Clamping force control of electro-mechanical brakes based on driver intentions.

Li, Jing; Wu, Tong; Fan, Tianxin; He, Yan; Meng, Lingshuai; Han, Zuoyue · 2020 · DOAJ

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0239608

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

Get this paper ↗ (DOI — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This study addresses the challenge of improving the response performance of electro-mechanical brakes (EMBs) for commercial vehicles, specifically electric buses. While EMBs offer advantages over conventional pneumatic systems, such as reduced weight and improved integration, a specific design proposed by the authors—utilizing a pneumatic disc brake caliper with a force-amplifying arm—suffers from significant response delays. The leverage effect of the arm increases the axial displacement required to eliminate brake clearance, and limited motor performance makes this process time-consuming, compromising safety. The research aims to develop a clamping force control strategy that incorporates driver intention recognition to pre-emptively eliminate clearance, thereby reducing response time without altering the EMB’s physical structure. The methodology involves establishing a comprehensive system model for the proposed EMB, which consists of a brushless DC motor, a screw mechanism, and a modified pneumatic caliper. The powerplant model is derived from electrical and kinematic principles, while the caliper model is fitted to manufacturer data to accurately represent the load characteristics. To address the control problem, the authors employ Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) to recognize driver intentions, specifically distinguishing between deceleration and braking. These models are constructed based on the relationship between driving conditions, pedal behaviors, and driver intentions, with parameters determined using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). This allows the system to identify the driver’s intent from existing sensor signals and adjust the clamping force control strategy accordingly. Simulation analyses were conducted using MATLAB/Simulink to validate the proposed control strategy. The results demonstrate that under step and 5 Hz triangular sawtooth signal inputs, the EMB’s clamping force output closely matches the target signal. The control strategy ensures that the clamping force increases gradually toward the target without overshoot or jitter. Crucially, the integration of driver intention recognition significantly enhances response performance; the overall clamping force response time during emergency braking is reduced by approximately 0.25 seconds compared to conventional control methods. The significance of this work lies in its ability to mitigate the inherent latency of mechanically amplified EMB designs through intelligent control rather than hardware modification. By leveraging pattern recognition to anticipate driver actions, the system effectively pre-emptively manages brake clearance, ensuring faster and more stable braking responses. This approach supports the broader adoption of EMBs in commercial vehicles by addressing critical safety and performance constraints, facilitating the transition from traditional pneumatic systems to more integrated, intelligent braking solutions.

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed.

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-26; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• braking response