A vehicle braking system includes a brake pedal, master cylinder, a braking circuit with a wheel cylinder, and a brake pressure generator. A pedal feel simulator is coupled to the master cylinder output side through a switchable valve, the pedal feel simulator providing a reaction force. An isolation valve closes to isolate the braking circuit from the master cylinder and the simulator circuit. A primary pressure sensor generates a braking request signal responsive to the brake pedal. A controller activates the brake pressure generator to apply a braking force to the wheel cylinder based on the braking request signal. The controller identifies an abnormal value from the primary pressure sensor and couples the pedal feel simulator with a secondary pressure sensor within the braking circuit to determine whether the abnormal value indicates a primary pressure sensor malfunction or a malfunction of the pedal feel simulator or the switchable simulator valve.

A vehicle includes a brake pedal, a master cylinder, a braking circuit with a wheel cylinder, and a brake pressure generator with strokable piston. A pedal feel simulator is coupled to the master cylinder through a switchable valve, the simulator providing a reaction force. An isolation valve closes to isolate the braking circuit from the master cylinder and the simulator circuit. A controller is programmed to place the simulator in fluid communication with an output of the brake pressure generator, and to stroke the piston at a designated diagnostic time. The resulting pressure increase is observed, and the controller checks whether the pressure-increase to piston-stroke relationship is within a predetermined acceptable range for continued operation of a brake-by-wire mode in which the master cylinder is coupled to the simulator circuit and decoupled from the braking circuit.

The present disclosure includes a system, method, and device related to controlling brakes of a towed vehicle. A brake controller system includes a brake controller that controls the brakes of a towed vehicle based on acceleration. The brake controller is in communication with a speed sensor. The speed sensor determines the speed of a towing vehicle or a towed vehicle. The brake controller automatically sets a gain or boost based on the speed and acceleration.

Some embodiments are directed to a controller is provided for use with a vehicle braking system. The braking system can include brake assemblies coupled to an actuator. The controller can be configured to: receive data indicative of a requested braking force; select a distance of travel and actuating force for the actuator from respective predetermined ranges of values that are based on a curve determined using discrete portions representing constant incremental area under the curve for constant workload; and signal the brake assemblies to output braking response based on the selected distance of travel and actuating force of the actuator.

In a method for stabilizing the driving behavior of a tractor-trailer combination, a tilting inclination variable is obtained and a tilting limit is determined on the basis of the tilting inclination variable and is prescribed to a vehicle movement dynamics control system. A vehicle movement dynamics control device carries out the method. In order to improve the stabilization of the driving behavior of tractor-trailer combinations with different loads of the individual vehicles, the respective tilting inclination variable is determined at a plurality of vehicles of the tractor-trailer combination, and the value of the tilting inclination variable for the determination of the tilting limit which is decisive for the determination of the tilting limit is obtained from the tilting inclination variables.

A method of brake control of a vehicle combination (2) composed of a tractor vehicle (4) with an electronically controlled braking system (5) and a trailer vehicle (6, 8) with a pneumatically controlled pneumatic braking system (7, 9), involves introducing the brake control pressure (p.sub.BC) of the trailer vehicle (6, 8) into a tractor brake control line (19) extending to a tractor vehicle-side brake coupling head (26) via an electronically controlled trailer control valve (13) of the tractor vehicle (4). At the beginning of a braking operation, a pressure pulse (34) exceeding a target brake control pressure (p.sub.BC_soll) is introduced into the tractor brake control line (19). The volume of a trailer brake control line (28, 29, 32) coupled to the brake coupling head (26) is ascertained, and the absolute value (p.sub.PI) and/or the duration (t.sub.PI) of the pressure pulse (34) introduced are/is established depending on the ascertained volume.

A vehicle includes a brake-by-wire system having a brake pedal and first and second sensors. The first sensor is configured to output a first signal indicative of a position of the brake pedal and the second sensor is configured to output a second signal indicative of the position. A controller is programmed to command a braking torque based on only the first signal when a travel of the brake pedal is limited to a first range.

A braking system for vehicles may have a control unit for two brake groups operatively connected to electromechanical actuators for each brake group through a relative piloting device. Each control unit may be powered by a power source and being galvanically isolated from other power sources. Each control unit may be programmed to implement, via a piloting device, a standard braking strategy in case of detection of a standard operation of each brake group and a fault braking strategy, if it detects an electrical fault of one or more of the brake groups.

A method adjusts a brake pedal characteristic of a vehicle having a brake pedal configured to generate a brake pedal deceleration demand and at least one further deceleration demand generating device to generate at least one further deceleration demand. The vehicle is configured to decelerate according to the brake pedal deceleration demand and to the at least one further deceleration demand. The method determines an achievable deceleration potential as a result of the further deceleration demand; generates a deceleration demand for adjusting the brake pedal deceleration demand at 0% brake pedal input according to the achievable deceleration potential; and adjusts the brake pedal characteristic of the vehicle.

The electric brake device includes an electric motor, a friction member operator, a friction member, a brake rotor, and a control device. A braking force estimator provided in the control device includes: a direct estimator configured to convert output of a braking force sensor which detects a load or displacement corresponding amount, to a braking force; and an indirect estimator configured to estimate the braking force on the basis of information other than output of the braking force sensor. A range in which the braking force is estimated by the direct estimator is a specified low-braking-force range, and in a range beyond this range, estimation of the braking force is performed by the indirect estimator.