A vehicle safety braking device for a user other than the driver to emergency stop the vehicle (e.g. truck or lorry, when the driver is incapacitated by illness), and a method of preventing braking by mistake by: after activation of the device by non-driver user input, detecting the absence of the input and therefore disengaging the emergency braking. An activation module (102; fig. 2) receives an activating input from the user (e.g. manual button/lever press by passenger) 406 and sends an activating signal to a control module (101; fig. 2), but ceases sending the signal when the input is stopped (e.g. lever released/ stopped pressing button 410). The control module causes braking while it continually receives the signal but stops when the signal ceases. The signal may vary in strength according to the user input and may cause a pulsed braking operation. The brake may be a parking brake (e.g. air brake). There may be a driver override 411. If the vehicle speed is below a threshold speed (e.g. 6kph, 10kph) 409 the control may fully apply the brakes and not stop applying the brakes even when the signal stops.
Improvements relating to vehicle saftey devices
04.09.2019
Patent
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch