Abstract
Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC™) works electronically, and thus faster and more precisely, than a conventional hydraulic braking system. As soon as you press the brake pedal and the sensors identify the driving situation in hand, the computer makes an exact calculation of the brake force necessary and distributes it between the wheels as required. This allows SBC™ to critically reduce stopping distances. SBC™ also helps to optimise safety functions such as ESP®, ASR, ABS and BAS.
With Sensotronic Brake Control, electric impulses are used to pass the driver’s braking commands onto a microcomputer which processes various sensor signals simultaneously and, depending on the particular driving situation, calculates the optimum brake pressure for each wheel. As a result, SBC offers even greater active safety than conventional
brake systems when braking in a corner or on a slippery surface. A high-pressure reservoir and electronically controllable valves ensure that maximum brake pressure is available much sooner. Moreover, the system offers innovative additional functions to reduce the driver’s workload. These include Traffic Jam Assist, which brakes the vehicle automatically in stop-and-go traffic once the driver takes his or her foot off the accelerator. The Soft-Stop function – another first – allows particularly soft and smooth stopping in town traffic.
Introduction
When drivers hit the brake pedal today, their foot moves a piston rod which is linked to the brake booster and the master brake cylinder. Depending on the pedal force, the master brake cylinder builds up the appropriate amount of pressure in the brake lines which – in a tried and tested interaction of mechanics and hydraulics – then presses the brake pads against the brake discs via the wheel cylinders.
By contrast, in the Mercedes-Benz Sensotronic Brake Control, a large number of mechanical components are simply replaced by electronics. The brake booster will not be needed in future either. Instead sensors gauge the pressure inside the master brake cylinder as well as the speed with which the brake pedal is operated, and pass these data to the SBC computer in the form of electric impulses. To provide the driver with the familiar brake feel, engineers have developed a special simulator which is linked to the tandem master cylinder and which moves the pedal using spring force and hydraulics. In other words: during braking, the actuation unit is completely disconnected from the rest of the system and serves the sole purpose of recording any given brake command. Only in the event of a major fault or power failure does SBC automatically use the services of the tandem master cylinder and instantly establishes a direct hydraulic link between the brake pedal and the front wheel brakes in order to decelerate the car safely.
The central control unit under the bonnet is the centrepiece of the electrohydraulic brake. This is where the interdisciplinary interaction of mechanics and electronics provides its greatest benefits – the microcomputer, software, sensors, valves and electric pump work together and allow totally novel, highly dynamic brake management:
In addition to the data relating to the brake pedal actuation, the SBC computer also receives the sensor signals from the other electronic assistance systems. For example, the anti-lock braking system (ABS) provides information about wheel speed, while Electronic Stability Program (ESP®) makes available the data from its steering angle, turning rate and transverse acceleration sensors. The transmission control unit finally uses the data highway to communicate the current driving range. The result of these highly complex calculations is rapid brake commands which ensure optimum decelerationand driving stability as appropriate to the particular driving scenario. What makes the system even more sophisticated is the fact that SBC calculates the brake force separately for each wheel.
SENSOTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL – THE BRAKES OF THE FUTURE
Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC) is the name given to an innovative electronically controlled brake system which Mercedes-Benz will fit to future passenger car models. Following on from the Mercedes innovations ABS, ASR, ESP® and Brake Assist, this system is regarded as yet another important milestone to enhance driving safety. With Sensotronic Brake Control electric impulses are used to pass the driver’s braking commands onto a microcomputer which processes various sensor signals simultaneously and, depending on the particular driving situation, calculates the optimum brake pressure for each wheel. As a result, SBC offers even greater active safety than conventional brake systems when braking in a corner or on a slippery surface. A high-pressure reservoir and electronically controllable valves ensure that maximum brake pressure is available much sooner. Moreover, the system offers innovative additional functions to reduce the driver’s workload. These include Traffic Jam Assist, which brakes the vehicle automatically in stop-and-go traffic once the driver takes his or her foot off the accelerator. The Soft-Stop function – another first – allows particularly soft and smooth stopping in town traffic.
Mechatronics – a new term is gaining popularity within the automotive industry and is rapidly developing into the catchword of a quiet technological revolution which in many fields stands century-old principles on their head. Mechatronics brings together two disciplines which in many cases were thought to be irreconcilable, namely mechanics and electronics.
Hence automobile functions which hitherto worked purely mechanically and partly with hydraulic assistance will in future be controlled by high-performance microcomputers and electronically controllable actuators. These either replace the conventional mechanical components or else enhance their function. The mechatronic interplay therefore opens up hitherto inconceivable possibilities to further raise the safety and comfort levels of modern passenger cars. For example: it was only thanks to mechatronics that an electronically controlled suspension system which instantly adapts to prevailing conditions when driving off, braking or cornering — thus providing a totally new driving experience — became a reality. In 1999 Mercedes-Benz launched this system under the name Active Body Control (ABC) in the flagship CL coupĂ©, thereby signalling the advent of a new era of suspension technology.
This electronically controlled suspension system will quickly be followed by the electronic brake system: Mercedes-Benz and Bosch have teamed up on this benchmark development project which will shortly enter into series production at the Stuttgart automobile brand under the name Sensotronic Brake Control — or SBC for short.
