An electromechanical brake apparatus includes a housing supporting an inboard brake pad and an oppositely facing outboard brake pad for selective frictional contact with a rotor interposed longitudinally therebetween. An adjuster ramp assembly indirectly receives torque from the motor unit. A spindle is provided for selectively moving the inboard brake pad longitudinally. The spindle is operatively connected with the adjuster ramp assembly to indirectly receive torque from the motor unit therethrough. A leading ramp assembly is configured to transmit applied torque from the motor unit to the adjuster ramp assembly via at least one ramp ball longitudinally interposed therebetween. A predetermined amount and direction of torque is applied to each of the adjuster ramp assembly and the leading ramp assembly to assist with a selected one of (1) service brake application and (2) service brake release functions. The electromechanical brake apparatus is operative, at different times, for both functions.

An electric motor with a rotor and a stator, where the rotor and/or the stator can comprise two or more sections, and a torque ripple caused by the magnetic field(s) associated with a section of the rotor (or stator) can at least partially counters torque ripple caused by the magnetic field(s) associated with other section(s) of the rotor (or stator).

A vehicle steering system comprises: a motor assembly operably coupled to a steering rack, the motor assembly comprising a motor having a rotor and a motor position sensor configured to sense a rotor angle of the motor in a single-turn range; and a rotary-to-linear conversion mechanism operably coupled between the motor assembly and the steering rack, the rotary-to-linear conversion mechanism comprising a rotor operably coupled to the rotor of the motor. A processor calculates an absolute angular position of the pinion in a full-turn range of rotation of the pinion based on the sensed rotor angle of the motor and a pinion angle sensed by a pinion angle sensor in a single-turn range, or based on the sensed rotor angle of the motor and an angle of the rotor of the rotary-to-linear conversion mechanism sensed by an angular position sensor in the single-turn range.

A method of controlling the vehicle may include predicting, by a controller, a braking situation of the vehicle; performing, by the controller, brake distribution control of front and rear wheels of the vehicle in a response to a predicted sudden braking of the vehicle at a predetermined level; and performing, by the controller, independent braking control of the rear wheels of the vehicle in a response to a predicted general braking of the vehicle at the predetermined level.

A braking control device includes a first control unit configured to execute first control for reducing a target braking force, which is either a front-wheel braking force to be applied to front wheels of a vehicle or a rear-wheel braking force to be applied to rear wheels during increasing of deceleration of the vehicle, in a case that a behavior of the vehicle is unstable as the target braking force is increased; and a second control unit configured to execute second control for reducing a rate of increase in the target braking force and increasing a rate of increase in the front-wheel braking force or the rear-wheel braking force, which is not the target braking force, prior to execution of the first control.

The electronic control unit is configured to, when braking by the braking device is performed in a deceleration state where the coasting deceleration is equal to or less than a threshold value, distribute target braking force corresponding to requested deceleration to front-wheel braking force and rear-wheel braking force in accordance with a front-rear distribution ratio determined from the requested deceleration and the braking force distribution characteristics, and when the braking is performed in a deceleration state where the coasting deceleration is higher than the threshold value, distribute corrected target braking force to the front-wheel braking force and the rear-wheel braking force in accordance with the front-rear distribution ratio determined from total deceleration and the braking force distribution characteristics, the corrected target braking force being a sum of the target braking force and braking force that generates the coasting deceleration.

The electronic control unit is configured to, when braking by the braking device is performed in a deceleration state where the coasting deceleration is equal to or less than a threshold value, distribute target braking force corresponding to requested deceleration to front-wheel braking force and rear-wheel braking force in accordance with a front-rear distribution ratio determined from the requested deceleration and the braking force distribution characteristics, and when the braking is performed in a deceleration state where the coasting deceleration is higher than the threshold value, distribute corrected target braking force to the front-wheel braking force and the rear-wheel braking force in accordance with the front-rear distribution ratio determined from total deceleration and the braking force distribution characteristics, the corrected target braking force being a sum of the target braking force and braking force that generates the coasting deceleration.

A vehicle brake control device includes a wheel deceleration calculating unit configured to calculate a wheel deceleration of each of wheels of a vehicle, and a front and rear wheel braking distribution controlling unit configured to execute a front and rear wheel braking distribution control for distributing a braking force on front and rear wheels. The front and rear wheel braking distribution controlling unit is configured to start the front and rear wheel braking distribution control on front and rear wheels of one of left and right sides if an absolute value of a wheel deceleration of the front wheel is equal to or larger than a first threshold and an absolute value of a wheel deceleration of the rear wheel is equal to or larger than a second threshold.

A vehicle brake control device includes a wheel deceleration calculating unit configured to calculate a wheel deceleration of each of wheels of a vehicle, and a front and rear wheel braking distribution controlling unit configured to execute a front and rear wheel braking distribution control for distributing a braking force on front and rear wheels. The front and rear wheel braking distribution controlling unit is configured to start the front and rear wheel braking distribution control on front and rear wheels of one of left and right sides if an absolute value of a wheel deceleration of the front wheel is equal to or larger than a first threshold and an absolute value of a wheel deceleration of the rear wheel is equal to or larger than a second threshold.

A method of controlling the braking of a vehicle descending a slope. The method includes receiving one or more electrical signals each indicative of a value of a respective vehicle-related parameter. The method further includes detecting that the vehicle is descending a slope based on the value(s) of one or more of the vehicle-related parameters. The method still further includes automatically modifying an amount of brake torque being applied to at least certain of the wheels of the vehicle in response to the detection of the vehicle descending a slope by increasing the amount of brake torque being applied to one or more trailing wheels of the vehicle, and decreasing the amount of brake torque being applied to one or more leading wheels of the vehicle.