A method for testing a pressure-medium-operated electronic brake system of a vehicle having a valve and sensor device including a control pressure inlet, a control pressure outlet, a plurality of valves selected from electrically activated inlet valves, outlet valves, redundancy valves, and pressure valves, an actual pressure sensor for measuring an actual control pressure, a setpoint pressure sensor for measuring a setpoint control pressure, and an electronic control unit, which has a signal-conducting connection to the electrically activated valves and pressure sensors, for receiving pressure signals and actuating the electrically activated valves, includes testing the setpoint pressure sensor while the control unit is in a passive operating mode, passing the setpoint control pressure directly through to the control pressure outlet, measuring the actual pressure at the control pressure outlet using a sensor, and transmitting the measured value to the control unit for plausibility checking against the setpoint pressure measurement.

A piston-cylinder unit includes a piston delimiting at least one working chamber, in which a first seal for sealing at least one first working chamber is arranged either between the piston and cylinder or between a plunger connected to the piston and the cylinder. A second seal is arranged between the first seal and the first working chamber, and the piston-cylinder unit further includes a first channel arranged in the wall of the cylinder or in the piston, which joins the first seal and the second seal in the inner chamber of the cylinder. The first channel and/or a hydraulic line connected thereto may have a throttle device and/or a valve device. An electronic control and regulating device may have a diagnosis or monitoring function for a possible defect or failure of a seal. Multiple hydraulic devices may have such piston-cylinder units and respective control and such regulating devices.

A method of conducting a diagnostic test to determine leakage within a brake system includes first providing a brake system having a plunger assembly including a housing defining a bore therein. The plunger assembly includes a piston slidably disposed therein such that movement of the piston pressurizes a pressure chamber when the piston is moved in a first direction. The pressure chamber of the plunger assembly is in fluid communication with an output, and wherein the plunger assembly further includes an electrically operated linear actuator for moving the piston within the bore. The linear actuator of the plunger assembly is actuated to provide pressure at the output of the plunger assembly at a first predetermined level. The pressure at the output of the plunger assembly is held for a predetermined length of time. The method further includes determining whether conditional criteria has been met indicating a leakage within the brake system.

A method for initializing an electronically slip-controllable power braking system after a startup and an electronically slip-controllable power braking system. Power braking systems are equipped with a pressure generator for conveying pressure medium in a pressure medium circuit. The pressure generator includes a plunger unit made up of a plunger cylinder, a plunger piston, and a plunger work chamber enclosed by plunger cylinder and plunger piston. A characteristic, using which an actuation of the plunger piston is carried out by the motor during the initialization of the power braking system, is selected by the electronic control unit as a function of a piece of information present about the position of plunger piston at the start of the initialization and implemented by corresponding electronic activation of the motor.

The ABS diagnostic tool is an electrical apparatus. The ABS diagnostic tool is configured for use with a vehicle. The vehicle further comprises an anti-skid braking system (ABS). The ABS forms the brake system of the vehicle. The ABS diagnostic tool is an interface device that electrically connects to the ABS. The ABS diagnostic tool provides electrical access to key elements of the ABS that allows for the use of electric tools, such as a multi-meter, in diagnosing maintenance issues associated with the ABS. The ABS diagnostic tool comprises a breakout circuit and the vehicle. The breakout circuit plugs into the ABS. The interface presented by the breakout circuits presents a plurality of terminal sets which are electrically accessible.

The ABS diagnostic tool is an electrical apparatus. The ABS diagnostic tool is configured for use with a vehicle. The vehicle further comprises an anti-skid braking system (ABS). The ABS forms the brake system of the vehicle. The ABS diagnostic tool is an interface device that electrically connects to the ABS. The ABS diagnostic tool provides electrical access to key elements of the ABS that allows for the use of electric tools, such as a multi-meter, in diagnosing maintenance issues associated with the ABS. The ABS diagnostic tool comprises a breakout circuit and the vehicle. The breakout circuit plugs into the ABS. The interface presented by the breakout circuits presents a plurality of terminal sets which are electrically accessible.

A method of conducting a diagnostic test to determine leakage within a brake system includes first providing a brake system having a plunger assembly including a housing defining a bore therein. The plunger assembly includes a piston slidably disposed therein such that movement of the piston pressurizes a pressure chamber when the piston is moved in a first direction. The pressure chamber of the plunger assembly is in fluid communication with an output, and wherein the plunger assembly further includes an electrically operated linear actuator for moving the piston within the bore. The linear actuator of the plunger assembly is actuated to provide pressure at the output of the plunger assembly at a first predetermined level. The pressure at the output of the plunger assembly is held for a predetermined length of time. The method further includes determining whether conditional criteria has been met indicating a leakage within the brake system.

A method for checking functionality of a motor vehicle braking system. The braking system has a main module, including: hydraulically actuatable wheel brakes, pairs being assigned to respective brake circuits; at least one electrically actuatable wheel valve per wheel brake sets wheel-specific brake pressures; a pressure provision device actively builds up pressure in the wheel brakes; a pressure-medium reservoir at atmospheric pressure, and an auxiliary module, which has for each of two wheel brakes: a pressure sensor for measuring pressure in a wheel brake line; an open when deenergized isolating valve in the wheel brake line; a pump. At least one variable is measured to assess functionality of the braking system. Using least one acceptance criterion, and checked whether the variable satisfies the acceptance criterion. Determining at least one variable representing the viscosity of the brake fluid, and the at least one acceptance criterion depends on a variable representing viscosity.

A brake control device includes a pilot-type pressure-increasing device. A pilot unit of the pressure-increasing device is connected to a power hydraulic pressure generating device via a pilot input passage. A linear control valve that is also used for adjusting a hydraulic pressure of a wheel cylinder is provided on the pilot input passage. A brake ECU checks whether the pressure-increasing device is normally activated or not based on a hydraulic pressure outputted from the pressure-increasing device when the linear control valve is energized for an activation check. Thus, the brake ECU can perform the activation check of the pressure-increasing device without requiring a driver's operation on a brake pedal.

Provided is a brake apparatus, a brake control method, and a method for determining a lock abnormality in a motor capable of reducing motor drive noise at the time of a self-diagnosis of the motor regardless of a condition. A brake control method includes issuing a drive instruction to repeat ON/OFF driving a plurality of times and drive a motor in such a manner that a rotational frequency of the motor during an OFF time period does not fall to zero and a peak of the rotational frequency of the motor during an ON time period increases as the ON/OFF driving is repeated, carrying out terminal voltage detection to detect a terminal voltage of the motor at the time of the ON/OFF driving carried out by the issuing of the drive instruction, and determining a lock abnormality in the motor to determine whether there is the lock abnormality in the motor based on a characteristic of the terminal voltage during the OFF time period of the ON/OFF driving that is detected by the carrying out of the terminal voltage detection.