Definition
Sensotronic Brake
Control works electronically, and thus faster and more precisely, than a
conventional hydraulic braking system. As soon as you press the brake pedal and
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.
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.
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.
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.
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