It turns the conventional hydraulic brake into an even more powerful mechatronic system. Its microcomputer is integrated into the car’s data network and processes information from various electronic control units. In this way, electric impulses and sensor signals can be instantly converted into braking commands, providing a marked safety and comfort gain for drivers.
Brake pedal: electronics instead of a vacuum
To turn to the technical side: when drivers hit the brake pedal today, their foot moves a piston rod which is linked to the brake booster and the master brake cylinder. Depending on the pedal force, the master brake cylinder builds up the appropriate amount of pressure in the brake lines which – in a tried and tested interaction of mechanics and hydraulics – then presses the brake pads against the brake discs via the wheel cylinder.
In the Mercedes-Benz Sensotronic Brake Control, by contrast, a large number of mechanical components are simply replaced by electronics. The brake booster will not be needed in future either. Instead sensors gauge the pressure inside the master brake cylinder as well as the speed with which the brake pedal is operated, and pass these data to the SBC computer in the form of electric impulses.
To provide the driver with the familiar brake feel engineers have developed a special simulator which is linked to the tandem master cylinder and which moves the pedal using spring force and hydraulics. In other words: during braking the actuation unit is completely disconnected from the rest of the system and serves the sole purpose of recording any given brake command. Only in the event of a major fault or power failure inside the 12V vehicle battery does SBC automatically use the services of the tandem master cylinder and instantly establishes a direct hydraulic link between the brake pedal and the front wheel brakes in order to decelerate the car safely.
Control unit: pressure modulators for each wheel
The central control unit under the bonnet is the centrepiece of the electrohydraulic brake. This is where the interdisciplinary interaction of mechanics and electronics provides its greatest benefits – the microcomputer, software, sensors, valves and electric pump work together and allow totally novel, highly dynamic brake management:
In addition to the data relating to the brake pedal actuation, the SBC computer also receives the sensor signals from the other electronic assistance systems. For example, the anti-lock braking system (ABS) provides information about wheel speed, while ESP® makes available the data from its steering angle, turning rate and transverse acceleration sensors. The transmission control unit finally uses the data highway to communicate the current driving range. The result of these highly complex calculations is rapid brake commands which ensure optimum deceleration and driving stability as appropriate to the particular driving scenario. What makes the system even more sophisticated is the fact that SBC calculates the brake force separately for each wheel.
The high-pressure reservoir contains the brake fluid which enters the system at a pressure of between 140 and 160 bar. The SBC computer regulates this pressure and also controls the electric pump which is connected to the reservoir. This ensures much shorter response times than on conventional brake systems. Yet another advantage: full braking power is available even when the engine is switched off. The hydraulic unit mainly comprises four so-called wheel pressure modulators. They mete out the brake pressure as required and pass it onto the brakes. In this way it is possible to meet the microcomputer’s stipulations while each wheel is slowed down separately in the interests of driving stability and optimum deceleration. These processes are monitored by pressure sensors inside the wheel pressure modulators.
Emergency braking: stopping distance reduced by up to three per cent
The main performance characteristics of Sensotronic Brake Control include the extremely high dynamics during pressure build-up and the exact monitoring of driver and vehicle behaviour using sophisticated sensors. Mercedes-Benz is thus moving into new dimensions of driving safety. Take the example of the emergency brake: SBC already recognises the driver’s rapid movement from the accelerator onto the brake pedal as a clue to an imminent emergency stop and responds automatically: with the aid of the high-pressure reservoir, the system increases the pressure inside the brake lines and instantly presses the pads onto the brake discs so that they can get a tight grip the moment the driver steps onto the brake pedal. As a result of this so-called prefilling of the brake system, the stopping distance of an SBC-equipped sports car from a speed of 120 km/h is cut by around three per cent compared to a car featuring conventional braking technology.
Thanks to electrohydraulic back-up, the performance of Brake Assist is also improved further. If this system issues the command for an automatic emergency stop, the quick pressure build-up and the automatic prefilling of the wheel brakes leads to a shorter braking distance.
Driving stability: precise braking impulses for perfect ESP® performance
It is not just in emergency braking that Sensotronic Brake Control proves its worth, but also in other critical situations – for example, when there is a risk of swerving. Under such conditions, the system interacts with the Electronic Stability Program (ESP®) which keeps the vehicle safely on course through precise braking impulses at all wheels and/or by reducing engine speed. SBC once again offers the benefits of greater dynamics and precision: thanks to the even faster and more accurate braking impulses from the SBC high-pressure reservoir, ESP® is able to stabilise early and comfortably a vehicle which is about to break away.
This is evident, for example, from the results of the VDA lane-change test which suspension engineers use to simulate a quick obstacle-avoidance manoeuvre and to demonstrate the high capabilities of the Electronic Stability Program. In conjunction with SBC, ESP® works even more effectively and significantly reduces vehicle swerving through quick and precise braking impulses.
At the same time the driver’s steering effort is reduced. Thanks to SBC and ESP® he or she will have even less difficulty keeping the car on course.
Copyright DaimlerChrysler AG
