The paper details opportunities for electronic control of the pneumatic charging system of an air braked vehicle. Electronic control of the charging and drying functions can result in increased fuel efficiency and improved air quality. Control functions can be used to identify and warn of in-service issues, provide prioritized system charging for faster drive-away, and signal required preventative maintenance.
The first portion of the paper describes current industry practice, as well as common issues that can result from those practices. This is followed by presentation of areas of improvement, where specialized control features result in energy savings, air quality increases and maintenance/downtime savings. This portion will focus on adaptive control of components used today, and will briefly discuss opportunities for the next generation of charging system devices.
The final section of the paper presents the control logic and vehicle interface allowing for system integration. This will highlight the internal and external sensor data availability and vehicle bus communication.