SENSOTRONIC BREAK CONTROL

Seminar report submitted to

Stateboard of Technical education,Kerala

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the diploma in

Electronics and communication Engineering

SUBMITTED BY

SAYANDEV (2101200274)

Department of Electronics and communication Engineering

SNM POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE MALIANKARA

MOOTHAKUNAM,ERANAKULAM 683516

STATE BOARD OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION,KERALA

2023-2024
Department of Electronics and communication Engineering

SNM POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE MALIANKARA

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the seminar entitled “SENSOTRONIC BREAK

CONTROL”is the bonafide record of the seminar done by

SAYANDEV in partial fulfillment of the award of diploma in

Electronics and communication Engineering under State Board of

Technical Education, Kerala

Guided by Head of section

Mr.SURESH K B Mrs. BINCY TB

ECE Dept.SNMPTC ECE Dep.SNMPTC

Internal examiner External examinar

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I take this opportunity to express my deep sense of gratitude and

sincere thanks to all who helped me to present the seminar
successfully

I am greatly thankful to Mr. PRATHEESH K P, Principle of

SNMPTC for his support and cooperation.

I am greatly thankful to Mrs. BINCY T B, Head of Electronics

and communication Engineering Department for her support
positive criticism, valuable comments and cooperation

I am deeply indebted to my guide Mr.SURESH K B, of

Department of Electronics and communication engineering for
his excellent guidance and support.

Finally I thank all the faculty members of the electronics and

communication engineering department, my parents and friends
near and dear ones who directly and indirectly and contributed to
the successful completion of my project.

Place:
Date:
SEMINAR REPORT 2023

CONTENTS

Sl. No Topic Page No

1. ABSTRACT 4-5

2. INTRODUCTION 6-7

3. SENSOTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL -

THE BRAKES OF THE FUTURE 8-12

4. FEATURES OF SENSOTRONIC
BRAKE CONTROL 13-19

 Emergency braking

 Driving Stability

 Braking in corners

 Comfort

 SBC add-on functions

 The future

5. THE CONCEPT FOR THE PRESSURE SENSOR 20-28

 Two levels sensitivity and recalibration

 The integrated digital electronic and the self-test

 The sensor design

 The chip design

 The electronic design

6. ADVANTAGES OF SBC 30

7. CONCLUSION 31

8. REFERENCES 32
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ABSTRACT

Recently, automotive industry pays more attention on the improvement of

the safety and comfort of their vehicle models. The new car model of Mercedes-
Benz SL 500 justifies this, by incorporating the new technological innovations
like Active body suspension (ABS), Electronic Stability Program (ESP),
Sensotronic brake control (SBC) etc. Sensotronic brake control is an innovative
electro hydraulic brake system which gives maximum safety and comfort on
brake This Seminar illustrates mechanism and performance characteristic of
Sensotronic brake control with the aid of the theory and mechanism of a common
hydraulic brake system. In SBC, various factors while braking such as wheel
speed, braking force for each wheel, steering angle etc are senses by electronic
means. With electronic impulses are used to pass drivers braking commands onto
a micro-computer, which processes various sensor signal simultaneously, and
depends on particular driving situation, calculates optimum pressure for each
wheel. As a result SBC offers even greater active safety then conventional
braking systems when braking in a corner and slippery surface.
Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC™) works electronically, and thus faster
and more precisely, than a conventional hydraulic braking system. As soon as the
brake pedal is pressed, 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.

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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,

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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.

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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:

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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 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.

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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

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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 possible through 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 coupé,
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.

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Brake pedal

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.

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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

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.

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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.

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FEATURES OF SENSOTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL

Emergency braking

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.

Due 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

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

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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. Due to SBC and
ESP® he or she will have even less difficulty keeping the car on course.

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Copyright DaimlerChrysler AG
With Sensotronic there is no need for ESP intervention when braking in a
curve.

Braking in corners

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Braking in a curve. Left: conventional. Right: with SBC.

Notice the unequal braking force, smaller lateral force, better stability and
alignment with SBC.

Even when braking in corners, SBC also offers more safety than a
conventional brake system. This is where the variable and targeted brake force

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distribution is of particular advantage to actively influence the car’s compliance

steer.

