 ) integrated into a single valve housing ( 101 ), wherein the plurality of valve sections ( 102 ; 104 ; 106 ; 108 ; 204 ; 206 ) includes:

a front axle redundancy section ( 102 ) that provides a redundant supply or control pressure for controlling brakes associated with a front axle of a vehicle or a tractor, and

a trailer control section ( 104 ; 204 ) that provides supply and/or control pressure to a trailer connected to the tractor,

wherein the redundant supply or control pressure for controlling brakes associated with the front axle of the vehicle at the front axle redundancy section ( 102 ) is derived from an output pressure of the trailer control section ( 104 ; 204 ).

2 . The electropneumatic valve unit ( 100 ; 200 ) in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the front axle redundancy section ( 102 ) includes a pre-control valve ( 110 ; 210 ) and a redundancy control valve ( 136 ), wherein the output pressure of the trailer control section ( 104 ; 204 ) is received at an input port ( 122 ; 222 ) of the redundancy control valve ( 136 ).

3 . The electropneumatic valve unit ( 100 ; 200 ) in accordance with claim 2 , wherein the redundancy control valve ( 136 ) includes first ( 120 ; 220 ) and second ( 128 ; 228 ) pneumatic control ports located opposite to each other, and wherein, depending on the pneumatic pressure received at each of the first ( 120 ; 220 ) and second ( 128 ; 228 ) pneumatic control ports, the redundancy control valve ( 136 ) shifts from a position of providing the redundant supply or control pressure for controlling service brakes associated with the front axle to a position of blocking the redundant supply or control pressure, or vice versa.

4 . The electropneumatic valve unit ( 100 ; 200 ) in accordance with claim 3 , wherein the second pneumatic control port ( 128 ; 228 ) of the redundancy control valve ( 136 ) is connected to a unified pressure supply source ( 132 ) via a supply pressure input port ( 132 . 1 ).

5 . The electropneumatic valve unit ( 100 ; 200 ) in accordance with claim 3 , wherein the second pneumatic control port ( 128 ; 228 ) of the redundancy control valve ( 136 ) is connected to a bifurcated pressure source ( 232 ), which has two independent pressure supply sources convening at a double check valve ( 232 . 2 ) or a select-high valve ( 232 . 2 ) via a unified supply pressure input port ( 232 . 1 ).

6 . The electropneumatic valve unit ( 100 ; 200 ) in accordance with claim 2 , wherein the redundancy control valve ( 136 ) includes a spool ( 314 ), which includes a top surface ( 312 ) and a bottom surface ( 316 ), wherein the top and bottom surfaces are composed of different surface area values.

7 . The electropneumatic valve unit ( 100 ; 200 ) in accordance with claim 6 , wherein the top surface ( 312 ) receives the control pressure that is provided through an electronic actuation of braking and the bottom surface ( 316 ) receives the control pressure that is provided through a pneumatic actuation of the braking.

8 . The electropneumatic valve unit ( 100 ; 200 ) in accordance with claim 7 , wherein the magnitudes or values of the control pressure received through the electronic actuation and the pneumatic actuation are the same.

9 . The electropneumatic valve unit ( 100 ; 200 ) in accordance with claim 2 , wherein the redundancy control valve ( 136 ) is a pneumatically controlled valve.

10 . The electropneumatic valve unit ( 100 ; 200 ) in accordance with claim 2 , wherein, when the redundancy control valve ( 136 ) is in a first position, a front axle outlet port ( 146 ) is connected to an exhaust port ( 148 ; 248 ), and wherein when the redundancy control valve ( 136 ) is in a second position, the output pressure of the trailer control section ( 104 ; 204 ) is connected to the front axle outlet port ( 146 ).

11 . The electropneumatic valve unit ( 100 ; 200 ) in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the electropneumatic valve unit ( 100 ; 200 ) further comprises:

a trailer parking brake section ( 106 ) for engaging or disengaging trailer parking brakes or a trailer supply pressure section ( 206 ) for providing supply pressure for brakes associated with the trailer, and

a tractor or towing vehicle parking brake section ( 108 ) for applying tractor or towing vehicle parking brakes.

12 . The electropneumatic valve unit ( 200 ) in accordance with claim 11 , wherein the trailer control section ( 204 ) is a trailer control pressure section, and the trailer supply pressure section ( 206 ) is connected between the trailer control pressure section and the trailer or towing vehicle parking brake section ( 108 ).

13 . The electropneumatic valve unit ( 100 ) in accordance with claim 11 , wherein the trailer control section ( 104 ) is connected to the trailer parking brake section ( 106 ), which is connected between the trailer control section ( 104 ) and the towing vehicle parking brake section ( 108 ).

14 . An electro-pneumatic brake system comprising the electropneumatic valve unit ( 100 ; 200 ) in accordance with claim 1 .

15 . A tractor-trailer combination vehicle comprising the electro-pneumatic brake system in accordance with claim 14 .

16 . A tractor-trailer combination vehicle according to claim 15 , wherein the electro-pneumatic brake system is located in a tractor or towing part of the tractor-trailer combination vehicle.

17 . The electropneumatic valve unit ( 100 ; 200 ) in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the trailer control section ( 104 ; 204 ) includes a first relay valve ( 138 ; 238 ), and wherein the output pressure of the trailer control section ( 104 ; 204 ) is the output from the first relay valve ( 138 ; 238 ) associated with the trailer control section ( 104 ; 204 ).