IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,311,908
Granted Patent B2
US 12,311,908 · App. 18/148,636 · Granted May 27, 2025

System and method for brake pad control based on surface roughness

Inventors: Kevin Jared Sallee (Lake Forest, CA); Werner Roland Naegeli (Costa Mesa, CA); William Jang (Walnut, CA); Somphone Khamly (Hacienda Heights, CA); Michael Fei-Kit Tung (Irvine, CA); Thomas Frederick Abdallah (Warren, MI)
Assignee: Rivian IP Holdings, LLC
B60W10/184B60W40/06
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,311,908
App. No.
18/148,636
Granted
May 27, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods for brake pad control based on surface roughness are provided. A system can determine a value of roughness associated with traversal of a surface by a vehicle. The system can generate, based on the value of roughness, an instruction to actuate a brake of a wheel of the vehicle to reduce an amount of separation between a rotor of the brake and a pad of the brake. The system can facilitate, based on the instruction, actuation of the brake of the wheel.

Claims (62)

1. A system, comprising:

one or more processors coupled with memory to:

determine a value of roughness associated with traversal of a surface by a vehicle;

generate, based on the value of roughness, an instruction to actuate a brake of a wheel of the vehicle to reduce an amount of separation between a rotor of the brake and a pad of the brake;

perform a lookup with the value of roughness to determine an amount of actuation with which to actuate the brake, wherein the amount of actuation reduces the amount of separation between the rotor and the pad to less than a first threshold and greater than a second threshold; and

facilitate, based on the instruction, actuation of the brake of the wheel.

2. The system of claim 1 , comprising:

the one or more processors to determine the value of roughness based on a duration of the traversal of the surface by the vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1 , comprising:

the one or more processors to determine the value of roughness based on an amplitude of motion of the wheel along a first axis that is perpendicular to a second axis that extends along an axle of the wheel and associated with the traversal of the surface by the vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1 , comprising the one or more processors to:

receive, from one or more sensors of the vehicle, data for the traversal of the surface by the vehicle; and

determine the value of roughness based on the data received from the one or more sensors.

5. The system of claim 1 , comprising the one or more processors to:

receive, from one or more sensors of the vehicle, data over a time interval that comprises the traversal of the surface by the vehicle;

input the data the data into a model trained via machine learning to output an indication of roughness; and

determine the value of roughness based on the indication of roughness output by the model.

6. The system of claim 1 , comprising the one or more processors to:

determine, based on the value of roughness, a likelihood that the amount of separation between the rotor and the pad is greater than the first threshold; and

provide the instruction to actuate the brake responsive to the likelihood greater than the second threshold.

7. The system of claim 1 , comprising the one or more processors to:

determine a likelihood of occurrence of a braking event within a time interval; and

provide the instruction to actuate the brake to reduce the amount of separation based on the value of roughness and responsive to the likelihood of occurrence of the braking event during the time interval greater than a threshold time interval.

8. The system of claim 1 , comprising the one or more processors to:

determine, based on input of the value of roughness into a model calibrated for the vehicle, the amount of actuation; and

generate the instruction to actuate the brake based on the amount of actuation determined via the model, wherein the amount of actuation reduces the amount of separation to less than or equal to the first threshold.

9. The system of claim 1 , comprising the one or more processors to:

predict, based on the value of roughness, the amount of separation between the rotor and the pad; and

provide the instruction to actuate the brake to reduce the amount of separation.

10. The system of claim 1 , comprising:

the one or more processors to actuate the brake without deceleration of the vehicle.

11. A method, comprising:

determining, by one or more processors of a vehicle coupled with memory, a value of roughness associated with traversal of a surface by the vehicle;

generate, by the one or more processors based on the value of roughness, an instruction to actuate a brake of a wheel of the vehicle to reduce an amount of separation between a rotor of the brake;

performing, by the one or more processors, a lookup with the value of roughness to determine an amount of actuation with which to actuate the brake, wherein the amount of actuation reduces the amount of separation between the rotor and the pad to less than a first threshold and greater than a second threshold without deceleration of the vehicle; and

facilitating, by the one or more processors based on the instruction, actuation of the brake of the wheel.

12. The method of claim 11 , comprising:

determining, by the one or more processors, the value of roughness based on a duration of the traversal of the surface by the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 11 , comprising:

determining, by the one or more processors, the value of roughness based on an amplitude of motion of the wheel along a first axis that is perpendicular to a second axis that extends along an axle of the wheel and associated with the traversal of the surface by the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 11 , comprising:

receiving, by the one or more processors from one or more sensors of the vehicle, data for the traversal of the surface by the vehicle; and

determining, by the one or more processors, the value of roughness based on the data received from the one or more sensors.

15. The method of claim 11 , comprising:

receiving, by the one or more processors from one or more sensors of the vehicle, data over a time interval that comprises the traversal of the surface by the vehicle;

inputting, by the one or more processors, the data the data into a model trained via machine learning to output an indication of roughness; and

determine the value of roughness based on the indication of roughness output by the model.

16. The method of claim 11 , comprising:

determining, by the one or more processors based on the value of roughness, a likelihood that the amount of separation between the rotor and the pad is greater than the first threshold; and

providing, by the one or more processors, the instruction to actuate the brake responsive to the likelihood greater than the second threshold.

17. The method of claim 11 , comprising:

determining, by the one or more processors, a likelihood of occurrence of a braking event within a time interval; and

providing, by the one or more processors, the instruction to actuate the brake to reduce the amount of separation based on the value of roughness and responsive to the likelihood of occurrence of the braking event during the time interval greater than a threshold time interval.

18. A vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of wheels;

a first wheel of the plurality of wheels comprising a brake formed of a rotor and a pad;

an actuator configured to control a separation between the rotor and the pad; and

one or more processors coupled with memory to:

determine a value of roughness associated with traversal of a surface by the vehicle;

generate, based on the value of roughness, an instruction to actuate the brake of the first wheel of the vehicle to reduce an amount of separation between the rotor of the brake and the pad of the brake to less than or equal to a first threshold;

perform, by the one or more processors, a lookup with the value of roughness to determine an amount of actuation with which to actuate the brake, wherein the amount of actuation reduces the amount of separation between the rotor and the pad to less than the first threshold and greater than a second threshold without deceleration of the vehicle; and

facilitate, based on the instruction, actuation of the brake of the wheel.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 19, 2023
From: SALLEE, KEVIN JARED; NAEGELI, WERNER ROLAND; JANG, WILLIAM; KHAMLY, SOMPHONE; TUNG, MICHAEL FEI-KIT; ABDALLAH, THOMAS FREDERICK
To: RIVIAN AUTOMOTIVE, LLC
Reel/Frame 062426/0292 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 19, 2023
From: RIVIAN AUTOMOTIVE, LLC
To: RIVIAN IP HOLDINGS, LLC
Reel/Frame 062426/0376 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240217504A1 · Jul 4, 2024
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