While conventional brake systems always mete out the brake pressure
equally to the inner and outer wheels, SBC offers the possibility of assigning
brake forces in a way appropriate to the situation. Hence the system will
automatically increase the brake pressure at the outer wheels because the higher
vertical forces also allow them to transfer greater brake forces. At the same time
the brake forces at the inner wheels are reduced to provide the higher cornering
forces needed to stay on course. The result is a more stable braking behaviour
along with optimum deceleration values.

With the innovative Sensotronic Brake Control Mercedes engineers still

stick to the proven principle of a variable brake force control for the front and
rear axles. They program the system in such a way that, when slowing down
from a high speed, the larger part of the brake force continues to act on the front
axle. This prevents a potentially hazardous overbraking of the rear axle. Again
SBC is capable of adapting to the prevailing situation. At low speeds or during
partial braking, the system automatically increases the brake force share at the
rear axle to improve brake system response and achieve even wear and tear of the
brake pads.

Comfort

Both the separation of the SBC pedal from the rest of the brake system
and the proportional pressure control using mechatronics serve to increase brake
comfort – particularly during sharp deceleration or when the anti-lock braking
system is operational. The usual vibration of the brake pedal when ABS sets in
does not occur, which, Mercedes engineers have found, is not only a comfort
feature of the new system but also offers measurable safety benefits. Their
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research in DaimlerChrysler’s Berlin driving simulator has revealed that almost

two thirds of all drivers are startled when ABS pulsation sets in: they do not
increase the brake force further and are even prone to taking their foot off the
brake pedal for a short while, thereby lengthening the stopping distance of their
vehicle – in the driving simulator by an average of 2.10 metres - 7 feet - during
ABS braking from 60 km/h - 37 MPH - on a snow-covered road surface.

SBC add-on functions

Sensotronic Brake Control offers additional advantages in everyday

driving situations – when slowing down ahead of traffic lights, in the wet, in
traffic jams or hill starts:

The so-called Soft-Stop function of the SBC software ensures particularly

gentle and smooth stopping which provides significant comfort benefits
particularly around town when you need to slow down frequently for traffic
lights. All this is made possible by the higher-precision pressure control due to
mechatronics. On a wet road surface the system metes out short brake impulses
at regular intervals to ensure that the water film on the brake discs dries off and
that SBC can always operate with optimum effectiveness. This automatic dry-
braking function is activated at regular intervals when the car’s windscreen
wipers are running. The driver does not even notice these ultra-precise brake
impulses.

The Sensotronic Brake Control also incorporates a so-called Traffic Jam

Assist function, which is activated using the cruise control stalk while the car is
stationary. The benefit is that during stop-and-go traffic drivers only need to use
the accelerator pedal; once they take their foot off the accelerator, SBC slows
down the car to standstill at a steady rate of deceleration. The Traffic Jam Assist

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facility can remain operational up to 60 km/h - 37 MPH - and switches off

automatically at higher speeds.

On hills or steep drives the Sensotronic Brake Control Drive-Away Assist

prevents the car from rolling backwards or forwards – stepping onto the brake
pedal quickly but sharply is all it takes to activate the brake. If the driver
accelerates, the Drive-Away Assist releases the brake and allows the car to drive
off smoothly.

The future

The advent of electronics in brake technology opens up new and

promising opportunities to Mercedes engineers - and not only in the disciplines
of safety and comfort. By means of SBC they have also moved a considerable
way closer to the realisation of their long-term objective, namely to be able to
automatically guide the cars of the future along the roads with the aid of video
cameras, proximity radar and advanced telematics. For such autonomous vehicle
guidance, the experts need a computer-controlled brake system which
automatically acts on the instructions of an electronic autopilot and stops the car
safely.

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THE CONCEPT FOR THE PRESSURE SENSOR

The major requirements of a pressure sensor for X-by-Wire applications,

as previously mentioned, are high precision and reliability as well as multi
functionality and flexibility, features strongly desired in modern sensor design.
These requirements have heavily influenced the design choices. In order to
enhance the precision it has been conceived a silicon micro machined piezo-
resistive pressure sensor chip with two different sensitivities: a higher one in a
low-pressure range (0 to 30 bar), where often an elevated resolution is required,
and a lower one at higher pressures (up to 250 bar). Thus, with one single
membrane chip, practically two sensors are obtained. Moreover, as it will be
explained further on more in details, the transition between the two sensitivity
levels determines an area with particularly interesting characteristics that could
be used to recalibrate the sensor from offsets without having to remove it from
the system where it normally operates and mount it on a reference bench.
Somehow what could be called a “self-recalibration” ability. Enhancing the
reliability and the therefore the availability of a sensor needs stability in the
components and sensor health monitoring strategies. This latter is possible
through an integrated digital electronic that would hence allow self-test functions.
Key point of these procedures is the previously mentioned recalibration area,
which potentially allows monitoring offsets with a precision up to 0.15 % full
scale (FS) without need on integrated actuators and the relative control electronic.
A digital electronic can also be designed, without major difficulties, to integrate a
controller for networking (Controlled Area Network, for example), consequently
enhancing the capabilities and the flexibility of the sensor.

Two levels sensitivity and recalibration

The transduction of the physical quantity, pressure in the specific case,

into an electrically measurable figure is performed though piezo-resistive
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elements implanted on the surface of the of the silicon chip. This type of
transducers is sensitive to the stresses in the two coordinates defined with respect
to the plane where the elements are implanted in the chip (8). The stresses on the
piezo-resistors induce changes in their resistance that can be detected with rather
high accuracy as unbalance of a Wheaston bridge. The stresses on the chip
surface depend on the geometrical characteristics of the latter and on the forces
deriving from the applied pressure (9). Therefore transducers are usually placed
in such a way to have maximum response to the pressure changes and in order to
obtain a constant sensitivity. Normally small variations in the sensitivity are
undesirable as they complicate the calibration process and often reduce the
sensor accuracy. On the contrary, in the presented design, a drastical change in
the sensitivity as been conceived through a major variation of the sensor
geometry. This characteristic has been exploited to realize the two sensitivity
ranges.

The sensor consists of a membrane structure at which centre is placed a

cylindrical structure (a centreboss membrane) as shown in fig. 1. As the pressure
is applied, from top, the membrane will move freely downward: this determines a
rather sensitive sensor response, which will continue until 30 bar is reached. At
this point the cylinder will enter into contact with the silicon bulk plate.
Consequently the geometrical structure of the sensor will almost instantly change:
the membrane will not be able to move freely any more and will behave more
like a ring fixed at the two sides. The stiffness of the structure will significantly
increase, thus the building up of stresses due to pressure will reduce and thereby
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the sensitivity will be roughly of a four factor smaller than the one between 0 and
30 bar. This determines the low sensitivity range that is specified up to 250bar.
Fig. 2 summarises graphically what has been here above described.

Moreover the cylindrical central structure makes the membrane fairly

robust and resistant to overpressures.

Fig.2

In silicon the elastic behaviour, opposed to the plastic one, is dominant.

Therefore silicon withstands stresses with almost unchanged characteristics: this
is what makes it a good material for sensors. Thus it can be expected that in the
described design the cylindrical central structure and the respective contact area
on the silicon bulk will remain stable. Consequently it can also be expected that
the pressure needed to generate the contact between the two parts will remain
constant through the sensor lifetime, thereby the transition between the two
sensitivity levels will take place always at the same pressure: in fig. 2 this is
defined as Recalibration point.

Now, gathering this information together, a contact point is obtained,

which is: mechanically determined, constant and independent from the electrical
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characteristics of the transducers. Therefore, if it is possible to evaluate a

procedure to determine this point though the normal sensor operation, than a
monitoring and correction of electrical instabilities such as offset drifts can be
achieved without need of a reference sensor or external action: a simple example
of how this could be obtained will be given in the next paragraph. Moreover, the
recalibration principle makes no use of internal actuation system, no actuator
control or extra technology is therefore needed: the sensor integrates what can be
called a passive recalibration and self-test principle. Furthermore such procedure
could enable to avoid long and costly temperature calibrations. Least but not last,
the contact or recalibration point is determined through the sensor technology
and can be so defined to be different from sensor to sensor. In the case the sensor
is operating in a network environment where more of these sensors with different
contact pressures are present, it is possible to obtain more recalibration points,
potentially increasing the sensor accuracy.

