38 ESC INNOVATION
However, the regulations associated with ESC will
continue to be updated, which will drive the next stages
of the technology. As Danny Milot, senior vice president
for brake engineering at ZF explains, legislation is the
primary driver for advancing development of ESC systems.
“ESC has proven to be a key system as it helps to
maintain lateral and longitudinal control and helps
prevent the driver from running off the road – key to
helping prevent vehicle rollovers. The greater regulatory
requirements – in particular those driven by Europe’s New
Car Assessment Program (EU-NCAP) – have progressed
from AEB (autonomous emergency braking) for vehicle
detection, to AEB relating to pedestrians, cyclists and
powered two-wheelers. As the tests continuously include
faster vehicles, the brake system – and the sensing
systems such as cameras that sense the targets – must
react more quickly to help prevent or mitigate accidents,”
says Milot.
However good the technology is, there is always scope
for improvement. As a Ford spokesperson stated, “ESC
is constantly being improved to be more precise and
effi cient, taking advantage of advancements in other areas
of the car, like ABS, tyre grip and traction control. For
Ford, ESC is a crucial part in getting as much performance
out of a vehicle as possible. The system has to be able
to perform its function while also allowing the driver to
experience the full performance of the vehicle without
interference. ESC will activate when the driver loses
control of the vehicle, but allows for a limited amount
of yaw before doing so.”
For FCA, the key to increased ESC safety is very much
in the electronic braking systems. John Trame, senior
manager for active chassis, passive safety and ADAS at
FCA explains, “The actuation is much more direct on
electric brake booster systems. When you actuate
the brakes, an electrical sensor in the electric brake
module activates an electric motor in the same module,
which directly builds hydraulic pressure. New electrical
components have more capability, with faster processing
speeds, but the big difference is the hardware architecture
of the system.”
VehicleDynamicsInternational.com • November/December 2019
ZF’s Milot sees demands on current and future ESC
systems increasing because they must deliver faster and
stronger deceleration to help meet increasingly stringent
regulatory requirements such as automatic emergency
braking, while also becoming an enabler for higher
automated driving functionality in the near future.
ABOVE: The Ford Focus RS
ESC system has a little ‘play’
in the form of a ‘drift mode’
BELOW: ZF testing its systems
for new cyclist safety protocols
Clean approach
System reliability is essential for ESC systems, especially as higher automated
driving functionality develops. Danny Milot, SVP of brake engineering at ZF
emphasises that the company has a robust testing protocol, and all ESC and
electronic braking systems are 100% tested for performance, durability,
environmental degradation, and contamination.
“Our engineers design and build our test stands as they know the
product best, and our manufacturing plants utilise the latest technologies
for testing. Because ESC valves and other components have very tight
tolerances and small orifices, we assemble our ESC units in clean room
type environments. And of course, we closely monitor the performance
of units in the field.”
/VehicleDynamicsInternational.com