The integrated digital electronic and the self-test

Digital electronic is often thought to be expensive for pressure sensors.

This argument usually does not consider all the potential advantages that it can
bring, either because of the difficulty to have a complete overview on them or as
a rather significant research effort is needed to be able to exploit them completely.
Moreover costs of digital electronic are on the long term continuously decreasing.

In the presented design it has been chosen to make use of a digital

electronic in order to implement monitoring and correction strategies in thesensor.
Activities are being carried out to investigate all possible failures of the sensor
and evaluate their entity, this already at design level. Hence eliminate through
design as much of them as possible, particularly those that cannot be
automatically detected by the sensor. On the remainder will be in the first place
evaluated methods to individuate the errors (self-test) and, when possible, correct
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them without the outside intervention (recalibration). A diagram of this

procedure is described in fig. 3.

Furthermore network capabilities can be introduced and thereby user

tailored functions can be programmed resulting in an enhanced sensor flexibility.

Clearly a complex electronic has not only advantages consideration has to

be taken not to introduce further hardware, but also software errors. Central point
of the self-test strategies is the previously described “Recalibration point”. The
presence of a digital electronic allows performing the drift monitoring and the
recalibration internally. A simple example might help the understanding. Lets

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suppose that the sensor is working in a system where the pressure can rise
linearly, namely 250 bar in 8 sec., for simplicity lets also suppose that the sensor
has an ideal linear behaviour in the 2 sensitivity ranges (in the real case there will
be a linearity error which will ad up to the calculations, on the other hand though
the sensor response could be better described by polynomialls of higher order,
therefore it has been chosen to stay with the simplest case). During the pressure
rise 4 points are sampled through the digital electronic: point one at sensor output
around 0 V and the second around 2 V, in the low pressure range, the third at 2.3
V and the fourth at 4 V, in the high pressure one as shown in fig. 4 (a wise choice
of the points can influence up to 50% the accuracy with which the recalibration
point can be determined). These points are used to define the 2 lines, which
intersection will determine the contact voltage. This can be compared with the
value stored in the sensor memory at the previous recalibration and, if the
difference exceeds the calculation errors, the new value will substitute the old
one: the sensor response lines will be adjusted and thereby a recalibration will
take place. Key point of this procedure is the dimension of the calculation errors.
If the linearity error is not considered, for the reasons previously given, these
depend on the sensor A/D converter resolution and the sampling frequency.
Therefore, with a 10 bit A/D converter and sampling at 1 kHz a recalibration
with approximately a 0.15 % accuracy FS can be obtained. To the reader is left
the little mathematic game that takes to the given value.

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The sensor design

Defining a concept for a new sensor is no trivial job. Putting this into a
realisable design is even more complex and requires a good deal of experience in
sensor manufacturing and simulation techniques. The transducer chip design has
been conceived in collaboration between EADS (European Aerospace Defence
and Space company) Deutschland GmbH and AKTIV SENSOR GmbH, with the
contribution of the Technical University of Berlin. The electronic design instead
was the result of the cooperation of EADS Deutschland GmbH and ELBAU
GmbH.

The chip design

The major difficulty in the design was to realise the change in the
mechanical structure in such a way that the sensor response variation between the
two configurations would be possibly sharp, but most of all that the response
with respect to the pressure change would be monotonous. If this condition is not
fulfilled, there is no one to one correspondence between the transducer response
and the applied pressure: there will be different pressures that will produce the
same output signal, thereby the sensor will be intrinsically unreliable and
therefore unusable. Overcoming this problem means that the piezoresistors (the
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transducing elements) have to see always increasing stresses with the rising of
the pressure. Therefore the choice on the piezo-resistor position on the chip
membrane is determinant and with it the results of the simulation. The choice
that has been made in the positioning of the piezo-resistive elements can be noted
that the stress distribution changes significantly before and after the mechanical
contact. Moreover it has been chosen design 90-degree profiles in order to reduce
the previously described risk: this implies using anisotropy etching. etching. The
results of the dry etching process can be seen in fig. 5.

Fig.5: SEM picture of the chip structure and X-ray picture of the bonded wafer
showing the circular and square sensor design.

The electronic design

The design of the electronic should be maintained to a low level of

complexity. Never the less attention should be given to the design in order to be
able to implement all the self-test and recalibration features allowed by thedesign,
but at the same time avoiding unnecessary over dimensioning of components that
would only reflect itself on an increase of costs. Particular care should be given
in taking advantage of the high resolution in the low-pressure range: for example,
in the case of a linear analogue or Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) output is
desired, as it normally is in sensor output coding, a high resolution digital to
analogue converter is needed. Moreover, in the design is
planned: a volatile memory for storing the calibration parameters, a non-volatile
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one for the programming of the self-test and recalibration algorithms, a PWM
module, a CAN module for a bus communication and of course analogue to
digital converter to enable the signal processing. In the first prototype a low
level of integration has been chosen to enable more design flexibility, never the
less most of the needed functions could be performed by a commercially
available ASIC which could be integrated in second stage.

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SEMINAR REPORT 2023

ADANTAGES OF SBC
Thus, with all the add-ons and features offered by SBC, it becomes easy to
enumerate the advantages that SBC gives over the conventional braking
system [6].

1. Improving metering of necessary brake pressure, and eachwheel can be

precisely controlled
.
2. Reduction in stopping distance in particular during anemergency stop.

3. Increase in active vehicle dynamics safety as the vehicle dynamics

control system ABS and ESP can be used in anoptimized manner
.
4. Leads to more timely and more comfortable stabilization ofthe vehicle
during ESP control.

5. Take care of even wear on the brake linings and better response
characteristics of the brake due to optimal brake force distribution between
the front and rear axle.

6. Use of the brake force reserve at the rear axle due togrowing the brake
force share in the partial braking range and when braking from a low speed
.
7. Consequences in more stable braking performance with optimal
deceleration values when cornering as a result of the braking forces being
shifted to the outer wheels.

8. No reaction (vibration) on the brake pedal during ABS control

intervention functions.

Limitations
1. The Maintenance is high

2. Electronics parts are costly to replace

3. Some people don’t like the noise of SBC

6. Poor implementation and poor design ultimately leading to its downfall

5. Mercedes decides to stop the technology due to its costly maintenance.

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CONCLUSIONS

• With reference to the advantages and dis-advantages it is concluded that

the SBC system may take the place of a conventional brake system in the
future.

• Sensotronic Braking Technology is system comprising of mechanics and

electronics which provides its benefits to a greater extent over the
conventional braking system.

• Sensotronic braking system provide uncompromising quality, stability

and longevity.

• One of the most important dis-advantage that is its higher cost due to the
electronic components will get reduced after the adaptation of this system
by all automobile companies. Also the maintenance of the electronic
component will be easy when we shall get familiar with this system.

• Although if there is a small malfunction in the electronic part of the SBC

system, no repair is available and the part has to be replaced completely.
Hence the system maintenance costs a lot.

• The sensors, software, electric pumps, SBC microcomputer together

allows a highly dynamic brake system

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REFERENCES

1. Peter H., “Sensotronic Brake System”, The Mercedes-Benz Page, 16

December (2015).

2. Manas Korde, Himanshu Tayade "Sensotronic Brake Control System",

Feb (2022).

3. Mr. Atul B. Takle, Prof. Swapnil R. Umale "Sensotronic Braking System.

" (2017).

4. Kant, Bernhard. "Sensotronic brake control (SBC)." Automotive

Mechatronics. Springer Vieweg, Wiesbaden, (2015). 412-415.

5. Mahajan Vrishabh, More Kulbhushan, Kakad Mahesh, ICETEMR-16

March (2016)”. (424-429).

4. Mohammad Zeeshan, Abhishek B. Lakade " Sensotronic Braking

System." IJFEAT (2016). 132-136.

5. Shah, Hemanshu P. "Sensotronic brake control and brake wear sensor."

(2018).

8. www.google.com

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